Integrating LWDAQ into the Detector Control Systems of the LHC experiments at CERN

The LWDAQ (Long-Wire Data Acquisition) software and hardware from Brandeis University, Mass., USA provides access to a powerful suite of measurement instruments. Two high precision monitors used to measure the relative alignment between a source and a sensor are included. The BCAM (Brandeis CCD Angle Monitor) cameras take images of point light sources and the Rasnik (Red Alignment System of NIKhef) cameras take images of the NIKHEF developed Rasnik mask. Both systems are used in the LHC experiments at CERN. Brandeis University provides a tool called Acquisifier to script the data acquisition process and to analyse the images to determine the alignment data. In order to incorporate the resulting data from the alignment system into the Detector Control System (DCS) of the LHC experiments a new software component of the Joint COntrols Project (JCOP) Framework was developed. It provides a TCP/IP interface between LWDAQ and the SCADA tool PVSS so that the results of the data acquisition process can easily be returned to the DCS. This new component simplifies the generation of the Acquisifier data acquisition script, controls the run mode of the Acquisifier and collects the results of the acquisition.