Gboccia Files
This page describes the structure of the files of the Gboccia project.
It is a mistake
to
use files in order to communicate between different programs.
Because popper synchronization is very hard to achieve. This way
automatization of the system gets very difficult. We do not recommend
to do anything similar and are currently rewriting the related parts of
the software.
Files are very
useful to store
static
configuration information that is needed by exactly one program, as
well as measured data.
./gboccia/config/gboccia.ini
This is a classical .ini file. (It is
is better to use normal property files instead!)
[ccu]
baud = The Baud Rate of the serial RS232 connection
serdev = The Unix device file representing the RS232
usbdev = The Unix device file representing the USB connection
this is done using a special Kernel driver described somewhere else
database = The database file describing the CCD Chip that is currently used
ctrldir = The directory to store control files
dbdir = The directory containing all database files (for the CCD Chips)
sexdir = The directory containing the sextractor stuff
shutter_offset = The shutter offset for need only for automated flat fielding
channels = deprecated and not used anymore (this parameter was move to an other file)
[logfile]
name = The logfile, that is basically read by nobody
[fitsoutput]
path = The path where the FITS files shall be written
prefix = The prefix for the filename
suffix = The suffix for the filename
num = The current filename
sextractor = The command to run sextractor
sexfile = The output file of sextractor
replacekey = the name of a program to replace header keywords in .fits files
fitsmd5 = a program to compute MD5 sums of fits files
astrometry = a script to optimize the astrometry (based on the pipeline to Thomas Erben)
[sequences]
The names of readout sequences of the CCU.
The left hand side is the short name. The right hand side is the long name
The short name is stored in the CCD Controller the Long name is displayed to the user.
This section just contains the conversion table
[dap]
telescope = The name of the telescope
instrument = The name of the instrument
observer = The name of the observer
[extern]
saods9 = A program to display FITS files
[instctrl]
Several files to communicate with the Frad program by Henning Poschmann
[telescope]
statusfilename = The status file of the telescope
[texoutput]
viewer = a viewer for LaTeX .dvi files (deprecated now part of the python GUI)
compile = a script to compile the LaTeX logfile
compile_backup = a script to compile a backup of the LaTeX logfile
print = the printer command
editor = a text editor (deprecated)
path = the path in with the LaTeX stuff is found
./gboccia/ctrlfiles/multi.exp
This is a multiple exposure file as
defined by
Klaus
Reif for the old Holicam program:
Every line in the file represents a single exposure. The first column
contains the exposure time, the second one the readout-sequence and
the third one the gain to be used. If the user selects a file for
multiple exposure in the GUI Client. It will be send over
INDI and stored as
multi.exp on the server side. This file is than given to the
acquisition system.
This procedure is deprecated. Using
INDI and
DCD we have our
hardware controlled by a python script, while observing its status in
the GUI Client. This is much more flexible than the old approach.
./gboccia/ctrlfiles/queue.que
A queue file. The CCD controller (CCU)
has
got a funny queue mode. In this mode it takes a set of commands and
stores them to its internal memory. Than it gets a start signal from
the host computer and starts to run the queue. Queues can have
loops.
This procedure is of very little practical relevance.
./gboccia/database/
This directory contains the database
files. A database contains the readout-sequences for a special chip.
There are .DB and .SQ and .INI files. The files with the same
base-names
belong together.
The .SQ and .INI files are human readable and contain information
needed by the control program in the PC.
The .DB file contains information about the readout-sequences
that can only be understood by the CCD controller (CCU) itself. There
is a
special compiler to create .DB files. Details about this are known by
Henning Poschmann and
Klaus
Reif.
.SQ files:
Each line in an .SQ file represents a
readout sequence:
2 full_p4s INT 3 BINN 2 3 DETEC CCD [2:2049,1:2048] DATA [18:2065,65:2112] BIAS [2068:2078,65:2112] TRIM [18:2065,65:2112] LOADL 0
2: the number of the readout sequence
full_p4s: the short name of the readout sequence
INT 3: the setting of the integration capacitor in the readout electronics
a smaller value corresponds to a higher amplification.
BINN 2 3: Two physical Pixels are binned into one pixel in the readout stream in the X direction
And Three in the Y direction
DETEC FA2048_L11_W07_01 the name of the CCD Chip used
The format is [x1:x2,y1:y2] with x1 meaning the smallest x position of the frame, x2 the biggest one.
CCD [2:2049,1:2048] the section of the CCD (in the chip coordinate system of physical pixels) that is read out.
DATA [18:2065,65:2112] the section of image (the data stream received from the controller) corresponding to the pixels
read out.
BIAS [2068:2078,65:2112] the section of image (the data stream received from the controller) containing the overscan
information this is needed since its average is the zero point on the scale we are using
TRIM [18:2065,65:2112] in all case known to me this is equal to data.
LOADL 0 in all cases known to me this is equal to zero.
The INI files contain additional
information about the CCD Chip
[ccd]
#the physical pixel corresponding to the ra dec the telescope is pointing to
crpix1 = 1130
crpix2 = 450
#a matrix describing the orientation and the plate scale
cd1_1 = 0.0
cd2_2 = 0.0
cd1_2 = 0.0002025
cd2_1 = 0.0002025
#the name of the camera
camera = HoLiCam(Enzian)
#the plate scale of the CCD in microns per pixel
pixscale = 13.5
#the number channels read out simultaneously for the moment 1 or 2 are the only possible values
channels =1
[sequences]
#the sequence used for automated focusing usual 512x512
focus = 7
# the sequence used for a testing preview exposure usually 256x256
flat = 8
./gboccia/doc/
The gboccia documentation files
generated by Doxygen.
./gboccia/dummyfiles/
Some files are needed to run gboccia if
no
external programs are running. You need to overwrite the sections
[instctrl] and [telescope] in the gboccia.ini file with the information
from the same sections you find in the gboccia.ini.template file in the
same directory in order to use simulated (dummy) information instead of
the
external programs.
./gboccia/fitsoutput/
A directory that can be used to store
the .FITS files. The directory that is actually used is specified in
the
gboccia.ini file
./gboccia/lib/
The cfitsio, indi and iniparser
libraries
./gboccia/log/
A directory that can be used to store
the logfile. The directory that is actually used is specified in the
gboccia.ini file.
./gboccia/sex/
The sextractor configuration files, as
well as the results of sextractor. (sextractor is used to calculate the
media of the FWHMs of the objects detected in an image)
bdsm.sex:
The main sextractor configuration file.
daofind.param:
This file configures output parameters
of sextractor
default.conv:
An other sextractor configuration file.
bare.cat:
The results of sextractor.
./gboccia/src/
The main sources directory
./gboccia/testdata/
Some files that can be used for testing
purposes:
multiple_exposure:
A file that can be used to test the
multiple exposure mode.
queue:
A file that can be used to test the
queue mode of the CCD controller.
./gboccia/texoutput/
The directory for the LaTeX logfile
compile.sh:
A script to build and
compile the main.tex file. This is done by concatenating
header.tex, body.tex, and footer.tex and running LaTeX afterwards
compile_backup.sh:
A script to build and
compile the main_backup.tex file. This is done by concatenating
header.tex, body_backup.tex, and footer.tex and running LaTeX afterwards
All remaining files are generated by
LaTeX
This project is hosted by sourceforge:
