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PixieNet_QuickStart

The Pixie-Net Quick Start Guide provides essential information for setting up the Pixie-Net system, including system requirements and step-by-step installation instructions. Users must download necessary drivers, connect hardware, and configure settings through a terminal and web interface. Important notes include changing default passwords and backing up the SD card for data security.

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4 views

PixieNet_QuickStart

The Pixie-Net Quick Start Guide provides essential information for setting up the Pixie-Net system, including system requirements and step-by-step installation instructions. Users must download necessary drivers, connect hardware, and configure settings through a terminal and web interface. Important notes include changing default passwords and backing up the SD card for data security.

Uploaded by

rikdingus
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Pixie-Net Quick Start Guide

Introduction
Thank you for using our products. This document contains the most important information to get started
with the Pixie-Net system. Please read the entire document and keep it nearby as you go through the
installation of hardware and software and the initial setup of the detector system. Please also read at
least the first 3 chapters of the Pixie-Net User Manual provided with the software distribution

System Requirements (Section 1.3 of the User Manual)


 Windows PC (for initial setup). See manual for Linux options.
 Local network connection

Setup (Sections 2.1/2.2 of the User Manual)


1. Download and extract/install Silicon Labs CP210x USB-to-UART driver from
https://www.silabs.com/products/development-tools/software/usb-to-uart-bridge-vcp-drivers
See microzed.org/sites/default/files/documentations/CP210x_Setup_Guide_1_2.pdf for details.
2. Download and install Tera Term (or other suitable terminal program) from http://ttssh2.osdn.jp/
3. Connect
- DC power plug from the AC adapter to the “12VDC” power input on the Pixie-Net
- USB cable between Pixie-Net (“UART”) and PC (any USB port)
- CAT 5 network cable from Pixie-Net to local network
4. From the Silicon Labs installation, run CP210xVCPInstaller_x64.exe to create a COM port and
find the new COM port’s number in device manager
5. Open Tera Term.
- Connect via the serial port showing the COM number above
- Select Setup > Serial port. Defaults are ok, except baud rate must be 115200.
- type <enter> in the terminal prompt
- Currently, no login credentials are required for Linux login via serial port
You are now logged on as root
6. Once logged on via the Linux terminal, the following steps must be performed:
- Change to working directory: cd /var/www
- Adjust permissions: chmod 777 /dev/uio0 (only for OS and SW releases prior to 1.20)
- Apply parameters from file settings.ini to FPGA: ./progfippi
- Automatically set a few basic parameters: ./findsettings
This should be performed with the detector connected, with the correct polarity and
termination setting specified in the settings file.
- Find IP address: ifconfig (if no IP address is assigned, contact your network admin )
7. On the PC, open a web browser and type the Pixie-Net’s IP address into the search/address field.
8. On the PC open Windows Explorer and type \\<IP address>\MZwww in the address field.
Login with default credentials root/xia17pxn
Getting Started (Section 3 of the User Manual)
Adjusting Settings
The FPGA settings and processing parameters must be adjusted (once) to match the detector
characteristics. This includes analog settings such as gain and offset, and pulse processing parameters
such as decay time and trigger threshold.
All settings are stored in the file settings.ini. The default settings file is configured for the Pixie Net
internal pulser. Examples of other settings files are on the SD card. An easy way to test operation is
therefore to connect the “PULSE” output to one of the analog inputs. For a description of the parameters,
please see the Pixie-Net User Manual. To modify a parameter, edit the .ini file and then execute
./progfippi to apply the changes to the FPGA. Editing can be accomplished with a built-in Linux
editor through the terminal (for example VI) or by opening the file in a Windows editor through the
SMB file sharing.
To verify that analog settings are correct (signal in range, pulses start with rising edge, no clipping),
open/refresh the Pixie-Net ADC page in the web browser, or execute ./gettraces and view the
resulting file ADC.csv. You can also execute ./runstats to read the output parameters in the
resulting file RS.csv. The current input count rate, out of range fraction, temperatures, and FPGA system
time will update even when no run is in progress. The function ./findsettings can assist in finding
parameters such as DC offset.
Data Acquisition
1. In the terminal, type ./startdaq or ./acquire to start a run with current settings. The
screen will print updates of runtime etc. An alternative is to execute the equivalent functions
from the web operations webpage.
2. In the browser, navigate to the MCA page (“view spectra”) or the Run Statistics page (“view run
statistics”) under DAQ Monitoring. Refresh these pages with the browser button to see updates
during the data acquisition
3. < wait for run to finish >
4. When the data acquisition finishes in the terminal, the final MCA, the run statistics, and the list
mode data files have been created.
5. In the browser, the data files can be viewed or downloaded (under “DAQ Results”)
6. In the terminal, the data files can be copied to local USB drive or network drive
7. In a Windows Explorer window pointing to \\...\PNvarwww, the data files can be copied or
opened with Windows tools and programs.
Important Notes
 Remember to change the default password for root SSH (root/xia17pxn ) using
passwd.
 Remember to change the default password for root SMB (root/xia17pxn) using
sudo smbpasswd –a root.
 Remember to change the default password for web operations (webops/xia17pxn) using
vi webopspasswords
 Remember to make a backup copy of the Pixie-Net SD card. This must be a byte-by-byte copy
using a program like Win32DiskImager.

Further Information
Downloads: http://support.xia.com
Support: [email protected]

Pixie-Net Quick Start Guide v2.01, 11/2017 © XIA LLC

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