Modern automatic control systems need 1) logically complex and computationally expensive controller algorithms and I/O; 2) real time data storage of plant information such as states, inputs, and outputs; 3) real time plotting capabilities; 4) real time controller parameter updates (both scalar parameters and matrices); and 5) real time access to reference signals; 6) remote monitoring for safety purposes. Control systems based upon embedded Digital Signal Processors (DSP) boards often require specialized programming and development tools, may lack flexibility when computational or timing requirements change, and may not directly address the aforementioned needs. Even worse, newer and faster DSPs may not be fully pin compatible with their predecessors, thus requiring total redesign of the embedded electronics for a given project. A novel controller implementation system — the Real Time Controls Laboratory (RTiC-Lab) — has been developed explicitly to address these problems. It relies on both commodity personal computers and Real Time Linux to guarantee satisfying hard real time constraints in light of maintaining soft real time requirements (such as plant monitoring and parameter updates). RTiC-Lab is Open Source and is thus intended to serve as a communal effort among both controls engineers and the Real Time community. Discussion is presented on the design of RTiC-Lab's software architecture, the controller API, and the IPC-API which allows other software packages to communicate with RTiC-Lab. An example application is presented.

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