DSSC Devices

The DSSC, DEPMOS Sensor with Signal Compression, is a detector for soft x-rays in the range of 0.25-6 keV capable of taking 800 frames at 4.5 MHz.

See the following publication:

M. Porro et al., "The MiniSDD-Based 1-Mpixel Camera of the DSSC Project for the European XFEL,"
in IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, vol. 68, no. 6, pp. 1334-1350, June 2021,
doi: 10.1109/TNS.2021.3076602.

This repository contains the Karabo devices for integration at EuXFEL.
It makes use of a DsscDependencies package, the API for interfacing with the detector.

DSSC PPT

The Patch Panel Transciever is the interface between the FPGA/ASICs and the outside world (configuration or acquisition), using its own protocol over TCP.
This device is responsible for the configuring a quadrant (4 modules/ladders).
4 instances of this device are needed to control the whole detector.

DSSC Control

A middlelayer device to orchestrate 4 quadrants (PPT devices) of the detector.
As well as an unified interface for configuration, this device automates various procedures such as taking darks.
Its soft interlock is documented in doc/soft_interlock.md.

DSSC Configurator

A middlelayer device used to set and monitor configurations across quadrants.
The different quadrants must have the same configuration applied.
This device monitors that and shows the configuration in its scene in big letters.
It also eases applying known configuration through a drop-down menu, then restarting the PPT devices.
Its architecture is kept simple to eventually merge this within the Control device.

DSSC SIB

A bound device to read and configure the Safety Interlock Board, which is its own hardware device mounted next to the PPT.
It is using an ASCII protocol over TCP.
Its features are documented in doc/sib.md

DSSC ASIC Reset

A middlelayer device to ease resetting ASICS on the various modules by providing a simple scene.
It's meant to be used by detector experts during commissioning. As such, it is its own device.

Developing

It is recommended to make git ignore changes to the configuration files found in src/ConfigFiles:

git update-index --skip-worktree src/ConfigFiles

Python (Control, SIB, ASICReset, Configurator)

Do an editable installation of the package:

cd $KARABO/devices/DsscDevices
pip install --upgrade -e .

Tests are ran using pytest:

pytest -vv 

C++ devices (DsscPPT, LadderParameterTrimming)

Compiling

Generate the project's build files using cmake:

cd $KARABO/devices/DsscDevices
mkdir build
cd build
cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=$KARABO/extern ..

CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE can also be set to Release.

Build the device:

cd $KARABO/devices/DsscDevices
cmake --build .

make can also be used as long as the Makefile generator is used by cmake.

Testing

After building, a shared library is generated at dist/<configuration>/<system>/libDsscDevices.so.
A soft-link to libDsscDevices.so is created in the $KARABO/plugins where Karabo loads the library from.

Tests use ctest and can be ran from the build directory:

cd $KARABO/devices/DsscDevices/build/DsscDevices
ctest -VV

Running

To run the devices, three servers are needed:

karabo-cppserver serverId=cppServer/dssc deviceClasses=DsscPpt,DsscLadderParameterTrimming &
karabo-middlelayerserver serverId=middlelayerServer/dssc deviceClasses=DsscControl,Configurator &
karabo-pythonserver serverId=pythonServer/dssc deviceClasses=DsscSIB

Contributing

The developement of this project is done on EuXFEL's Gitlab.

This software is released by the European XFEL GmbH as is and without any warranty under the GPLv3 license. If you have questions on contributing to the project, please get in touch at opensource@xfel.eu.

External contributors, i.e. anyone not contractually associated to the European XFEL GmbH, are asked to sign a Contributor License Agreement (CLA):

• people contributing as individuals should sign the Individual CLA
• people contributing on behalf of an organization should sign the Entity CLA.

The CLAs can be found in the Contributor License Agreement and Entity Contributor License Agreement documents located in the doc directory in this repository.
Please send signed CLAs to opensource [at] xfel.eu. We'll get in touch with you then. We ask for your understanding that we cannot accept external contributions without a CLA in place. Importantly, with signing the CLA you acknowledge that

• European XFEL retains all copyrights of the DsscDevices software,
• European XFEL may relicense the DsscDevices software under other appropriate open source licenses which the Free Software Foundation classifies as Free Software licenses.

However, you are welcome to already suggest modifications you'd like to contribute by opening a merge/pull request before you send the CLA.

You are free to use this software under the terms of the GPLv3 without signing a CLA.