DSM's and Masking
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At times certain signals to the DSM boards (information from towers used in triggering) may go bad, often due to a poor connection. Until these can be fixed they can be masked out at the DSM level by setting a look up table on the trigger computer and then making sure the new table is loaded in the configuration when starting a new run.

Log into the trigger computer

ssh staruser@startrg2.starp.bnl.gov
pw [ ] (same as to the startpc account)

There are files there of the form eec.'date.dat. The most recent should be the one in effect. If you need to add another channel make a file with the new date and leave the old ones unchanged.

Table of DSM masks (the file as of 2/16/04 contains):

# syntax:	JP#	TP#	HT and/or TP
	6	1	HT
	5	10	TP

This disables the high tower input to jet patch 6 input channel 1 and the trigger patch input to jet patch 5 input channel 10.

If you look at a set of Panitkin plots, there is one page for the high tower and one for the trigger patches, organized by the 6 jet patches. (title is HT or TP Input, DSM Layer=0, Jet Patch 'n) The jet patch and channel of the offending signal to use in the file can be read directly from these plots. (If the above file is still in effect you will see these two channels have a red dot at zero, as will any new channel you add.) HT and TP can be used on the same line. A # allows you to enter a comment.

After editing the file the program conv_lut needs to be run on the trigger computer you are editing the file at. Type at the prompt

conv_lut eec.'latest_date.dat

This program will build a look up table that needs to be loaded at the start of the next run. On the run control computer in the Run Gui you must set the parameter configOpt to 1 which will force it to re-initialize the configuration for trigger. To find this parameter click on "Edit Configuration" then "detail" on TRG_RUN_name and it is the first on the list. Make sure congifOpt=0 before starting the next run. You should check the next run's Panitkin plots to see that you have had the desired effect.

To turn all channels back on (to be done only for diagnostics at this point) the command run conv_lut with the added parameter "ON"

conv_lut eec.'latest_date.dat ON

ON can be replaced with OFF in the above and it will turn all channels off.

Currently (Feb 8 2005) there is one HT patch and one JP blocked with this program.