The Observer Panel
Observer Panel GUI
The Observer Panel GUI is the panel where scripts are loaded and executed. This is also where the status of the instrument is monitored and error analysis and recovery is done. It is composed of six main sections:
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- Queue Execution Panel at top center
- LUCI1 Instrument Status Panels on the Left
- LUCI2 Instrument Status Panels on the Right
- Log Message Panel across the bottom
- Queue Modification Section which contain 7 green (or red) buttons located just beneath the Queue Execution Panel
- Queue Action Section with buttons for basic queue control, located just above the Log Message Panel
The Queue Execution Panel displays the observation items (obsitems) for the loaded script. Each obsItem is divided into 5 sections, from left to right these are: LUCI1 readout and LUCI1 instrument (blue backgrounds), the telescope mount and optics (yellow background), and LUCI2 instrument and LUCI2 readout (pink backgrounds).
ObsItems currently being executed have a green outline and a label: “running”. ObsItems that are ready to be executed are labeled “ready” with a blue outline, and items that have completed and are waiting for something (either a pause, or at script completion) are labeled “done” with a white outline. Fully completed items are greyed out as a script progresses.
If one of the two LUCIs is not used in a particular script, the corresponding sections of the obsItems will be blank. Cyan bars across obsitems effect both instrument and telescope. For example: “Pauses” which can be built into the scripts or added interactively to be applied to one side or both, or “Waiting All” which is an item to label that represents the synchronization of the two sides prior to a telescope preset.
An absorb can also exist as a standalone obs item:
Some manipulation of the queue is possible whether a script is running or not. The three main actions are: insert or remove pauses, continue a script after a pause or problem recovery, or jump to a specific obsItem in a script. These can be done when you bring up the context menu by right-clicking on the appropriate obsItem.
Note the context menu contents will change depending on what functionality might be needed. To insert a pause in a script after an obsItem, right click the item to bring up the context menu and select pause after this item. You can now insert a pause after an item that is currently executing, and for binocular operations it is also possible to insert a sided pause that only affects one side. To continue a paused script, right click the paused obsItem and select continue.
Instrument Status Panels
The instrument status panels displays the current configuration of the instruments. This includes: an overall status indicator, the camera, the mask ID and position, whether the mirror or a grating is in place as well as the wavelength the gratings are set to, filters, Calibration Unit position and if lamps are on, the readout configuration as well as image type (SCI, FLAT, etc), the next image sequence number, and the last (full) filename saved to disk. There will also be a countdown timer visible in this panel when the detector is actively integrating an exposure.
Log Message Panel
In the messaging panel all mechanical and software actions carried out by the instrument are reported in a running log. Errors will be highlighted in various shades of pink and the ones connected to mechanical bits of the instruments will also show up on the status panels. The log messages can be difficult to interpret, but this primary troubleshooting resource if something goes wrong.
Queue Modification
The seven Queue Modification Buttons are located just beneath the Queue Execution Panel. These buttons determine whether or not an element of the script is executed. There are buttons controlling threads controlling the instrument and telescope (two instruments, two readouts, one mount and two mirrors). These buttons are normally all green, but when deactivated turn red.
These controls will primarily be useful when trying to recover from problems encountered on the instrument or telescope while running a binocular script. Their operation is simple enough: to turn off one of the threads, click the corresponding green button. To turn it back on, just click the now red button.
Queue Action
The queue action section used the most while observing, other than monitoring the instrument status.
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- LOAD Navigate to your script in the pop-up and double-click it. This will load the script and display the individual obsItems in the queue panel.
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- GO! Starts the execution of the script.
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- Reset When a script is not executing, for example it is paused or stopped because of an error, the reset button will reset the pointer to the top of the script and clear out any displayed ready, error or done messages.
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- Refresh A refresh will update the current status of both instruments and the display of the progress on your script. Normally these stay in sync, but start with a refresh if you notice any problems.
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- Locate While the script is being processed, the queue execution panel does not auto-scroll to keep the active segments visible on the screen. You can use the Locate menu to jump to the position in the queue that is currently executing or done and waiting for other sections to catch up.
- Other Here you can enter names for the support personnel (metadata). The edit queue button currently does not work. There is an ABORT button. When aborting a running script, LUCI will stop waiting for a reply from the telescope and will interrupt any in-progress readout of the detector. Instrument reconfiguration, in particular MOS mask motions, will not be interrupted as it is not safe to do so.
