LDSS3-GUI Software Documentation (macOS/Aqua)

Location of this document: http://instrumentation.obs.carnegiescience.edu/Software/LDSS3/ldsscgui3.html

  • Configuration and Startup
  • Preferences
  • Main Menu
  • LDSS3-C Instrument and Data Acquisition Window
  • Auxilliary Windows
  • Quick Look Tool
  • TCP/IP Server
  • FITS header example

    Configuration Window

    Startup -- Hosts -- Apertures -- Filters -- Grisms


    Observer: Name(s) of the observers for the FITS header
    CCD: {Normal,N&S} dewar orientation
    Overscan: number of overscan pixels per line and output
    Biaslines: number bias lines per frame
    Mechanics: {offline,Online}
    offline: Simulator mode for testing
    Online: The instrument electronics powered and connected to the network
    Telescope: {offline,Online}
    offline: Simulator mode for testing
    Online: get telescope coordinates from the Clay TCSIS


    Host names or IP numbers


    Aperture names


    Filter names


    Grism names

    LDSS3-C GUI

    TODO

    Main Menu

    LDSS3C -- File -- Camera -- Help

    Menu - LDSS3

    About LDSS3-C: displays a window that shows the version of the GUI.
    Preferences: opens the Preferences window.
    Configuration: opens the Configuration window (same as the Startup window, without the Startup and Hosts tabs).
    Quit LDSS3-C: terminate this GUI.

    Menu - File

    Load FITS: loads a FITS file from disk into the QuickLook display tool.
    Show Logfile: opens a Console window that displays the logfile.
    Show DataFolder: opens a Finder window displaying the content of the data path folder.
    Show AppSupport: opens a Finder window displaying the content of the Application Support folder.

    Menu - Camera

    DataPath: opens a dialog that allows to set the path for the data (FITS) files.
    QuickLook: opens the QuickLook Tool windows.
    DewarStatus: opens the Dewar Status window.
    CCD-Hardhat: opens the CCD Hardhat window.
    LDSS-Hardhat: opens the LDSS3 Hardhat window.
    FileNumber: enables (temporarily) the File number edit on the Data Acquisition window.

    Menu - Help

    Software Documentation: opens this web page.
    User Manual: opens the LCO User Manual.

    Preferenes

    General -- Camera -- QuickLook -- Focus

    Preferences - General

    Observer: observer's name for the FITS header.
    Speak Error Messages: Makes the computer voice say "invalid exposure time" or similar.
    Engineering Mode: Some functions require to switch to engineering mode as safety feature.
    eg. the LDSS-Hardhat.
    Email: send emails to this (comma separated) list on certain events (eg. dewar warmup).

    Preferences - Camera

    Shutter Closed: sound (text) that plays after the shutter closes.
    If the string is enclosed in quotes it will be spoken by the computer,
    otherwise it will be interpreted as a path to a soundfile.
    Exposure Done: sound (text) that plays after the readout has finished

    Preferences - QuickLook

    Saturation Level: pixels above this threshold will be displayed in red.
    Default Subraster: subraster geometry when created by the QuickLook tool.
    Clear Display Before Readout: Clean out (black) the image buffer before readout.
    If not selected the data will simply be overwritten.
    Trim bias section from loaded FITS files: This allows to display the bias sections (overscan and biaslines)
    in the QuickLook tool for FITS files loaded from disk (not for data directly read from the array).

    Preferences - Focus

    stdFocus(r'): best focus for the r' filter.
    at Temperature [C]: temperature at the time of the focus measurement.

    Auxilliary Windows

    DataPath -- DewarStatus -- CCD-Hardhat -- LDSS3-Hardhat

    Data Paths

    Select the data path(s) for the FITS files.
    Default: sets the path following the standard at the Magellan telescopes.
    Browse: opens a file selector that allows to set an optional secondary data path (eg. an external USB disk)

    Dewar Status

    Displays various temperatures and parameters of the Lakeshore temperature controller.

    CCD Hardhat

    Sync FNAL/Server: Synchronizes the settings of the FNAL (CCD) server with the GUI.

    LDSS Hardhat

    TODO

    QuickLook Tool

    TODO

    TCP/IP Server

    When enabled, the GUI listens on port 50601. Each command must be terminated by a [LF] (ASCII=10, 0x0a, '\n') character. The response string will also be terminated by a [LF]. All communications are initiated by the client (your program).
    An easy way to test the interface is the 'nc' (netcat) utility. It can be run like a terminal emulator (^D terminates the connection) or be used in scripts:

    xterm> nc localhost 50601
    version
    3.2.3 (0061)
    ^D
    xterm>

    Command: version
    Response: 3-beta (0043)
    Query the version name (build number) of the GUI.

    Command: autofocus {0,1}
    Response: {0,1}
    Turn on/off the AutoFocus feature.

    Command: binning {1,2} {1,2}
    Response: # #
    Set the binning. The GUI responds with the current binning.

    Command: datapath1 [path]
    Command: datapath2 [path]
    Response: string
    Sets/returns the primary (secondary) data path.
    'datapath' may be used instead of 'datapath1'.
    Command: datapath2 none
    To allow clearing the 'datapath2', the special keyword 'none' (no quotes) may be used.

    Command: exptime [#]
    Response: #.#
    Set the exposure time in seconds. The GUI reponds with the current exposure time.

    Command: exptype {Object,Bias,..}
    Response: name
    Set the exposure type (as on the menu). The GUI responds with the current exposure type.

    Command: frame [#]
    Response: #
    Set the frame number. Without parameter the GUI just returns the frame number.

    Command: aperture name
    Command: filter name
    Command: grism name
    Response: {1,0} [Emoving]
    Start a motion of a wheel.
    The GUI responds with '1' if a valid position name was requested (ie. the wheel has started to move), or '0' on failure.
    The string "Emoving" is appended if the wheel was already moving.
    Please note that this command does not block until the wheel has stopped; you have to check the wheel motion using the 'status' command.

    Command: focus #
    Response: {1,0} [Eautofocus]
    Start a focus motion. The error "Eautofocus" will be appended to the response string if the AutoFocus is active.
    If the target value is below or above the limit, the focus moves to the respective limit.
    Please note that this command does not block until the wheel has stopped; you have to check the wheel motion using the 'status' command.

    Command: loops #
    Response: #
    Set the number of exposures in the loop. The GUI responds with the loop number.

    Command: object string
    Response: string
    Set the object name. The GUI responds with the current object name.

    Command: start
    Response: {1,0}
    Start an exposure loop. The GUI responds with '1' if successful, '0' on failure.

    Command: status
    Response: e a f g o
    e: {0,1} exposure running
    a: {0,1} aperture wheel moving
    f: {0,1} filter wheel moving
    g: {0,1} grism wheel moving
    o: {0,1} focus moving
    Query the exposure loop and wheel and focus motion status.

    Command: subraster clear
    Command: subraster c x y w h [min]
    Response: #
    Define subrasters. The GUI returns the number of active subrasters ('0' in full frame mode).
    "clear": remove all subrasters and switch to full frame mode.
    "c x y w h": add new subraster for chip (output) 'c' {1,2} at coordinate 'x y' of size 'w h'.
    "minimal": save the minimal enclosing rectangle FITS file; by default the full frame (padded with '0') will be saved.

    2020-11-19, Christoph C. Birk, Carnegie Observatories