chara:operating_procedures
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chara:operating_procedures [2023/02/13 20:37] charaobs |
chara:operating_procedures [2023/09/01 02:50] (current) gail_stargazer |
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| - | ===== Observing Procedures ===== | + | ====== Observing Procedures |
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| __**OBSERVING PROCEDURES**__ \\ | __**OBSERVING PROCEDURES**__ \\ | ||
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| __**SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION**__ \\ | __**SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION**__ \\ | ||
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| + | __**ADAPTIVE OPTICS DOCUMENTATION** __ \\ | ||
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| **__INSTRUMENTS__ ** \\ | **__INSTRUMENTS__ ** \\ | ||
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| __**DOCUMENTATION TO BE UPDATED**__ \\ | __**DOCUMENTATION TO BE UPDATED**__ \\ | ||
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| 2.1 Starting the vacuum pump for the light pipes | 2.1 Starting the vacuum pump for the light pipes | ||
| - | Go into vacuum pump shack. Flip on power switch for pump and wait for the blower to go on in about 6 seconds. | + | Go into vacuum pump shack. Flip on power switch for pump and wait for the blower to go on in about 7 seconds. |
| - | Go into lab building, check pressures on Vacmon display. If pressure is higher than 100 torr in any of the lines, pump those lines only one at a time. Open each valve slowly, you will hear the air rush out as the pump pulls the air. Slowly continue to fully open. Open each valve as the pressure is pumped down to the pressure in the next lowest line. Ideally, you don't want to allow pressure from one line into the line of a lower pressure line. The final pressure should be around 1.0 Torr in each line when you leave the lab area if all six lines are opened. The pump will normally bring all 6 lines down to .2-.3 Torr after about an hour. The S1 and S2 lines leak the most during the day and will read the highest in the afternoon when you return, usually between | + | Go into lab building, check pressures on Vacmon display. If pressure is higher than 100 torr in any of the lines, pump those lines only one at a time. Open each valve slowly, you will hear the air rush out as the pump pulls the air. Slowly continue to fully open. Open each valve as the pressure is pumped down to the pressure in the next lowest line. Ideally, you don't want to allow pressure from one line into the line of a lower pressure line. The final pressure should be around 1.0 Torr in each line when you leave the lab area if all six lines are opened. The pump will normally bring all 6 lines down to .2-.3 Torr after about an hour. The S1 and S2 lines leak the most during the day and will read the highest in the afternoon when you return, usually between 30-40 Torr in the summer and 20-30 Torr in the winter. Note any unusual vacuum readings as they can indicate a leak beyond what is normal. Sometimes a line isn't pumped down the night before and can read higher than 30 Torr. Pump down the highest ones first as stated above. |
| 2.2 Filling NIRO with LN2\\ | 2.2 Filling NIRO with LN2\\ | ||
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| 2.3 Alignment of the light path to the telescopes\\ | 2.3 Alignment of the light path to the telescopes\\ | ||
| - | Go into the lab. The green alignment laser on the light source table is used. To open necessary guis, use laptops or the tablet inside lab. The tablet or laptop | + | Go into the lab. The green alignment laser on the light source table is used. To open necessary guis, use laptops or the tablet inside lab. The tablet or laptops |
| \\ | \\ | ||
| 2.3.1 In the lab (Beam Combination area) Turn on power switch for alignment laser, and turn the key. Above the tiptilt camera, turn on the Pico 3 controller. | 2.3.1 In the lab (Beam Combination area) Turn on power switch for alignment laser, and turn the key. Above the tiptilt camera, turn on the Pico 3 controller. | ||
| - | 2.3.2 Laser alignment to east table. (New hardware installed in 2022) | + | 2.3.2 Laser alignment to east table. (New automated |
| - | Check the laser spots on the E table target at North wall of Beam Switching area. Use the laptop that resides in the corner by the East telescopes table. On Laser Filter | + | Check the laser spots on the E table target at North wall of Beam Switching area. Use the laptop that resides in the corner by the East telescopes table. On Laser Filters |
| Note that with the new automated alignment setup installed, the beams to the right of the beams selected will also be illuminated. For instance, B2 is illuminated by B1 if both shutters are open and both Beam Samplers are moved away. Close B1 shutter to see B2 illuminated by the proper beam. When you are done, use the Beam Samplers gui to put telescopes back on the appropriate beams. Note that when multiple telescope/ | Note that with the new automated alignment setup installed, the beams to the right of the beams selected will also be illuminated. For instance, B2 is illuminated by B1 if both shutters are open and both Beam Samplers are moved away. Close B1 shutter to see B2 illuminated by the proper beam. When you are done, use the Beam Samplers gui to put telescopes back on the appropriate beams. Note that when multiple telescope/ | ||
| If the telescopes were used on the same beam on the previous night, the next steps may be very close and should not need much if any adjustment.\\ | If the telescopes were used on the same beam on the previous night, the next steps may be very close and should not need much if any adjustment.\\ | ||
| \\ | \\ | ||
| - | 2.3.3 dichroic alignments with labao | + | 2.3.3 Lab dichroic alignments with labao |
| NOTE: As of 2017 Jul 05, please align the dichroics following the instructions in {{: | NOTE: As of 2017 Jul 05, please align the dichroics following the instructions in {{: | ||
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| 2.3.5 Labao wfs camera covers and labao shutters\\ | 2.3.5 Labao wfs camera covers and labao shutters\\ | ||
| \\ | \\ | ||
| - | Put the Covers on gently when doing the following alignment steps in the lab: IR mirror check to CLIMB or MIRC with alignment laser or beam combiner alignments with white light source or tiptilt Zabers alignment with alignment laser. | + | Put the Covers on gently when doing the following alignment steps in the lab: IR mirror check to SILMARIL, CLASSIC/CLIMB or MIRCX tables |
| Take covers off after you remove the corner cubes from their bases.\\ | Take covers off after you remove the corner cubes from their bases.\\ | ||
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| 2.4 Final steps in the lab | 2.4 Final steps in the lab | ||
| - | If using CLASSIC or CLIMB, turn on the black box above the NIRO computer, and then turn on the silver box below it on the same cart. Remove cover on camera. Note which filter is reported on the filter wheel. The NIRO CPU has clock troubles so it might be beneficial to power the computer on using the NIRO CPU button | + | If using CLASSIC or CLIMB, turn on the black box above the NIRO computer, and then turn on the silver box below it on the same cart. Remove cover on camera. Note which filter is reported on the filter wheel. The NIRO CPU has clock troubles so it might be beneficial to power the computer on using the [NIRO CPU] button |
| If using MIRCX/ | If using MIRCX/ | ||
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| 2.5 Starting up the new OPLE system and Metrology (Added 08/10/21 - Chris) | 2.5 Starting up the new OPLE system and Metrology (Added 08/10/21 - Chris) | ||
| - | Go out to the computer area, turn the metrology laser on, and go back to the control room to complete alignment for 30 minutes while the laser warms up. | + | Go out to the computer area, turn the metrology laser on. |
| - | After the laser is warmed up, check sockman for old OPLE" | + | Check sockman for old OPLE" |
| - | If the OPLE System Control gui is not already running on wazoo, you can start the gui in the lab with the following command | + | You can start the new ople gui from the menu system, called OPLESystem or with the following command |
| - | ssh -Y ople / | + | ssh -Y ople / |
| The gui that appears does much of the start up sequence remotely and does not fully start everything yet. This will eventually only require fewer steps to complete. | The gui that appears does much of the start up sequence remotely and does not fully start everything yet. This will eventually only require fewer steps to complete. | ||
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| {{https:// | {{https:// | ||
| - | When the laser is on, the circle marked Laser will be green and the wattage listed will be close to 80mw (instead of 20mW when off) | + | When the laser is on, the circle marked Laser will be green and the wattage listed will be 65-80mw (instead of ~20mW when off) |
| All the circle indicators start out grey. | All the circle indicators start out grey. | ||
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| After a 1 minute warmup of the laser, press the Metro button which will power up the Metrology cage, the laser repeater and the oscilloscope. When button indicator is green, you can proceed to the next step. | After a 1 minute warmup of the laser, press the Metro button which will power up the Metrology cage, the laser repeater and the oscilloscope. When button indicator is green, you can proceed to the next step. | ||
| - | Press the Start button near the bottom. This will start up the computers, and the first stage of hardware and takes about 90 seconds to complete. The grey buttons will turn yellow with a blue icon when the computers have started up, but not loaded the drivers yet. They will then turn solid yellow when they are ready for the next step and have loaded all the drivers. (Note: E1 has often failed to start and will need to be powered on manually by the rocker switch behind the right, front cover of the E1 ople computer) | + | Press the [start] |
| Once all 6 are solid yellow, right click on each yellow dot, and select start. This loads the control software and will turn the button green. Once all 6 are green, you need to close the gui and reopen it in the control room. | Once all 6 are solid yellow, right click on each yellow dot, and select start. This loads the control software and will turn the button green. Once all 6 are green, you need to close the gui and reopen it in the control room. | ||
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| 3.2 Setting up for observing | 3.2 Setting up for observing | ||
| - | The first thing to start is the Ople server | + | Start the OPLE server. Let the MIRCX and MYSTIC observers know it is running. Some will start the STS data recording before Ople is started, but others may want it running. |
| - | The following windows should be opened on computer screen 1 (these are usually kept open all the time): Telescope monitor, Beam Samplers and PoPs, Visbeams, Shutters and Laser Filter Wheel, Iris, Metrology Laser and Metrology Monitor, Sockman, Pico 2, Power, Weather, and a terminal for opening popperigtk. | + | The following windows should be opened on computer screen 1 (these are usually kept open all the time): Telescope monitor, Beam Samplers and PoPs, Visbeams, Shutters and Laser Filter Wheel, Iris, Metrology Laser and Metrology Monitor, Sockman, Pico 2, Power, Weather |
| - | Turn on the following from the POWER GUI: To change the setting on the power GUI, unclick LOCK, make change, re-click LOCK. Under RACK_2, turn on [METSCOPE] (button will turn green when ON). If observing with CLASSIC or CLIMB2, turn on [NIRO CPU] and [CLS-DITH] on RACK_2. If observing with CLIMB1, turn on [NIRO CPU] on RACK_2 and [CLM-DITH] on RACK_3. For each telescope, turn on [TIP/TILT]. | + | Turn on the following from the POWER GUI. To change the setting on the power GUI, unclick LOCK, make change, re-click LOCK: |
| + | |||
| + | * If observing with CLASSIC or CLIMB2, turn on [NIRO CPU] and [CLS-DITH] on RACK_2. | ||
| + | * If observing with CLIMB1, turn on [NIRO CPU] on RACK_2 and [CLM-DITH] on RACK_3. | ||
| + | * For each telescope, turn on [TIP/TILT]. | ||
| 3.3 Servers required for observing | 3.3 Servers required for observing | ||
| - | Servers can be opened from the pop up menu at bottom of screen 1, using the black platter icon or using the Observation Setup icon which opens them all automatically. The GPS server and the METROL | + | Servers can be opened from the pop up menu at bottom of screen 1, using the black platter icon or using the Observation Setup icon which opens them all automatically. The GPS, METROL |
| - | 3.4 Open Telescope guis, or obsgtks from icons on desktop | + | 3.4 Open Telescope guis, or obsgtks from menu |
| 3.5 Open GUIs required for observing from the menu under GTK or the desktop icons: Open Primary OPLE gui, Open Classic, Climb1, or Climb2 gui if needed, Open LDC1 and LDC2 if PAVO or SPICA program is observing. If using Lab Tiptilt, open Tiptilt GUI. Check that the pops are set by confirming the POP Overview window or Popperi gui has the same pops as the setup request email. If the pops are not changed, do them now before homing the carts to get the best alignment. Confirm the M10 mirrors are aligned by using the green lab alignment laser before homing the carts. The procedure is above in Section 2.3.6 M10 Alignment. | 3.5 Open GUIs required for observing from the menu under GTK or the desktop icons: Open Primary OPLE gui, Open Classic, Climb1, or Climb2 gui if needed, Open LDC1 and LDC2 if PAVO or SPICA program is observing. If using Lab Tiptilt, open Tiptilt GUI. Check that the pops are set by confirming the POP Overview window or Popperi gui has the same pops as the setup request email. If the pops are not changed, do them now before homing the carts to get the best alignment. Confirm the M10 mirrors are aligned by using the green lab alignment laser before homing the carts. The procedure is above in Section 2.3.6 M10 Alignment. | ||
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| 3.6 Metrology laser and homing the carts | 3.6 Metrology laser and homing the carts | ||
| - | <font 14px/ | + | <font 14px/ |
| - | \\ | + | |
| - | <font 14px/ | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | <font 14px/ | + | |
| - | The new ople system has a home check procedure | + | <font 14px/ |
| If using the CHAPMtoMet feature, once the OPLE server has fully started, please check sockman for CHAMPtoMet. If it is running, then MIRC is ok to start. If it is not running, log into the ople computer and run the command : CHAMPtoMet This is case sensitive. This is not the usual mode of controlling the carts. | If using the CHAPMtoMet feature, once the OPLE server has fully started, please check sockman for CHAMPtoMet. If it is running, then MIRC is ok to start. If it is not running, log into the ople computer and run the command : CHAMPtoMet This is case sensitive. This is not the usual mode of controlling the carts. | ||
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| 3.7 Setting up the Cosmic Debris job sequencer | 3.7 Setting up the Cosmic Debris job sequencer | ||
| - | Open Cosmic Debris, CD for short, from the desktop icon. On the CONFIGURE tab, check to make sure the PoPs and telescope beam assignments agree with the white board or the setup email. If the POPs are wrong on CD, then open the " | + | Open Cosmic Debris, CD for short, from the desktop icon. On the CONFIGURE tab, check to make sure the PoPs and telescope beam assignments agree with the white board or the setup email. If the POPs are wrong on CD, then open the " |
| - | Set the instrument and settings on Cosmic Debris. On the " | + | Set the instrument and settings on Cosmic Debris. On the CONTROL |
| 3.8 Synchronizing the clocks | 3.8 Synchronizing the clocks | ||
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| 3.9. Beacon Alignments | 3.9. Beacon Alignments | ||
| - | The beacons wil<font 14px/ | + | The beacons wil<font 14px/ |
| In the WFS tab of the telescope GUI or the CONTROL tab of the obsgtk, turn on the red LED, open the fiber covers, then beacon flat covers. The CAMERALINK and WFS server are now part of Bootlaunch script and the ANDOR camera power should always be on in the POWER gui. Open M5 and M7 covers. | In the WFS tab of the telescope GUI or the CONTROL tab of the obsgtk, turn on the red LED, open the fiber covers, then beacon flat covers. The CAMERALINK and WFS server are now part of Bootlaunch script and the ANDOR camera power should always be on in the POWER gui. Open M5 and M7 covers. | ||
| - | The blue beacon is no longer an LED and has been replaced by a tunable laser. | + | The blue beacon is no longer an LED and has been replaced by a tunable laser with its own gui. |
| - | You can start the control GUI for the blue beacons from a terminal on a CHARA computer by: | + | Start the control GUI for the blue beacons from a terminal on any CHARA computer by typing |
| - | + | ||
| - | * Navigating to directory: cd / | + | |
| - | * starting the GUI: ./tubea_gtk & | + | |
| In the WFS GUI or obsgtk, turn the cooler on (COOL ON) and open the camera shutter (SOPEN) or SHUTTER (OPEN/ | In the WFS GUI or obsgtk, turn the cooler on (COOL ON) and open the camera shutter (SOPEN) or SHUTTER (OPEN/ | ||
| - | Turn on the ACQ camera in the obsgtk. Make sure that the beacon is going through the hole in the acquisition display. If not, use Beacon UP/DOWN etc buttons on a HUT gui or WFS tab on the obsgtk to move it into the hole. Look for spots to be in boxes on the WFS display. Turn on the boxes on the obsgtk | + | **NOTE: |
| + | |||
| + | Turn on the ACQ camera in the obsgtk. Make sure that the beacon is going through the hole in the acquisition display. If not, use Beacon UP/DOWN etc buttons on a HUT gui or WFS tab on the obsgtk to move it into the hole. Look for spots to be in boxes on the WFS display. Turn on the boxes on the obsgtk | ||
| - | Turn labao camera | + | Turn labao camera |
| - | If the spots do not show at all in the labao, the scope dichroic is likely out of alignment. Turn on the lab laser and set it to ND 4.0. Look for additional spots in the ACQ window that are not from the beacon. Use the Dichroic controls to make the laser spots match the blue beacon spots on the ACQ camera view. Up is to the upper right in the ACQ view. If they are way off or not visible in the ACQ, you can hit the button for the appropriate dichroic in the HUT gui and it will set the dichroic to its last saved default position. | + | If the spots do not show at all in the labao, the scope dichroic is likely out of alignment. Turn on the lab laser and set it to ND 4.0. Look for additional spots in the ACQ window that are not from the beacon. Use the Dichroic controls to make the laser spots match the blue beacon spots on the ACQ camera view. Use large steps such as 2500 to bring the spots together. Up is to the upper right in the ACQ view at STOW. If they are way off or not visible in the ACQ, you can hit the button for the appropriate dichroic in the HUT gui and it will set the dichroic to its last saved default position. |
| - | Note the focus term on both the TWFS and LABAO GUIs or obsgtks. The next steps will minimize both focus terms. Start with the (BEACON FOC) button on the ALIGN tab of the LABAO GUI or (FOCUS) LABAO: on obsgtk, wait until the procedure finishes. Then use the (FOCUS WFS) button on the ALIGN tab of the TWFS GUI or (FOCUS) TELWFS: | + | Note the focus term on both the TWFS and LABAO GUIs or obsgtks. The next steps will minimize both focus terms. Start with the (BEACON FOC) button on the ALIGN tab of the LABAO GUI or [FOCUS] in LABAO: |
| See the instruments page for information about starting different instruments at the beginning of the night: \\ [[: | See the instruments page for information about starting different instruments at the beginning of the night: \\ [[: | ||
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| 4.2 Humidity | 4.2 Humidity | ||
| - | Only open the telescopes if the humidity is steady or dropping, at 75% or below. If the roofs outside the control room are ever dripping, then the telescopes should not be opened or should be closed immediately. If when starting out, the RH is above 80%, do not open unless it drops to below 75% and stays there for at least 30 minutes. Be aware that if the RH is at 100% for many hours, things will be very wet, even if the RH drops dramatically below 75%. If you do open after that, be wary and watch the RH, and if it starts rising, be prepared to close. Closing up takes about 5 minutes, so be ready for that. The array operator is in charge of protecting the telescopes and makes the final decision on whether the conditions are safe to open. If the RH is low at the beginning of the night, and rises after you are already open, the array operator should inform the PI around 70-75%, and start closing between 80-85%. Other humidity warning signs are: 1) water dripping off the OPLE building (or wet spots on the asphalt straight down from the eaves); 2) cold, clammy feel to metal objects such as railings; and 3) dew forming on the parked cars. It is important to note that the humidity can rise from 50% to 80% in as little as 10 minutes, so please keep a close eye on the rate of change of the humidity plots. It can also rain or hail from small, passing clouds when the humidity is quite low, even 40% RH or lower. Operators have been surprised before by small puffy clouds in unsettled air with low humidity. If in doubt, stay closed. The HPWREN webcams are a good resource to view the bottoms of clouds. If there is any virga, the clouds are holding moisture and try to rain out. Stay closed if you see anything streaming below the clouds. | + | Only open the telescopes if the humidity is steady or dropping, at 75% or below. If the roofs outside the control room are ever dripping, then the telescopes should not be opened or should be closed immediately. If when starting out, the RH is above 80%, do not open unless it drops to below 75% and stays there for at least 30 minutes. Be aware that if the RH is at 100% for many hours, things will be very wet, even if the RH drops dramatically below 75%. If you do open after that, be wary and watch the RH, and if it starts rising, be prepared to close. Closing up takes about 5 minutes, so be ready for that. The array operator is in charge of protecting the telescopes and makes the final decision on whether the conditions are safe to open. If the RH is low at the beginning of the night, and rises after you are already open, the array operator should inform the PI around 70-75%, and start closing between 80-85%. |
| + | |||
| + | Other humidity warning signs are: 1) water dripping off the OPLE building (or wet spots on the asphalt straight down from the eaves); 2) cold, clammy feel to metal objects such as railings; and 3) dew forming on the parked cars. It is important to note that the humidity can rise from 50% to 80% in as little as 10 minutes, so please keep a close eye on the rate of change of the humidity plots. It can also rain or hail from small, passing clouds when the humidity is quite low, even 40% RH or lower. Operators have been surprised before by small puffy clouds in unsettled air with low humidity. If in doubt, stay closed. The HPWREN webcams are a good resource to view the bottoms of clouds. If there is any virga, the clouds are holding moisture and try to rain out. Stay closed if you see anything streaming below the clouds. | ||
| 4.3 Dust | 4.3 Dust | ||
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| 4.4 Wind | 4.4 Wind | ||
| + | |||
| + | **Use caution if wind gusts > 15-20 kph** | ||
| + | |||
| + | **Close up if wind gusts > 30 kph** | ||
| Wind has the effect of degrading the seeing as well as kicking up dust. The wind effects are amplified in the tunnel between the OPLE building and the office building, so look for other places to gauge the wind conditions. The intersection of the road and the trail to the eastern telescopes is a good place to gauge conditions. To be on the safe side, we only observe under calm to light breeze conditions (gusts less than about 10 knots, or 15 kph). Windy conditions we try to avoid. If you can hear the gusts from your desk, whistling from the light pipe supports, or the chain banging, it is too windy to observe. Occasionally you will hear the wind rustling the tops of the tall trees, but it is calm at ground level. This is a symptom of chaotic wind conditions, and almost always happens during windy episodes (Santa Anas, onshore flows, etc.), during which you shouldn’t observe – the seeing will be bad anyway. Be cautious about opening if wind gusts are above 15-20 kph; winds this high are usually correlated with bad seeing and poor data quality. Telescopes and domes should be closed if the wind gusts get up to 30 kph. This will protect the optics from branches and debris that can be blown in from the surrounding trees. | Wind has the effect of degrading the seeing as well as kicking up dust. The wind effects are amplified in the tunnel between the OPLE building and the office building, so look for other places to gauge the wind conditions. The intersection of the road and the trail to the eastern telescopes is a good place to gauge conditions. To be on the safe side, we only observe under calm to light breeze conditions (gusts less than about 10 knots, or 15 kph). Windy conditions we try to avoid. If you can hear the gusts from your desk, whistling from the light pipe supports, or the chain banging, it is too windy to observe. Occasionally you will hear the wind rustling the tops of the tall trees, but it is calm at ground level. This is a symptom of chaotic wind conditions, and almost always happens during windy episodes (Santa Anas, onshore flows, etc.), during which you shouldn’t observe – the seeing will be bad anyway. Be cautious about opening if wind gusts are above 15-20 kph; winds this high are usually correlated with bad seeing and poor data quality. Telescopes and domes should be closed if the wind gusts get up to 30 kph. This will protect the optics from branches and debris that can be blown in from the surrounding trees. | ||
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| 4.5 Snow and cold weather | 4.5 Snow and cold weather | ||
| - | Because of the nature of the snow that falls on Mount Wilson, it is usually not a problem. If snow/wind conditions are such that drifting occurs, don’t open up. If there is still any snow stuck to the telescope dome itself, don’t open up. If there is snow still on the trees and branches procede with caution and make a visual assessment. | + | If there is still any snow stuck to the telescope dome itself, don’t open up. If there is snow still on the trees and branches procede with caution and make a visual assessment. |
| - | Cold temperatures around freezing also can be problematic. Several components are not rated to operate at freezing temps. Do not open unless it is above freezing and keep an eye on the temps if they are still dropping. Otherwise, you are free to observe (assuming the humidity, dust, and wind conditions allow it). Here are limits for observing close to 0ºC. | + | Cold temperatures around freezing also can be problematic. Several components are not rated to operate at freezing temps. Do not open unless it is above freezing and keep an eye on the temps if they are still dropping. Otherwise, you are free to observe (assuming the humidity, dust, and wind conditions allow it). Here are limits for observing close to freezing: |
| - | Temp_warning: T_tel <= 2C or T_outside <= -3C | + | **Temperature warning: T_tel < 2C or T_outside < -3C** |
| - | Hard_limit: T_tel <= 0C or T_outside <= -5C | + | **Hard limit for closing: T_tel < 0C or T_outside < -5C** |
| 4.6 Essential Observing Links | 4.6 Essential Observing Links | ||
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| 5.2 Opening telescope optics \\ \\ | 5.2 Opening telescope optics \\ \\ | ||
| - | When the sun has set and before | + | About 20 minutes after the sun has set, it is dark enough to slew to your first target |
| 5.3 Check the OPLE carts \\ \\ | 5.3 Check the OPLE carts \\ \\ | ||
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| When the telescope slew finishes, check the SPY 1 to make sure that the domes are aligned with the telescope if no star shows up in the ACQ or Finder cameras. If the star is not in the ACQ window, go to the FIND window and do the same, then return to the ACQ window and repeat. | When the telescope slew finishes, check the SPY 1 to make sure that the domes are aligned with the telescope if no star shows up in the ACQ or Finder cameras. If the star is not in the ACQ window, go to the FIND window and do the same, then return to the ACQ window and repeat. | ||
| - | Locking Tiptilt using the telescope WFS | + | **NOTE: |
| + | |||
| + | 5.6 Locking Tiptilt using the telescope WFS | ||
| + | |||
| + | See [[: | ||
| Before locking the star, align the twfs to the red beacon, align the blue beacon to the labao, focus the labao and then focus the twfs as shown before. Turn off the red LED and you are ready to lock the star. | Before locking the star, align the twfs to the red beacon, align the blue beacon to the labao, focus the labao and then focus the twfs as shown before. Turn off the red LED and you are ready to lock the star. | ||
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| To lock the star, hit [MOVE] on the Main Tab of the Telescope GUI and then click the right star to bring the star to the ACQ hole. Turn on the TWFS tiptilt and DM servo on scopes that have it. Make sure the twfs tiptilt spots window show green dots that show the servo is tracking. Turn on the labao servo and DM AUTO on all scopes. All values should move to zero or near zero when the servos are on. | To lock the star, hit [MOVE] on the Main Tab of the Telescope GUI and then click the right star to bring the star to the ACQ hole. Turn on the TWFS tiptilt and DM servo on scopes that have it. Make sure the twfs tiptilt spots window show green dots that show the servo is tracking. Turn on the labao servo and DM AUTO on all scopes. All values should move to zero or near zero when the servos are on. | ||
| - | Special additional alignments when IR flux is low | + | <font inherit/ |
| - | If the flux is low on telescopes on pop 5 or 4, there can be a misalignment of the IR starlight with respect to the blue beacon due to low elevation and the long distance to the lab. If this is the case, follow these steps to improve the flux. | + | <font inherit/ |
| - | On the obsgtk, set the beacon step size to 222 or 333. Click the Left button while watching the MIRCX flux plot or the STST image display. If watching the MIRCX flux plot, look for increases in flux after a click or two. Allow the DM AUTO function to adjust the blue beacon after each step by not moving the beacon out of the boxes. Remap the fiber to see if the flux is further increased when the labao has recentered the beacon. If using the STST, move the image flux towards the reference position set by the STS or CHARA beams. | + | <font inherit/ |
| - | 5.6 Locking Lab Tiptilt (only used in special cases) | + | 5.7 Locking Lab Tiptilt (only used in special cases) |
| + | |||
| + | See [[: | ||
| With the star aligned with the acquisition ticks, check to make sure there are counts on the TipTilt server or the white plots in the TT windows have condensed. On the Main Tab of the Telescope GUI, click [TIP/TILT] under the Pointing Servo menu. If this button is not pressed, then the green dots on the tiptilt windows will drift and eventually drop TT lock. The [STAR ACQUIRED] button on Cosmic Debris also starts the Tiptilt servo for all active scopes with one push of a button. On the Tiptilt Servo Control GUI, turn tiptilt [ON] for each telescope or use the [TT ON] button on Cosmic Debris to perform this function for all active scopes. | With the star aligned with the acquisition ticks, check to make sure there are counts on the TipTilt server or the white plots in the TT windows have condensed. On the Main Tab of the Telescope GUI, click [TIP/TILT] under the Pointing Servo menu. If this button is not pressed, then the green dots on the tiptilt windows will drift and eventually drop TT lock. The [STAR ACQUIRED] button on Cosmic Debris also starts the Tiptilt servo for all active scopes with one push of a button. On the Tiptilt Servo Control GUI, turn tiptilt [ON] for each telescope or use the [TT ON] button on Cosmic Debris to perform this function for all active scopes. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Offloading DM Tilt to M7 | ||
| + | |||
| + | Old method: DMTILT is gray (reconstructor ignores tilt). M7AUTO will adjust M7 to keep blue beacon centroids aligned to labAO WFS. | ||
| + | |||
| + | New method: DMTILT is green (use tilt when computing reconstructor). DMAUTO will use DM to correct for tilt and offload to M7 when magnitude of tilt is beyond range of DM. | ||
| Acquisition Laser Alignment if the star does not lock in Tiptilt | Acquisition Laser Alignment if the star does not lock in Tiptilt | ||
| Line 398: | Line 423: | ||
| Go inside the lab with booties: Turn off the silver box, then black box for NIRO and replace the NIRO camera cover if used. Turn off the key for the green alignment laser and turn the power switch off. Turn off Pico 3 controller above the tiptilt camera. Turn off the blue amplifiers for the metrology laser (button is labeled " | Go inside the lab with booties: Turn off the silver box, then black box for NIRO and replace the NIRO camera cover if used. Turn off the key for the green alignment laser and turn the power switch off. Turn off Pico 3 controller above the tiptilt camera. Turn off the blue amplifiers for the metrology laser (button is labeled " | ||
| - | Check the 6 ople computers and RPC's for any components that were not turned off in the OPLESystem Control gui shutdown sequence. | + | Check the 6 ople computers and RPC's for any components that were not turned off in the OPLESystem Control gui shutdown sequence. Any + signs on the power controllers indicate power was left on. E1 computer is usually on. Push the Off button to turn off the component that is on. Scroll left and right using the UP/DOWN buttons to move to each + sign. Make sure all doors are closed as you leave. |
| 6.8 Odds and ends. \\ \\ | 6.8 Odds and ends. \\ \\ | ||
chara/operating_procedures.1676338675.txt.gz · Last modified: 2023/02/13 20:37 by charaobs
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