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TCSng Operating Notes 2/04/15
Cold Start Power Up Seqence
Cold Start Up
Follow the steps below to bring the telescope out of lightning shutdown:
Turn on main power at the two white breakers on the south west side of the building.
-
Normal Start Up
Plug in the twist lock AC power cable to the dome shutter motor on the west wall.
Switch “dome power” to the ON position at the observatory control box (middle black button)located on the south wall of the dome.
Open the upper shutter by pressing and releasing the OPEN button on the shutter control box. Be ready to hit the STOP button until the shutter is fully open. When the dome is stowed this box is to the south.
Switch “telescope power” to the ON position at the observatory control box located on the south wall of the dome.
Unplug the twist lock AC power cable to the dome shutter motor on the west wall (or the dome won't move).
Power on the TCS console/
GUI computer under the table.
When the dual boot screen comes up, choose Ubuntu. Note: you have only 10 seconds to do this before it will login Windows.
When prompted login as “21inch”, password - scopes4dopes. Hit Enter.
Switch “telescope control” to the remote position on the observatory control box. ??
Open the mirror covers using the handles on the side of the telescope (in the correct order, south side first then north side).
Start INDIserver
Start Xephem
Click ENABLE (comes up green, turns red when clicked)
It is highly recommended that you initialize the telescope before you start your observations.
Starting TCSng
Xephem
In the “INDI Panel” window that opens connect to each of the following modules:
Expand “TCS-NG-INDI”
Stopping the Telescope
Five wasy to stop the telescope when moving
Use F9 key to cancel motion and ramp down speed (note: this does not stop the telescope from tracking ) ??
Use the F10 Key to disable the telescope, this is a hard stop, only use in emergency! ??
In the “Indi Panel” window
TCS Module
Moving the Telescope
To Enable Telescope:
In Indi Control Panel:
Enter TCS-NG-INDI module
Telemetry
Actions
Click “Enable”
With the Sky View window
Equatorial Coordinates
In Indi control Panel:
Under TCS-NG-INDI
GOTO Functions
Enter Desired RA, Dec and Epoch
Click click “set” or hit the enter key
Then under “Actions” “hit Go Next”
Watch the telescope move in the Dome Camera!
Alt/Az coordinates:
In Indi Control Panel:
Under TCS-NG-INDI
GOTO Functions
Alt Az Goto
Enter the desired Altitude and Azimuth.
Click “Set” or hit the enter key.
Watch the telescope move in the dome camera
Observing
Initializing
Send the scope to a bright star close to the zenith
Using the software paddle, Center the star in the finder scope
Center the star in the science camera or guider.
In the “Actions” menu under TCS-NG-INDI Click “Init Next”.
Don't Click “Init Commanded” unless you are a very experienced user!
Focus
When starting up for the night it is usually a good idea to “Home” the focus
Under FOCUS-NG-INDI Homing and Focus Positions click home. The Focus pos should decrease and you should see HOMING in the text box at the top of the panel. Eventually it will reach the home switch, stop moving and zero the focus position.
Use the other Focus Instrument buttons to move to a nominal focus position.
Use the Focus Pos box to move the focus to a more precise position.
Limits:
Display The Limit Map:
In SkyView Window
Click “Control”
Click “Horizon”
Click “save”
click “close”
Hardware Limits
North Limit ~62 degrees declination
South Slew Limit 10 degrees elevation (~-48 Dec)
South Hard Limit 5 degrees elevation (~-43 Dec)
Catalogs in list form
In Xephem Main Window
Data Menu
Index
Operating Mont4k
Operating From the Dome
You can use Xephem and the Indi Panel on the laptop to control dome and telescope. In Winter Months the laptop is stored in the control room during the summer it is stored in the old TCS console in the dome.
Hardware Paddle
End of Normal Night of Observing
Stow the telescope and dome
Disable the telescope: TCS-NG-INDI → Actions → Enable
Close the Mirror Cover
Close the Dome slit
Close the Wind Screens
Fill the dewer
Complete the trouble reports
Lightning Shutdown
“Complete Normal Night of observing shutdown”
In Dome
In Control room
Shutdown and unplug all computers.
Gerard
BIGCCd
Bigguider
bigaux
In UPS Room