MDM Trouble Report for 2008 Jun 20

Telescope: 2.4m
Observer(s): Thorstensen, Skinner (Dartmouth)
Instrument: echelle CCD + 4in FW

Problem(s) Encountered:
The guide probe focus slide slips (motor mike is not working
so must focus manually); details in main report. 

Other smaller items:

1) The white light on the rotator paddle that indicates zero
does not seem to be working.

2) We had one incident of a very rare TCS bug in which the 
telescope gets within about 20 arcmin of the target and then
enters an infinite loop trying to slew the remaining distance
to the target.  The cure is to hit the software  stop  in 
the xtcs window, manually set the telescope closer to the 
target with the handpaddle, then  go  again.  Hitting  go 
again after  stop  does not cure the problem, unlike the
more common hangup nearer to the target.

3) We're working at a weird rotator angle (-90) and the big
umbilical cable caught on the SW counterweight tube during a
slew from north to south; this pulled the instrument rotator 
out of its correct orientation.  Fortunately there did not
appear to be any damage to the cables.   We cured this by
slewing north manually and freeing the cable, then rotating
the rotator back into position.

This was a good night for training Julie, because now she's 
ready for (almost) anything!

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Submitted on 2008 Jun 21 [5:30:13]