BoloChkList

MAMBO2/ABBA2 Checklist

This document describe the checks and test that must be done before and during the Bolometer pool, as well as the frequency needed for these tests. (Maintained by GQ.)

The tests are divided into different groups, as they supposed to be carried by different groups of the IRAM staff (operators, AoDs, or Rxs)

AOD CHECKLIST

• Any observer from a B-rated project has 4 hours of observation granted. But just this. Any increase of time has to be or

agreed by the pool coordinator of based in that no other projects can be observed at that moment.

• Teach the observers on the general aspects of the observation even the expert MAMBO observers (weekly):

  • CookbookPako.

  • When to switch to heterodyne ?
  • What is a spiky scan ?
  • What is a jump in signal ?
  • Not to open a second monitor at flexible@mrt-lx3:monitor/
  • Do you know the answer to these questions? If not, ask the pool coordinator well in advance ( to avoid the problems to be not noticed)

• Start the PoolGuide. (not now)

• Observations on absorber (AbsorberObs, at least once per week!)

  • Do when the weather is too bad even for heterodyne observations.
  • Do if the scans are too spiky

• Do a Beam Map

• Check the cable connections of ABBA (if ABBA does not react)

BOLOMETER TEST CHECKLIST

This section details the test to be done with the bolometer, previous to the pool observations. Both general tests and particular session tests must be done. Also the Alignment test in case MAMBO has been reinstalled.

GENERAL TESTS:

• Perform Skydips (discrete and slewed). Slewed skydips is still not working correctly

• Slew by ~270 degrees before doing a pointing.

• Do absorber observations.

• If weather is good and stable enough do a Beam Map

• Test the normal observing modes.

• Test the PoolGuide tool and the online database reduction.

ALIGNMENT TEST LIST:

• If MAMBO2 has been reinstalled first a optical alignment must be done.
• Do a pointing model. During night covering all the sky in az. and el. The coverage can be checked with the regular mopsic macros used to plot the pointing corrections.
• The pointing corrections should similar than those before.
• The pointing corrections should be the same for different bolometers. Use the macros roff20, roff53, roff8, roff3 which are located in different regions of MAMBO.
• The spillover in sources below some Jy should show two halves of a circle. However this pattern has not been seen for years. Nowadays the know-but-bad patter is ok, since we have not been able to get anything better (so far).

TEST PRIOR TO POOL S09:

• Check if there is signal jumps. If so, change the ABBA2 version and check again.
• Beam stability tests. To check for the reasons on the elongation show in the deep field maps.
• Do on-off observations at 2 deg. from the sun to check its effects.

ABBA2 TEST CHECKLIST

This tests are required mainly if the ABBA2 version has changed.

• Verify that configuration changes works e.g. setting the gain. (e.g. pointing on a planet with different gains.)
• Change observing mode (i.e total power and wobbler switching

• Offline stability test. ABBA offline tests

  • Note that this tests only reproduce the 1-phase observations (i.e. total power).

Other ABBA issues

• How to open the ABBA2 monitor:

 vncviewer -shared mrt-abba:2 

If ABBA2 needs to be rebooted, the ABBA2 software is initialized automatically. If two ABBA2 processes are running it will not work at all.

• Change to ABBA2 previous software version: SwitchAbbaSoftVersion

ABBA2 Labview versions

Some notes on Operator duties

• Check the bolometer temperature
• Check that the paddle motor works.

• Fill the bolometer: https://gra-lx1.iram.es/mainWiki/BolometerCooldownInstructions

Remember to remove the cable from the box when He3 is recycled manually

Some notes on receiver engineer duties

• Check the resistance
• Check battery voltage
• Check the Bias voltage

• Check the blank/sync Signal at ABBA2 with an oscilloscope. (During tests, and/or if strong spikes appear)

• Check the analog signals after the preamplifier while covering the entrance window with a metal plate. (During tests, and/or if strong spikes appear)

USEFUL DOCUMENTATION

• ABBA2 short description: abba2_short_description.pdf

• ABBA2 cable conections: abba2.png

PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

This is a quick guide through normal problems that appeared in the past and the possible reasons and solutions.

• PROBLEM	REASON	SOLUTION
  Bololog is not updated	goPool has not been sent	Ask the operator to do so
  Mopsic Monitor is not working	There is other monitor running and the DAFS files have been corrupted	Stop the second monitor and recreate the DAFS
  ABBA does not start getting data	Wobbler is not wobbling	Ask the operator
  ABBA process (labview) do not start	Other Labview might be running	check the processes and kill all labviews
  ABBA does not start getting data	Wobbler works fine but the signal did not reach ABBA	Check the cable connections with ABBA
  The skydip results are abnormally high	The paddle is put in from of the beam	Ask the operator to try it by hand or contact the Rx people