Speaker
Description
Evolving control systems can benefit from seamless integration of embedded devices while maintaining scalability and maintainability. This work, done the MAX IV Laboratory in Lund, Sweden, presents a solution for incorporating custom hardware into the TANGO control system.
This is achieved by selecting a widely available microcontroller, to limit reliance on a single manufacturer, and defining a library that simplifies firmware development and abstracts direct interaction with TANGO.
The microcontroller communicates with TANGO through the library using the MQTT protocol, enabling efficient messaging and real-time updates in both directions. It supports over-the-air (OTA) firmware upgrades, self-description of the firmware capabilities, and hosting of a web server for easy configuration. A paired TANGO device server dynamically interprets the microcontroller’s self-description, automatically generating TANGO attributes and commands based on its capabilities. This dynamic approach reduces development effort, ensures consistency across deployments, and enhances interoperability within TANGO-based infrastructures.
This approach provides flexibility, modularity, and ease of maintenance, making it a robust solution for embedded control in large-scale scientific and industrial applications.
