From jmb@ing.iac.esThu Aug 28 19:48:26 1997 Date: Tue, 26 Aug 1997 20:07:16 +0100 (BST) From: Jonathan Burch To: Frank Gribbin Subject: WHIRCAM Software User Instructions Dear Frank, Here is the latest version of the WHIRCAM software user instructions, which I keep up to date and put at the front of the WHIRCAM user manual in the control room. Cheers, Jonathan WHIRCAM SOFTWARE INSTRUCTIONS 7-Aug-1997 Version 0.9 STARTING THE SYSTEM Four software systems are necessary for WHIRCAM observing - the WHIRCAM control system, any ICL observing system, the telescope control system, and - if autoguiding is needed - the autoguider. The ICL session must be started before the WHIRCAM control system. TCS - use the default version run from the TCS_LOGIN account. The telescope must be configured as follows - USER> GHRIL DEROT USER> AGSELECT GHRIL USER> INSTRUMENT OWN USER> ROT SKY 0 USER> WAVELENGTH 2.2 ICL - start up any observing system on LPVF. WHIRCAM - log on to the IRCMVX VAXstation as WHIRCAM and enter WHIRCAM_START. WHIRCAM is an open and privileged account, so the password is not given in this message. WHIRCAM specialist support astronomers and duty staff know what it is. AUTOGUIDER - use the GHRIL application. Please be aware of the points relating to use of the autoguider described below under OFFSETTING. SUGGESTED WORKING ARRANGEMENT - Control the TCS and autoguider through the TO x-terminal as usual. - The ALICE realtime display is now situated in the corner of the control desk between the ICL VAXstation and the TV racks. - Bring up the ICL observing session on either LPVS2 or LPVS3. - Run the WHIRCAM control system via LPVS2. Open a DECterm window and telnet to IRCMVX, logging in and starting the system in the usual way. Although the connection can be made with SET HOST, a bug means that the system will hang a couple of times during startup, requiring carriage return to be entered in the command window. With the system set up in this way the observers occupy their normal position in front of LPVS2, and both they and the TO have a good view of the ALICE realtime display. The WHIRCAM VAXstation is available for data reduction. If interaction with ICL is required (eg for optical observing), then ICL and the WHIRCAM system can be run up on separate VAXstations. DATA REDUCTION In order to produce the files required for the online data reduction it is necesary to run a utility called ACVT (Alice ConVerT). For each observation this combines the image data from one file with the header data from another file, to produce a "reduced observation file". To run ACVT simply open a DECterm window and enter ACVT, followed by any user identifier when prompted. The DECterm window can then be shrunk or iconized (it is probably wise to keep an eye on it - for each observation ACVT should issue a message saying that it has successfully produced the reduced observation file). ACVT will write the reduced observation files to DISK$WHTDATA2:[IRCAM_DATA.yyyymmdd.RODIR] ready for analysis with IRCAM_CLRED, which is started by entering IRCAM_CLRED in another DECterm. Enter this directory when IRCAM_CLRED prompts you for a working directory. If IRCAM_CLRED fails to load properly (in particular if the PLT2D task fails to load with a file-not-found error), enter XDISPLAY followed by IRCAM_SETUP and try again. IRCAM_CLRED should be run on IRCMVX. IMPORTANT NOTE Some time ago an observer reported a problem relating to the use of the ircamdr unix data reduction package, which is distributed by Starlink, for reducing WHIRCAM data. In his local installation (V1.0-0) the stred command had not been able to access the required FITS header information in files read from WHIRCAM c-tapes, although it had been able to reduce the original "reduced observation files" without problem. I have not been able to reproduce the problem on our local version of the ircamdr software (V1.1-0), which is able to "stred" data files read from a normal WHIRCAM c-tape using kappa fitsin. The reported problem remains unsolved, and it is recommended that observers intending to use any version of ircamdr older than V1.1-0 take home their data in the form of reduced observation files in addition to the normal c-tapes. TAPE WRITING AUTOFITS should not be used for writing WHIRCAM tapes, since it can increase the time taken for WHIRCAM files to be written to disk. WHIRCAM data tapes should be written using WRITE_FITS from the TPCOPY account on LPVG or LPVF. Simply enter SELECT_WHIRCAM before executing WRITE_FITS, and enter the requested information. PRODUCTION OF OBSERVING LOGS There is no online logging program for WHIRCAM. The file for inclusion in the log is produced offline, using a program which gathers and formats the relevant header information from the data files following a night's observing. The procedure to follow is almost the same as for any other WHT instrument, and is carried out using the LPLOGS VAX account. Copy an old yymmdd.WHT from the previous _WHIRCAM_ run and edit it as normal. Now execute the command procedure WHIRCAMLIST instead of copying the include file from the autolog directory. WHIRCAMLIST will prompt for the date, and will then gather the relevant information from the night's observation files to produce a file yymmdd.LOG which can be included in the log in the usual way. WHIRCAMLIST takes about ten minutes for one thousand runs. Finally, use the command procedure WHIRCAMWHT, instead of the usual CAMWHT, in order to produce the finished article. In order to compile the observing log on a Sparc it is necessary to run WHIRCAMLIST under the LPLOGS VAX account, to produce the include file, and then ftp this file to the Sparc disk for inclusion in the log. MOTOR CONTROL SOFTWARE The WHIRCAM filter and focus mechanisms are driven by intelligent motor control cards. It is sometimes necessary to download the software to these cards, particularly following a power-off, since their memory appears to be rather more volatile than it should be. This can be done by entering the command MOTORCODE at the DCL prompt from the WHIRCAM account. The MOTORCODE program will download the software to the motor controllers through the TTA2 serial port, line by line, and each line of code will be listed on the screen as it is transmitted. The MOTORCODE program can be executed from within the control system - press the SELECT key, spawn out of ICL and enter MOTORCODE at the DCL prompt. If the filter and/or focus mechanisms consistently fail to datum, it is possible that the control code needs to be downloaded. The control system no longer tries to datum the mechanisms automatically when it starts up, since it is not uncommon for one of the mechanisms to fail to datum at the first attempt and in the past this has caused the control system start-up to fail. Therefore it is important to datum the motors manually, using the menu, when the control system has started. OFFSETTING The TAG procedure which is executed by the SLIDE and TOFF commands has been modified since its original release. Previously, TAG would reject any offset which would have moved the object out of the autoguider field while the guide loop was closed. Such an offset will now be accepted and performed with the guide loop open, but the loop will then be closed on a position derived from the original guiding reference position should a subsequent offset return the object to the autoguider field. This requires that the telescope be set up so that it is autoguiding and at its reference position (with no offsets) before a SLIDE or TOFF command is invoked. Note that automatic tracking of the autoguider guide window must not be enabled (ie don't issue TRACKING ON) if this new offset mode is to be used, owing to the risk of the window tracking off the CCD while the object is outside the autoguider field. It is also very important not to exceed a guide window size of 50 pixels (the default), since the limits for a closed-loop offset are calculated on the basis of a guide window of this size. DATA DISK The WHIRCAM data files are now written to the standard WHT VAX data disk, DISK$WHTDATA2. Integration files, which are written to the FITS tapes, are written to DISK$WHTDATA2:[IRCAM_DATA.yyyymmdd.IDIR], and reduced observation files, which are used for on-line data analysis, are written to DISK$WHTDATA2:[IRCAM_DATA.yyyymmdd.RODIR]. The recommended procedure for deleting WHIRCAM data files, in order to clear disk space, is to do it from the OBSERVER account. Since the files are not standard WHT optical files, the command to remove their file protection is different to the normal "SET FILE/PROT=W:D". A new command, UNPROTECT, has been provided to grant the OBSERVER account delete access to WHIRCAM data files. This takes the same parameter(s) as the normal "SET FILE/PROT=W/D" command. POINTS TO LOOK OUT FOR * note that the ICL session should be run on LPVF, and it must be started up before the WHIRCAM control system. * the ALICE Occam window must be closed after shutting down the WHIRCAM control system if it doesn't vanish voluntarily. Click on EXIT under the FILE menu option. * during startup the WHIRCAM control system should issue a message to say that it has connected to the telescope control task. If it fails to do so, check that the ICL system is running on LPVF and that the ADAMNET processes are running on both LPVF and IRCMVX. Use the ADAM account to restart the ADAMNET process on LPVF; enter @UKIRTCOM_DIR:ADAMNET at the DCL prompt to start it on IRCMVX. Jonathan Burch 7-Aug-1997