Palomar LGSAO Engineering Summary 11/16/05 UT

Daytime results:
1. Tested BTO open-loop alignment, slewing telescope from zenith to el=70 in 4 cardinal directions.
2. Installed ND filters (Q1=ND3, Q2=ND2, Q3=ND3).
3. Installed V filter in front of Acq. camera
4. Performed fine alignment of HOWFS reflective spot.
5. Performed UTT hardware test - apparently successful.
6. HOWFS timing board found to have problems.  Chris removed board and is investigating.

Night log:
1830 Adjusting LLT fold mirror to center HeNe beam on reticles.  Adjusted Q3 beamsplitter to center LLT on Q3.  Optimum LLT posn.: llt_a=15.0, llt_b=-50.0
1940 Opening to boresight LLT to 200".  Setting up Pulnix camera to view through LLT.
2000 In parallel, aligning laser to polar axis in Coude lab.  Discovered problem with safety interlock system - solved by restarting BTO software.
2100 Moving to moon for LLT boresighting.  Set LLT focus to 5750.
2110 Can control BTO from TAO! (using IP 209.242.146.144)
2127 Moving to Beta Andromeda for LLT collimation and image quality test.
2127 Telescope focus: 57.87mm.  Seeing: 1.6" at 2.3 microns = 2.2 in V.
2156 Seeing 2.0" in V.
2220 Best focus: 5750um; 40 pix = 3.2"
2226 On Alpha Tauri.  Big mask + 2 annuli.  Best focus: 5800, 37 pix = 3.0"
2236 Big mask + 4 annuli.  Same result.
2245 Reconfiguring LLT for laser projection.  Arming safety system.
0015 Successfully projected in dome & closed servo loop with Q3 jumpered.
0035 Projecting in dome and closing servo loop with Q3 interlock active, delay=20ms.  Successful.
0045 Focusing laser on LLT primary.  Final spot 95% contained in "ring" (60% radius), well centered.
0110 Laser at 4W, stable.
0120 Attempting to project laser at zenith.  Safety systems tripping out every time.  Cause unclear.
0145 Closing dome to diagnose.  Found cause of error - power meter in beam path.
0200 Opening dome.
0210 Attempting to project.  Shuttered by Q3 interlock.  BTO appears misaligned.
0212 Closing dome to realign BTO.
0225 Opening dome.
0235 Projecting laser at zenith.  Shuttered by ASCAM.
0240 Suspect Q3 interlock - jumpering BTO and ASCAM.
0245 Projecting on sky, steering beam into Q2 manually.  Closing BTO servo.
0255 Cannot find LGS.  Raleigh very weak.  Power reported by Ed: 3.6 W.
0345 Visually inspected beam - nothing appears unusual.
0350 Power 3.9W at SFGB exit, 3.6W at coude window.
0354 Taking llt_on_1.fits/llt_off_na_1.fits. No detection.
0400 Checking seeing on V=6.2 star.  Seeing is 2.0" in V.
0415 Checking LLT alignment to laser.  Found to be off by 30", corrected.
0450 Shuttering laser for FAA compliance
0515 Calling it a night.