Large and small data acquisition systems at JET

Both large and small data acquisition systems have applications in a major physics experiment such as JET. This paper describes the central acquisitio n and trigger system (CATS) which provides co-ordinated high speed data acq uisition for many diagnostics, and also describes the integration into the JET infrastructure of much smaller systems which use commercial PC based ac quisition hardware and software. Such PC systems benefit from lower cost an d shorter development time compared to embedded bus-based systems. (C) 1999 JET Joint Undertaking. Published by Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reser ved.