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Hardware Setup

ENRGDAQ integrates with several hardware devices commonly used in neutrino physics experiments. Each device type has a corresponding DAQJob that handles initialization, data readout, and error recovery.

CAEN Digitizer (Waveform Acquisition)

The DAQJobCAENDigitizer reads waveform data from CAEN digitizer cards.

Requirements

  • CAEN digitizer hardware (e.g., DT5742, V1742, DT5730)
  • CAEN libraries installed (caen-libs Python package)
  • Optical link or USB connection to the host machine

Configuration

daq_job_type = "DAQJobCAENDigitizer"

# Connection
connection_type = "OPTICAL_LINK"   # USB, PCI_EXPRESS_A4818, OPTICAL_LINK
link_number = "1"
conet_node = 0
vme_base_address = 0

# Channel mask (bitmask, e.g., 0b00000011 for channels 0 and 1)
channel_enable_mask = 0b00000001

# Acquisition
record_length = 1024               # Samples per waveform
max_num_events_blt = 1

# Trigger
sw_trigger_mode = 0                # 0=DISABLED, 1=ACQ_ONLY, 2=EXTOUT_ONLY, 3=ACQ_AND_EXTOUT
channel_self_trigger_threshold_mv = 100
channel_self_trigger_channel_mask = 0b00000001

# Additional options (not shown: trigger_polarity, ext_trigger_mode,
# channel_dc_offsets, filter_threshold_mv, io_level, post_trigger_size,
# acquisition_mode, restart_driver_command, save_npy_lz4, output_filename)

# Baseline position
baseline_position = "TOP"          # TOP, MIDDLE, BOTTOM

# Storage
[waveform_store_config.raw]
file_path = "waveforms.raw"
add_date = true

[stats_store_config.csv]
file_path = "digitizer_stats.csv"
add_date = true

Connection types

Type Description
USB Direct USB connection
OPTICAL_LINK Fiber optic link via A3818/A4818
PCI_EXPRESS_A4818 PCIe board model A4818
PCI_EXPRESS_A2818 PCIe board model A2818

Troubleshooting

  • If the digitizer fails to initialize, check the optical link fiber connections
  • If record_length is too large for the digitizer's memory, the job will log an error
  • The digitizer job supports an optional watchdog (watchdog_timeout_seconds), disabled by default

CAEN High Voltage Supply

The DAQJobCAENHV monitors and logs CAEN high-voltage power supply parameters.

Requirements

  • CAEN HV mainframe (SY4527, SY5527, N1470, etc.)
  • Network connection to the HV unit

Configuration

daq_job_type = "DAQJobCAENHV"

system_type = "SY4527"
link_type = "TCPIP"
connection_arg = "192.168.1.100"
username = ""
password = ""

poll_interval_seconds = 1          # How often to read HV parameters

# Optional: monitor specific channels
[[channels_to_monitor]]
slot = 0
channels = [0, 1, 2, 3]

# Optional: specific parameters
params_to_monitor = ["VMon", "IMon", "V0Set", "Pw", "Status"]

# Storage: CSV snapshot (overwritten each poll)
[store_config.csv]
file_path = "caen_hv.csv"
overwrite = true

# Storage: Redis timeseries (per-parameter)
[timeseries_store_config.redis]
key = "hv"
use_timeseries = true

Available parameters

Parameter Description
VMon Measured voltage (V)
IMon Measured current ((\mu)A)
V0Set Set voltage (V)
I0Set Current limit ((\mu)A)
Pw Power status (ON/OFF)
Status Channel status code
RUp Ramp-up rate (V/s)
RDwn Ramp-down rate (V/s)

Troubleshooting

  • Verify the HV unit is reachable: ping 192.168.1.100
  • Ensure the system_type matches your hardware model exactly
  • If authentication fails, leave username and password empty for unsecured units

CAEN N1081B

The DAQJobN1081B polls counter/logic data from the CAEN N1081B Four-Fold Programmable Logic Unit over a WebSocket connection.

Requirements

  • CAEN N1081B board configured with a static IP
  • Network connectivity between the host and the board
  • n1081b-sdk package (installed via git — see pyproject.toml)

Configuration

daq_job_type = "DAQJobN1081B"

host = "192.168.1.100"         # IP address of the N1081B board
port = "8080"                   # WebSocket port (default)
password = "admin"              # Login password for the board
sections_to_store = ["SEC_A", "SEC_B"]

[store_config.csv]
file_path = "n1081b.csv"
add_date = true

Troubleshooting

  • Verify the board is reachable: ping 192.168.1.100
  • The WebSocket endpoint depends on the n1081b-sdk package internals
  • Wrong password raises a login error in the logs
  • The job retries the connection automatically if the WebSocket drops

Camera (OpenCV)

The DAQJobCamera captures images from any camera accessible via OpenCV.

Requirements

  • USB or built-in camera
  • opencv-python package (included in requirements)

Configuration

daq_job_type = "DAQJobCamera"

camera_device_index = 0
store_interval_seconds = 1
store_interval_seconds_no_movement = 5

# Movement detection
movement_detection_threshold = 0.02    # Fraction of pixels that must change
movement_detection_frame_width = 500   # Downscaled frame width for detection

# Time overlay
enable_time_text = true
time_text_position = "top_left"        # top_left, top_right, bottom_left, bottom_right

[store_config.raw]
file_path = "camera_capture.jpg"
overwrite = true

On Linux, you can also use the device name instead of index:

camera_device_name = "MyUSB-Camera"  # Searches /dev/v4l/by-id/

Movement detection

When enabled, the camera job captures images more frequently when motion is detected. It compares consecutive frames and triggers capture when the fraction of changed pixels exceeds movement_detection_threshold.

Xiaomi Mijia BLE Sensor

The DAQJobXiaomiMijia reads temperature and humidity from Xiaomi Bluetooth Low Energy sensors (LYWSD03MMC).

Requirements

  • Xiaomi LYWSD03MMC sensor (with custom firmware for BLE)
  • Bluetooth adapter on the host machine
  • lywsd03mmc-client package (installed via git)

Configuration

daq_job_type = "DAQJobXiaomiMijia"

mac_address = "AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF"   # Replace with your sensor's MAC
poll_interval_seconds = 10
connect_retries = 5
connect_retry_delay = 2.0

[store_config.csv]
file_path = "xiaomi_mijia.csv"
add_date = true

Finding your sensor's MAC address

Use a BLE scanner on the host machine:

# Linux
sudo hcitool lescan

# macOS (with Xcode tools)
sudo /usr/sbin/system_profiler SPBluetoothDataType

PC Metrics (Built-in)

The DAQJobPCMetrics collects CPU usage, memory, and disk metrics from the host machine.

Configuration

daq_job_type = "DAQJobPCMetrics"

poll_interval_seconds = 1

[store_config.csv]
file_path = "pc_metrics.csv"
add_date = true

Next steps