Spector and MIRROR: PC based Scattering Data Collection and Reduction Software
W.A. Hamilton, J.B. Hayter, and P.D. Butler
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Neutron Scattering
We present a demonstration of the the simulator versions of the ORNL scattering data collection and reduction programs: SPECTOR of the ORNL 30m SANS and 10m SAXS instruments and MIRROR for the eponymous ORNL neutron reflectometer. Both programs feature a control panel interface with a three level tree menu system for common instrument control (sample positioning, beam stops &c) and data collection and reduction tasks. A simple text command run file control for data collection series is implemented for both programs, featuring sub-program calls with variable passing for control of RS232 or GPIB devices which a user might provide (ovens, temperature baths, flow pumps &c). In more than six years of operating as the instrument control software of the 30m SANS and 10m SAXS instruments SPECTOR has taken more than 70,000 data sets. In that time the style of instrument software implementation the programs represent has proved to be outstanding user friendly and flexible. The simulator
versions of both programs closely model the data collection and control protocols of the actual instrument versions and have proved extremely valuable development tools.
(posted 21-Oct-97 jw)