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The New and Improved 4-m Telescope (1Mar93)
(from KPNO, NOAO Newsletter No. 33, 1 March 1993)

The first concepts of the KPNO 4-m telescope can be traced to 1961.
Most of the systems, both mechanical and electrical, were designed soon
thereafter, in the mid to late 1960s. Now, almost thirty years later,
component age is starting to take its toll on reliability.  Over the
summer of 1993, we plan to make a first pass at updating the
electronics, computer control systems, and a number of other efficiency
related items.

The primary effort is going toward replacing the Telescope Control
System (TCS), which will be comprised of modern computers and a
window-based software system. Considerable hardware upgrades are
required to take advantage of the new software, which is based on our
experience at the 2.1-m and Coude Feed. The most noticeable improvements
for the visiting astronomer will be much improved pointing and
tracking, and shorter times in moving from object to object. Also, both
the LTO and the observer will have control over the instrument to
enhance the efficiency of setup operations by providing a second option
for setting configuration parameters. This is the first real software
upgrade at the telescope in twenty years, and it requires programs to
control all nine supported instruments!

In addition, we continue to work toward improving the thermal
environment of the telescope and dome. The oil, which is pumped to the
telescope bearings, will be cooled, thereby eliminating the single
greatest heat polluter in the dome (see article below on our
acquisition of a thermal camera). Note that many heat sources have
already been removed from the 4-m, and thus the building has only two
havens from the cold: the control room, which was heavily insulated
last summer, and the computer room, which is seriously air
conditioned.

In 1994 we plan to improve the ventilation of the dome (following
CTIO's lead) to minimize the effects of uncontrollable heat sources and
to rebuild the telescope control console, which currently is dominated
by outdated and unused buttons and switches.

In order to accomplish the scheduled work, the summer shutdown will be
extended into late September, which unfortunately means 2-3 weeks less
observing time for the fall semester.

George Jacoby, Bruce Bohannan, David De Young

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