Automating the Data Acquisition Process with Scripts

This poster describes work done with the A2 Collaboration at the Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet (JGU) located in Mainz, Germany. The data acquisition system used by the A2 collaboration primarily gathers data from the Crystal Ball particle detector, Tagger Microscope, and the TAPS detector, all of which are housed at the Mainzer Mikrotron facility (MAMI) at JGU. There are many components to the software controlling the acquisition of data from these detectors, many of which are scripts. Currently, each script must be started manually and in a specific order by the system operator to perform a specific task or series of tasks. The purpose of this project is to reduce the dependency on the user to correctly run the necessary scripts, replacing the complex manual with a simple user interface, through which the user can give the system a procedure to carry out without worrying about most of the details of the procedure. When this project is completed, it will be much easier for system operators to effectively run the data acquisition system.