The host software for the real-time PHA X-ray diagnostic on TCV

A real-time pulse height analysis (PHA) X-ray diagnostic for the TCV tokamak has been developed using CFN multi-DSP-based VME acquisition, processing and control board. The hardware is composed by: (i) a detection system based on a Si SDD detector; (ii) a VME host running Linux; (iii) a on-site developed VME module having 4 acquisition, processing and control (APC) channels. The software system was designed in order to allow a native integration with MDSplus. A complete software development cycle is presented. A support library to the VME module has been developed. A shareable application level library was also developed. A set of MDSplus Tree Data Interface (TDI) scripts was developed on top of the application shareable library. The scripts are used to build a software daemon. The daemon programmes the module with the chosen diagnostic parameters. It also performs data collecting and board monitoring functions. Data is stored in an MDSplus tree.