EPICS at APS Beamlines

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EPICS at APS Beamlines

• Tim Mooney
• Advanced Photon Source
• Argonne National Laboratory

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EPICS applications for synchrotron
beamlines(synApps)
synApps overview

• Standard EPICS base extensions
• Standard EPICS modules (e.g., MPF)
• synApps modules (std, motor, MCA)
• synApps-compatible clients (e.g., scan-data
  display)

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synApps
synApps overview

• Custom EPICS records
• Custom EPICS device-support modules
• Other custom infrastructure (e.g., autosave,
  recDynLink, saveData)
• Custom EPICS databases, MEDM displays
• Custom clients (e.g., scanSee)
• Matched to a version of EPICS base

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Just to clarify
synApps overview

• We didnt write everything in synApps
• One function of synApps is to bundle compatible
  versions of selected EPICS software wherever
  developed into a single tar file that can
  easily be built and configured to run 80 of a
  beamline
• Second function is to provide generic tools that
  have proven themselves useful in the development
  of custom support

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Basic record/device support
synApps overview

• Motor
• Scaler
• Multichannel analyzer
• Multichannel scaler
• Serial (RS-232)
• GPIB
• ADCs
• DACs

• Encoders
• Optical table
• String calc, sequence
• Complex expressions
• Enhanced PID
• Scan
• Scan parameter
• Generic VME

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Layered devices, techniques(databases, SNL
programs, )
synApps overview

• Optical tables
• Slits
• Mirrors
• Monochromators
• Piezo controller
• Digital Multimeter
• Current preamplifier
• Interpolation

• N-step measurement
• Serial I/O block
• GPIB I/O block
• Autocollimator
• Temperature controller
• X-ray microscope
• Insertion device
• Filter/shutter

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Other support
synApps overview

• Autosave (save parameters through reboot)
• saveData (store scan data to disk)
• Clients to display scan/MCA data
• Programs to handle MDA, NeXus data files
• recDynLink (adds notify-when-done link)
• used by sscan, swait records

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Motors
synApps overview

• Stepper, servo
• Oregon Microsystems
• Newport
• Intelligent Motion Systems
• McClennan
• Soft support

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Scalers
synApps overview

• Multiple preset scalers
• Background count interrupted by data-acquisition
  count
• User-programmable end calculations
• Joerger, Struck hardware

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Multichannel analyzer
synApps overview

• Canberra AIM
• XIA DXP
• 32 regions of interest
• Halt acquisition on ROI preset
• Background subtraction for ROI sums
• Also supports sampling ADC (Acromag IP-330)

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Serial O/I Block
synApps overview

• Combination of
• string calc to construct output message
• serial record to send and/or receive
• string calc to parse reply
• Intended for run-time programming
• Similar GPIB support

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Optical table
synApps overview

• 5/6-motor optical table
• User specifies point about which table rotates
• Exact virtual-to-motor and motor-to-virtual
• Specific geometries (adding a new geometry is
  hard)

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Monochromators
synApps overview

• Nondispersive (standard)
• Dispersive (high resolution)
• Nested, in-line
• Spherical grating (low energy)

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Miscellaneous
synApps overview

• Slit
• Sample Wheel
• 4-step measurement

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String Expressions
synApps overview

• Extends CALC record to combine string and numeric
  expressions
• Useful for run-time programming of serial devices
• EPICS links are programmable at run time

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Scans
synApps overview

• Multidimensional
• 4 positioners, 4 detector triggers, 70 signals
• saveData client writes to NFS disk
• Can acquire arrays (e.g., MCA spectra)
• 300 Hz on MV162
• Start/end, table, on-the-fly
• Also for 1-dimensional automated alignment

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Clients
synApps overview

• MCA display (IDL program)
• scanSee (IDL program for 1D, 2D, 3D data)
• Plot.py (Python demonstration)
• PVMail (send email when PV value violates
  boundary)

• Misc. experiment-specific user interfaces in
  tcl/tk, python/tk, Igor, IDL, java
• Channel Archiver
• BackUp/Restore Tool
• StripTool (strip chart)

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Autosave/restore
synApps overview

• Saves PV values (e.g., motor positions, scan
  config) through reboot
• Defends against crash during save operation
• Typically 80 values saved every 5 s, 3000 values
  every 30 s

• Include files
• Macro substitution
• Dated backups
• Choose save/restore directories
• Request-file path
• Can put request files in same directory as
  database files

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CCD support

• CA server on CCDs native platform
• Calls vendor-supplied software
• Stores images to local disk (HDF format)
• Some simple image analysis
• Hosts EPICS PVs for control

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String calculations
Recent progress

• Operators gt? and lt? (max, min)
• Example Alt?B
• Variable of args for MAX, MIN functions
• Example MAX(A,B,C,MIN(D,E))
• Much faster that previous versions
• Numeric ops are 1-4 ms (10) slower than
  calcPerform (on MV162)
• (compare to 4 ms added for isnan/isinf check)
• No memory fragmentation

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Save_restore request-file path
Recent progress

• Can put standard request files with databases
• Database developer writes default request file
• Easy version control
• Can override a standard request file with a local
  copy (at any include level)

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Conversion to 3.14
Recent progress

• In progress, collaborators
• Mark Rivers (CARS-CAT)
• Jens Eden (BESSY)
• Kate Feng (NSLS)
• Till Straumann (SLAC)
• Most of synApps compiles at least, some has been
  tested, some is even OSI

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Python tools
Recent progress

• We use caPython
• Geoff Savage (FNAL)
• mcaDisplay.py mcaPeakFit.py
• Mark Rivers (CARS)
• plot.py

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For more information

• www.aps.anl.gov/xfd/bcda
• cars.uchicago.edu/gsecars/index.html