RD Controls Software Release Note 130.0
CrateDisplay
RD Controls Software Release Note 130.0
CrateDisplay
John DeVoy
May 17, 1993
CrateDisplay is an X Window application
that graphically displays
the temperature and
(six volt)
power supply
voltages for all of the crates in a particular beamline.
Starting the program
To start CrateDisplay type
``run epicure_root:[work.crate]cratedisplay.exe''
in any DECterm or DCL Command window.
You can also add CrateDisplay to the Applications menu
of the session manager;
see the
VMS DECwindows Motif User's Guide
for instructions on adding items to session manager menus.
When CrateDisplay starts,
it creates its main window
and displays the temperatures and voltages for the initial beamline.
The section on customization describes how to set the initial beamline;
the default value is defined to be
Meson.
The main screen is divided into three areas:
one for the temperatures of the crates,
and one each for the positive and negative six volt power supply voltages.
The temperature area contains a bar graph showing the temperature of
each crate side by side.
The color of each bar in the graph is normally green.
If the temperature of a particular crate exceeds a certain value,
called the warning threshold,
the bar for that crate will turn yellow.
If the temperature continues to increase it will pass a second threshold,
called the alarm threshold,
and the bar will turn red.
If there is an error getting data from the crate
(for example,
if the crate is powered off)
then the bar will be black and will extend to the full height of the graph.
Underneath the bar for each crate is a push button.
Clicking on the push button for a particular crate will cause a dialog box to be displayed
containing the exact reading
(or error message)
for the temperature and voltages.
Note that the positive and negative voltage areas also contain push buttons for each crate;
clicking on one of these buttons will cause the same dialog box to be displayed.
Thus any of three buttons can be used to make a particular dialog box be displayed.
Clicking on the Close button in a dialog box will make the dialog box go away.
The positive voltage area contains a bar graph showing the
positive six volt power supply for each crate.
The voltage is represented as an offset from a nominal value
(each crate must have the same nominal value,
by default it is six volts.)
As with the temperature,
the color of each bar is normally green.
If the voltage of a particular crate deviates from the nominal
(in either direction)
by more than the
warning threshold value,
the bar will turn yellow.
If it deviates further,
and passes the alarm threshold,
the bar will turn red.
An error causes the bar to turn black and extend to the full height of the graph.
Underneath each bar is a push button similar to the ones underneath the temperature bars.
Clicking on a push button will cause the same dialog box that was described above to be displayed.
The negative voltage area contains a bar graph showing the
negative six volt power suppply for each crate.
The graph is similar to the positive voltage graph,
but with a negative nominal value.
The graphs and dialog boxes
(if any are being displayed)
are updated periodically,
by default every 15 seconds.
The list of crates that are installed in each beamline is contained in the file
``warner::usr$disk1:[hdwdocs.cratemap]crates.dat.''
Exiting the program
To quit the program choose Exit from the file menu.
If you have made any customizations,
and have not saved them,
they will be lost.
Displaying a different beamline
To display the data from a different,
beamline choose one of the beamlines from the Beamlines menu.
You have a choice of
Proton,
Neutrino,
Meson
and
Experimental
(twelfth floor test crates.)
Popup menu
Pressing the right mouse button anywhere over the main screen
will cause a popup menu titled
``Beamlines''
to appear.
The items in the menu are:
Proton,
Neutrino,
Meson,
Experimental,
and
Exit.
Choosing one of these items is an alternate way to select a different beamline
or exit the program.
Pressing the right mouse button over a dialog box has no effect.
Customizations
Various aspects of CrateDisplay can be customized.
These include
the beamline displayed on startup,
the rate at which data is collected,
the colors used for the bars in the graphs,
and the threshold values at which a bar will change color.
The customizations can be saved to or restored from
a file of your choosing.
Warning:
Any customizations that are not saved before exiting the program will be lost.
Initial beam
To change the beamline that is displayed when CrateDisplay starts,
choose General... from the Options menu.
A dialog box will be displayed containing
an option menu button
labelled
``Initial Beam''
(the dialog box also contains the update rate box,
described below.)
Use the option menu button to select a new initial beamline.
Note that
changing the initial beamline has no effect on the program as it is running;
you must save your customizations and restart the program.
Update rate
To change the rate at which data is collected,
choose General... from the Options menu.
A dialog box will be displayed
containing the update rate box
(it will also contain the initial beam option menu button described above.)
The update rate box allows you to set the components of the FTD
(frequency-time descriptor)
that specifies how often the display is updated.
There are three components to an FTD:
the mode,
the event,
and the interval.
- The mode component of the FTD is specified using an option menu button.
You may select
T-time,
Tev clock
or
frequency
(frequency is the default.)
For this application it would not make much sense to select T-time or Tev clock.
- The event component of the FTD is specified using a text field.
To enter the event,
click on the text field and type the event you want.
As a convenience,
on the right side of the update rate box there is a set of buttons corresponding
to a set of predefined events.
Clicking on one of these buttons will cause the corresponding event to be entered
into the event text field.
The allowed events depend on the mode of the FTD.
If the mode is T-time,
the events may be any of T1 through T15.
If the mode is Tev Clock,
the events may be any hex number from 0 to FE.
If the mode is frequency,
then the text field is insensitive
and you cannot type into it.
As a special case,
the string
``NOW''
is interpreted as the reserved event code FE.
- The interval component of the FTD is specified using a text field.
To enter the interval,
click on the text field and type a decimal number denoting the interval you want.
There is an option menu button labelled
``Units''
that you can use to specify the units;
the allowable values are
milliseconds,
seconds,
and
minutes.
The default value is 15 seconds.
If the mode is frequency,
then the interval is the periodic rate at which data is collected.
If the mode is T-time or Tev clock then the interval is the delay after the specified event
after which the data request is sent
(the label for the interval text field is changed to
``Delay''
in this case).
Colors
CrateDisplay uses four colors to indicate the status of the temperature or voltage of a crate:
the
``normal''
color,
used to indicate that the reading is within acceptable limits;
the
``warning''
color,
used to indicate that the reading is slightly outside the acceptable limits;
the
``alarm''
color,
used to indicate that the reading is well outside the acceptable limits;
and the
``error'' color,
used to indicate that an error status code was returned from the data acquisition routines.
The default values for these colors for
color,
monochrome
and
grayscale monitors
are as follows:
- On a color display the normal color is green,
the warning color is yellow,
the alarm color is red,
and the error color is black.
- On a grayscale display the normal color is a light gray,
the warning color is a darker shade of gray,
the alarm color is black,
and the error color is nearly white.
- On a monochrome display the normal color is a bitmap with 50% of the pixels black,
the warning color is a bitmap with 75% of the pixels black,
the alarm color is black,
and the error color is bitmap with 12% of the pixels black
(it looks like it has faded out.)
To change the colors,
choose Colors... from the Options menu.
If you are displaying the output on a monitor that can only display fewer than 64
colors or shades of gray,
or on a monochrome monitor,
then this item is insensitive.
The colors cannot be customized in this case.
Assuming you can customize the colors,
a dialog box will be displayed containing a push button
for each of the four colors.
If you click on one of the buttons,
a color mix dialog box will be displayed for that color.
Use the color mixer to select a new color.
Note that you cannot set different colors for each crate;
the same colors are used for every crate of every beamline.
Thresholds
To change the thresholds,
choose Thresholds... from the Options menu.
A dialog box will be displayed that
will be divided into three areas:
one each for the temperature and the positive and negative six volt power supply voltages.
The areas for the voltages will each have seven text fields;
you can change a value by clicking on the text field and typing a floating point number.
The fields are:
- Maximum.
This is the upper limit of the graph.
If a reading is greater than this value,
then it is off scale
(this is not an error,
you simply will not see the top of the bar.)
- Upper Alarm.
A reading greater than this value is considered to be in the alarm state.
The color of the bar will be the alarm color.
- Upper Warning.
A reading greater than this value
(but less than the upper alarm value)
is considered to be in the warning state.
The color of the bar will be the warning color.
- Nominal.
The bar representing the data will be drawn with its base at this value.
If the reading is greater than the nominal value,
then the bar will extend upward.
If the reading is less than the nominal value,
then the bar will extend downward.
If the reading is less than the upper warning value
and greater than the lower warning value
then the color of the bar will be the normal color.
- Lower Warning.
A reading less than this value
(but greater than the lower alarm value)
is considered to be in the warning state.
The color of the bar will be the warning color.
- Lower Alarm.
A reading less than this value is considered to be in the alarm state.
The color of the bar will be the alarm color.
- Minimum.
This is the lower limit of the graph.
If a reading is less than this value,
then it is off scale
(this is not an error,
you simply will not see the bottom of the bar.)
The area for the temperature thresholds is similar to those for the voltages,
but the text fields for the
nominal,
lower warning,
and
lower alarm values
are missing.
Note that some care is required when selecting values for the above fields;
if you type in asymmetric values
(especially for
maximum,
minimim
and
nominal)
the resulting display may look strange.
Also note that
as with color,
you cannot set different values for each crate;
the same values are used for every crate of every beamline.
Saving and restoring customizations
After you have made customizations to CrateDisplay,
you must save them before exiting
the program or they will be lost.
Once saved they can be restored on the fly.
The last five items in the Options menu relate to saving and restoring customizations:
-
Save Options.
Choosing this item will save your customizations in the file
``decw$user_defaults:cratedisplay.dat.''
When you start CrateDisplay it automatically reads this file
(if it exists)
and loads any customizations in it.
-
Restore Options.
Choosing this item will cause CrateDisplay to read the file
``decw$user_defaults:cratedisplay.dat''
and load any customizations in it.
- Save Named Options.
Choosing this item will cause CrateDisplay to display a file selection dialog box.
Use the dialog box to enter
(or pick)
a filename.
CrateDisplay will save your customizations to that file.
- Restore Named Options.
Choosing this item will cause CrateDisplay to display a file selection dialog box.
Use the dialog box to choose an existing file.
CrateDisplay will read the file
and load any customizations in it.
-
Restore System Options.
Choosing this item will cause CrateDisplay to
restore the default values for all customizations.
This is equivalent to deleting or renaming the file
``decw$user_defaults:cratedisplay.dat''
and restarting the program.
Keywords:
RDCS,
crate,
voltage,
temperature,
X
Distribution: normal
Security, Privacy, Legal
rwest@fsus04.fnal.gov