ICIMACS v5.5 Instrument Computer (IC) Command Set for IR Arrays

(ICIMACS = Instrument Control and Image Acquisition System

USAGE: Commands for the IC can be entered either from its keyboard, with output appearing on the IC monitor, or through a serial port, with output returned through that port. See the ICIMACS Command Protocol page for inter-machine communication specifics.
For commands with optional parameters, entering the command alone will return its current values.

Program Control

QUIT

Saves the current configuration and quits the program

ICSTATUS

Returns the values of selected operating variables

CONFIG

Display current instrument hardware configuration

SYSINFO

Displays information on the computer hardware and BIOS

VERSION

Returns the program version number, and the executable path, name, compilation date, and compilation time

SAVECONFIG

Saves the current program configuration to the .ini file on disk, according to the variable names in the template file (ini*.tpl)

+LOG

Enable logging of all activity

-LOG

Disable logging of all activity

FREE

Shows the current free memory and stack usage

SEQINIT

Enable sequencer functions and initialize the head electronics box com ports

-SEQ

Disable sequencer functions, including the head electronics box com ports

SNAP n

Acquire and display n frames without committing to disk

SYNCHRO

Display data disk synchronization status

GETFILE filename [new_filename]

Converts local file filename into a fits file and saves it to the mount point either with the same name or as new_filename.

VALUE [n/RAMP]

When the sequencer is disabled, loads the memory buffer with fixed value n, or with a ramped data function scaled to the greyscale parameters

Exposure Control

EXP [n]

Set exposure time to n seconds

GO

Take one exposure

MGO n

Take n exposures

AVEGO n

Acquire one image of n averaged frames

MAVEGO n m

Acquire n images of m averaged frames

TV or MOVIE

Take exposures continuously without saving to disk

SNAP n

Acquire and display n frames without committing to disk

STOP

Exit exposure count-down and read out one frame

ABORT

Exit acquisition loop without reading out

FLASH n [s/ms/us]

When an LED is connected to the head electronics box, flashes the LED for n seconds/milliseconds/microseconds

Detector Readout Control

GAINDL n

Sets the pixel integration time used in the sequencer map to n sequencer clock ticks (one tick = 300 nanoseconds)

RESETDL n

Sets the time that the reset line is asserted during array resets to n sequencer clock ticks (one tick = 300 nanoseconds)

PREPGAINDL n

Sets the pixel integration time used during array prep cycles to n sequencer clock ticks (one tick = 300 nanoseconds)

PREPRESETDL n

Sets the time that the reset line is asserted during prep cycle array resets to n sequencer clock ticks (one tick = 300 nanoseconds)

GRESET n

Set the number of global reset cycles to perform before image prereadn

GRPAUSE n

Set the time to pause between the end of the global resets and the beginning of the postclean cycles to n seconds

GRDELAY n

Set the time delay between consecutive global resets to n seconds.

CLEAN [n]

Set the number of clean cycles performed before each exposure to n

CPAUSE n

Set the time to pause between the end of the clean cyle and the beginning of the global resets to n seconds

CDELAY

Set the time delay between consecutive clean cycles to n seconds.

POSTCLEAN [n]

Set the number of readouts performed after the clean cycles and before each exposure to n

PCPAUSE n

Sets the number of seconds to pause between the postclean cycle and the beginning of integration to n seconds

PCDELAY n

Sets the number of seconds to delay between successive postclean cycles to n seconds

DIF

Displays and stores subtracted (postread-preread) data

PRE

Displays and stores raw postread data only

POST

Displays and stores raw preread data only

SCSU EARLY/LATE

Set the detector slow clock setup to occur after/before integration

LRESET n +-CLAMP

Set the number of line resets before each line preread to n, and set the clamping voltage used during line reset

DISKLACE 1/0

1 interlaces disk writes with data acquisition, 0 performs disk writes after full image is acquired

POSTBIAS n

Set the bias level applied to postreads before subtraction of prereads to n

READMODE RPP/PRP

Set array readout mode. RPP mode does prereads and postreads as separate operations, while PRP mode alternates postreads and prereads on each line. A quick comparison: RPP mode allows shorter exposure times and gives a higher well depth. PRP mode gives a higher duty-cycle; the detector is always integrating, so that more photons are sampled over the same length of observing time.

SAMPLE n

Sets the number of samples to coadd per readout

FREEZE

Force subtraction of consecutive postreads, and ignore prereads

THAW

Enable subtraction by prereads

Display Control

DISPL [min [max [sat]]]

Set data display scaling so that data <=min appears as black, data =>max is white, and data =>sat appears as bright red

BRUCE [T/F]

BRUCE T makes the zoom window larger than than the full device, binned window. BRUCE F reverses this

STATS [+-FULL][+-ZOOM][+-USER][x0 y0 x1 y1]

Controls calculating and display of image statistics on each acquired frame. +-FULL toggles full-image statistics, +-ZOOM toggles the area within the zoomed window, +-USER toggles the user defined area. Set the user defined area with the x0 y0 x1 y1 coordinates.

Disk Write Control

REQ MOUNT

Returns a list of the current valid disks for writing data.

PATH [pathname]

Selects pathname as the disk and path for data writes

FULLPATH [pathname]

set/show complete path for image writes; pathname must include full mount point

USE PATH pathname

Makes pathname the current path

USE MOUNT [mountname/n]

Selects mountname as the current disk and path for data writes. Alternatively, the number n can be used, where n is the number of the desired mountpoint returned from the REQ MOUNT command (zero-based).

FILENAME filename

Selects filename as the base name for image files written to disk.

DELETE filespec

Deletes image files on local mount point matching filespec. filespec may include wildcards (* and ?). Note that only FITS files can be deleted with this command.

FITS Header Control

TIME dd/mm/yy hh:mm:ss timezone

Sets the system time, and the timezone identifier. Should be executed at least once a night to ensure that the time and date stamps in image FITS headers are accurate.

OBSERVER Larry,Moe,Curly

Sets the observer names included in the FITS image header to Larry,Moe and Curly

OWNER OSU

Sets the image owner reported in the FITS image header to OSU

CBBAGAIN n

Declares the clock/bias board analog gain level to be reported in the FITS image header to n

PA_TAU n

Declares the time constant of the pixel charge integrating capacitor to be reported in the FITS image header to n

OBJECT,BIAS,DARK,FLAT,SKY,DOMEFLAT,STANDARD,ZERO,COMP,STD,TEMPOBJ,TEMPBIAS,TEMPDARK objectname

Sets the image type and object name in the FITS header. Note that BIAS and ZERO also set the exposure time to zero, and the other image types restore the exposure time used before the last BIAS or ZERO image type was set. The TEMP* image types allow overwriting of images on the local disks.

COMMENT This is my comment

Sets the comment string in the FITS header.

PROPID A12345

Sets the propid string appearing in the FITS image header to A12345

RECID kpno21m

Sets the recid prefix appearing in the FITS image header to kpno21m

Communication Control

RECOVER

Reinitializes communication without resetting current table of active hosts

RESTART

Clears table of hosts and path mount table and reinitializes communication

PING [ALL]

Communication initialization request; responds with a PONG

PONG

Communication initialization acknowledge; no response is given

BUFFER n

Display contents of communication port n buffer

FLUSH n

Clear contents of communication port n buffer

ROUTE nn

Until <esc> is pressed, route all commands from the keyboard to machine nn

PORTS

Returns a list of the active ports (keyboard/screen=0,com ports=1-4,head electronics com ports=7-9)

HOSTS

Lists all message sender addresses that have been received.

VERBOSE

Echoes all incoming and outgoing communications onscreen

CONCISE

Suppresses echoing of communications onscreen

UARTINIT

If sequencer is enabled, initialize com ports in the head electronics box

Data Disk and Mount Point Synchronization (systems with ISL WC's only)