Software for the MAGIC Active Mirror Control (AMC)

Dependencies

In order to compile and run the AMC software and the SBIG software, you need to install the following dependencies. In case you run the software inside a container, some of these dependencies must be installed in the container while other ones need to be installed on the host system.

The following instructions have been tested with Ubuntu 24.04 64-bit as host system and Ubuntu 18.04 64-bit with 32-bit software enabled as system inside the container. Apptainer was used as container platform.

Udev Rules

• The udev rules are located in the directory depend/udev of this repository.
• If You run the software inside a container, the udev rules must be copied to the udev rules directory of the host system.
• Copy the file 51-sbig-debian.rules into the directory containing the udev rules. In Ubuntu 22.04, this is the directory /etc/udev/rules.d.

SBIG Firmware

• The SBIG firmware files are located in the directory depend/sbig/firmware of this repository.
• If You run the software inside a container, the SBIG firmware files must be copied to the firmware directory of the host system.
• Copy all files to the firmware directory /lib/firmware.

SBIG Libraries

• The SBIG libraries are located in the directory depend/lib of this repository.
• If You run the software inside a container, the SBIG libraries must be copied to the container system.
• Copy the files libsbigcam.a and libsbigcam.so to /usr/local/lib.
• If packages of libsbigudrv are available for your Linux distribution, it is highly recommended to use these. Install the library and its development package. Please note that the 32-bit version is required. In Ubuntu 18.04, run these commands:

  apt install libsbigudrv2:i386
  apt install libsbigudrv2-dev:i386
  

• If no packages of libsbigudrv are available, copy the files libsbigudrv.a and libsbigudrv.so to /usr/local/lib.

Build tools and auxiliary packages.

• If You run the software inside a container, all build tools and auxiliary packages must be installed in the container system.
• For Ubuntu 18.04, run these commands:

  apt install autoconf
  apt install autogen
  apt install automake
  apt install build-essential
  apt install git
  apt install make
  apt install libcfitsio-dev
  apt install libforms-dev:i386
  apt install libtool
  apt install libturbo8_i386
  apt install libusb-1.0-0-dev
  apt install libxpm-dev:i386
  apt install libxpm4:i386
  apt install python3
  apt install python3-serial
  apt install saods9
  apt install xpa-tools
  

AMC Software

• To build the AMC software, run these commands:

  cd amc
  make mrproper && make all
  

• Before runninge the AMC software:
  • Copy the LUT files into the amc directory.
  • Create a link inside the amc directory with the name test_Panels1.txt to a valid AMC panel list file, e.g. AMC1_panel_list.txt.
  • Create the links /home/operator/log1 and /home/operator/sbig1 pointing to valid directories for storing the log files and SBIG images.
• To run the AMC software, cd into the amc directory and run:

  ./amc
  

SBIG Software

• To build the SBIG software, run these commands:

  cd sbig
  make mrproper && make all
  

• To run the AMC software, cd into the sbig directory and run:

  ./sbigab
  

AMC-Test Software

The simple python program amc_test.py can be used to send individual commands to the AMC system. It sends hexadecimal commands to the AMC controller board (AMContr_R3).

Caution: The firmware version 6 (2.1.6) is required on the AMC controller!

Examples

Send the standard command ("center" = 0x07) over the standard serial port /dev/ttyS0 to the standard AMC controller (with address 0x65) and select the standard stepper motor driver card (0).

./amc_test.py

Send the standard command ("center" = 0x07) over the serial port /dev/ttyS1 to the AMC controller with address 40 and select the stepper motor driver card 1.

./amc_test.py -d /dev/ttyS1 -a 40 -b 1

Move relative in X direction:

./amc_test.py -c move_rel_x 100

./amc_test.py -c move_rel_x -100

./amc_test.py -d /dev/ttyS1 -a 40 -b 1 -c move_rel_x 0x1234

Move relative in Y direction:

./amc_test.py -c move_rel_y 100

./amc_test.py -c move_rel_y -100

./amc_test.py -d /dev/ttyS1 -a 40 -b 1 -c move_rel_y 0x1234

Move relative in X and in Y direction:

./amc_test.py -c move_rel_xy 100 -200

Move absolute in X and in Y direction:

./amc_test.py -c move_abs 1000 -2000

Stop moving:

./amc_test.py -c stop

Show detailed status:

./amc_test.py -v 3 -c status

Send the raw command 0x07 = "center" over the serial port /dev/ttyS1 with host computer ID 0xf7 to the AMC controller with address 0x65 (101) and select stepper motor driver 0. Produce verbose output.

./amc_test.py -d /dev/ttyS1 -a 0x65 -b 0 -i 0xf7 -v 3 -c raw 0x7