MAGIC-II Camera Slow Control Software

TL;DR

The paper describes the development of a LabVIEW-based slow control software for the MAGIC-II telescope camera, enhancing monitoring, control, and safety features for the stereoscopic Cherenkov telescope system.

Contribution

It introduces a dedicated camera control program integrated into the telescope system, with safety routines and reliable operation for the MAGIC-II camera.

Findings

Effective monitoring and control of camera parameters

Automatic safety routines for hardware protection

Reliable operation in observational conditions

Abstract

The Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope MAGIC I has recently been extended to a stereoscopic system by adding a second 17 m telescope, MAGIC-II. One of the major improvements of the second telescope is an improved camera. The Camera Control Program is embedded in the telescope control software as an independent subsystem. The Camera Control Program is an effective software to monitor and control the camera values and their settings and is written in the visual programming language LabVIEW. The two main parts, the Central Variables File, which stores all information of the pixel and other camera parameters, and the Comm Control Routine, which controls changes in possible settings, provide a reliable operation. A safety routine protects the camera from misuse by accidental commands, from bad weather conditions and from hardware errors by automatic reactions.