Instrumentation for new inelastic neutron spectrometers at the NCNR

The High Flux Backscattering Spectrometer (HEBS) and Disk Chopper Spectrometer (DCS) at the NIST Center for Neutron Research are state of the art neutron scattering spectrometers used for the study of dynamics of materials. Data acquisition for both of these instruments is VME-based, and comprised of both COTS and custom components. The real-time functionality is handled by OS-9 and Linux-based VME crate controllers, while the supervisory and user interface functions are maintained via an autonomous “core” program on a Linux workstation. The core program handles user requests from client GUIs written in the tool command language (TCL). Discussion of hardware and software, including open-source tools employed, will be presented