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Starting a Cosmic-Ray Run

Note: The tail pulser cable should be left connected to the sectors; the pulser is enabled or disabled through MiniDAQ.

  1. Verify that the anode-wire, field-cage and grid-bias voltages are at their normal settings.
  2. The trigger scintillator HV at the top of the trigger rack must be turned on.
  3. Go to the Run Control desktop; if the EVENT TYPE is not ``cosmic'' and the DAQ/SC state is ``idle,'' pull down the ``OTHER EVENTS'' menu and do an ``unconfigure.''
  4. When/if the DAQ/SC state is ``initialized,'' click CONFIG and a configuration window will pop up. (Only items in the configuration window are used by MiniDAQ at configuration time; you may ignore the settings in the other window.) Enable the desired Rosies by clicking on them, then double click on the ``cosmic'' event type. Click OK. (It is better not to ``EXIT;'' the configuration window shows which Rosies were selected.)
  5. When the DAQ/SC state is ``idle,'' go to the main window and set the run and tape numbers; the comment; enable taping and netfeeds. Usually, one wants a ``Continuous Run.''
  6. Usually, requesting 8- and 10-bit zero-suppressed ADC data is adequate. A typical threshold is 3. One probably does not usually want to ``suppress bad channels'' online, until one is certain that this is done reliably.
  7. When the settings are final, click GETSET.
  8. When the DAQ/SC state is ``poised,'' click on GO.
  9. If no Run Control logger window is open, pull down the OPTIONS menu and open one. Verify that events are being logged. If events are not being logged, and the logger window has been open for awhile, exit from it and open another one...the logger windows wear out.
  10. After events are coming in, verify the data quality using the Pad Monitor.
  11. Leave running overnight, click END when done.


Written: July, 1996 by Doug Greiner and Wayne Betts
Last modified: July 10, 1997 by R.Bossingham


Page maintenance:

Roy Bossingham, LBNL
RRBossingham@lbl.gov