SCIPE - a simple control interface protocol for experimenters

The simple control interface protocol for experimenters (SCIPE) used at Sector 5 of the Advanced Photon Source is presented. This interface provides a generic method for data-acquisition programs to control generic actuators and detectors on a synchrotron beamline. The implementation used by the DuPont-Northwestern-Dow Collaborative Access Team, based on readily available hardware, is also described.