HRPD: Tensile Rig

[kjwoodsISIS]

As a scientist, I want IBEX to support the Tensile Rig, so that I can use it on HRPD.

Acceptance Criteria

1. IBEX supports the Tensile Rig

Notes

1. The Tensile Rig itself is controlled via a laptop & manufacturer's own software. The controller is connected via USB.
2. Associated with the Tensile Rig are:
   1. 1 x Mclennan axis (potentially 2 axes, but one does not seem to be used at present).
   2. 1 x Julabo
   3. Up to 6 x Eurotherm (2 crates)
3. May be needed for 22nd November (Cycle 2017/03, which starts on 14th November). Needs confirmation from instrument scientists.

[kjwoodsISIS]

Notes from meeting with Alex Gibbs, 18-10-2017.

Note: with updated information from @GDH-ISIS

• The tensile rig is currently on SXD. HRPD would like to use it for cycle 03/2017.
• The Tensile Rig is controlled solely by the manufacturer's software., which is called DDS. The manufacturer has provided a LabVIEW VI that hooks up to DDS.
• DDS runs on a dedicated laptop. In its current incarnation, the DDS laptop, 2-axis Mclennan controller and up to 6 Eurotherms are all housed together in a single 19" rack (so that they can be moved as an ensemble).
• HRPD scientists expect to use the laptop to control the Tensile Rig from outside the blockhouse.
• SECI has a client VI which merely collects data from the manufacturer's software, but can also be used to control the Tensile Rig. This allows data to appear in SECI as blocks, to be logged and for the rig to controlled via Genie scripts.
• The HRPD scientists want to collect the same information as SXD collects - no additional data is required.
• When a sample needs to be heated (using a water bath), normal practice is to use whatever water bath is available (i.e. there is no specific water bath associated with the Tensile Rig). Alex will find out which water baths HRPD tends to use.
• HRPD are not planning on heating the sample for their experiment in cycle 03/2017, so may not actually need a water bath or the Eurotherms.
• In our discussion, Alex & I realised that we did not understand the purpose of the Mclennan axis. Alex will find out and let us know. Gareth says the Mclennan axes are "rotation" & "arc" (although "arc" is rarely, if ever, used).

[kjwoodsISIS]

Given that the DDS laptop, Mclennan & Eurotherms all live in the same 19" rack, Gareth has suggested that it would make sense to install a dedicated instance of IBEX on the laptop. That would allow IBEX to control all the equipment on the 19" rack (the tensile rig would continue to be controlled indirectly via the DDS software). A Moxa could be added to the 19" rack. This would make it simpler to move the Tensile Rig system between beamlines - the whole Tensile Rig would be a self-contained setup.
HRPD_Tensile_Rig.pptx shows a schematic of how this might work. Therefore, any scientists wish to use the Tensile Rig would have 2 instances of IBEX running on his instrument - one would be the normal NDXmyinstrument instance, the other would be the Tensile Rig instance.

This seems like a good suggestion. What obstacles/pitfalls are there to making it work in practice? How well would scripting work?

[Tom-Willemsen]

From @GDH-ISIS

Please consider running EPICS/IBEX on the laptop to take advantage of the distributed capability of IBEX. It would be great if this arrangement used a system that did not refer to the DAE in any form as previously requested for control of equipment (rather than a beam line).

[FreddieAkeroyd]

For the imat cameras and delft we run the relevant IOCs on the dedicated PC that controls the equipment (via a sort of mini-inst startup), as the laptop stays with the equipment this could be an applicable model to follow too

[GDH-ISIS]

Note : I believe they will require a local GUI on the laptop if this model was to be followed.

[kjwoodsISIS]

Specification of laptop on Tensile Rig is:

• Dell Latitude E5550 (id: NDLT875)
  • Windows 10 Pro 64bit
  • 178 GB free disk space
  • 8GB RAM

[kjwoodsISIS]

Potentially a lot of work, Postpone until we are ready to migrate SXD.

[kjwoodsISIS]

Informed HRPD that we can't do this work in time for Cycle 2017/03.