EPICS at APS Beamlines

Tim Mooney

Advanced Photon Source

Argonne National Laboratory

EPICS applications for synchrotron beamlines

(synApps)

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

display)

synApps overview

synApps

• 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

synApps overview

Just to clarify…

• We didn’t 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

synApps overview

Basic record/device support

• Motor• Scaler• Multichannel analyzer• Multichannel scaler• Serial (RS-232)• GPIB• ADC’s• DAC’s

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

synApps overview

Layered devices, techniques(databases, SNL programs, …)

• 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

synApps overview

Other support

• 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

synApps overview

Motors

• Stepper, servo• Oregon Microsystems• Newport• Intelligent Motion

Systems• McClennan• Soft support

synApps overview

Scalers

• Multiple preset scalers• Background count

interrupted by data-acquisition count

• User-programmable end calculations

• Joerger, Struck hardware

synApps overview

Multichannel analyzer

• 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)

synApps overview

Serial O/I Block

• 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

synApps overview

Optical table

• 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)

synApps overview

Monochromators

• Nondispersive (standard)• Dispersive (high resolution)

– Nested, in-line

• Spherical grating (low energy)

synApps overview

Miscellaneous

• Slit• Sample Wheel• 4-step measurement

synApps overview

String Expressions

• Extends CALC record to combine string and numeric expressions

• Useful for run-time programming of serial devices

• EPICS links are programmable at run time

synApps overview

Scans

• 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

synApps overview

Clients

• 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)• …

synApps overview

Autosave/restore

• 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

synApps overview

CCD support

• CA server on CCD’s native platform

• Calls vendor-supplied software

• Stores images to local disk (HDF format)

• Some simple image analysis

• Hosts EPICS PV’s for control

String calculations• Operators >? and <? (max, min)

– Example: A<?B

• Variable # of args for MAX, MIN functions– Example: MAX(A,B,C,MIN(D,E))

• Much faster that previous versions– Numeric op’s are 1-4 s (~10%) slower than

calcPerform (on MV162)– (compare to ~4 s added for isnan/isinf check)

• No memory fragmentation

Recent progress

Save_restore request-file path

• 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)

Recent progress

Conversion to 3.14

• 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

Recent progress

Python tools• We use caPython

– Geoff Savage (FNAL)

• mcaDisplay.py mcaPeakFit.py– Mark Rivers (CARS)

• plot.py

Recent progress

For more information:

www.aps.anl.gov/xfd/bcda

cars.uchicago.edu/gsecars/index.html