The UCD
Nuclear Physics Group
FTPC PadMonitor Main Page


Physics Department, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616

FTPC PadMonitor Project

Welcome! You have found the webpage dedicated to providing information and documentation on the FTPC PadMonitor. The FTPCs (Forward Time Projection Chamber) are a key sub-system of the STAR Experiment at RHIC. The PadMonitor is a software program designed to allow for monitoring of FTPC performance. The program can be separated into two basic parts: the GUI (Graphical User Interface) and the data I/O interface. The GUI has been designed using Java with the data I/O interface provided by the Java Native Interface to C and C++ code. This choice of languages reflects the desire to marry cross-platform transportability with legacy code already written for STAR DAQ data. In addition, we hope to be able to run the PadMonitor as a Servlet or Javascript from the Web, allowing collaborators access to view detector performance or issue trigger commands from a distance.

The following pages provide code, a description of the code and its development, and links to useful sites, as well as information about the STAR data acquisition and the FTPC prospective raw data format.


  • Raw Data Format This page provides background on the STAR DAQ Raw Data Format and the proposed FTPC version of the DAQ RDF.
  • FTPC PadMonitor Code Information includes a Java Class Library description, links to STAR DAQ Documentation and an explanation of Herb Ward's "Mock Data" writer code.
  • Source Code The most recent updates of the code can be found here. Please note that DAQ Format Reader code may be modified and older than what is available from the STAR CVS Repository.
  • Current Status/Immediate Future Informational page; also contains screenshots of the current program.
  • Links Various resources for this project as well as links to STAR information may be found here.

    • Last update: 17-AUG-2000.

    [ FTPC Home Page | STAR Home Page ]