nGEM detector

The nGEM detector is a portable detector that connects via a private ethernet connection to vendor software running on a laptop. It is often used on INES. Detector group will normally set up the laptop with the vendor software, on ines this is installed to c:\users\ines_mgr\documents\ngem or c:\nGEM-software and a program ngemapp.exe is left running.

Ibex support is via the NGEM IOC, which is installed on the laptop. It could in principle run on the NDX computer and talk to the ngemapp.exe program over the network, but the IOC needs to move files off the laptop to a locally attached USB hard drive after collection ends so it is more convenient to run on the laptop. The IOC connects to localhost port 61000 by default, this would only need to be changed (via a macro) if the IOC was not running on the laptop.

For a clean setup on laptop (skip relevant steps if previously configured)

• Install EPICS (you can just run install_to_inst.bat in the epics release on kits$ rather than a full installer run)
• Edit config_env_base.bat to set correct instrument name (e.g. INSTRUMENT=INES, ISIS_INSTRUMENT=1). This will make the NGEM prefix be IN:INES:
• Edit globals.txt to define ACF_IH1 so the NX computer can start/stop nGEM via PVs e.g. ACF_IH1=NDXINES
• Create shortcuts on desktop pointing at gateway/start_gateways.bat and runIOC.bat for NGEM ioc
• edit copycmd.bat in support/ngem-bbtx/master/utils to set ARCHIVE location for files to be copied to (this is the USB attached drive)
• put notes on running both shortcuts on reboot and location of copycmd.bat into a README/NOTES file on desktop

The is an nGEM.opi on the NDX, this has just need to be installed as a device screen.

INES has some simple python commands to set the START/STOP pvs for the detector. The detector IOC picks up the run number for ines to add to data files as its prefix is also IN:INES

If the detector is moved to another instrument with the same laptop then:

• edit config_env_base.bat as above to set new instrument name
• edit globals.txt for access security of the new NDX
• edit copycmd.bat to set new location for robocopy of data files
• create share/map drive on destination computer for above copycmd.bat if it is not a simple attached USB drive