AF2 and WYFFOS Daily Duty Checks

Any errors or suggestions please email to Rene J. Pit

The following commands that  are to be typed at the AF2 window running on Taurus.

Before  doing checks, make sure the af2 server is running on AF2pc1. > af2 ping  If no response reboot the PC which is in the electronics room in Ghril

Testing AUTOFIB

1. Waking the robot.
   • Sys     > af2 wake
   • This turns the AF2 power on. At WHTICS (on taurus) the Autofib mimic will update and all the variables turn green. You should also hear the pneumatic gripper being exercised.
2. Turn on the WYFFOS back-illumination.
   • Sys     > af2 backillum on
   • This turns WYFFOS back-illumination. Back illumination sends light from WYFFOS up the fibres to AF2. Also it turns on the guide fibre back-illumination.
3. View a science fibre.
   • Sys     > af2 viewfibre 15
   • This moves the robot gripper camera to the co-ordinates for this particular science fibre. On the Autofib monitor in the control room the illuminated fibre should be visible. If you see no fibre, check on WYFFOS mimic display that backillum is on.
4. View a guide fibre.
   • Sys     > af2 viewfibre 32
   • As above but this checks that the back illumination is on to the guide fibres. NB the illuminated fibre on the TV monitor looks bigger than a science fibre, this is because they are 500 microns  instead of the 90 microns for the science fibres
5. Load the small fibre module.
   • Sys     > af2 loadmodule
   • This locates and re-affirms the fibre positions. NB This command turns backillumination ON if it is not already on. This normally takes no more than 2 minutes. No fibres are moved with this command. If it fails to complete go to Autofib engineering notes.
6. Turn off the backillumination
   • Sys     > af2 backillum off
7. Park the AF2 Robot
   • Sys     > af2 park 
   • This parks the robot to the edge of the fibre field but the power remains on.

8. Turn off all dome lights
9. Turn the Wyffos calibration lamps on.
   • Sys      > wcallamp 2    (or click on the wyffos GUI on the Neon lamp)
   • This turns on a neon lamp in the calibration unit
10. Take an 1 sec exposure with AG1 (autoguider)

              You should see the ten fiducial bundles now

12. To test AG2 we need some light on the mobile probe. This probe is the small white circle on the grey square that represents the gripper body (on AF2 mimic). Now make sure the mobile probe is in the field
    • Sys      > af2 viewsky 0 0
13. Take a 1 second exposure with AG2

            The mobile probe should be illuminated now

14. Sleep the robot
    • Sys      >af2 sleep
    • This safely parks robot out of the field and turns the power off.

This is not a detailed check but proves communications. Moving other things like the grating can disturb the observers set-up.

15. Make sure the Nitrogen flush for the CCD window is switched on (especially in winter with humid conditions). On the black mimic check if the LN2 is on. If not tick the button on the Instrument Control Console for LN2 flow.
16. Switch neon lamp on 
    • Sys      > wcallamp 2        (if blue or high dispersion grating is used then: wcallamp 4, helium)
17. Take an exposure with wyffos on taurus 
    • Sys     >window wyffos 1 "[1:4300,1:4200]"        (this is to make sure that both chips of the WHTWFC are displayed in one frame)
    • Sys     >rspeed wyffos slow
    • Sys     >run whtwfc 10
    • Display in DS9 and analyse with Iraf to see whether there are arclines visible
18. Switch calibration lamps off
    • Sys      > wcallamp off
19. Take a bias frame with wyffos on taurus
    • Sys     >bias whtwfc
    • Display in DS9 and analyse image and check the noise

20. Use the wyffos mimic to display corrector element positions. This assures that both prisms are moving.
    • Sys      > pfip_set -m adc disable
    • Sys      > pfip_move -m ado 45   (this moves the outer element)
    • Sys       >pfip_move -m adi 45   (this moves the inner element)
    • Sys       > pfip_set -m adc enable

    Another way of doing this test, is using the Instrument Control Console and ticking the corresponding buttons.

Last updated 27 October 2009 by RJP