Low-Cost Modular Platform for Custom Electronics in Radiation-Exposed and Radiation-Free Areas at CERN

The CERN control system is comprised of multiple layers of hardware and software. These tiers extend from the hardware deployed close to the machine, up to the software running on computers that operators use for control and monitoring. We are currently developing a new centrally supported service in the layers closest to the accelerator - Distributed I/O and Fieldbus. A key aspect of this project is the selection of industrial standards for the layers, which are currently dominated by custom, in-house designed solutions. Regarding the Distributed I/O layer, this paper describes how we are adapting CompactPCI Serial (CPCI-S) to be suitable as the low-cost modular hardware platform for remote analog and digital I/O applications in radiation-exposed as well as radiation-free areas. We are designing a low cost 3U chassis with a CPCI-S backplane accompanied by a radiation tolerant, switched-mode power supply and an FPGA-based System Board. Regarding the Fieldbus layer, the paper focuses on the radiation-tolerant implementation of the Industrial Ethernet protocol, Powerlink.