Changed the pre filter inside of the 3 stage HEPA system next to the soldering station. It was rather dirty and I have attached images with a clean filter on the left and the used one on the right. I reset the pre filter age on the system. I tried to see if I could tell if the HEPA filter was dirty but I could not see it. I did not reset the age of the HEPA or UV stations. They are currently 378 days old.

cleaning cleanroom and particle count

• 10:06 am: ran zero count test on particle counter
• 10:07 am: started particle count
  • zone 3:
    • 0.3 u: 2203
    • 0.5 u: 831
    • 1.0 u: 540
• zone 4:
  • 0.3 u: 374
  • 0.5 u: 124
  • 1.0 u: 124
• 10:25 am: began surface check and wipedown
• 10:34 am: started vacuuming the floor
• 10:44 am: finished vacuuming the floor
• 10:45 am: started mopping the floor
• 10:49 am: finished mopping the floor
• 10:50 am: started cleaning the buckets
• 10:57 am: started mopping with IPA wipes
• 11:01 am: finished mopping with IPA wipes
• 11:02 am: changed sticky floor mats
• 11:03 am: started particle count
  • zone 3:
    • 0.3 u: 2535
    • 0.5 u: 374
    • 1.0 u: 166
• zone 4:
  • 0.3 u: 581
  • 0.5 u: 41
  • 1.0 u: 0

cleaning cleanroom and particle count

• 3:16 pm: started particle count.

  NOTE: we are not within the ISO class 5 standard for any size ranges in zone 3. ~6000 above limit in 0.3 u, ~2000 above in 0.5, ~200 above in 1.0

  • zone 3:
    • 0.3 u: 16,711
    • 0.5 u: 5612
    • 1.0 u: 1039
• zone 4:
  • 0.3 u: 6817
  • 0.5 u: 2369
  • 1.0 u: 249
• 3:35 pm: began surface check and wipedown, including softwalls
• 3:50 pm: started vacuuming the floor
• 4:00 pm: finished vacuuming the floor
• 4:01 pm: started mopping the floor
• 4:06 pm: finished mopping the floor
• 4:07 pm: started cleaning the buckets
• 4:08 pm: started mopping with IPA wipes
• 4:14 pm: finished mopping with IPA wipes
• 4:15 pm: changed sticky floor mats
• 4:18 pm: started particle count
  • zone 3:
    • 0.3 u: 23,113
    • 0.5 u: 9686
    • 1.0 u: 1371
• zone 4:
  • 0.3 u: 7191
  • 0.5 u: 2951
  • 1.0 u: 290

cleaning cleanroom and particle count

• 12:30 pm: Tyler and Aiden started organizing cables in cleanroom
• 12:35 pm: started particle count in flow bench
• 0.3 u: 11681
• 0.5 u: 3284
• 1.0 u: 1039
• 12:50 pm: started cleanroom particle count
  • zone 3:
    • 0.3 u: 14549
    • 0.5 u: 10351
    • 1.0 u: 6194
• zone 4:
  • 0.3 u: 10808
  • 0.5 u: 4655
  • 1.0 u: 1953
• 1:07 pm: began surface check and wipedown, including softwalls
• 1:19 pm: started vacuuming the floor
• 1:28 pm: finished vacuuming the floor
• 1:29 pm: started mopping the floor
• 1:33 pm: finished mopping the floor
• 1:34 pm: started cleaning the buckets
• 1:37 pm: started mopping with IPA wipes
• 1:39 pm: finished mopping with IPA wipes
• 1:40 pm: changed sticky floor mats
• 1:41 pm: started particle count
  • zone 3:
    • 0.3 u: 8397
    • 0.5 u: 5071
    • 1.0 u: 2618
• zone 4:
  • 0.3 u: 6651
  • 0.5 u: 4323
  • 1.0 u: 2120

cleaning cleanroom and particle count

• 3:37 pm: started particle count
  • zone 3:
    • 0.3 u: 1205
    • 0.5 u: 748
    • 1.0 u: 249
• zone 4:
  • 0.3 u: 1496
  • 0.5 u: 748
  • 1.0 u: 290
• 3:57 pm: began surface check and wipedown, including softwalls. NOTE: vacuum chamber insulation crumbling at edges, dropping loose flakes. Scatters residue whenever jostled, so wiping it down just releases more. Not enough flakes are being released for it to be a major issue, but definitely something to keep an eye on.
• 4:18 pm: started vacuuming the floor
• 4:29 pm: finished vacuuming the floor
• 4:30 pm: started mopping the floor
• 4:35 pm: finished mopping the floor
• 4:36 pm: started cleaning the buckets
• 4:41 pm: started mopping with IPA wipes
• 4:52 pm: finished mopping with IPA wipes
• 4:52 pm: changed sticky floor mats
• 4:53 pm: started particle count
  • zone 3:
    • 0.3 u: 3367
    • 0.5 u: 1787
    • 1.0 u: 914
• zone 4:
  • 0.3 u: 1039
  • 0.5 u: 498
  • 1.0 u: 249

cleaning cleanroom and particle count

• 12:30 pm: ran zero count test on particle counter
• 12:32 pm: started particle count.
  • zone 3:
    • 0.3 u: 59,488
    • 0.5 u: 9561
    • 1.0 u: 706
• zone 4:
  • 0.3 u: 7732
  • 0.5 u: 1912
  • 1.0 u: 290

NOTE: Frame ceiling tile collapsed in cleanroom, explaining insanely high 0.3 u particle count in zone 3 (nearly 6 times above limit). Wiped down tile and put it back in ceiling frame.

• 12:56 pm: began surface check and wipedown, including softwalls
• 1:16 pm: started vacuuming the floor
• 1:32 pm: finished vacuuming the floor
• 1:33 pm: started mopping the floor
• 1:47 pm: finished mopping the floor
• 1:48 pm: started cleaning the buckets
• 1:53 pm: started mopping with IPA wipes
• 2:05 pm: finished mopping with IPA wipes
• 2:06 pm: changed sticky floor mats
• 1:53 pm: started particle count
  • zone 3:
    • 0.3 u: 6401
    • 0.5 u: 3450
    • 1.0 u: 1787
• zone 4:
  • 0.3 u: 4073
  • 0.5 u: 2452
  • 1.0 u: 1039

cleaning cleanroom and particle count

• 2:03 pm: changed sticky floor mats
• 2:05 pm: started particle count
  • zone 3:
    • 0.3 u: 4863
    • 0.5 u: 1205
    • 1.0 u: 872
• zone 4:
  • 0.3 u: 1953
  • 0.5 u: 789
  • 1.0 u: 457
• 2:35 pm: began surface check and wipedown, including softwalls and ceiling tiles
• 2:45 pm: started vacuuming the floor
• 2:56 pm: finished vacuuming the floor
• 2:57 pm: started mopping the floor
• 3:01 pm: finished mopping the floor
• 3:02 pm: started cleaning the buckets
• 3:05 pm: started mopping with IPA wipes
• 3:08 pm: finished mopping with IPA wipes
• 3:09 pm: started particle count
  • zone 3:
    • 0.3 u: 5528
    • 0.5 u: 2203
    • 1.0 u: 1662
• zone 4:
  • 0.3 u: 1080
  • 0.5 u: 415
  • 1.0 u: 332

cleaning cleanroom and particle count

• 5:10 pm: ran zero count test on particle counter
• 5:14 pm: started particle count

  NOTE: initial counts are significantly above allowed limit. ~10 times larger than ISO class 5 standard in the smallest size range. Realized partway through ceiling tile changes that the power/lights for some of the hepa fans in the ceiling frame had been turned off. May explain this high number. Have since turned fans back back on.

  • zone 3:
    • 0.3 u: 109208
    • 0.5 u: 16337
    • 1.0 u: 581
• zone 4:
  • 0.3 u: 51340
  • 0.5 u: 9228
  • 1.0 u: 581
• 5:33 pm: started replacing ceiling tiles
• 6:25 pm: began surface check and wipedown, including softwalls
• 6:33 pm: started vacuuming the floor
• 6:45 pm: finished vacuuming the floor
• 6:45 pm: started mopping the floor
• 6:50 pm: finished mopping the floor
• 6:52 pm: started cleaning the buckets
• 6:53 pm: started mopping with IPA wipes
• 6:58 pm: finished mopping with IPA wipes
• 6:59 pm: changed sticky floor mats
• 7:00 pm: started particle count
  • zone 3:
    • 0.3 u: 5404
    • 0.5 u: 1413
    • 1.0 u: 41
• zone 4:
  • 0.3 u: 1704
  • 0.5 u: 332
  • 1.0 u: 166

The replacement door for the HEPA garment cabinet arrived last week, and was installed on Thursday. However, it looks like there's a small gap between the door and where the hinge is attached to the cabinet frame. No screws were provided with the replacement door. If we want to perform any adjustments, we have to be very careful; the screws break very easily.

cleaning cleanroom and particle count

• 11:50 am: ran zero count test on particle counter
• 11:55 am: started particle count
  • zone 3:
    • 0.3 u: 1787
    • 0.5 u: 581
    • 1.0 u: 166
• zone 4:
  • 0.3 u: 623
  • 0.5 u: 290
  • 1.0 u: 124
• 12:17 pm: began surface check and wipedown, including softwalls
• 12:25 pm: started vacuuming the floor
• 12:36 pm: finished vacuuming the floor
• 12:44 pm: started mopping the floor
• 12:57 pm: finished mopping the floor
• 12:58 pm: started cleaning the buckets
• 12:59 pm: started mopping with IPA wipes
• 1:05 pm: finished mopping with IPA wipes
• 1:06 pm: changed sticky floor mats
• 1:08 pm: started particle count
  • zone 3:
    • 0.3 u: 1621
    • 0.5 u: 581
    • 1.0 u: 332
• zone 4:
  • 0.3 u: 1080
  • 0.5 u: 457
  • 1.0 u: 249

cleaning cleanroom and particle count

NOTE: particle counter was found dead, with the charging dock unplugged. For future reference, if you need to unplug the dock, please either plug it back in when you're done, or make a note in an elog so someone else can come down and charge it.

• 1:07 pm: ran zero count test on particle counter
• 1:26 pm: started particle count
  • zone 3:
    • 0.3 u:1787
    • 0.5 u:457
    • 1.0 u:41
• zone 4: We were only able to charge the particle counter a small amount before starting the cleaning, so it died again halfway through this measurement, and we didn't get results for zone 4. In interest of time, we just put it on the charger and started the cleaning.
• 1:49 pm: began surface check and wipedown, including softwalls
• 2:16 pm: started vacuuming the floor
• 2:24 pm: finished vacuuming the floor
• 2:26 pm: started mopping the floor
• 2:32 pm: finished mopping the floor
• 2:32 pm: started cleaning the buckets
• 2:35 pm: started mopping with IPA wipes
• 2:43 pm: finished mopping with IPA wipes
• 2:43 pm: changed sticky floor mats
• 2:45 pm: started particle count
  • zone 3:
    • 0.3 u: 1288
    • 0.5 u: 124
    • 1.0 u: 0
• zone 4:
  • 0.3 u: 415
  • 0.5 u: 290
  • 1.0 u: 0

cleaning cleanroom and particle count

• 1:45 pm: ran zero count test on particle counter
• 1:50 pm: started particle count
  • zone 3:
    • 0.3 u: 2660
    • 0.5 u: 332
    • 1.0 u: 41
• zone 4:
  • 0.3 u: 8106
  • 0.5 u: 2494
  • 1.0 u: 831
• 2:08 pm: began surface check and wipedown, including softwalls
• 2:22 pm: started vacuuming the floor
• 2:39 pm: finished vacuuming the floor
• 2:43 pm: started mopping the floor
• 2:53 pm: finished mopping the floor
• 2:54 pm: started cleaning the buckets
• 2:59 pm: started mopping with IPA wipes
• 3:06 pm: finished mopping with IPA wipes
• 3:10 pm: changed sticky floor mats
• 3:06 pm: started particle count
  • zone 3:
    • 0.3 u: 1496
    • 0.5 u: 83
    • 1.0 u: 0
• zone 4:
  • 0.3 u: 789
  • 0.5 u: 83
  • 1.0 u: 41

cleaning cleanroom and particle count

• 10:45 am: ran zero count test on particle counter
• 11:02 am: started particle count
  • zone 3:
    • 0.3 u: 3284
    • 0.5 u: 1247
    • 1.0 u:332
• zone 4:
  • 0.3 u: 1829
  • 0.5 u: 581
  • 1.0 u: 207
• 11:15 am: began hepavac of rest of lab
• 11:19 am: began surface check and wipedown, including softwalls
• 11:32 am: finished hepavac of rest of lab
• 11:35 am: started vacuuming the cleanroom floor
• 11:45 am: finished vacuuming the floor
• 11:47 am: started mopping the floor
• 11:55 am: finished mopping the floor
• 11:56 am: started cleaning the buckets
• 11:57 am: started mopping with IPA wipes
• 12:02 pm: finished mopping with IPA wipes
• 12:03 pm: changed sticky floor mats
• 12:04 pm: started particle count
  • zone 3:
    • 0.3 u: 3117
    • 0.5 u: 374
    • 1.0 u: 124
• zone 4:
  • 0.3 u: 4531
  • 0.5 u: 540
  • 1.0 u: 0

We moved Frosti into the cleanroom and debugged it to make sure everything was working. One of the DB25 pins broke off at the connector for element 1 so it needed to be recrimped. Element 6 short circuited but fixed with adjustment to the heater power pin position. We connected the power and sensor connectors to the power box and recalibrated the RTD sensors.

I have begun moving parts into the cleanroom for the upcoming FROSTI RIN tests that will be conducted within the next few weeks. While waiting for the rest of the equipment to arrive to perform the full-scale tests, I have additionally moved the FROSTI under the shelf above the optical table, where it will stay for the meantime. As always, please use caution when in the cleanroom. Aside from the FROSTI, the IR photodetectors that will be used for the test are delicate and costly to replace.

For some preliminary tests, I moved the IR photodetectors outside of the cleanroom and onto the other optical table. The basic goal was to obtain a signal from both photodetectors. To achieve this, one of the heater cartridges used for early FLIR measurements months ago was hooked up to a power supply (PS). The PS was set to supply 0.20 A with a voltage of 2.8 V; the corresponding power is thus 0.56 W. With this, I was able to measure a signal using the Red Pitaya, the device that will be used for following RIN measurements.

cleaning cleanroom and particle count

• 12:25 pm: started particle count
  • zone 3:
    • 0.3 u: 4614
    • 0.5 u: 872
    • 1.0 u:83
• zone 4:
  • 0.3 u: 2411
  • 0.5 u: 415
  • 1.0 u: 83
• 12:48 pm: began surface check and wipedown, including softwalls
• 1:20 pm: started vacuuming the floor
• 1:30 pm: finished vacuuming the floor
• 1:34 pm: started mopping the floor
• 1:40 pm: finished mopping the floor
• 1:40 pm: started cleaning the buckets
• 1:42 pm: started mopping with IPA wipes
• 1:50 pm: finished mopping with IPA wipes
• 1:51 pm: changed sticky floor mats
• 3:44 pm: started particle count
  • zone 3:
    • 0.3 u: 3207
    • 0.5 u: 624
    • 1.0 u: 83
• zone 4:
  • 0.3 u: 916
  • 0.5 u: 83
  • 1.0 u: 0

[Luke, Luis, Michael]

cleaning cleanroom and particle count

• 8:30 am: started particle count
  • zone 3:
    • 0.3 u: 1195
    • 0.5 u: 177
    • 1.0 u: 132
• zone 4:
  • 0.3 u: 619
  • 0.5 u: 0
  • 1.0 u: 0
• 9:00 am: began surface check and wipedown, including softwalls
• 9:35 am: started vacuuming the floor
• 9:43 am: finished vacuuming the floor
• 9:45 am: started mopping the floor
• 9:55 am: finished mopping the floor
• 9:56 am: started cleaning the buckets
• 10:00 am: started mopping with IPA wipes
• 10:05 am: finished mopping with IPA wipes
• 10:20m: started particle count
  • zone 3:
    • 0.3 u: 2213
    • 0.5 u: 398
    • 1.0 u: 0
• zone 4:
  • 0.3 u: 1150
  • 0.5 u: 177
  • 1.0 u: 44

[Luke, Tyler, Cynthia, Shane, Michael]

Summary of Cleaning Activities:

We began cleaning Room 1119 at 2:00 PM.

At 2:30 PM, we moved to Room 1129 and continued cleaning.

Cleaning tasks included wiping down dust-collecting surfaces and vacuuming the floors.

Once the labs were clean, we proceeded to the cleanroom. 

• Wiping down surfaces and soft walls
• Vacuuming, mopping the floor, and finishing with IPA wipes

Particle Count Measurements:

• Pre-cleaning (2:30 PM):
  • Zone 3:
    • 0.3 µm: 973
    • 0.5 µm: 354
    • 1.0 µm: 132
  • Zone 4:
    • 0.3 µm: 486
    • 0.5 µm: 177
    • 1.0 µm: 0
• Post-cleaning (4:10 PM):
  • Zone 3:
    • 0.3 µm: 619
    • 0.5 µm: 132
    • 1.0 µm: 0
  • Zone 4:
    • 0.3 µm: 397
    • 0.5 µm: 0
    • 1.0 µm: 0

[Luke, Mary, Luis]

Particle Count Measurements:

• Pre-cleaning (8:40 am):
  • Zone 3:
    • 0.3 µm: 441
    • 0.5 µm: 44
    • 1.0 µm: 0
  • Zone 4:
    • 0.3 µm: 353
    • 0.5 µm: 176
    • 1.0 µm: 44

• Started Cleaning (3:16 pm)
• Finished Cleaning (4:10 pm)

• Post-cleaning (4:15 pm):
  • Zone 3:
    • 0.3 µm: 574
    • 0.5 µm: 265
    • 1.0 µm: 132
  • Zone 4:
    • 0.3 µm: 177
    • 0.5 µm: 44
    • 1.0 µm: 0

[Luke, Mohak, Luis]

We were also able to remove the residue that has built up on the soft walls by donning a skinny bunny suit and with two wipes rubbing both sides of the soft walls at the same time. The wipes would get gummy very quickly and need to be replaced frequently.

Particle Count Measurements:

• Pre-cleaning (1:20 pm):
  • Zone 3:
    • 0.3 µm: 3577
    • 0.5 µm: 1369
    • 1.0 µm: 485
  • Zone 4:
    • 0.3 µm: 1062
    • 0.5 µm: 442
    • 1.0 µm: 177

• Started Cleaning (3:00 pm)
• Finished Cleaning (4:00 pm)

• Post-cleaning (4:22 pm):
  • Zone 3:
    • 0.3 µm: 3577
    • 0.5 µm: 618
    • 1.0 µm: 132
  • Zone 4:
    • 0.3 µm: 2031
    • 0.5 µm: 397
    • 1.0 µm: 132

Date and Time: Around 2:20 PM on May 21, 2025

Location and Temperature:

• Back of the room, around the working station: 85.5 °F
• Front of the room, around the doorway: 82.3 °F

[Luke, Luis, Tyler, Ma, Christina, Maple]

We started by cleaning outside of the cleanroom wiping down the cable channel and working our way down. We replaced the air filter in the HEPA filter with what seemed to be the last one in storage. We then vacuumed outside, before wiping down the inside of the cleanroom. We then vacuumed, mopped, and wiped down the floor inside the cleanroom.

We are ready for venting the vacuum chamber which is planned to take place 6/26/25 at 10am. 

Particle Count Measurements:

• Pre-cleaning (12:00 pm):
  • Zone 3:
    • 0.3 µm: 2517
    • 0.5 µm: 662
    • 1.0 µm: 176
  • Zone 4:
    • 0.3 µm: 177
    • 0.5 µm: 44
    • 1.0 µm: 0

• Post-cleaning (1:45 pm):
  • Zone 3:
    • 0.3 µm: 619
    • 0.5 µm: 88
    • 1.0 µm: 0
  • Zone 4:
    • 0.3 µm: 177
    • 0.5 µm: 88
    • 1.0 µm: 0

[Luke, Luis]

We’ve been looking into methods for evaluating the performance of the HEPA filters in the clean room. Measuring flow rate appears to be a promising approach, since the filter manual specifies a recommended minimum of 70 ft/min.

At the moment, we don’t have a flow rate measurement device on hand. We're currently looking into two options:

• A standard vane-style anemometer, which is more affordable but may lack sensitivity near the minimum required flow rate.
• A hot-wire anemometer, which offers better resolution and accuracy at lower speeds, though it's more expensive.

In the next few days, either Luis or I will contact Terra Universal to see if they have any measurement solutions that would integrate well with our clean room setup, or if they can recommend best practices for verifying HEPA performance.

[Jon, Tyler, Aiden, Luke]

On Friday we completed assembly of the new stainless steel-topped benches in 1129. We then moved the clean and bake equipment from 1119 to its new larger space in 1129. This included the HEPA flow bench, ultrasonic washer, deionized water drum, nitrogen tanks, and forced-convection oven. The oven was re-anchored to the wall with earthquake restraints in its new location.

The power cords still need to be permanently routed, but the new clean and bake lab is otherwise ready for use.

Update: I have completed permanent routing of the electrical cables. I also ran the ultrasonic washer's drain line to the sink drain (the current hose does reach). The new clean and bake lab is now fully operational.

Cleaned and baked the Cal Tech FROSTI legs and showed Luke the procedure on how to clean parts.

[Luke, Luis]

On Friday, 11/1/24, the MR was unpackaged and cleaned under the flow bench. We noticed an ink stain on one of the corners of the material. After wiping it down with IPA and Vector Alpha wipes, the stain was removed. However, the material showed some wear.

After cleaning, we placed it in the bake station and applied a stainless steel baking protocol. On Tuesday, 11/4/24, the material was removed from the furnace and packaged in a static shielding bag. The MR was wrapped in Vector Alpha wipes.

Today I fixed the final bit related to the nitrogen gas tank, which is to apply sealing tape to M-NPT connector of the hose to prevent leakage (file: AirGunSealed.jpg)
After application of the tape, no audible leak can be heard from connection between the hose and the air gun.

The general operating procedure for the gas tank is as following:

1. Turn the regulator (blue handle) anti-clockwise still it's loose
2. Turn the valve on nitrogen as tank anti-clockwise, immediately the RHS meter of the regulator would jump to approx 2000 psi. This is the standard pressure for high pressure gas tank
3. Turn the regulator clock-wise slowly until the pressure one the LHS meter face reads approx 60 psi. This is sufficient for drying parts with. At this point, the flow pressure still should register zero
4. Press the trigger on the air gun, a high pressure air flow should come out and the flow meter should increase
5. When finished, close the gas tank valve, turn the regulator anti-clockwise, then press the air gun trigger to release gas left in the hose/gun

The new FLIR A70 infrared camera has arrived. Tyler and I unpacked it in the lab yesterday. In less than an hour, we succeeded in powering it on and connecting it to the lab network. We have assigned it the static IP address 192.168.1.6.

Online Configuration Portal

The FLIR camera can be configured, as well as stream live data, through a web browser interface. It can be accessed from any workstation on the lab network by navigating in the browser to http://192.168.1.6. The login credentials are stored here (log in with your LIGO.ORG credentials).

Next Steps

The next step is to install FLIR's Python API for controlling and reading out the camera on chimay. The API comes with demo codes which we can use to test the basic connectivity and which will serve as a reference for developing our own Python interface over the summer.

Summary

I have installed the requisite software on chimay for interfacing the FLIR A70 camera in Python. There are two packages required from FLIR:

• Spinnaker SDK, which provides the low-level camera drivers and a C/C++ API.
• PySpin, a wrapper of the Spinnaker library which provides the Python API.

These installations did not work out-of-the-box for Debian 11 (only Ubuntu is officially supported). I had to make several modifications which are documented below for future reference.

This setup has not yet been tested with the camera connected to chimay.

Documentation and Demo Codes

The PySpin package comes with a number of Python demo codes and a complete API reference. These can be found on chimay at the following locations.

• Example codes: /opt/spinnaker/python/Examples/Python3/
• Python API reference manual: /opt/spinnaker/python/docs/PySpinDoc.pdf

Installing Spinnaker SDK

Below were the steps required to install Spinnaker on chimay (Debian 11).

1. Download the Spinnaker binaries (AMD64 architecture) and copy the tarball to, e.g., /home/controls on chimay.
   
   
2. Unpack the tarball contents and enter the new directory:
   $ tar -xf spinnaker-2.6.0.160-Ubuntu20.04-amd64-pkg.tar.gz
$ cd spinnaker-2.6.0.160-amd64
   
   
3. Next, install the dependencies (on chimay, these were all already installed):
   $ sudo apt-get install libavcodec58 libavformat58 \
libswscale5 libswresample3 libavutil56 libusb-1.0-0 \
libpcre2-16-0 libdouble-conversion3 libxcb-xinput0 \
libxcb-xinerama0
 
4. There is one additional dependency, qt5-default, which is obsolete in Debian and no longer available via the package manager (that is, its functionality was absorbed into other Qt packages). I was able to find a workaround based on these instructions.
   
   
   1. Install all the dependencies of qt5-default:
      $ sudo apt-get install qtbase5-dev qtchooser qt5-qmake qtbase5-dev-tools
 
   2. Manually remove the qt5-default dependency from the Spinnaker package.
      
      Unpack the spinview-qt_2.6.0.160_amd64.deb package:
      $ mkdir tmp
$ cd tmp
$ ar -x ../spinview-qt_2.6.0.160_amd64.deb
$ tar xf control.tar.xz

Open the file control in a text editor and delete the qt5-default dependency from the Depends list.
      
      Then repackage the contents:
      $ tar cfJ control.tar.xz control
$ ar rcs ../spinview-qt_2.6.0.160_amd64.deb debian-binary control.tar.xz data.tar.xz
$ cd ..
$ rm -rf tmp

This overwrites the original package with a version no longer containing the qt5-default dependency.
      
      
5. Now proceed with running the install script:
   $ sudo sh install_spinnaker.sh

This will install the Spinnaker library at /opt/spinnaker. Spinnaker also provides a standalone GUI application, SpinView, which can be executed from the terminal (from any directory) via the command spinview.

Installing PySpin

The main challenge with installing PySpin was that it is currently only supported for Python <=3.8. The system installation on Debian 11 is Python 3.9 and 3.8 is not available within the package manager. Following these instructions, I manually installed a second version of Python (3.8) on chimay, in a way that should not interfere with the system installation.

The Python 3.8 executable is in the system path and can be run only via the command python3.8. It is not symlinked to python or to python3. Those remain linked to the preexisting Python 3.9.

After installing Python 3.8, I proceeded with the installation as follows:

1. Download the PySpin package (x86_64 architecture) and copy the tarball to, e.g., /home/controls on chimay.
   
   
2. Unpack the tarball contents and into a new directory:
   $ mkdir python
$ mv spinnaker_python-2.6.0.160-Ubuntu20.04-cp38-cp38-linux_x86_64.tar.gz python
$ tar xf spinnaker_python-2.6.0.160-Ubuntu20.04-cp38-cp38-linux_x86_64.tar.gz


3. Move the new directory into the Spinnaker installation directory:
   $ sudo mv python /opt/spinnaker
$ cd /opt/spinnaker/python
 
4. Install the dependencies:
   $ sudo python3.8 -m pip install --upgrade numpy matplotlib
   
   
5. Finally, install PySpin itself:
   $ sudo python3.8 -m pip install spinnaker_python-2.6.0.160-cp38-cp38-linux_x86_64.whl

If this succeeded, you should now be able to enter import the package PySpin as

$ python3.8
>>> import PySpin

without error.

Today I tested the Spinnaker/PySpin software installations (detailed in ELOG #4) with the FLIR camera connected to chimay. It works!

Example codes

I was able to run several of the PySpin example codes. In particular, there is one which connects to the camera and streams live data to a pop-up Matplotlib window that looks very useful. It is called AcquireAndDisplay.py.

When running these, it is important to keep in mind that PySpin requires Python 3.8, which is not the default system version on chimay. So to run AcquireAndDisplay.py, for example, you must explicitly call the correct version of Python:

$ python3.8 AcquireAndDisplay.py

The standard python and python3 aliases are still linked to the system version (3.9), so calling these will result in a PySpin import error.

Git repository

I have set up a git repo for our FLIR camera control code. I have populated it with an Examples directory which contains the PySpin Reference Manual as well as all the example codes (see the README). There is a local copy of this repo on chimay at /home/controls/FLIR.

Other FLIR streaming software

In addition to the PySpin demos, there are several fully developed applications provided by FLIR. While we do not plan to use these long term, they may be very useful for debugging and cross-validation of our Python interface during development:

• Browser interface: From any web browser on the local lab network, navigate to http://192.168.1.6 and log in (credentials here). This interface supports live data streaming as well as full control of the camera settings.
  
  
• SpinView: A standalone application provided as part of the Spinnaker SDK. It supports streaming live camera data as well as saving images and videos. It can be launched from the terminal on chimay via the command: $ spinview
  
  
• Research Studio: This is FLIR's proprietary software, for which we have a one-year license. It can be launched from the terminal on chimay via the command: $ FLIRResearchStudio

Permanent cabling

Since everything appears to be working, I ran a permanent Cat 6 cable from the lab switch to the camera's power+I/O adapter. The adapter is plugged into a UPS-protected power strip overhanging the optical table, as pictured below. To prevent the adapter from unplugging itself under its own weight, I attached a zip tie around the adapter to hold it securely in place.