Abstract J-TEXT tokamak has recently upgraded its control system to J-TEXT CODAC (Control, Data Access and Communication) System, based on EPICS (Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System). However, former real-time controllers of J-TEXT do not support EPICS. Therefore the PSH (Plant System Host) was used as an interface, requiring the upgrade of former controllers. To achieve this upgrade, a controller prototype was first built with hardware and software compatible with both PSH and real-time control. Afterwards all real-time controllers of J-TEXT were upgraded with the prototype design, and are now working well in daily experiments. The controller design in this upgrade may also be applicable to custom or general purpose controllers for ITER CODAC and related systems.