********************* * Setting Up Gemini * ********************* 02 July 2001 - Notes from check-out on 05.08.01 *** IMPORTNAT *** MAKE SURE THE MOTOR DRIVER IS OFF AT THE END OF THE NIGHT (and on again in the afternoon). There are three boxes stacked vertically at the instrument base. The motor driver is on top; the motor controller is next (the beige bar); 14 transputers are at bottom (white crate with green switch on opposite side). Turn the motor driver off at the end of the night; leave the motor controller on (unless trouble-shooting); and leave the transputers (also unless trouble- shooting / cycling the power). ------------------ A. Assorted Facts ------------------ 1. The TV displays images in counts / co-add. 2. Make small telescope moves from the user interface (e.g. between two runs of a nine-pointing script). 3. You may want to fill the dewers at sometime in the middle of the night. Talk to your TO about this. 4. The reference we've been using for standards is Persson et al. 1998, AJ 116, 2475. Better yet, take them from http://herbie.ucolick.org/techdocs/standards/IRstds_UKIRT.html ---------------------- B. Instrument Set-Up ---------------------- 1. Start the Gemini software. (Refer to item #7 of the Gemini Quick Reference Sheet in the Gemini instrument manual for more details.) ** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** old *** olD *** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** ** *** ** a) Exit Windows, if applicable. *** ** b) Type "gemsetup" at C prompt. *** ** c) Type "CTRL-ALT-DEL". *** ** d) At C:> cd Gemini. *** ** e) At C:\Gemini> gemini/licktcs *** ** f) DO NOT INITIALIZE STEPPER MOTORS -- that is, type "N" at prompt. *** ** *** ** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** You no longer have to do any of this crap. Just type "gemini/licktcs" in the GEMINI directory to start the control software, or type "wi" to start windows. (As of 2002 May) 2. Turn the motor driver on, if necessary. While you're out there, check the CCD temperatures. NICMOS detector should be below 80 K. (This is channel 2.) SBRC detector should be 28 K. (This is also channel 2.) 3. Accept the defaults under the general set-up except for obvious stuff like "observer". (See the GUI section of the Gemini instrument manual for more details.) 4. Check switches (under "engineering"). This will allow you to verify all motor positions. If the primary switch is "on" after initialization, you can believe the motor positions on the GUI. 5. Initialize filter wheel (under "engineering"). This won't be necessary if the filters were left in the "blank" position, which is the expectation of the default general set-up menu. It never hurts to intialize! Engineering -> Motor Init -> LW Filter/SW Filter When initializing the motors, they will go to the blank position, though the user interface may not update immediately. (Hit F1/F2 to kick 'em.) 6. Take a test frame. Set A with F1. Set B with F2. Use: time = 1 coadd = 1 sampmode = CDS mulreads = 1 Now do "test 2" with CTRL+F4. These should look like the biases in the manual. ----------------------------- C. Observing Order of Events ----------------------------- 1. In the afternoon, take your bias frames. You want the shortest exposure time available for 16 multireads, which is 1.52 seconds. Use "blank" for the filter position. Maybe use "do10" script. 2. Do some dark frames, which should have the same exposure times as both science, standard star, and your twiflats. Examples: Science: 40 x 3 6 x 20 Twiflats: 10 x 1 5 x 2 Standards: 2 x 5 2 x 5 3. Go to dinner. 4. Do your twiflats. I'm going to outline the Bunker method here. At sunset, take test exposures until they're not saturated. Exposure times: Twiflats: 10 x 1 5 x 2 Saturation levels: Chip A: 0 < DN < 5000 Chip B: 0 < DN < 4000 These are counts per coadd, which is what's reported by the TV monitor. When watching the counts, bear in mind that they wrap! They K' channel should "unsaturate" first. Now keep going until the counts level out. You should be seeing numbers like: K ~ 2200 J ~ 2500 Check out the reduction notes for the rationale behind this technique. 5. Historically, sometimes a seeing test happens here. 6. Focus the instrument. The focus is going to be different on the two sides, so you'll have to pick a compromise value. They focus was set to 314 at the time of this writing, so we stepped from 308 to 320 in steps of 2 with a test exposure at each value. Check the FWHM of some star with F9 on the TV at each test exposure. NOTE -- always approach the focus value from below; there's some historesis in the controller. Also, move the telescope between shots, to facilitate the quick-math function (which helps you find the stars for a FWHM cut). Here's a good algorithm: a) Set focus. b) Take snapshot. c) Move telescope. d) Take second snapshot at this focus. e) Use math function to subtract images. Check FWHM. f) Change focus. g) Move telescope. h) Take snapshot. i) Use math function to subtract images. Check FWHM. j) Repeat through (f) until you pass through the focus minimum. By the way, you might as well focus on your standard, since you're going to want to hit that next, anyway. 7. Hit a standard star. After focusing, use F11 to put the standard star in the center of the CCD. (F11 is the "astrometry" button.) Run a five point mosaic with the "std5_ml" script. Check that the standard is not saturated! Note that there's no need to guide while taking the standard. Typical standard times are: Standards: 2 x 5 2 x 5 8. Go to your first science target. Here's the order of events, assuming you want to do two nine-point mosaics on a target, with a small move between 'em. a) T.O. goes to field. b) T.O. finds guide star. c) Start a script. The script puts the reticle on the guider TV. d) T.O. moves guide star to reticle. e) First run of script! It'll hit nine points. f) Go off guiding. h) Move telescope around with F11 astrometry key. i) Start the script to get the reticle on the screen... (go to d) Typical target exposure times are: Science: 40 x 3 6 x 20 Some sample nine point mosaics are: nine_ml nine_l2 (?) nine_mc A note about adjusting the reticle: In the N-S direction, the star moves in the expected sense, according to the pointing of the joystick. In the E-W direction, the star moves in the opposite sense. 9. More science. You may want to fill the dewers midway through the night. 10. Finish the night with another standard. You can also do more twiflats here, if you're not happy with your sample from the beginning of the night. 11. FTP your data down. TURN OFF THE MOTOR DRIVER! Also, you might as well blank the filter wheels. ------------------------- D. Getting the Data Down ------------------------- ** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** ** *** ** 1. Quit out of the telescope control software. *** ** *** ** 2. At prompt, type "winsetup". *** ** *** ** 3. Reboot with "CTRL+ALT+DEL". *** ** *** ** 4. At prompt, type "win". Windows should boot up. *** ** ** 5. Click on an FTP program. ** ** 6. Now follow item #10 from the Gemini Quick eference Sheet in the Gemini ** instrument manual... ** ** a) At ftp prompt: ftp shane.ucolick.org ** b) Change local directory: lcd d:\gemini\data ** c) Change destination directory: cd /u/Observers/janet ** d) Move your stuff: mput * ** ** NOTES: The local directory in (b) should jive with what you had setup ** on the Gemini general set-up menu. The destination directory ** in (c) is something you set up. From orthrus, the example ** directory would be /net/shane/u/Observers/janet. ** ** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** OLD *** You no longer have to do any of this crap. Just type "gemini/licktcs" in the GEMINI directory to start the control software, or type "wi" to start windows. (As of 2002 May) Click on the ftp program -- it should automatically go to your data directory. Click under server to select the ftp destination -- I added orthrus. Set origin directory to D:\gemini\data and set the destination directory to whereever you want; I chose /u/Observers/dawson on orthrus. Now drag and drop from the data window to the destination window (hold down the shift key, thar, slick...). -------------------- E. Trouble Shooting -------------------- 1. Gemini software would not start. Typed "check" to check motor status. Was told that #15 was missing -> go turn on motor at instrument. 2. Test frame looks screwy. Check the temperatures. NICMOS detector should be 78 K. (This is channel 2.) SBRC detector should be 28 K. (This is also channel 2.) 3. I have a note about initializing the dichroic before changing it. This shouldn't affect us, as we don't move the dichroic during the night. Still, file this away in the ol' bean, huh? 4. If communication to the CCD is down, try "reset PC-T". 5. It never hurts to initialize the motors. 6. Rebooting: a) Hit "CTRL+ALT+DEL". b) cd gemini c) gemini/licktcs d) Now check your switches! e) May need to initialize filter wheel! ----------- F. Scripts ----------- To check out existing scripts, escape to DOS, then "cd script". To go back to the user interface, type "exit" at the prompt.