Experiment Tab

General Description: This tab loads controls that allow a one button operation for managing control system devices, computers, plotters and GUIs.

The following is a general description of controls that can be found on the Experiment Tab. Click Here for a Video Description.

Figue 1. Computer controls on Experiment Tab

1. Start Computers Button: This button starts all the computers that are linked to the devices on the control system. ThesShue computers are generally referred to as Device Computers.

2. Shutdown Computers Button: This button shutsdown all the Device Computers.

WARNING: Clicking on this button will stop all your devices and shut down the control system.

3. Restart Computers Button: This button allows all Device Computers to be restarted.

Figure 2. Device Controls on Experiment Tab

4. Start Devices Button: This button allows a user to start all the Devices on the chosen Experiment Line.

5. Stop Devices Button: This button allows a user to stop all running Devices on the chosen Experiment Line.

6. Kill Devices Button: This button kills the device process on the Device Computers to abort all Devices.

NOTE: This is an unsafe method of stopping devices and should be used only when the Devices are unresponsive.

Figure 3. Plotter Controls on Experiment Tab

7. Start Plotters Button: This button allows a user to launch all plotters configured for that experiment.

8. Add Stop Plotter Button: Under Construction

9. Kill Plotters Button: This button allows a user to stop all Plotters on Device Coimputers.

Figure 4. GUI Controls on Experiment Tab

10. Start GUIs Button: This button launches all the device GUIs on the allocated Device Computers.

11. Kill GUIs Button: This button stops all the device GUIs on the allocated Device Computers.

12. Start All Computers Button: This button allows a global start of all Device and GUI computers.

13. Start GUI Computers Button: This button allows a user to start all computers linked to device GUIs.

GENERAL BUTTONS on EXPERIMENT TAB

14. Save Experiment Configuration Button: This button allows a user to dump all current parameter default values for all experiment devices in a configuration file. A folder browse window opens, prompting user to select the save location and the name for the configuration file to be saved. The default location for saving configuration dumps is \\Belladata\data\ECS dumps.

15a. GUIs List Box: This list box displays a list of all global GUIs on the Control System.e.g. Beam Alignment GUI that displays a combined control for All beam alignment devices such as cameras and motors. The user can click to select one or more global GUIs and hit the Launch GUIs button to start the selected GUIs.

15b. Launch GUIs Button: This button starts all the global GUIs that are selected by user from the GUIs list box.

15c. Local Checkbox: If this checkbox is checked, all selected global GUIs are launched on the local computer when Launch GUIs button is clicked. If this box is unchecked, the GUIs are launched on the computers they have been assigned in the database. Users have to use the Database Editor to assign a computer to the global GUI.

16a. Poll Expt Devices Button: This button allows a user to poll the Devices that are added to the chosen experiment. The polling results in the device sending a reply that it is alive and functioning. This is a "is alive?" poll.

16b. Abort Poll Button: Aborts a "is alive?" poll for all devices on the experiment.

16c. Devices not started list: This lists all the devices that are determined to have not started at the end of the "is alive?" poll.

17. Save Live Configuration Button: This button allows a user to dump all current parameter values for all experiment devices in a configuration file. A folder browse window opens, prompting user to select the save location and the name for the configuration file to be saved. The default location for saving configuration dumps is \\Belladata\data\ECS dumps.

VIDEO DESCRIPTION of EXPERIMENT TAB