Study of implementing the FEC on SoC FPGA for digital quench detector

Abstract

Generally, the front-end computer (FEC) in a digital quench detector always acts as a communication platform between front-end data acquisition system and upper monitoring computer. SoC FPGA is the optimal option for building system on chip. Aiming at developing a set of digital quench detectors with higher integration degree, lower cost and stronger portability that meets the needs of different kinds of superconducting magnets, it is essential to develop a universal FEC based on SoC FPGA. The development platform is Cyclone V SX SoC FPGA development board which has a FPGA integrated with an ARM processor. The hardware architecture of the FEC is built by using IP cores and developing custom function modules. On the other hand, the software design mainly consists of transplanting the embedded Linux and developing essential application program for communicating functions. The main function of FEC is reading quench detection data and transferring it to upper monitor computer through Ethernet; the test results indicate that the system design is reasonable and the function is complete. The implementing of FEC on SoC FPGA has set a proper platform for upgrading to support more function for digital quench detection, and it is feasible to integrate more discrete devices onto one piece of SoC FPGA.