SICS counter handling


A counter in SICS is a controller which operates single neutron counting tubes and monitors. A counter can operate in one out of two modes: counting until a timer has passed, for example: count for 20 seconds. Counting in this context means that the noutrons coming in during these 20 seconds are summed together. This mode is called timer mode. In the other mode, counting is continued until a specified neutron monitor has reached a certain preset value. This mode is called Monitor mode. The preset values in Monitor mode are usually very large. Therefore the counter has an exponent data variable. Values given as preset are effectively 10 to the power of this exponent. For instance if the preset is 25 and the exponent is 6, then counting will be continued until the monitor has reached 25 million. Note, that this scheme with the exponent is only in operation in Monitor mode. Again, in SICS the counter is an object which understands a set of commands: