Harmony: A Generic FPGA Based Solution for Flexible Feedback Systems
Xavier Serra-Gallifa, Jose Avila-Abellan, Manuel Broseta, Guifré Cuní, David Fernández-Carreiras, Óscar Matilla, Alberto Ruz · JACOW · 2017
Feedback and complex acquisition systems usually need real-time interaction among instruments with micro-second's time response. These implementations are hard to achieve with processors but feasible using FPGAs. There are some cases, such as synchrotron beamlines, where high flexibility and continuous tuning are also required, but the implementation of multiple full-custom FPGA designs are extremely time-consuming. Harmony is a solution based in FPGA that offers, via high level programming, a unique framework with common time base, data acquisition, storage, real-time processing, data sharing and diagnostic services designed to implement flexible feedback systems. It is based in two interconnect-ed buses: Self-Describing Bus, developed at CERN/GSI under OHWR license, that communicates with Control System; and Harmony Bus which creates a bus frame-work where different modules can share timestamped data capable of pre-programed events generation. The first version of Harmony is already successfully being used in Em# project which objective is the development of a performant four-channel electrometer.