3 NOTES FOR ADAPTIVE OPTICS SYSTEMS

This part of the document provides a description of the special features of the programmatic added to the interface of the FIERA CCD sw only for the Adaptive Optics systems.

All the contents of the previous chapter 2 are still valid.

3.1 Changing a Readout Mode

A Readout Mode can be executed

1. when the system is not operating (see 3.1.1),

2. when a system is already running a different Readout Mode, i.e, you want to change the Readout Mode used by FIERA (see 3.1.2).

Before running a mode, send a SETUP defining the following parameters:

DET.READ.CLKIND index of the clock pattern to be used

DET.WIN1.BINX binning factor along X

DET.WIN1.BINY binning factor along Y

DET.WIN1.UIT1 user defined subintegration time (sec)

DET.FRAM.SAMPLE image sampling rate to the workstation

To obtain the maximum rate, DET.WIN1.UIT1 has to be always 0 (in this case the chip will be continuously readout, and the effective "integration time" will be the time needed to readout the chip, since there is no shutter and the light is always reaching the CCD).

To adjust down the frame rate, DET.WIN1.UIT1 will define the time between two different readouts of the chip (in this case the effective "integration time" will be the time needed to readout the chip PLUS the time defined by DET.WIN1.UIT1).

NOTE: RTD can handle a maximum rate of ~10 frames per sec. If this rate is exceeded, RTD fails because of overrun. To avoid this, set DET.FRAM.SAMPLE appropriately, in order to send to the SPARC only one each N images.

Whenever needed, the STOP command ends the execution of an exposure loop:

> msgSend $RTAPENV fcdconCI_$CCDNAME STOP ""

3.1.1 execution of a Readout Mode when the system is not operating

About the different Readout Modes and the setups needed before starting the Readout Modes, this is the simplest way to perform them (see also 2.17):

1. Start the FIERA Software from the Instrument Workstation

> fcdDcsStart.sh $CCDNAME $RTAPENV $CCDLENV $INS_ROOT

2. Put the FIERA Software ONLINE

> msgSend $RTAPENV fcdconCI_$CCDNAME ONLINE ""

3. Prepare the first exposure (send a complete SETUP to the FIERA Software)

> msgSend $RTAPENV fcdconCI_$CCDNAME SETUP "-file fcdSetupComplete.det"

4. Define which Readout Mode has to be used

> msgSend $RTAPENV fcdconCI_$CCDNAME SETUP "-function DET.READ.CLKIND 1 DET.FRAM.SAMPLE 100 DET.WIN1.BINX 1 DET.WIN1.BINY 1 DET.WIN1.UIT1 0.0"

5. START the exposure loop

> msgSend $RTAPENV fcdconCI_$CCDNAME START ""

3.1.2 change the Readout Mode while an exposure loop is running

Assuming that an exposure loop is already running (see 3.1.1):

1. Change the Readout Mode under usage (note the main difference with the example in 3.1.1: here we refer to the running exposure loop)

> msgSend $RTAPENV fcdconCI_$CCDNAME SETUP "-expoId 0 -function DET.READ.CLKIND 3 DET.FRAM.SAMPLE 30 DET.WIN1.BINX 1 DET.WIN1.BINY 1 DET.WIN1.UIT1 0.0"

2. Change the Readout Mode under usage again

> msgSend $RTAPENV fcdconCI_$CCDNAME SETUP "-expoId 0 -function DET.READ.CLKIND 4 DET.FRAM.SAMPLE 60 DET.WIN1.BINX 1 DET.WIN1.BINY 1 DET.WIN1.UIT1 0.0"

3. Change the Readout Mode under usage again

> msgSend $RTAPENV fcdconCI_$CCDNAME SETUP "-expoId 0 -function DET.READ.CLKIND 2 DET.FRAM.SAMPLE 100 DET.WIN1.BINX 1 DET.WIN1.BINY 1 DET.WIN1.UIT1 0.0"

3.2 Image Cube

For test purposes, the Adaptive Optics systems can collect image data in Image Cubes, i.e., standard FITS files where more images are stored.

3.2.1 Setup parameter for Image Cubes

In addition to the setup parameters described in 2.14.2, for the Adaptive Optics systems the following parameter has been implemented:

1. The parameter DET.READ.NFRAM indicates how many images have to be stored in an image cube. The maximum value is 1024. means that all images have to be transferred.

Note: this setup parameter has to be sent during the execution of a loop of exposures (see 3.3.1).

3.2.2 How to obtain an Image Cube

During the execution of an exposure loop, a Setup command related to the actual exposure has to be sent to the Exposure Coordination task, with the DET.READ.NFRAM parameter defined.

Example: store 20 images in an Image Cube file named AOCube.fits (the system has already been set to ONLINE, and a complete Setup has already been sent):

1. Define the Image Cube FITS file name

> msgSend $RTAPENV fcdconCI_$CCDNAME SETUP "-function DET.FRAM.FITSUNC AOCube.fits"

2. Start the exposure loop

> msgSend $RTAPENV fcdconCI_$CCDNAME START ""

3. Acquire an image cube of 20 images

> msgSend $RTAPENV fcdconCI_$CCDNAME SETUP "-expoId 0 -function DET.READ.NFRAM 20"

3.3 Test Mode

To run the Test Mode NO EXPOSURE LOOP MUST BE RUNNING.

To run the Test Mode, use the SELFTST command with the followinf syntax:

SELFTST -function AOTestFile <FileName> -repeat <Repetition>

where:

<FileName> has to be replaced with the STRING with the name of the ascii file containing the values which have to be sent by FIERA to the RTC. The file has to be stored in the directory:

$INS_ROOT/SYSTEM/COMMON/CONFIGFILES/$CCDNAME

This file must contain a SINGLE value per line.

<Repetition> has to be replaced with the NUMBER of times the test has to be repeated.

Repetition = 0 means FOREVER

If Repetition = 0 the loop can be stopped pushing the "Stop Loop" button in the "General" area of the Fiera Control Panel (see 8.2) or sending the STOP command.

3.3.1 Example of Test Mode execution

Assuming that the system is already ONLINE and IDLE (i.e., is NOT running any exposure loop):

1. Perform the Test Mode defined by the file AOTest.tst forever

> msgSend $RTAPENV fcdconCI_$CCDNAME SELFTST "-function AOTestFile AOTest.tst -repeat 0"

2. Stop the execution of the Test Mode

> msgSend $RTAPENV fcdconCI_$CCDNAME STOP ""

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