David's Astronomy Pages Notes - Session 612.2  (2018-06-08, Observatory Commissioning)

Notes (S612)

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Notes (S613)

	Session Aims & Highlights
	Operational Issues
	- Critical Issues (0),  Major Issues (2),  Minor Issues (0),  Small Defects (0),  Continuous Improvement (0)
	Observing Plan
	No images from this session  >>
	2018-06-09
	CCDApp2 Freezing - Investigation

Session Aims & Highlights (2018-06-08)

Main Aims

This was a daytime session to continue formal commissioning of the new Dome Observatory including :

1. System Stability. Check stability of POTH.Hub (Telescope + Dome) & Observatory Control Software following major issues during the nighttime session on 2018-06-06
2. Observing Plan. Test automated acquisition of images of a sequence of targets (Plan) that have been scheduled by a newly developed genetic algorithum optimisation program working with target data held in SQLite (test to the limits possible with a daytime test with no actual stars)

Equipment & Software

• 12" LX200 and ST-10XME
•  CCDApp2, TheSky6, CCDSoft 5, POTH Hub,

Highlights

• System Stability. More information collected on the conditions when POTH.Hub / system is  unstable and when it is stable.
  a corruption of Telescope Time (LST) and freezing of CCDSoft5 (see list of operational issues with screenshots)
• CCDSoft. CCDSoft5 working ok throughout session without any 'freeze-ups'.
• Observing Plan. Execution of computer generated Observing Plan successfully undertaken under near full test conditions (i.e using live scope slewing, slaved dome rotation and CCD camera imaging,  but with the dome shutter closed and without high precision target centering using plate solution of locating images)

Notes

Summary Plots & Logs

Observing Plan Executed as Day Time Test, 2018-06-08 (Note: Failed targets are due to them being below the horizon at the time of the test)

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Operational Issues (2018-06-08)

• Critical Issues (0)
• Major Issues (2)
• Minor Issues (0)
• Small Defects (0)
• Continuous Improvement (0)

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Critical Issues

• None

Major Issues

• CCDApp2 observatory control software has developed a tendancy to freeze/lock up when executing a Job Queue, when it's not the top window (or when attempted to take back focus again, or when using Suspend Job.  This is a problem that has been seen during recent indoors testing with Simulator Scope & Camera etc and has only appeared since making software changes in 2018 to enable Dome Operations and accomodate new Job Queue routines.   After freeze/lock-up occurs the only way out is to kill the CCDApp2 process, but this results in instability in POTH.   Problem most likely relates to some illegal Threaded Operation with interference to GUI operation involving  window repainting. Precise cause of the problem and solution is difficult to track down. Later modifications to the CCDApp2 software (bit of trial and error) were made and appear to have fixed the issue - there were no problems on this front during the next night session S613, 2018-06-11. Unfortunately it is not entirely clear what the precise cause of the problem was or what fixed it.  This issue was eventually resolved with changes in AstroMain to separate UI operations and CCDSoft.Camera calls from the main routines.
    Fixed  (Session, CCDApp2/AstroMain)
   
• POTH Hub / system becomes unstable if CCDApp2 crashes during execution or the process is manually killed after the program freeze/lock-up.  When CCDApp2 application stops without normal closure in leaves connections to ASCOM Scope and ASCOM Dome and POTH.Hub and Scope (and Dome) Drivers seemingly get confused and don't / can't close down. This seems to be at the route of the majority of the POTH.Hub instability issues seen during commissioning. The precise instability issues vary and depend on the precise actions taken after the initial incident. Issue largely resolved by later 2018 (due to increased stability of CCDApp2/AstroMain, better user awareness and eventual move to using DeviceHub instead of POTH.Hub).
  Resolved  (Session, CCDApp2/AstroMain, POTH.Hub/DeviceHub)

Minor Issues

• None

Small Defects

• None

Continuous Improvement

• None

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Observing Plan  (2018-06-08)

POTH/system instability during the last session had prevented the intended full testing of automated acquisition of a sequence of targets (Job Queue) that have been scheduled as an 'Observing Plan' by a newly developed genetic algorithum optimisation program working with target data held in SQLite.

To try to keep commissioning on track a daytime test was considered to be the next best thing. This was undertaken under near full test conditions (i.e using live scope slewing, slaved dome rotation and CCD camera imaging,  but with the dome shutter closed and without high precision target centering using plate solution of locating images (obviously no stars in daytime !). 

The test executed the Observing Plan that had been previously created for the 2018-06-06 session.   Being run during the day time, several of the targets intended for viewing at night, lay close to the horizon/below the working airmass limit or totally lay below the horizon at the time of the test. These targets flagged up as 'failed', but as a test they successfully showed that the executor was doing its job by only allowing slews to 'valid' targets.

First attempt at the test failed when CCDApp2 froze/locked-up when returning focus to the application after going to another application.   A second attempt succeeded when CCDApp2 was kept as the top window throughout the test. This problem is under investigation.

Observing Plan about to be executed as Daytime Test (screenshot)

Observing Plan Completed (screenshot) (Note: Some targets have failed due to them being close to or below the horizon at the time of the test)

Observing Plan Executed as Day Time Test (Note: Failed targets are due to them being close to or below the horizon at the time of the test)

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CCDApp2 Freezing - Investigation  (2018-06-09)

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