Programmable Sequence

In preparation for the 2012 Argonne National Laboratory Energy Showcase (an open house for the community [1]), the BCDA group [2] created linux-based EPICS controls [3] for the robot arm to simulate how robots install samples into X-ray detectors at several of the APS experiment area beamlines. The robots allow for faster sample loading and enable scientists to use the APS while at their home institutions.

Using a Raspberry Pi as the Linux IOC host and EPICS, this hands-on IOC demonstrates how modestly a “complete” control system might be constructed. A GUI can be added on the network for alternative control of the robot.

A movie of the automation sequence is available online: https://vimeo.com/128020522

Database, sequence, and GUI support are provided in this IOC project under the ip-2-13 subdirectory.

Schematic

../_images/arm-IOC-LAN-OPI.png

schematic of automated sequence equipment

The sequence is run from a SNL program on the Raspberry Pi. The parameters for the sequence are entered from the EPICS OPI client ICSS BOY GUI on the laptop).

[1]2012 ANL Energy Showcase: https://www.flickr.com/photos/argonne/7996170862/in/album-72157631558448229
[2]BCDA: http://www.aps.anl.gov/bcda
[3]First IOC was created by Jeff Gebhardt, APS BCDA group