ATLAS-UK Level-1 Calorimeter Trigger Meeting
Wednesday 15 May 2002 at RAL
Present: Bruce
Barnett, Ian Brawn, Adam
Davis, James Edwards, Eric Eisenhandler (chair), John Garvey, Norman Gee, Tony Gillman, Gilles Mahout, David
Mills, Ed Moyse, Viraj Perera, Richard Staley, Peter Watkins, Alan
Watson
Agenda
Click this side Click this side
for summaries for slides (pdf)
Hardware status
Cluster Processor Module and test cards.............Richard
Cluster Processor Module and CP chip tests...........Gilles
Common Merger Module and DSS I/O cards..................Ian
CP/JEP ROD prototype..................................Bruce
Timing Control Module and VME Mount Module.............Adam
CANbus: status and overall scheme......................Dave
Stockholm, Mainz and Heidelberg status.................Tony
Software status
Brief highlights of April T/DAQ week..................Bruce
Draft document on software overview..................Norman
Simulation
Trigger simulator and integration status.................Ed
General items
ASSO follow-up.........................................Eric
Papers.....................................John/Gilles/Eric
Coming meetings
ATLAS week, joint meeting, T/DAQ workshop..............Eric
Any other business
Dates of next UK meetings
Hardware status
Cluster Processor Module and test cards
- Richard (slides)
CPM: JTAG testing was invaluable. Manufacturing faults were detected
and corrected. However, test coverage was not 100%, with the following items
omitted from the test: backplane connector, LVDS receivers, GLink Tx, and
CAN controller. For production testing we need an additional PCB with boundary
scan (BS) devices, which plugs into the connector. Viraj suggested a useful
simplification by looping backplane outputs back onto the board, as both
source and sink are BS devices. Richard replied that we still needed a BS
device to check the VME and Hit interfaces.
The VME interface is now working as intended, but having problems with
Geographical Addressing (GA), which has temporarily been disabled so that
that testing may progress. Richard also reported the CAN controller running
hot. On the CMM, Ian mentioned the CAN controller was corrupting the GA
signals, so the two problems may be related. Note added later: This
was found to be true of the CPM. The CAN controller overheating was due
to an unsoldered lead giving intermittent connection of the crystal oscillator.
Now fixed, it runs cool.
The CPM had some wrongly specified clock-buffer PLLs in the schematic which
inadvertedly doubled the frequency of certain clocks to 80MHz. Note added
later: These have now been replaced and all clocks are now distributed
at 40MHz as intended.
The Flash RAM controller is working, with software able to read, write
and erase Flash RAM contents used to hold the FPGA configurations.
In discussion, Norman and others were concerned about the module flexing
when inserted into the crate. Richard said he would try to find a solution.
Test cards: One of each of CPM and CMM slot adapters have been built. More
would be made for the UK and also for the Mainz. Richard will design a small
PCB for looping back the CPM FIO signals.
Cluster Processor Module and CP chip
tests - Gilles (slides)
Tests on the CPM have started. The setup is made of one L1 calo trigger
9U crate and a 6 U crate mounted on a rack. The 9U crate holds a VMM, a
TCM and a CPM and the 6U a Concurrent single-board CPU, a Bit3 board and
TTCvi/TTCvx. Communication to 9U crate is performed with a second Bit3 plugged
into the VMM. A small code has been written to map VME addresses between
these two crates via Bit3. Such a setup enables us to switch off the 9U
crate without rebooting each time. An HDMC part has been written to download
the Flash RAM of the CPM but has not been tested yet. But the tests have
been very successful so far: TCM ID, CPM and firmware ID have been retrieved.
Control Register has been written and the FIFO to access Flash RAM is working.
The trouble comes from the GeoAddr, which does not seem to work, so the
firmware has been modified to bypass its input pins. Next steps will be
to download one Serialiser FPGA, check everything is working during the
downloading, and perform tests. All CP chips and Serialisers will then be
loaded and tests of connectivity at high speed, and calibration performed.
A loop- back board, covering a part of the backplane connector to send back
signals to a CP chip under test, would have to be done. This first stage
of debugging the CPM was mainly debugging firmware. Therefore, a version
of the VHDL Serialiser chip model to B'ham will be desirable to help debugging
the Serialiser chip algorithm in the future.
Concerning the CP chip simulation at B'ham, previous simulation were done
with a model without taking into account the choice of the device. Previous
measured latency could be too optimistic. Now two files are available to
make such a more realistic simulation, but the present program does not
seem to work correctly. Too many warnings are generated, which stops the
simulation. Things are under investigation but it has been noticed that
there was a delay of 15 ns between a CS inserted and before data were available
on the VME data port. James said it's not a problem and you will have just
to stretch the R/W strobe by an extra 15 ns or more.
In discussion, Norman asked which problems in this initial testing need
to go into the QA system.
Common Merger Module and DSS I/O cards -
Ian (slides)
Work on the CMM is progressing. A number of bugs have been found and resolved,
as detailed in the presentation. The CMM will be given to PPD in June, so
that they may play with it. Two further types of card are necessary to fully
test the CMM: the GIO cards for the DSS (to sink and source LVDS signals)
and the Rear Transition Module (an interface between the CMM and SCSI-3
cables). Four GIO cards have been manufactured and are currently being assembled.
The dimensions of the RTM have been established and it is currently being
laid out by Panagiotis.
In discussion, Eric remarked that the specification document lacks the
pinout details of the front-panel CTP connector.
CP/JEP ROD prototype - Bruce (slides)
Bruce presented an update on the status of tests with the CP/JEP Rod. The
recent focus has been on the completion of new software in order to hasten
progress with the so-called "module-services" package(s) whose
definition is required for s/w progress with other modules. The test software
now uses the new "module-services" classes. In the regime of firmware,
no new problems have been identified, but the status needs to be reviewed.
New firmware variants for the DSS will appear soon, and the tests of these
will need to proceed, using the ROD-DSS test setup in R12.
Timing Control Module and VME Mount Module
- Adam (slides)
Working closely with Dave Mills has produced some code to further the testing
of the microcontroller on the TCM. Just the CANbus needs to be tested now.
The VMM look like it might actually fit into slot one, comments that it
would not were due to a mistake on assembly first time round. It has been
decided that the crate number will be set by the switch on the backplane
rather than the VMM. Note that the LED's indicating the geographical address
are inverted..
CANbus: status and overall scheme - Dave
(slides)
David gave a brief overview of CAN again, and how the crates are connected
in the CAN network. The Fujitsu is now able to communicate with the VMEbus
via the DPM. Work is continuing on the CAN interface. New tools have been
acquired from Fujitsu and these have been distributed to all interested
parties.
Stockholm, Mainz and Heidelberg status
- Tony (slides)
Heidelberg status: As there were no callers (German holiday), this
is a brief status based on the Heidelberg group meeting minutes from 3/5/2002,
so is not fully up-to-date. They have two fully-assembled MCMs ready for
testing, for which several test modules/cards are ready for manufacture.
Two AnIn daughter-cards (as will be used on the PPM itself) are ready for
assembly. Progress on the VME motherboard for the LVDS Rx card data
I/O state-machine code now working. They have updated their Xilinx synthesis
tools.
Mainz status: JEM0.1 testing continues with real-time data-paths.
Continuing problems with input data synchronisation, but currently bypassed
to enable work on data-path into main processor FPGA. An LVDS Replicator
(fan-out) module is being made to enable multiple channels to be populated.
Running the RAL DSS under the HDMC framework causes problems. It is suggested
that these may be caused by the VME LINUX driver this will be discussed
further at the next software meeting. In-crate operation of JEM0.1 is at
least one month away.
Stockholm status: Longer crate runners will be delivered w/b 13th
May. At around the same time, ground-pin cable assemblies will be shipped
to RAL and to Birmingham for fitting to crates #1 and #2. Crates #3 and
#4 will be fully completed in Stockholm before shipping it was suggested
after the meeting that #3 be shipped to RAL to allow a second test system
to be operated. The UNIX system in Stockholm is currently being upgraded.
The latest Slice Test schedule was discussed and approved. Another new graduate
student could help with JEP sub-system tests in the UK later this year.
Software status
Brief highlights of April T/DAQ week
- Bruce (slides)
Bruce presented a view of some of the highlights from the T/DAQ week which
took place recently at CERN. Many issues were touched upon. As original
transparencies are also available on the web, the talk was meant to give
a flavour and overview. A special session outlining the nature of the new
T/DAQ management was not summarised, but details are also available on the
web.
Also pertinent, but not extensively reported, was a Level-1 Dataflow meeting
which took place during the workshop. At that meeting progress with the
RoI-Builder was discussed in particular issues pertaining to flow
control for that system. The means of interaction of the RoIB with the Busy
logic of the trigger will form an important part of the RoIB design. It
should be remembered that it was the issue of flowcontrol which precipitated
many of the difficulties which were encountered at the L1-calorimeter/RoIB
integration tests of early 2001.
Draft document on software overview
- Norman (slides)
In response to questions from Oliver Nix, Norman had started work on a
system software overview document. Based on R0D-Crate DAQ terminology, Norman
described the hierarchy of connections from workstations, connections between
run controllers, and the interactions between the run control and the module
services for each physical module. The document also describes how test
data is generated and used in test runs. Overall, the database emerges as
a key control component needing a lot of detailed work.
In discussion, Pete requested that the L1A-simulating scheme with DSS be
written up.
Simulation
Trigger simulator and integration status
- Ed (slides)
Ed reported that the jet trigger simulation is finished (but not tested)
and that work has begun on the energy trigger. He has agreed to produce
a 'ROD' simulation and various associated utilities to aid LVL1/LVL2 integration,
and this is almost done. Ed summarised the output of TrigT1Calo, and then
listed what work remains (integration with TrigT1Calo, Energy Trigger and
validation), finally giving some idea of a timetable over which this will
occur.
General items
ASSO follow-up - Eric (slide)
Eric showed a slide listing the current status of ASSO actions relevant
to our project.
- A person to look at overall timing of the experiment has been named:
Kinihiro Nagano
- Connections from calorimeters to the trigger have been documented by
Murrough and Steve; the work is almost finished. Eric remarked that it
should be reviewed, or at least read critically, by some people who have
not been involved.
- No official word yet on whether Pittsburgh can build the receivers;
after the meeting communication with Bill Cleland reminded us that we
need to write a specification for the TileCal receiver signal-handling.
- Calibration contact people are as follows: from the trigger, Thomas
Trefzger; from LAr, Pascal Perrodo and Isabelle Wingerter (both LAPP);
from TileCal (for the time being) Rupert Leitner.
-
Papers - Eric
John's abstract has been submitted to the big ICHEP conference in Amsterdam.
It should be put on the web. Gilles' abstract and summary has been submitted
to LECC in Colmar and is already on the web.
Coming meetings
ATLAS week, joint meeting, T/DAQ workshop - Eric
There is supposed to be a level-1 trigger status report at the ATLAS overview
week in Clermont-Ferrand, but no one from the calorimeter trigger seemed
to be going. Eric had asked Sam if he could do it, and also it turned out
that Pete is going. So one or the other will give the talk.
For the joint meeting in Stockholm on 4-6 July, the main meeting will probably
have the usual layout. A problem with the software session that often occurs
on the Thursday morning is that a number of people will not be able to travel
out on Wednesday evening due to the retirement celebration for John Dowell
in Birmingham. Eric will try to see if a software meeting is necessary,
and if so whether Saturday afternoon is ok.
Norman will go to the July T/DAQ workshop.
There was no other business.
The next UK trigger meeting will be on Tuesday, 18 June at RAL.
Eric Eisenhandler,
30 May 2002
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