Synchronized Actuation Gates

Multiple actuators must fire on a common time base; L1 uses synchronized gates so coordinated commands take effect at the same deterministic instant.

Why synchronization matters

Many control actions are only correct if several actuators move together. Shaping the breeder plasma means updating several PF-coil currents in a coordinated set; modulating the burner DEC means switching collector-grid stages in phase. If these updates land at different times, the intended field or waveform is distorted. Kronos gates coordinated commands so they take effect on the same clock edge.

The gate mechanism

Command values are precomputed and staged at each actuator driver, then released simultaneously by a shared gate signal distributed on the deterministic clock network. This decouples when a value is computed from when it takes effect: the fabric can prepare each actuator's next value at its own pace, but all of them commit at the scheduled gate edge, eliminating skew.

Skew budget

• Clock distribution skew: held to nanoseconds across the machine.
• Driver staging: values latched before the gate, so release is uniform.
• Gate propagation: matched-length links keep arrival spread minimal.
• Result: coordinated set effective within a tight, bounded window.

The gate model also makes multi-actuator timing analyzable. Because commit happens on a scheduled edge, the coordinated update inherits the determinism of the clock, and the timing budget for the group is the same as for a single actuator plus the bounded skew.

Both machines

On the breeder, synchronized gates preserve the negative-triangularity shape by moving all shaping coils as one; on the burner they keep the multi-stage DEC train phased. The same gating primitive serves both, distributed by the shared clock network.