Beamline Control System (BCS)

In brief

The BCS provides a webpage interface which can be accessed from all computers connected to the Elettra network at http://adam.elettra.eu/projects/blcs/beamwatch/061/msb_main.bwh. It shows the current electron beam parameters, layout of the beamline, status of the valves (green = closed, red = open) and pressures in the vacuum chambers.

Moreover, opening the webpage on the MSB-MASTER and MSB-STATION computers permitis to operate the 10 electropneumatic valves labelled with numbers in the screenshot above.

The most useful information and valve operations are mirrored into the Kleopatra software.

For instructions see Opening and closing the beamline.

If the webpage does not open proceed with Troubleshooting - BCS communication problem.

Further details

The webpage automatically refreshes every 40 seconds. If you need to refresh the information immediately user the FORCE REFRESH link or the Reload button of your web browser.

Logging system contains changes in every parameter or status.

Color coding of the beamline elements is:

• green: normal operation
• yellow: warning but still safe
• red: failure or risk
• blue: communication error, and therefore status unknown

The pressures are read from the gauge controllers in the front-end rack and the left beamline rack. Bear in mind that the displayed gauge in the analysis chamber is the coarse cold-cathode and NOT the precise ionization gauge that we read in the experimental rack, so the readings might differ.

Other information that is available on the webpage:

• status of the water cooling circuits of the prefocusing mirror, entrance slit and monochromator (plane mirror + plane grating) by clicking on the Water system link): normal flux, not much flux or no flux
• status of the ion pumps by clicking on the corresponding vacuum chambers as read from the corresponding power supplies in the front-end and 2 beamline racks.

Any parameter available on the BCS webpage can be logged and graphically displayed using the Pressure Watcher software (e.g. pressure in the monochromator or in the analysis chamber).