MPG/ESO 2.2m Interlocks
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What to do when the telescope interlocks are fired:

The firing of the interlocks can happen for two main reasons:

a) The telescope running into the pointing limmits

b) An overload in the Kepco amplifiers

In both cases the procedure to recover the telescope and bring it back
to an operational state is the same.

1) Go to the computer room and switch the telescope to analog mode. The
switch is located in the VME rack, just below the Kepco amplifiers, in
the card labeled TCMANA. There is a small `d' in a yellow label at the
right-side of the switch. Put the switch to the left side.

2) In the same rack, turn on the two (upper) Kepco amplifiers turned
off by the interlock firing. Note that sometimes just one of the Kepcos
is turned off.

3) Go to the dome and check that both wormgears are in place, i.e. go
to the control console and turn on the console lights (if they are
turned off, the normal state during observations); look at the two LEDs
labeled `Wormgear out'.  If either of them is red, press the respective
`wormgear in' button. The light will start to blink a and you will hear
some deep strokes comming from the telescope base. Keep the button
pressed until the strokes cease and the light is off.

4) Go to the west side of the telescope base. You will find a handset.
Use it to move the telescope to the zenith position. At this point, if
the telescope doesn't move in alpha and it is pointing to the
northwest, it sometimes helps to push the west piece of the fork up
with your shoulder while trying to move the telescope to the east with
the handset. If the telescope is in an extreme position, pointing
almost flat to the horizon, and it doesn't move, then it has probably
ran into the hard limits and it is not possible to move it without an
external power source. In this case, call the electronic on duty.

5) With the telescope pointing to the zenith, go to the computer room
and switch it back to digital mode (i.e. move the switch to the
right).

6) The next step it to reboot the TCS VME, to do this you have to press
a red reset button located in the VME rack just below the Kepco amplifiers
in the card labeled MVME 167 in the computer room.

7) Re-start the TCS Session (e2p2NewStartUp), then press the button Telescope 
Init and wait for the Telescope to Initialize.

 

 

  

   

    

     

      

       
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Last update: Jun 14, 2002