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DAQ/OTR Foils/Misc

Spencer Gessner

January 10, 2024

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DAQ

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  • Progress in 2023
  • Issues encountered in 2023
    • Robustness issues
    • Inscrutable error messages
    • Saving and save speeds not deterministic
  • Plans for 2024
    • Network upgrade to 10 gigabit in S10
    • Additional NAS in S10 to serve ML needs
    • Changes to DAQ to improve data saving speeds and robustness (thanks Ivan!)
    • DAQ monitoring screen (thanks Sharon!)
    • Dedicated modifier bit for EC 214?

The DAQ is important software that needs to “just work”!

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DAQ - Recent Progress

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Great to have fresh set of eyes on the DAQ!

  • Verified that camera servers can save data to NAS at high rate.
    • No network issues
  • Discovered that creating many small files (i.e. many image files) is slow.
    • Information passed along to Brobeck. Could be a NAS problem.

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Plan:

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  1. Write images to local “RAM disk”
  2. Copy images after saving to RAM disk complete.
  3. Switch to HDF5 files to save “stacks” of images (Jeremy Mock).

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OTR Foils

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  • IP-Area foils were not touched in 2023

  • Issues encountered in 2023
    • Continued foil damage
    • COTR light damages cameras
    • Can back-image YAG, but this does not work for laser alignment
  • Plans for 2024
    • Show Ivan and Sharon how to replace YAG foils. ✅
    • Design back-image YAG holder.
    • Test Mylar OTRs in main linac
    • Figure out how to mark beam on foil for laser alignment without damaging foil or camera.

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Miscellaneous

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  • Only deployed 2 ORCA camera in 2023
    • We can support 4 cameras in 2024. EED agreed to provide software support.
    • We were “gifted” an ORCA BT Fusion camera in 2020. Hamamatsu has not provided SDK and there is no path to support this camera at FACET.
    • We have 5 uninstalled, working ORCAs
  • We have 35 spare Mako 125B cameras plus ~15 new Mako/Mantas of different flavors.
    • Only had to replace 7 cameras in 2023.
  • Sharon will take on more DAN responsibilities
    • Backend support for new HDF5 files
    • Work with Brendan, others to include more analysis functions
  • Zack is taking on Git management of MatlabTNG.
    • Software release workflow for accelerator tools.
    • Might spin off “experiment” repo from “accelerator” repo