LHC Magnet Test Benches Controls Renovation

The LHC magnet test benches controls were designed in 1996. They were based on VME data acquisition systems, Siemens PLCs control and interlocks systems. After a review of renovation of superconducting laboratories at CERN in 2009, it was decided to replace the VME systems with a PXI based systems and the obsolete Sun/Solaris workstations with Linux PC’s. This paper covers the requirements for the new system and shares the experience of the upgrade of the magnet test benches to these new platforms