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APEX ( A TACAMA P ATHFINDER EX PERIMENT ). Heiko Hafok, Dirk Muders Max-Planck-Institute for Radioastronomy, Bonn, Germany. APEX collaborators:. Max-Planck-Institute for Radioastronomy, Bonn, Germany (50%) European Southern Observatory (ESO) (27%)
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APEX(ATACAMA PATHFINDEREXPERIMENT) Heiko Hafok, Dirk Muders Max-Planck-Institute for Radioastronomy, Bonn, Germany
APEX collaborators: • Max-Planck-Institute for Radioastronomy, Bonn, Germany (50%) • European Southern Observatory (ESO) (27%) • Onsala Space Observatory, Chalmers, Sweden (23%)
The site of APEX at 5105m: Quelle: Wikipedia APEX Pazifik Quelle: ESO
ACS @ APEX • APEX uses the same vendor-supplied control computers (ACU & PTC) and the same CAN bus interface (ICD 9) like ALMA • It was thus decided to re-use the ALMA prototype telescope control software (TICS & ACS) and most of the corresponding control hardware setup
ACS / TICS Versions • APEX is using TICS and thus ACS under VxWorks • The ACS version in use has been determined by TICS (currently ACS 2.0.1) • Preliminary work to port to ACS 6.x started, but currently on hold because of other commitments. • This requires porting of both: • TICS under VxWorks (replaced in ALMA by a new Control System based on Real Time Linux) • The APECS layer (see next slide)
APECS (APEX Control System) • Developed a number of generic instrument interfaces and C++ components using the U Bochum code generator, UDP socket DevIO and embedded system SCPI parsers • Added Python Observing Engine, Raw Data (MBFITS) Writer, Calibrator, Monitoring Engine, Observations Logger, Observer CLI based on IPython and many more (see ADASS XV) • APECS v0.8 is now used regularly for science observations
Deployment • APECS is deployed at three locations: • Telescope (co-rotating) • Control room Chajnantor • Control room Sequitor • 8 PCs with ACS/TICS/APECS, 1 VME computer, 5 embedded systems
ACS Experience • General setup works as expected • Distributed deployment without major problems • Monitoring properties very valuable • Notification channel (in ACS 2) is affected heavily by client behavior and can bring system to a halt • Alarm system in ACS 2 not yet adequate • No access control for critical components