Last Updated: 08-May-2008 MF
Click here for the 2.7M TCS Quick Startup Guide.
Click here for the TCS Hints & Troubleshooting Guide.
Click
here for the Apogee Guider Manual. A small magnetic board resides above and slightly to the right of the three oberon monitors. This board shows which apogee computer is currently used for which focus--cass or coudé. Please check this board before starting. If you do not have an account on the desired computer, please contact McD Computing.
Quick instructions: ssh into apogee or apogee2 as appropriate. "setenv DISPLAY oberon:0.n" (where n is monitor 0, 1, or 2). type "cagdr &" (coudé) or "agdr &" (cass). The help feature of the programs has some info but they should look familiar.
If you are reading a hard copy of this document, it can be found online at http://nexus.as.utexas.edu/obs_sup/man/manuals/TCS/tcs_users_manual.html . Make sure you have the most up-to-date copy of the manual!
Please note that the TCS program MUST be running before you try to move the telescope for any reason!
Telescope Positions (Telescope, Command, Offset, Guider, Zero, Ref & Next)
Star By Name -> (Common Name, Letter + Constellation)
BSC Stars Near Zenith (BSC = Yale Bright Star Catalog)
Extended Objects -> (NGC, IC, Messier)
Solar System -> (Planets, Ephemerides, Moon, Sun)
Taking the Telescope Over the Axis
EphemeridesBack to the Top
of the Table of Contents
PMAC - This is the Programmable Multi-Axis Controller which actually drives the telescope. This is a commercial unit and is made by Delta Tau out of California. It consists of a set of PC cards and is plugged directly into the TCS computer (Colossus). Its only communication with the outside world during normal TCS operations is through the TCSMON program.
Looking into the old control room (Colossus visible) (photo)
107" Telescope Amps and Pumps (photo)
Please send all bug reports or suggested improvements for anything dealing
with the TCS system to
Sam Odoms and Earl Green.
(This includes but is not limited to TCSGUI
, TCSMON, autoguiders,
dome automation, documentation, telescope
performance, ...). All TCS bugs should also be noted on the night report
(xreport). See Contact Info for
more information on contacting members of the TCS team.
The entire 2.7M TCS system is run by a Pentium PC with an embedded PMAC card.
For any telescope movement (manual or automatic) this system must be powered
up and running. Colossus is located in the
old 2.7M control room (large beige rack-mounted PC just to the left of
the workbench).
For security reasons, no logon information is posted here. All users should consult the login instruction sheet posted in the old control room next to Colossus' monitor.
NOTE: The default account that observers use is routinely restored to a default state.
After you are logged in, the system will automatically start the Xwindows display, and the TCSGUI (if you logged in via the default account) (NOTE: if the screen comes up scrambled, press CTRL-ALT-+ until the display synchs up properly--USE the + or - key on the keypad!). If you logged in on the terminal in the old control room, you will now need to move to the terminal next to the north pier on the dome floor as the old control room terminal cannot do the graphics resolution needed and will just go dark.
If your login comes up at a command line prompt without the Xwindows system running, issue the command "startx". This will start the Xwindows interface which the TCS system runs under. Then using the Xwindows menu (click on the screen with the left mouse button) you can start the TCSGUI if it does not automatically start.
If the TCSGUI comes up with a "TCS Connect Error" you will need to start the TCSMON program via the "Special -> Restart TCS Monitor" menu command. After restarting the TCSMON it will take a few moments for the connect error to clear. Please note that the telescope must be at the zenith (or near to it) when starting TCSMON for pointing to work properly.
To use the TCSGUI display on one of the control room Suns, simply type tcsgui in one of the xterm windows (most observers use the right hand monitor on oberon for this). If needed, the full path for the command is /opt/local/bin/tcsgui.
If you want to use a display on some machine other than oberon, atlas, charon or mimas
(i.e. a laptop that supports Xwindows), the full command on Colossus needs
to be: "setenv DISPLAY mymachine.as.utexas.edu:0.0". Note that
you must be running with a local Mt.Locke address for this to work.
For security reasons, you will only be allowed to monitor the system.
No commands will be accepted from any non-authorized remote systems
. Contact Darrin Crook or Marian Frueh if you need help with this.
If the TCSGUI is not running, login and at the command line prompt issue the command "/prod/bin/XMreboot". (Note that the "XM" is capitalized.) This command should work from any Colossus prompt (e.g. you do not have to be logged in on the console terminal for this to work).
If you are logged in and the TCSGUI is up and running, simply select the Special -> Shutdown TCS Computer menu command.
If the TCSGUI is not running, login and at the command line prompt issue the command /prod/bin/XMshutdown. (Note that the"XM" is capitalized.) This command should work from any Colossus prompt (e.g. you do not have to be logged in on the console terminal for this to work).
At the ****LynxOs is down**** message, turn the power off. Wait at least 15 seconds, then turn the power back on.
After rebooting, you will have to login and restart the
TCSMON program. Note: the telescope must be at the zenith before starting TCSMON. Pointing will likely be quite a bit off if it isn't.
Confirm that there are no warning signs posted on the main console.
Turn on the DECLINATION and HA Servo amplifiers located in the third, right hand side,rack in the old control room. Turn on only the AC power by pressing the ON button located on the front of the amplifiers near the left hand side. These are labeled DECLINATION and HOUR ANGLE. The OUTPUT indicators will turn on when the RESET button is pressed (see below).
Turn on the telescope "Hydraulic Bearing" pump by pressing the green START button located .There are two buttons labeled START with a selector switch (pointing to PUMP1 or PUMP2) directly above and between the two buttons. Press the button to which the selector switch is pointing and hold it for about 3 seconds. NOTE: If you do not hold this button in long enough, there will be a " No Hydraulic Pressure" error message on the TCSGUI. Also note that the lights on the ON/OFF switches are always lit and are not indicator lamps.
Verify that the " Maintenance Mode" switch is "off", the "Normal/Balance" switch is in the "Normal" position and the "Autoslew Enable/Inhibit" switch is in the "Enable" position. [These switches are located in old control room in the equipment rack located just to the left of the workbench and just above Colossus' display & keyboard.]
At this time, if you have not logged on to Colossus you need to do so.
Turn on the main telescope console (located on the dome floor - east platform).
Press and hold the RESET button on the main telescope control console until you hear the telescope brakes audibly release (takes a few seconds). The telescope is now ready to be operated by the TCS.
When you are ready to open the dome shutter and telescope mirror cover, do so from the main telescope control console.
Note on the night report (xreport on Oberon) what time you opened the dome. If the xreport command is not found, issue the command /opt/oberon/bin/xreport
The dome automation system is completely controlled by the TCS system. The user need only enable/disable ( under the Tools menu) the dome and park it at the end of the night. No other interaction from the user is needed.
The Dome Az button will have an (AUTO) appended to the label when the dome automation is enabled.
On the rare occasion that you want to enter a dome offset or manually position the dome to some azimuth, click on the Dome Az button on the TCSGUI. Offsets are typically not needed.
If you detect an emergency situation (runaway telescope, imminent collision with some object and the telescope, something has caught fire,...) hit one of the EMERGENCY STOP buttons.
Emergency stop buttons (sometimes labeled "E-STOP") are located at various locations around the dome. There is one on the left side of each handpaddle, one on the main control console, one on the deadman switch paddle, and one on the TCSGUI (if the TCSGUI is Active). Pressing or clicking on any of these will cause all telescope motion to stop and the amps and pumps to shut down. It also kills power to the dome motors, wind curtains, dome shutter, etc...
If you hit emergency stop, you will have to power everything back up from a cold start (see powering up) to be able to run the system again. Note however that you will not have to restart the TCSMON or TCSGUI as they will automatically reset. (You may need to click on the inactive button on the GUI to get it to become active again.)
NOTE: At the end of the night, you should hit emergency stop to turn off everything.
Limit Conditions and Collision Areas:The 2.7M telescope currently has a software horizon limit of 5 degrees set. Obviously there are lots of other obstacles located within the dome at or above 5 degrees, so don't count on this to stop the telescope before it hits something. collision areas below). A graphical view of the limits can be found here.
The 2.7M TCS system has an approximate collision ("obstruction") mask to keep the telescope from slewing into areas where it might hit something. However, this is an approximate mask and should not be relied upon exclusively. It is still the observer's responsibility to insure the telescope does not collide with anything and that it is operated in a safe manner.
The TCS system will check to see that the beginning and ending points of a move are in safe locations. However, it is possible for the trajectory between the two points to cross into an unsafe area. When this happens, the move will start, but will halt when it reaches an unsafe area.
The different collision masks can be selected via the main TCSGUI under the Special->Obstruction Mask menu. There are currently 4 options (basic, F9 cage, Flip Cage, User Defined).
Basic: contains only the basic collision chart which contains information about the north pier and the south collision areas (control room, HighRanger).
F9 Cage: used when the telescope has the F9 secondary cage mounted on it. It contains all information included in the basic mask as well as the location of the flip cage secondary storage location. (It is stored over the visitors viewing gallery, causing increased collisional area in the NE.) This mask is in the process of being redone and should be used with extreme caution.
Flip Cage: used when the telescope has the flip cage mounted on it (F18/F33). It contains all information included in the basic mask as well as the location of the F9 secondary cage which is stored over the area between the elevator and north pier (over the old control room), causing increased collisional area inthe NW.
User Defined: used for special instruments that extend from the telescope and can hit additional objects in the dome. There are no general observatory instruments that use this mask at the current time.
The most common collision areas are:
North Pier: This is normally a problem when the telescope is pointing in the NE. The counterweight tubes can strike the upper portion of the pier. The TCS system *should* not allow you to auto slew to any locations where this is a possibility.
Secondary Cage: Depending upon the configuration of the telescope, one of the secondary cages will be stored above the visitor's viewing area or the old control room in the north. If the telescope is at F9, the flip cage will be stored over the visitors area in the NNE and will cause an additional obstruction in this area. If the telescope is at F18 or F33, the F9 secondary will be located above the old control room (next to the elevator) and will cause an obstruction in the NNW area of the sky. This obstruction becomes much greater if the telescope is set up on the west side of the polar axis ("over axis").
Roof of new control room: Located across the south end of the dome is the new control room. Obstructions in this area only happen at very low altitudes. Things to watch out for here are additional equipment that has been stored here and the High Ranger.
Elevator: The elevator is located in the NW area of the dome and causes obstructions only if the telescope is set up on the west side of the polar axis ("over axis").
There are two hydraulic platforms for the 2.7M telescope (one on each side of the axis). Each platform can be an obstruction for cass instruments, the telescope, or its main counter weight. The TCS system senses whether or not the platforms are completely lowered and automated slewing of the telescope is allowed only when both platforms are completely lowered.
Note: Small moves (<31 arcmins) and handpaddle moves are still permitted with the platforms up. Tracking is also permitted. Observers should use caution when observing or performing manual moves when either platform is elevated.
The dome crane is located opposite of the dome shutter (in the squared off section of the dome). The crane should be in its stowed (fully backed out) location before any telescope movement is done.
The High Ranger is located above the new control room next to the south telescope pier. It will only present obstruction when it is either not stowed or the telescope is pointed to a very low altitude in the southern region of the sky.
The main service positions for the 2.7M telescope (other than normal stow positions) are at east and south service.
At east service, the telescope is "laid down" on its side pointing due east (HA = 6h east, DEC = 00:00:00). At south service the telescope is taken to a position low in the south for access to instruments mounted on the south broken cass port (HA = -00:40:00, DEC = -50:00:00).
Only experienced observers should attempt to move to these locations. If you have not been trained on moving the telescope to these locations, please ask a Mt.Locke staff member for assistance.
Close observation of the telescope should be made while moving to either of these locations as there are lots of things that the telescope can hit and cables that can be pulled out if not done properly.
Moving to either service position is done via the Special menu on the TCSGUI. The TCS system can take the telescope To the position and then safely From the position back to a safe position. The "Go Next" button is NOT pushed for a move to or from either Service Position.Do not try to move to any object or position with the telescope in one of the service positions. You MUST back out of the service position with the "From ..." moves under the "Special" menu. Failure to do so can result in the telescope colliding with objects in the dome!
Close mirror cover.
Close dome shutter.
Lower platforms if necessary.
Park the dome via the TCSGUI or manual control so that the shutters are facing west.
Position the telescope to the proper stow position via the TCSGUI ("Next" Menu- choose stow position - Button "Go Next").
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Turn on one bank of fluorescent lights in the dome. (If other telescopes are still open, close the shutters on the doors before doing this.)
Press any one of the EMERGENCY STOP buttons located on the front of the console near the lower right hand corner (or on any of the handpaddles, deadman switch paddle, TCSGUI, ...).
Tidy up the dome floor and control room.
Complete the night report ("/opt/oberon/bin/xreport"on Oberon).
The TCSMON program is what actually issues the various movement commands to the PMAC (the low level motion controller) as well as handling external communications with the dome automation and weather systems and the IRAF/ICE interface (importing of coordinate info for the IRAF headers). As far as the general user is concerned, this *is* the automation system.
If the TCSMON program is not running or dies for some unforeseen event, the TCSGUI will display the flashing error message "TCSConnectError ".
Starting TCSMON:Typically, TCSMON is always running. However, if you start the TCSGUI and it is displaying a flashing TCSConnectError error message, you will need to restart the TCSMON program.
The telescope must be at the zenith when TCSMON is started or the pointing will not work correctly. If you must start TCSMON while the telescope is at some other location, do so, then move the telescope to the zenith and start TCSMON again.
To manually start TCSMON, Use the TCSGUI menu command Special -> Restart TCS Monitor. After it starts, the TCSGUI TCSConnectError message should automatically go away (takes about 15-20 seconds to start).
Stopping TCSMON:Note: In general, the user should never have to stop the TCSMON program. However, it may hang or have problems that require the user to restart the process.
To stop the TCSMON, choose the TCSGUI menu command "Special -> Terminate TCS Monitor". At this point the TCSGUI will display a flashing TCSConnectError error message which indicates the TCSMON program is no longer running.
More than one TCSGUI may be run at any given time, however only Active ones are allowed to issue commands.
If you log in via the default account, the Xwindows display system and the TCSGUI will automatically start up for you on the large display on the dome floor (currently you will have to press CTRL-ALT-+to get the display to sync up properly). The TCSMON program should already be running, however, if you see a flashing TCSConnect Error error message,the TCSMON program will need to be restarted.
If you need to manually start the TCSGUI (on Colossus or any of the control room Suns), simply open up an Xwindow and issue the command tcsgui .
If you wish to have the TCSGUI displayed on some other machine,see Setting Display Locations.
You can also start a local TCSGUI via the Xwindows menu on Colossus (clickand hold the left mouse button on an empty portion of the Xwindows screen).
If the TCSGUI comes up with an Inactive button/message in the upper left of the command button area you will have to click on that button to make it Active before you can issue any commands (note that all of the command areas and menus are grayed out if you are in the Inactive mode).
The gui display has 5 distinct areas: menu, command button, alert button, command status and display.
Menuarea:
The menu area is located across the top of the TCSGUI window and includes
5 separate pull down menus:
File - handles input and output (worklists, ephemerides, command files,...)
Next - handles the selection to prepare for the next object.
Tools - provides various operational options (handpaddle rates, dome automation,...)
View - shows various sets of information (Point info, weather & command
history, object history,...)
Special
- this menu allows the user to set various items such as the mount model and
the obstruction mask (items under this menu should be
selected with great forethought as they can effect the safety of the telescope
). Please note that the moves on this menu going to and from the service positions do not require "Go Next" to be pushed. In fact, the moves won't happen if you do.
Command button area:
This area is located just below the menu area at the top of the screen.
Currently there are only 4 buttons in this area:
Active/Inactive - A green Active button indicates that the system will accept commands from this window. A red Inactive button indicates that the system will not accept commands from this window (however, all display information is still updated). Note that while the GUI is in an Inactive status all of the commands and menus are grayed out as they are not operational in this mode. To change an inactive GUI to the active GUI, simply click on the Inactive button.
Go Next - Clicking on this button will cause the telescope to move to the object specified in the "Next Buffer" (located at the bottom left of the GUI). It will also send a command to the dome automation system to start the dome moving to the location of the specified object. NOTE: for the telescope to actually move, the "Auto-slew" deadmanswitch must be held down.
Go Ref1, Go Ref2 -These buttons only appear if the specified reference position has been defined(see Offset Pointing & References). Clicking on either one of these will cause the telescope to move to the reference position specified.
Abort Move - Clicking on this button will abort the current automatic move.
Emergency Stop - Clicking this button will activate the emergency stop system and halt all telescope motion and power down several systems. See Emergency Stop for more details.
Alert, Error, &Information button area:
This area is located just below the command button area near the top of the
screen. Here information messages are reported as well as abnormal conditions
and weather warnings.
If the TCS Connect Error is flashing here for more than 30 seconds, this indicates that TCSMON has probably died. You can restart TCSMON via the special -> Restart TCS monitor menu. After ~30 seconds, the error should clear. If it does not, contact one of the Mt.Locke staff members for assistance.
See Display: Error/Info Messages and Error Messages for more details.
Command status area:
This is a small one line window located just below the alert button area near
the top of the screen. The window is scrollable via the arrows located
at the left side and displays the responses to the last 5 commands given by
the TCSGUI to the TCSMON. (A complete history
of these commands may be viewed explicitly under the View->Command History
menu.)
Display areas:
This area occupies the rest of the TCSGUI's window and is dedicated to system
status display and more buttons and menus to change options. Most of
the information is updated 5 times a second, or whenever it changes. (See
Telescope Positionfor more
info.)
At times it is convenient to have the TCSGUI displayed at locations other than on the monitor on the dome floor. Many observers will want to remote the TCSGUI display to the new control room on either Oberon, Atlas, Mimas or Charon.
See "Setting DisplayLocations"for the instructions on how to do this.
At various locations on the TCSGUI are labels that seem to have a "box" around them. Clicking on these with the left mouse button will reveal various menus and options.
Currently, you can click on any of the following on the TCSGUI:
Offset: brings up a "computer handpaddle". Here you can enter position offsets manually or by clicking on the arrow buttons to offset from your current position. You can also adjust the telescope focus here as well.
Zero: brings up a menu with various options for zeroing out the coordinates. See zeros for more details.
Rates: brings up a window that allows you to choose fixed or programmed track rates. See TrackRates for more details.
Ref 1, Ref 2: brings up a menu that allows you to download either the current telescope position or the last commanded position into the reference positions (additionally, for Ref 2, it will allow you to specify a position relative to Ref 1). See Offset Pointing & References for more details.
Ref 2 - Ref 1: brings up a window that allows you to specify the difference between Ref1 and Ref2 and then alters Ref 2. See Offset Pointing & References for more details.
Epoch: brings up a window that allows selection of the type of coordinates to be displayed on the Telescope line of the display (observed, apparent,...).
Dome Az: brings up a window in which an offset for the dome automation system may be applied (rarely needed with the new system). A specific dome azimuth may be specified under this window as well. This offset is applied directly to the target position of the dome. See Dome Automation for more info.
Clicking on the big red EMERGENCY STOP button on the upper right hand corner of the screen will cause the emergency stop relays to be activated for the entire 2.7M TCS system.
You should click on this at the end of the night to power down the amps, dome controller, and other devices.
See Safety Issues: Emergency Stop for more information.
The Telescope coordinates are shown in a different color so it makes them easier to pick out on the screen. The coordinates shown are the on-sky telescope coordinates for a perfect telescope precessed to the current (or selected) epoch. (Flexure & zeros have already been removed from these values before being displayed.)
The Command coordinate line shows the location that the telescope was told to go to.
The Offset line is the difference between the current telescope position and the commanded position. It is normal for this line to show a small difference (normally less than 1 arc second).
The Guider line displays the total integrated amount of correction that the autoguider has made to the current object. These values are cleared when you move to a new object. To clear the guider values manually, click on the "0" inbetween the RA & DEC fields.
The Zero line displays the amount of correction (in arcseconds) that is entered into all object moves. Values here are changed by clicking on the zero button/label.
The Ref coordinates show the coordinates of user chosen reference positions.
The Next coordinates and info show the coordinates and information for the object that will be moved to on the next autoslew. They can be selected via the Next menu or from the Ref positions. See Pointing to an Object & the "Next" Buffer for more info.
The weather information is displayed at the far right of the TCSGUI screen. It is currently updated every 5 minutes. The history of weather data recorded by the TCS can be found under the View-> Weather History menu.
Weather warning and caution conditions are displayed in the alert (error) display area.
For more details on the weather system see http://weather.as.utexas.edu.
For a history of the weather over the past hour, issue the wx command from any observing station.
Changing Displayed Weather Units
The user can choose either English or Metric units for the weather display via the Tools-> Weather Units menu. The default is to display the measurements in English units.
Error and informational messages are displayed in the Alert, Error and Information button area of the TCSGUI. These messages describe errors, abnormal states, limit conditions, weather warnings, etc...
Users should ignore any PMAC Status #### messages unless they stay on for more than ~30 seconds.
See Error Messages for a complete listing of all TCS Error Messages.
The most common error messages that the user will be dealing with are:
TCSConnectError - This means that the TCSGUI is not connected to the TCSMON program. To restart TCSMON, go to Special-> Restart TCS monitor . (see StartingTCSMON).
PMAC Stopped Telescope - This message means that thePMAC (the low level motion control system) commanded the emergency stop relays to kick in. This can be just because you clicked on the Emergency Stop button at the end of the night or the PMAC or TCSMON detected some unsafe condition and caused the emergency stop to trip.
On Target - This message means that the TCS has acquired its last autoslew target. Note: this message remains displayed even if you drive the telescope off of the position manually or via offsetting.
Weather Warnings - All weather warning conditions are displayed here. They range in severity from cautions to close dome conditions. See http://weather.as.utexas.edu for more info.
When starting up the TCSGUI, particularly on the first night of an observing run, you need to check each of the following at a minimum:
Obstruction mask selected is appropriate to the telescope configuration.
Correct mount model is selected.
Zeros have a reasonable value in them (e.g. less than or equal to ~2 arcmins).
When moving to a new object, make sure that:
The Next coordinates are really what you want to move to.
There are no limit error messages.
The telescope does not get close to any objects it could hit or cables that could get hung. Remember, it is the users responsibility to make sure the telescope is operated in a safe manner (e.g. you can't blame the TCS system for a collision! It is not smart enough to avoid all problem areas yet.).
The Offset coordinates are very small at the end of the move and the "On Target" button is displayed.
Don't hit Go Next until you are ready to move as the dome will start moving automatically to the next object's location.
While tracking an object:
Check to see that Dome Automation is still enabled (look on the Dome Az button for the (AUTO) label).
If you are using the autoguider, watch the guider coordinates to monitor guide corrections.
If you are manually guiding, check that the handpaddle is in "DIG" mode and NOT "GDE". (The digital mode is preferred since it is a faster acting system. However, you must have a small value (~0.3 arcsec) entered in the digital handpaddle rate. See David Doss for more info on this.)
Zenith distance (ZD) if you are close to the horizon. The system will stop tracking whenZD>= 85 degrees.
Weather error/info messages. Please abide by these messages. Failure to do so may result in loss of observing privileges.
The pull down menus are located across the top of the TCSGUI window.
Next - handles the selection of the next object.
Tools - provides various operational options (handpaddle rates, dome automation,...)
View - shows various sets of information (Point info, weather & command history, object history, ...)
Special -this menu is meant only for Mt.Locke staff use. Observers should not use anything listed under this menu unless specifically instructed to do so by the local staff.
Help - on line help for TCSGUI operations.
Load a new worklist into the TCSMON program. After this occurs, the filename will show up under the Next-> Worklists menu on the TCSGUI and can then be used for selecting the "next" object. Please Note: loading a worklist with more than 900 objects will cause TCS to crash!
Up to 10 worklists may be loaded. On loading the 11th worklist, the first worklist loaded will be overwritten on the menu by the new list.
The worklists files are kept loaded even after exiting and restarting. To clear out the worklist entries, use the File ->Clear Lists menu option.
Worklists are files supplied by the user in ASCII (text) format that contain a list of predefined objects that the user may wish to point to. This allows easier lookups by the user for the "Next" object. See the appendix on worklistsfor more information and the file format.
Load a new ephemerides file into the TCSMON program. After this occurs, the filename will show up under the Next ->Solar System -> Ephemerides menu on the TCSGUI and can then be used for selecting the "next" object.
Up to 20 ephemerides may be loaded. On loading the 21st, the first file loaded will be overwritten on the menu space by the name of the new file.
The ephemerides are kept loaded even after exiting and restarting. To clear out the ephemerides entries, use the File -> ClearLists menu option.
Ephemerides are generally used for minor planets and comets. See the appendix on ephemerides for more information and the file format.
Load a macro file. This file is then accessed via the Tools->From Macro popup.
Macro files are ASCII (text) files containing commands in the TCS command language.
A macro file is generally a preprogrammed set of telescope move commands, and can make use of more advanced language features like wait time and wait event.
Load a command file. After it is loaded, the name of the file is placed into the command file section of the display area of the TCSGUI.
The command scan be accessed and executed via a popup window activated by the Tools->Previous Commands or Tools->Manual Commands menu selections.
Command files are ASCII (text) files containing commands in the TCS command language.
A command file is generally a list of previously executed TCS commands that was created using the Tools->Save Command History feature described below.
Save the current TCS command history list to a user specified file.
Commands are normally saved by the system to $HOME/.tcsgui.cmd.
Save the current TCS object history list to a user specified file.
Objects are normally saved by the system to $HOME/.tcsgui.obj once the system moves to that object.
Clear out all worklists and ephemerides lists.
These lists are normally kept and reloaded when the TCSGUI is restarted. Use this command to clear out those lists from the TCS buffers. Note: This does not delete the files from disk.
It is generally a good idea for an observer to execute this command when starting a new run to clear out the prior observer's lists.
Also see File->Open/Transfer Worklists, File->Open/Transfer Ephemerides and the Worklists and Ephemerides appendices for more information.
Clears the list of previous objects that the TCS has pointed to.
Exit the TCSGUI.
Note: this does not close out all TCSGUIs running, only the one 'Exit' was selected from. Each TCSGUI must be closed out individually.
This also does not exit the TCSMON program (which normally stays running).
Choose the"next" object from FK5 catalog or the Yale Bright Star Catalog.
Next -> Star By Name
-> (Common Name, Letter + Constellation)
Choose the"next" object by either specifying the common name of a star (e.g."Rigel") or by the Greek letter and constellation (e.g. "Beta Orionis").
This command will search for all the FK5 stars located within a specified zenith distance and magnitude range.
The popup window allows the user to specify the zenith distance and magnitude limits.
Clicking on Search will initiate the FK5 catalog search for stars matching the specified criteria.
After the search is completed, a new window is brought up showing a sky plot of all the FK5 stars that match the criteria. A text list is also displayed in the search window.
Clicking on either the "X" in the sky plot or the entry in the text field will place the specified star into the "Next" buffer.
NOTE: The sky plot of the stars updates once every 10 minutes.
Next->
BSC Stars Near Zenith (Yale Bright Star Catalog stars)
This command will search for all stars listed in the Yale Bright StarCatalog within a specified zenith distance and magnitude range.
The popup window allows the user to specify the zenith distance and magnitude limits.
Clicking on Search will initiate the BSC catalog search for stars matching the specified criteria.
After the search is completed, a new window is brought up showing a sky plot of all the BSC stars that match the criteria. A text list is also displayed in the search window.
Clicking on either the "X" in the sky plot or the entry in the text field will place the specified star into the next buffer.
NOTE: The sky plot of the stars updates once every 10 minutes.
This command will display a list of "focus" stars close to the current telescope position.
Selecting the desired star and clicking the Apply or OK buttons will enter the star's coordinates into the "Next" buffer.
This command will display a list of stars found in the Yale Bright Star Catalog that are close to the current telescope position.
Selecting the desired star and clicking the Apply or OK buttons will enter the star's coordinates into the "Next" buffer.
Next -> Extended Objects -> (NGC, IC, Messier)
Choose the Next object from the NGC, IC or Messier catalog.
Next -> Solar System -> (Planets, Ephemerides,
Moon, Sun)
Choose the Next object either from the list of planets, a user supplied ephemerides list(s) (which must have been loadedpreviously), the moon, or the sun.
Choose the "Next" object from one of the user specified worklists (which must have been loaded previously).
Next-> Manual Entry -> (RA/Dec, HA/Dec, Az/El)
Choose the Next object by specifying the position in either Right Ascension/Declination, Hour Angle/Declination or Azimuth/Elevation.
NOTE: when specifying using HA/Dec or Az/El, the tracking will not be enabled. The telescope will move to the position and halt. To start the tracking choose Next->Start Tracking.
Choose the Next object by selecting the object from the displayed list of objects that the system has already pointed to.
Next -> Flat, Stow, Zenith, Start
Tracking and Stop Tracking
Choose the Next object as one of the preselected stow positions. After moving to one of these fixed positions, the telescope tracking will be turned off.
To kill the tracking at the current location, choose Next->Stop Tracking .
This brings up a popup window that allows the user to change the various movement rates for the telescope and to reverse the direction sense of the handpaddle joystick.
NOTE: These are not the track rates. Go here for track rate info.
Unless you really know what you are doing, you should not adjust any of the rates other than the digital step size.
The ranges for each speed are as follows (defaults in bold):
Slew: 0.5 - 0.8 deg/sec (maximum value)
Search: 0.1 - 0.5 deg/sec [0.2]
Set: 0.0 - 0.10 deg/sec [0.5 arcmin/sec]
Guide: 0.0 - 1.0 arcmin/sec[0.99arcsec/sec]
Digital Mode Step size: 0.0 - 60 arcsec [0.30]
Reference Position Rate - 600.00 arcsec/sec
The digital handpaddle mode allows the user to move in discrete increments
each time the handpaddle joystick is moved. (e.g. if you wanted to offset to
a point 3 arcseconds to the north, you could select a step size of 1 arcsec
and then toggle the joystick to the north 3 times).
You can also use the slider underneath the step size to change the step size.
Step sizes greater
than 10 arcsecs are not recommended. Use the "offset" computer handpaddle
for larger moves (select this by clicking on the
offset label/button on the left side of the TCSGUI.
Selecting the box in front of the RA or DEC "Sign Reversed" will reverse the direction of all the handpaddle motion in that direction (e.g. swap north-south or east-west directions).
The reference position rate is the rate at which the telescope will move when changing from one reference position the other. See Offset Pointing & References (Ref1, Ref2) for more information on reference positions.
This selection allows the user to switch the weather display between English and Metric units.
This allows the user to modify the wavelength used for the refraction calculations for the telescope pointing. The value used is displayed on the TCSGUI in the upper right corner (wave).
Tools -> Enable Dome Automation
Enables/disables dome automation. A small red box next to this menu item
indicates that the dome automation system is enabled. The label of the
DomeAz button will also have an (AUTO) appended to
it when the system is enabled. Note that it will take a few moments for any dome command to
be implemented.
If emergency stop has been hit, the dome automation system will disable.
It will remain in that state until re-enabled by the user via this menu function.
When the telescope is sent to the Flat or Stow positions,
the dome will automatically be sent to its park position. If Zenith
is chosen from the next
menu, then the user is prompted if they wish the dome to go to the park position.
Note: by clicking on the Dome Az button on the TCSGUI, dome offsets may be entered although they are rarely (if ever) needed under the new dome automation system.
This command sends the "Park Dome" command to the 2.7M dome automation system. The dome will move to its park position (dome slit pointed west) and then automatically disable the automation.
Observers should leave the dome in this position at the end of each night.
Make sure that you press Emergency Stop when the dome has finished moving to shut things down at the end of the night.
Tools-> Previous or Manual Command
This command will popup a window that contains a list of the previously executed commands. You can click on any of the commands listed and it will be entered on the command line or you can type in the command on the command line.
Clicking on Apply or OK will cause the command line to execute.
Tools -> From Macro File
(This command is currently disabled.)
This command is only accessible after a macro file has been loaded from the file menu (see File->Open Macro File... ).
This command will popup a window displaying the macro command file.
Clicking on Run without selecting any command in the window will execute the entire macro command.
To run only part of the macro, select the starting command by clicking on it with the mouse, then click on Run. This will start the macro running from the command selected.
Use the Stop and Resume buttons to pause the macro execution.
Tools->From
Command File (This
command is currently disabled.)
This command is only accessible after a command file has been loaded from the file menu (see File->Open Command File... ).
This command will popup a window displaying the command file. Click on the desired command and then click on Run to execute the command.
This command brings up a sky plot of each successive object chosen from the next menu. The plot is cumulative with the latest selection having a cursor superimposed on it as well as the current telescope position.
Clicking on Clear will clear the cumulative list.
The yellow line on the plot represents the current obstruction mask.
This command displays the calculated and actual positions for the telescope. The positions displayed are:
Mean - raw unprecessed coordinates
Apparent - mean coordinates precessed to the current epoch
Refracted - precessed coordinates that are corrected for atmospheric refraction.
This command pops up a window with the the Mt.Locke weather history for the past 24 hours (or however long the TCSMON has been running).
For monitoring weather conditions, most observers prefer the 'wx' command (issued on any Mt.Locke Unix system).
See http://weather.as.utexas.edu for more information about the Mt.Locke weather system as well as other helpful weather links.
Same as Tools->Previous or Manual Command.
Same as Next->Previous Object.
Special-> Set Current HA/Dec For use by Mt.Locke Staff only.
Allows staff members to adjust the raw encoder offsets for the telescope (not quite the same as the "zeros" for pointing).
The telescope should be placed at a known HA & DEC and with the tracking off. Then enter the known HA & DEC coordinates in the window and click on OK.
NOTE: This is now password protected as a couple of observers inadvertently
zeroed out these values which caused *big* problems. See Crook, Frueh or Doss if you have a problem.
Special -> Simulation Time
For use by Mt.Locke Staff only.
This is a test option that allows setting the TCS monitor's internal software
clock to any reasonable date and time. User selected date/time allows
testing of handling of various celestial objects at any time, and is especially
usefully for debugging ephemeris handling.
NOTE: This feature is password protected. See Crook, Frueh or Doss
for the password.
This feature defaults to OFF. Daytime users should turn it on by clicking Special->Sun Avoidance.
This safety feature keeps the primary mirror from pointing at the sun thus melting the secondary mirror or setting fire to the wind curtains.
With this feature on, the telescope will not move through an area within 25.0 degrees of the Sun.
(Note: The radius is specified in the site file located /data/lib. A negative number means that it is an advisory message only and will not block the moves.)
Special -> Take Data for Mount Model...
For use by Mt.Locke Staff only.
This command will start the mount modeling process. It will bring up a sky plot of FK5 stars for you to move through.
Click on record after you center each star to record the residuals into the data file.
Special -> Display Local Record Button...
For use by Mt.Locke Staff only.
Adds a "Record" convenience button next to the "Go Next" button.
This command makes the telescope approach all objects from the same direction (south) as well as from a specific distance (2 degrees). This is typically used only during mount modeling to make sure that the encoder backlash iscompletely removed from the system. However, this may be used by any observer when it is important to always approach object(s) from the same direction. NOTE: when operating in the south close to the limits, this can cause the telescope to move into limit conditions even though the object may not be in the limit itself. Backlash corrections are not applied to fixed targets (i.e. stow, zenith, ...)
Mount models contain information about how the telescope flexes (bends) in different setup configurations. It is important for users to choose the proper model to achieve the best pointing/tracking possible.
This submenu allows you to choose what mount model to use. The currently selected model has a small red diamond next to it and is also displayed on the TCSGUI on the top right hand side. Possible models are:
Cass F/9, Cass Over F/9, Cass F/18, Cass Over F/18, Cass F/9 IR, Cass Over F/9 IR, Cass F/18 IR, Cass Over F/18 IR, Coude', Coude' Over, No Model
The "Over" designation is for when the telescope is located on the west side of the axis (default set up is on the east side). The "IR" designation are for the infrared instruments. There is a pointing offset between IR and non-IR instruments. The models are the same, just the zeros stored in them are different.
All displays will automatically update with the new model information as soon as it is selected (including your Next object).
Note that it is also important to have the proper obstruction mask set as well (keeps you from running into things!).
If you are unsure what model to use, check with David Doss or any Mt.Locke staff member.
This submenu allows you to choose the telescope obstruction mask. The currently selected mask has a small red diamond next to it and is also displayed on the TCSGUI on the top right hand side just below the Mount Model information.
Obstruction masks are an attempt to keep the telescope from colliding with various objects located in the dome (see Collision Areas).
It is the observer's responsibility to make sure the telescope does not collide with anything and that it is operated in a safe manner. Do not rely on the automation system to do this for you!
The obstructions in the dome change depending on the configuration the of telescope. Several obstruction masks have been created to try to account for some of these changes.
Current possible choices are:
Basic - contains only basic collision chart
F9 Cage - used when F9 secondary cage is mounted on the telescope
Flip Cage - use when the flip cage is mounted on the telescope
User Defined - used for special instruments
For more info on these masks and collision areas go here.
If you need help on deciding which mask you should choose, contact David Doss or one of the Mt.Locke staff.
Special->
To East Service
Special->
From East Service
Special->
To South Port Access
Special->
From South Port Access
All special service positions are moved to via the "To..." command. After the telescope/instrument has been serviced, use the "From..." to back out ofthe service position. Do NOT push "Go Next" after selecting one of these moves.
If you are unfamiliar with moving the telescope to these positions or have never done so, please contact David Doss or any of the Mt.Locke staff for assistance.
Do not try to move to any object or position with the telescope in one of the service positions. You MUST back out of the service position with the "From ..." moves under the "Special" menu. Failure to do so can result in the telescope colliding with objects in the dome!
This command will bring up a window that shows the current status of various PMAC status bits. If the background is white the bit is FALSE (0), if the background is black, the bit is TRUE (1).
These values are obtained through the PMAC/TCS shared memory (dual ported RAM).
This command will bring up a window that displays the current status of the Dome Automation system. If the background is white the bit is FALSE (0), if the background is black, the bit is TRUE (1).
Special -> Show Unflexed Telescope Coordinates
This command will bring up a *LARGE* window that displays the raw telescope coordinates. This is mainly used by the Mt.Locke staff during telescope setups.
This command will bring up a window that displays the raw data received from the COPI encoders for HA & DEC.
Special -> Show Encoder History
This command will bring up a window that shows the any of the 3 sets of incremental encoders. The values (in ASCII &binary) are displayed in a list format. The values are updated at ~0.1Hz. This command is good for debugging possible encoder problems as the telescope moves.
Special -> Terminate TCS Monitor
This command will kill the TCSMON program.
Special -> Restart TCS Monitor
This command will kill of the current TCSMON program and restart it.
This will reboot the TCS computer (colossus). (Also see : Colossus Reboot Procedure)
This will shutdown and halt the TCS computer (colossus). The system will be halted (i.e. no reboot is performed). (Also see: Colossus Power Cycle Procedure)
Do not use the online help files as they are not being updated and likely will be removed from future versions of TCS.
Pointing under the 2.7M TCS system requires the use of the Next buffer (or the Reference Position buffers). This allows the user to set up the next object that they wish to move to, prior to actually moving to it. This should allow for greater efficiency of observing (e.g. the next move can be set up while the data is still being collected on the current object).
The next buffer is displayed in several fields across the bottom of the TCSGUI. The fields displayed are:
Next LHA - local hour angle of the next object
Next A/M - air mass of the nextobject
Next RA, Dec, & Epoch
Next Obj - object name (if selected from a catalog or worklist)
Next Gal l & b - galactic longitude & latitude
All commands that are used to select the next object can be found under the
Next pull down menu on the TCSGUI.
To enter coordinates manually, go to the Next menu and select Manual Entry ". The popup menu will allow you to choose between the type of coordinates that you wish to enter (most observers use the RA/Dec... option).
Users will then be prompted for the coordinates, proper motions and epoch. (note: hitting the TAB key will move the cursor from one field to the next.
Choosing OK when finished will enter your coordinates into the Next buffer. Note that the telescope will not yet move to it at this point (see Moving to an Object).
If HA/Dec or Az/El are used, the tracking is turned off. To start the tracking again, choose the Next -> Start Tracking menu selection.
Moving to a new object with the TCS automation system comes in two phases.
The first phase is the selection of the object and loading its information into the Next buffer
The second phase is the actual moving of the telescope...
To move to a new object...
Verify that the object that you want to move to is loaded in the Next"buffer.
Click on Go Next in the command button section of the TCSGUI. Note: As soon as you press this button, the command is issued from the TCS system to the dome automation system to move to the location of the next object.
Go out into the dome and press the Auto button on the deadman switch (note that the telescope will not auto-slew unless this button is being held down).
When the telescope stops beeping and the "On Target" message is displayed on the TCSGUI, release the Auto button as the telescope has finished its move and is now tracking.
If you need to abort a move simply release the Auto button on the deadman switch, then click on AbortMove on the TCSGUI. Note that this will also abort the dome motion as well.
Note: If the telescope is about to run into something hit Emergency Stop on the Deadman Switch (stops the telescope much faster!).
There are two deadman switches (only one of which must be activated). One is located on a small white rectangular handpaddle on the dome floor(normally sits somewhere around the main control console). It has two buttons on it. One button is an Emergency Stop (labeled E-Stop). The other button is labeled Auto and is the actual deadman switch. The other deadman switch is on the main telescope console and is labeled Auto Slew.
For automated slews of the telescope, the Auto or Auto Slew switch must be depressed.
If the switch is released during a move, the telescope will ramp down to a stop. When the one of the switches is depressed again, the move is resumed.
Note: Disabling or bypassing the deadman switch will result in loss of observing privileges!
As always, it is still possible to move the telescope manually via the handpaddle. Only the handpaddle on the dome console may move the telescope in slew or search speeds or move the wind curtains, platforms, etc...
Zeroing the coordinates allows the user to correct for minor offsets in the encoders by creating an additional offset that is applied to each axis. Normally, this should be done at the first of each night and should really not have to be done again for the rest of the night.
If the pointing appears to be off, make sure that you have the correct mount model. If the model is correct, then try zeroing.
To zero the coordinates...
Verify that the CZero fields are set to 0.
Point & move to some object with known good coordinates.
Center the object in the field of view.
Click on Zero on the TCSGUI (located on the far left side of the GUI about 2/3 of the way down). This will bring up a menu.
Choose New HA/Dec Zero Points. (If the values are too large, you will
get a warning message asking for confirmation.
This normally means that you didn't center the right object.)
Note: The CZero values allow users to enter zeros in the old microVax
pointing formulation where there is a cos(dec) that is applied to the HAzero.
This calculation is of the form Delta HA = HA zero / cos(dec)
and Delta Dec = Dec Zero. The cos(dec) term was placed
in the microVax pointing (and previous pointing calculations???)for boresite
corrections. It is possible that it was meant to
compensate for changes to the optical path as mirrors were taken in and out
for aluminizing, etc. At any rate, the current TCSGUI "Zero" now uses
only linear zeros. Please use the new "Zero" command rather than the "CZero".
There can be times when a user may want to compensate for an instrument that
is not on the optical axis. In this case, zero the telescope as normal,
then use the CZeros to compensate for the difference between the telescope
and instrument fiducials.
The new zero values are automatically applied to all coordinates (even previous
objects/coordinates that you pointed to).
On occasion the wrong zeros get entered into the system. To clear these, simply click on Zero on the TCSGUI and then choose either Previous , Default (a good choice!) or Set to 0.
You can also specify the zero offsets if you wish by choosing Specify Values for HA/Dec Zero Points. This is not recommended .
The current track rates are shown next to the Rates button. The values displayed are in arcsec. The TCS system has two track rate modes: Track On: V & Track On: F. To determine which mode the TCS is currently in, check the Mode field on the TCS GUI (located at the top/center of the display section).
Track rates are NOT turned on bu clicking the Track Rates button.The "V" (Variable) mode indicates that the TCS system will automatically calculate and update the track rates at periodic intervals based on differential refraction and on the deviation of the flexure model. Note the user can modify this rate via the scale factors under the Rates button on the TCSGUI.
In "F" (fixed) mode, the user specifies the track rate and the system will continually track at the specified rate.
To change modes or modify the fixed rate, click on Rates in the
TCSGUI (located on the far left side about halfway down). This will
bring up a window that allows you to Enable/disable fixed tracking
as well as specify the HA & Dec rates forFixed ratemode.
If Fixed tracking is not enabled, then the Program mode is
used.
Note: The HA & DEC "Rate Multipliers" are applied to the PMAC directly
since these values imply that there is a scale factor error in the servos ystem.
These dynamic values allow tweaking the built-in rates to compensate for mechanical
or object-related drifts. These are applied only when the fixed rate
toggle is not highlighted. (e.g. variable or "program" rate mode).
Manual control of the telescope, dome, wind screens,... is accomplished via the handpaddles. All handpaddles are identical and interchangeable. Currently handpaddles are located at the following locations:
telescope control console (built into the console) *
dome floor *
new cass control room
old cass control room (used for maintenance only)
coude' slit room
Only the "*" locations have slew & search speeds as well as platform & wind screen control.
Each handpaddle has an emergency stop button recessed in the right side of the paddle.
The handpaddles have a small 4 line, backlit LCD display on them. This display is driven by the TCSMON program, so if it is not running, then the handpaddle information will not be updating. (You will also not be able to move the telescope if TCSMON is not running unless you are in maintenance mode.) The backlight intensity is controlled by a knob located on the left side of each handpaddle.
The top two lines (lines 1 & 2) are user selectable (via the black rocker switches located to each side of the display). Possible selections are:
UT, LST, HA, RA (displayed in the same epoch as selected on the TCSGUI), DEC (displayed in the same epoch as selected on the TCSGUI), Focus.
The lower two lines (3 & 4) are used to display handpaddle function and options. Line 3 displays the current function that the joystick is set to and line4 displays the current option (if any) for the specified function. Line 4 also displays an "l" or "L" at the far right to indicate a limit condition for the telescope. "l" indicates a 5 degree limit condition and "L" indicates a 1 degree limit condition.
The function of the joystick is selected via the Function rocker switch locate
