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Mounting on the telescope

If you are going to dismount NOTCam from the telescope, then go to this link: NOTCam shut-down and dismounting instructions.
  1. Power off the motor controller. (Also the detector controller, if this one had been left on.) Disconnect power cables. Disconnect the orange network cable from the plug in the dome wall. (Note that since June 2012 the optical fibers for NOTCam are always connected and go together with the PTR hoses.) Remove the black instrument cover completely.

  2. Move NOTCam towards the telescope while lowering the PTR hoses which have been lifted towards the dome ceiling. Detach the hoses completely from the hook and lay them on the floor. Raise the hook up again in the high position and fix it. Be careful when handling the hoses! Do not lift the hoses over the instrument. Avoid sharp bends that may produce Helium leaks, and make sure they have a maximum of one loop when NOTCam is mounted!

  3. Take off the lid that covers the entrance window. Makes sure there is no obvious dust particle on the entrance window. If so, blow carefully dry air across it. Don't touch the window.

  4. NOTCam should be oriented with the tubes sticking out towards the lower hatch direction, and the PTR hoses should have a maximum of one loop on the floor. This is achieved by rotating the instrument about 100 degrees from parking orientation, i.e. the shortest way. Seen from above this is clock-wise rotation. See schematic sketch for which way to turn:


    If NOTCam is also turned the correct way when dismounted, we will avoid adding loops on the hoses.

  5. There are mounting marks on the instrument and on the adapter plate. Use the handle to lift NOTCam on its trolley (but don't wind it too rapidly as the chain may jump off its rail). Mount the instrument flange to the adapter with the screws found in a plastic bag on the NOTCam trolley. The differently coloured screws are of different length and should go to the positions as marked on the flange. The 2 red screws have to be fixed with a bolt at the upper side of the adapter plate (use tool hanging behind entrance door). Before taking the trolley away, fix and tighten the 2 red and the all the yellow screws, i.e. on the StanCam side and the side towards the lower hatch. Also, put in the 4 grey screws you can reach but only hand-tighten. Then remove the trolley, put in the remaining 2 grey screws and make sure all are tightened. Note that currently (by Jan 2016) 2 holes in the adapter plate are damaged at two yellow screw positions on the StanCam side!

  6. Mount the arm for the extra weights with 3 screws. The arm will stick out towards the StanCam metal triangle. One of the 3 screws is 70mm long, while the others are 60mm. Their position is marked on the arm, never put the long one in under StanCam! Put on 43.75 kilos, i.e. 4 disks of 10 kg each, 1 of 2.5 kg and 1 of 1.25 kg.

  7. Check and connect cables:
    • Connect the orange network cable to the 3Com network switch on the adapter (any slot). Make sure the other end is connected at the black small box called NPort 5210 next to the NOTCam motor controller.
    • Make sure the shutter cable between the motor controller and the array controller has been connected, though this should never be disconnected!
    • For shutter monitoring in the control room, find among the cables coming through the hole in the floor a grey cable marked NOTCam (Spare), wrap this once around the thick grey NOTCam motor cables (to prevent the cable pulling directly on the connector) and connect it to the virtually identical connector from the motor controller. Tighten finger tight, don't use any tools.


      Click on image to enlarge
    • Connect the black power cable to mains in the adapter. This cable connects to the instrument via a rack of sockets. Make sure the switch is on!


  8. Make sure that the fiber connected to the controller is not stressed!

  9. Make sure that the required LN2 for the night has been filled already (it is not advisable to fill it just before mounting). Put the special cork in the fill tube. NB! Only so far that just one black ring is inside.

  10. Power on the motor and detector controller units.

  11. In the control room switch on the "NOTCam buzzer" on the wall behind the Lisa terminal. This is the shutter monitoring alarm.

  12. See the NOTCam Cookbook for how to start the software. Make sure that both the camera and the motor controller respond. Check that there are no timeout on any wheels. Take an image, e.g. dark 0 to check that the array reads out well. Note that the first few are always crap, so take 4-5 or more.

  13. Balance the telescope. Set the counter weights to position by typing on the TCS the command count-w-hei .

    • You can check how well the telscope is balanced by putting the telescope to alt 60 (zenith angle 30) and opening the mirror covers (o-m-c), and then look at TCS status page 3, where the currents to the two altitude motors are displayed. These currents (Altitude Motor 1 and 2) should have approximately equal absolute values. Then type zenith to put the telescope back.


  14. The default telescope focus is , and set with the command foc-pos . This should be close to the real focus for the WF camera and any of the K-band filters and is set automatically when running tcs.setup-tel-notcam, which should be done when the telescope has power.

  15. Check web page: First night NOTCam goes on telescope for the tests to be done in the afternoon and on the sky after every mounting of NOTCam.