CASPIR is controlled by typing DCL commands into the Control window on the MOPRA workstation screen. A status window displays system parameters in its upper section and scrolls information in its lower section. Faults are displayed as flashing symbols on the bottom line of the Status Display window. Two image display windows are also provided. The upper display is the Idle Display, and the lower display is the Run Display. These both use a version of FIGDISP, the image display used with UNIX FIGARO. When no run is active, the system continuously takes data using idle readout parameters, and displays it in the Idle Display. This provides an almost real time display of the infrared sky which is useful for focusing and acquiring objects. When a data run is initiated (either by the CASPIR/RUN command or the CASPIR/DO command), the idle loop is interrupted and real integrations begin. On completion, the acquired data are displayed in the Run Display, and the system automatically returns to the idle loop.
The following sections describe this system in more detail. The CASPIR software is located in the directory with the logical name IR_CASPIR which has open read-only access.