ADC - GUI Documentation

News

v1.3 (2022-09-26)

Renamed the "Other" stage to "Mirror".

Added the mirror state to the response to the "STATUS" request (TCP/IP interface).

IFUM needs access to the stage states to write them to the FITS header.

HighSierra deployment target.

Screen Shots and Software Documenation

Configuration

Please select the appropriate IP-numbers for the Acromags and the name of the telescope operator computer; then press OK to startup the main window.
If Auto Startup is selected on the Preferences window, the Configuration window will not be displayed and the GUI will use the settings from the previous session.

ADC Main Window

Press the Run/Park button to run or park the ADC.

"Run":

Selects the check-mark at the telescope update button.

This periodically updates the telescope information (elevation and rotator).

The update period may be set on the Preferences window.

Inserts the ADC (Stage-1)

Automatically controls the prism angles (Control=Auto)

"Park":

de-selects the check-mark at the telescope update button

retracts the ADC (Stage-1)

turns off the prism angle control (Control=Off)

If the ADC is inserted but the Update button is not checked or the Control is off, there will be a warning icon at the center of the main window:

Preferences

Auto Startup: do not show the Configuration window and startup the main window directly.

Control Interval: The ADC GUI will request the telesecope position at this interval and calculate the prism angles.

If the Control is in Auto the prisms will be rotated to the just calculated angles.

Mode: should be in Normal

The other modes ("No Dispersion", "Inverted") are for engineering only.

Calibration Window

When you open the calibration window, you first select the Prism. When you click “Start Calibration” the GUI will start reading the voltages from the encoder and open window with a plot of the raw readout and the current calculated angle. The readout should be constant until you click the “+” or “-“ button to start the motor.
Once the motor is running the values should change in a co/sinus wave. Let it run until you have done at least two full revolutions; the GUI will display the minimum and maximum values (in counts) while the motor rotates and update a second plot window with the current calculated angle (assuming the current min/max values). Once the min/max values do not change anymore you should click the “Stop calibration” button and the GUI will open a window with the measured min/max values for the co/sinus curves. That window will ask “Save Calibration?” . Upto that point you may use the “Calibration” window as a debug-tool, by just answering “No”, after “Stop Calibration”.
Once you have a valid calibration and press “Yes”, the GUI will store the min/max values and use them for the angle calculation. Now you need to adjust the ‘Phase’ so that the angle shows ‘0’ when the dot is at the fiducial position (see above).

The preferences and the calibration are stored at /Users/Shared/Library/Preferences/edu.carnegiescience.obs.ADC

Once the "Control" has been turned on, the blue dot should be up and the red dot pointing down when the telescope is at the zenith.
When the telescope is at 30 deg elevation (and below) both dots should point in the same direction, perpendicular to the telescope tube.
Table courtesy of Dave Osip:

Elevation	A-prism	B prism
90	-180.0	0.0
80	-173.9	-6.1
60	-159.7	-20.3
50	-149.7	-30.3
40	-134.3	-45.7
30	-90.0	-90.0

TCP/IP Server

Protocol

All communications are initiated by the client.

Commands are terminated by a [LF] (0x0a) character.

Responses are terminated by a [LF] (0x0a) character.

Command List

command: version

response: version-string

eg "0008"

command: status

response: stage control

stage= "in" or "out"

control= "auto" or "off"

example: "in auto" (ADC stage inserted and active control)