Cerberus: a laser interlock system using Arcnet

High-power laser installations require complex and flexible safety interlock systems, frequently having to work in an environment with high levels of EMI. Traditionally, relays and timers have been employed to provide the interlock logic but this puts restraints on the level of sophistication that can be reasonably achieved. It was decided, therefore, to base the system on distributed microprocessors controlled by a PC and linked by a local area network