Changes

SiTech

166 bytes added, 13 March
/* Starting Autoguider software */
11. Open another terminal tab (terminal #3) on ioserver1 and log in to lesedis2. If the autoguider backend software was open when SiTech shutdown then it has probably hung and won't respond to the red EXIT button. We need to kill it:
ssh -Y observer@lesedis2.suth.saao.ac.za
ps aux | grep readPLC
kill -9 xxxxx ''(where xxxxx is the process ID reported from the ps aux task - kill all such processes)''
5. '''Dome closes unexpectedly and no other subsystem is affected''' (mirror covers stay open, telescope keeps tracking, etc.). Check the SiTech dome GUI for a "watchdog timeout" in the small font list of statuses. If this is listed, power cycle the dome muscle box, then close the autoguider software, close the SiTech software, and [[#Starting SiTech software| restart SiTech]] and all subsequent services.
6. '''Loss of dome comms'''. The symptom will be that the dome won't move to a new target, or that it has closed without warning (without parking the telescope or closing the mirror covers: those actions suggest an LCU shutdown). A red warning button will appear labelled "Bad Dome Comms" in the Dome GUI - clicking it should solve the problem. If it does, go to the browser TCS Advanced tab, and in the central panel click "TAKE CONTROL". If the dome had closed without good reason in the middle of observing, CLOSE the mirror covers, then turn dome "Tracking" ON, OPEN the dome then the mirror covers. If comms are not restored this way, then press Shutdown on the browser TCS and follow the full instructions on [[#Starting SiTech software| starting SiTech software]] to restart. Then reload the browser TCS and [[#Starting SiTech software| run the telescope startup procedure.]].
7. '''Focus is unresponsive'''. This is typically a comms loss to the SiTech focuser GUI and doesn't respond to the instructions in point 2. Follow the full instructions on [[#Starting SiTech software| starting SiTech software]] to restart.
The serial number of the rotator controller is A603G14W, so this confirms that the rotators are communicating on port ttyUSB1. If the above command gives you a different serial number, edit the command to try each port from ttyUSB0 to ttyUSB5 until you find A603G14W. Now go to the ServoSCommunicator GUI and select the Rotators tab. In the dropdown menu, select the appropriate port - in this case ttyUSB1. Go to each of the Left Rotator GUI and the Right Rotator GUI and click on the pink warning complaining of no comms. If the warning doesn't clear, shutdown and restart all SiTech. ServoSCommunicator should wake up with the ttyUSB1 port selected, and communications to the rotator GUIs should be restored.
9. '''The telescope won't slew''' - in robotic mode this is likely discovered as '''telescope isn't in the park position in the morning'''. First check that the telescope is "unparked " in the software and -- if trying to point -- that the target is within the visibility window (the TCS web GUI has a visibility calculator). If those things are fine, the telescope may have triggered the azimuth hardware limit switch. This sometimes happens if the telescope is at azimuth ~163-175degrees. Go to the SiTechExe GUI (the long, thin one) and at the top of the "Scope " tab, check if any of the arrows are red or orange. If they are, click the "STOP" button toward the bottom of the GUI, then click the opposite arrow a few times to nudge the telescope out of the limit. If the motors are in "blinky", you may need to click the button at the bottom to switch the motors to automatic.
10. '''Telescope won't slew: motors are in "blinky" mode and won't switch to auto.''' There is likely an error on the alt and/or az controller board which will need to be reset. Find the SiTechExe GUI (the long, thin one) and try pressing the button at the very bottom to switch the motors to Auto. If it does nothing, select the "Features" tab on the same GUI. Press the "Controller Stuff" button, which will open the "Controller Information Window". There are two columns in this GUI, one for alt, one for az. There is a text box about two-thirds of the way down each column, which will either say "No Errors", or list some errors. If there is an error in the box, click the "Reset Errors" button directly underneath that text box. '''Be very careful not to click any other button.''' If that has fixed the problem, the motors will now be in Auto mode - the button in the top left corner will say "To Manual (Blinky)", and the long, thin SiTechExe button will say "Motors Automatic" at the bottom. Close the Controller Information Window and resume operations. This almost always solves the problem, but if it persists, go to 8a10a).
10a) If point 8 10 didn't get the telescope motors back to Auto mode, close all SiTech software, power cycle the raspberry Pi in the altaz controller box under the North pier, then restart SiTech. If the motors aren't in Auto and can't be switched to Auto on startup, check for errors as per point 8 10 above. Still got trouble? Go to 8b10b.
10b) If 8 10 & 8a10a) don't solve the problem, close all SiTech software and reset the SiTech altaz controller under the North pier, then restart the SiTech software. If the motors aren't in Auto and can't be switched to Auto on startup, check for errors as per point 8 above.
11. '''North-South on the image is not aligned with columns on the instrument detector.''' On the SiTech rotator GUI, on the "Config Page 1" tab, there are two boxes that need to be ticked to keep North aligned with either "up" or "down" on the detector. Tick these two boxes on the SiTech Right Rotator Control GUI for Mookodi, or the Left Rotator for Sibonise:
* "Track PA (Parallactic Angle) (Keep North Up)"
* "If PA is out of range, Track PA+-180"
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