General Principles

...

General Principles

• DO NOT use control-c to stop a script, this can leave the instrument in an unsafe state. Use kpfconfig.SCRIPTSTOP to request a stop (also available as a button in the KPF OB GUI).

...

Setting SCRIPTSTOP to “Yes” will request that the running script terminate in an orderly fashion. This may take several minutes depending on when the running script reaches a sensible breakpoint. It is important to use SCRIPTSTOP to halt a script (instead of hitting ctrl-c) because cleanup actions will be performed after a SCRIPTSTOP (e.g. turning off laps to preserve their lifetime).

...

The agitator can be reenabled by simply setting the keyword to “Yes”. This should only be done by WMKO staff and should only be done if the agitator is fully functional. A broken or misbehaving agitator mechanism presents a significant danger to the science fibers.

...

The cal source has likely been disabled for a reason. Reenabling it should only be done by WMKO staff with knowledge of why it was disabled in the first place.

SlewCal or Simultaneous Calibration Source is Wrong

...

These two sources are set from the same place and are always kept to the same value using the kpfconfig.SIMULCALSOURCE keyword.

Solution

This value should only be changed by WMKO staff. The choice of calibration source is influenced by our desire to maintain the lifetime of the various lamps and calibration sources and by the need for warmup times on certain sources. This is not something the user should adjust, contact a WMKO Staff Astronomer if you feel it is set incorrectly.

Etalon Light Source is Off

Symptom

There is no light visible from the etalon in spectra.

This can be confirmed visually looking at the fibers coming from the SuperK light source which feeds the etalon. Under normal conditions, glow can be seen at some fiber interfaces.

Problem

The Super-K light source is off or otherwise incapacitated.

Solution

Note: A safety issue is that the super-K puts out considerable power, including in the infrared.  The optical output is connected to the etalon so this won’t be a problem.  But one shouldn’t disconnect that fiber and look into the beam.  It is exceptionally bright in the optical so this is probably obvious, but I mention it just in case.

Check that the SuperK is powered on at the PDU (port M7 available via the Power GUI, or gshow -s kpfpower OUTLET_M7).

If the system is powered on, check that the interlock lights are green as seen in the photo below. The interlock is just two very thin wires that I twisted together.

Check that the key is in the On position (see photo below)

...

If these indicate that the status is ok, then the SuperK may need to be powered on from software. There is currently no keyword based client for this and this must be done from a Windows machine running the NKT Control software. There is a small Windows machine (tc-su-kpfetalon or 10.104.10.157) connected via USB which is accessible via VNC (note: As of 2023 July, not all accounts have permissions to VNC in to this machine).

Once connected via VNC, the Control software should be available on the desktop. Start that and connect to the device. Once connected, the system should look like the screenshot below when in an operational state. The power on the light, use the “Emission ON/OFF” button.

...

Guider

Target is not Visible in Guider

...

The detector has likely been disabled for a reason. Reenabling it should only be done by WMKO staff with knowledge of why it was disabled in the first place.

Detector Fails to Trigger Without Error

...