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SPUPNIC

No change in size, 14:58, 17 October 2023
== Recent Updates ==
*'''October 2023:''' The new autoguider that forms part of the instrument selector to accommodate both SpUpNIC and SHOC has been commissioned. There are slight changes to the operation of the autoguider, and <span style="color:red">observers now needs to connect to a new TCS PC (tcs74v4.suth) to use the telescope with SpUpNIC.</span>
 
== Change Log ==
*'''October 2023:''' The new autoguider that forms part of the instrument selector to accommodate both SpUpNIC and SHOC has been commissioned. There are slight changes to the operation of the autoguider, and observers now needs to connect to a new TCS PC (tcs74v4.suth) to use the telescope with SpUpNIC.
*'''27 September 2017:''' SpUpNIC back in service after fixing a bad connection within the pre-amp electronics. On 8 September the detector began producing only zeros and after extensive trouble-shooting, the detector package was removed from the instrument (on 13 September) and sent down to Cape Town for further investigation and subsequent repair. A total of 12 scheduled nights were lost to this extremely serious failure (although the two observers affected worked with SHOC instead).
*'''3 August 2017:''' Completed extensive testing of various gratings (particularly G7) in order to characterise the ghosting issues reported previously.
*'''29 July 2017:''' Moved the SpUpNIC utility panel to improve the routing of the cables and air hose for the pneumatics to reduce the pointing restrictions in the south east. New software limits will soon be implemented to take advantage of the increased clearance between the spectrograph and the north pier.
*'''10 April 2017:''' G7 replaced with an almost identical new one that does not have fingerprints or scratches! The blaze of the new one is at 5000A, rather than 4600A, since the latter is no longer available from the manufacturer. The 5000A blaze is also a better match for the peak response of this CCD.
* '''30 March 2017:''' New functionality added to the GUI for the rear-of-slit (Lodestar) camera to allow background subtraction. There is now also a slider bar to adjust the brightness of the display, this works best with background subtraction applied.
* '''20-25 January 2017:''' Engineering run during which the cryostat was re-aligned to the rest of the instrument in an attempt to remove what was thought to be coma in the images. Eventually concluded that the faint tails extending redward of arc lines are an optical ghost - a series of reflections thought to arise as light bounces between the CCD and the field-flattener lens that forms the cryostat window. There is no simple fix for this so the effect will just have to be quantified.
* '''21 December 2016:''' Initial documentation for Quick-Look GUI added: https://topswiki.saao.ac.za/index.php/Quick_Look_Tool
* '''6-13 December 2016:''' Another intensive week of software refinement! Highlights include the introduction of: the ability to send target coordinates from the SpUpNIC target catalogue file to the TCS (both for pointing and for downloading finder charts), a new exposure tab for automatically running sequences of exposures (e.g. arc-object-arc procedures), a more streamlined Hartmann routine, as well as the general tidying up of various minor software issues. Also the start of comprehensive documentation of the SpUpNIC Control and Quick-Look GUIs.
* '''9 November 2016:''' Installed a new grating lock that restores full software control of the grating mechanism, while maintaining stability of the grating angle. The user can now change gratings and optimise the wavelength range by changing the grating angle via the SpUpNIC Control GUI (without having to call for technical support).
* '''5 August 2016:''' The cryostat lost vacuum and warmed up. We're not sure what caused this, but suspect that the cryostat valve had not been closed tightly enough and so the vacuum gradually degraded. Leak-testing revealed nothing so we pumped the cryostat over night and the observers were back on-sky a night later.
* '''30 July 2016:''' A new version of the Quick-Look GUI has been installed and seems to be working reliably, please report any issues to Lisa Crause (lisa_at_saao.ac.za).
* '''28 July 2016:''' The SpUpNIC optics fogged up due to a massive condensation event in the 1.9-m dome. A temporary dry nitrogen purge was introduced into the instrument to drive out the moisture - fortunately no real harm was done.
* '''1 June 2016:''' Disabled the input field and ''Go'' button for changing the grating angle in the instrument control GUI (to accompany the hardware changes described below). Please contact the standby electronics technician if you wish to change either the grating angle or the grating.
* '''26 May 2016:''' A mechanical brake was installed on the grating mechanism to eliminate play in the system (this will be replaced with an electro-mechanical solution to be developed over the coming months).
* '''25 May 2016:''' The inner surfaces of the instrument covers were coated with resin to stop the generation of fine fibre-glass dust.
* '''5 May 2016:''' The optics in the lower box were cleaned to get rid of the fine dust that was being liberated by the instrument covers.
* '''16-23 December 2015:''' The SpUpNIC software evolved substantially during this week. The wiki has been adapted to reflect these and other subsequent changes.
== Quick Start ==
==Technical Notes==
 
== Change Log ==
*'''October 2023:''' The new autoguider that forms part of the instrument selector to accommodate both SpUpNIC and SHOC has been commissioned. There are slight changes to the operation of the autoguider, and observers now needs to connect to a new TCS PC (tcs74v4.suth) to use the telescope with SpUpNIC.
*'''27 September 2017:''' SpUpNIC back in service after fixing a bad connection within the pre-amp electronics. On 8 September the detector began producing only zeros and after extensive trouble-shooting, the detector package was removed from the instrument (on 13 September) and sent down to Cape Town for further investigation and subsequent repair. A total of 12 scheduled nights were lost to this extremely serious failure (although the two observers affected worked with SHOC instead).
*'''3 August 2017:''' Completed extensive testing of various gratings (particularly G7) in order to characterise the ghosting issues reported previously.
*'''29 July 2017:''' Moved the SpUpNIC utility panel to improve the routing of the cables and air hose for the pneumatics to reduce the pointing restrictions in the south east. New software limits will soon be implemented to take advantage of the increased clearance between the spectrograph and the north pier.
*'''10 April 2017:''' G7 replaced with an almost identical new one that does not have fingerprints or scratches! The blaze of the new one is at 5000A, rather than 4600A, since the latter is no longer available from the manufacturer. The 5000A blaze is also a better match for the peak response of this CCD.
* '''30 March 2017:''' New functionality added to the GUI for the rear-of-slit (Lodestar) camera to allow background subtraction. There is now also a slider bar to adjust the brightness of the display, this works best with background subtraction applied.
* '''20-25 January 2017:''' Engineering run during which the cryostat was re-aligned to the rest of the instrument in an attempt to remove what was thought to be coma in the images. Eventually concluded that the faint tails extending redward of arc lines are an optical ghost - a series of reflections thought to arise as light bounces between the CCD and the field-flattener lens that forms the cryostat window. There is no simple fix for this so the effect will just have to be quantified.
* '''21 December 2016:''' Initial documentation for Quick-Look GUI added: https://topswiki.saao.ac.za/index.php/Quick_Look_Tool
* '''6-13 December 2016:''' Another intensive week of software refinement! Highlights include the introduction of: the ability to send target coordinates from the SpUpNIC target catalogue file to the TCS (both for pointing and for downloading finder charts), a new exposure tab for automatically running sequences of exposures (e.g. arc-object-arc procedures), a more streamlined Hartmann routine, as well as the general tidying up of various minor software issues. Also the start of comprehensive documentation of the SpUpNIC Control and Quick-Look GUIs.
* '''9 November 2016:''' Installed a new grating lock that restores full software control of the grating mechanism, while maintaining stability of the grating angle. The user can now change gratings and optimise the wavelength range by changing the grating angle via the SpUpNIC Control GUI (without having to call for technical support).
* '''5 August 2016:''' The cryostat lost vacuum and warmed up. We're not sure what caused this, but suspect that the cryostat valve had not been closed tightly enough and so the vacuum gradually degraded. Leak-testing revealed nothing so we pumped the cryostat over night and the observers were back on-sky a night later.
* '''30 July 2016:''' A new version of the Quick-Look GUI has been installed and seems to be working reliably, please report any issues to Lisa Crause (lisa_at_saao.ac.za).
* '''28 July 2016:''' The SpUpNIC optics fogged up due to a massive condensation event in the 1.9-m dome. A temporary dry nitrogen purge was introduced into the instrument to drive out the moisture - fortunately no real harm was done.
* '''1 June 2016:''' Disabled the input field and ''Go'' button for changing the grating angle in the instrument control GUI (to accompany the hardware changes described below). Please contact the standby electronics technician if you wish to change either the grating angle or the grating.
* '''26 May 2016:''' A mechanical brake was installed on the grating mechanism to eliminate play in the system (this will be replaced with an electro-mechanical solution to be developed over the coming months).
* '''25 May 2016:''' The inner surfaces of the instrument covers were coated with resin to stop the generation of fine fibre-glass dust.
* '''5 May 2016:''' The optics in the lower box were cleaned to get rid of the fine dust that was being liberated by the instrument covers.
* '''16-23 December 2015:''' The SpUpNIC software evolved substantially during this week. The wiki has been adapted to reflect these and other subsequent changes.
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