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Improvements at the 4-m: A Report from the Front (1Sep93)
(from KPNO, NOAO Newsletter No. 35, 1 September 1993)

As reported in the March 1993 Newsletter, the twenty-five year old
electronics at the KPNO 4-m telescope are currently undergoing a major
update.  When the telescope returns to service on 4 October, the
following principal changes will have been made:

1) The Dec and RA axis servo control systems and drive amplifiers will have
   been replaced. This will allow much tighter computer control of the
   telescope drives, including computer slew for the first time, and more
   accurate tracking, guiding, and pointing.

2) New electronics will be installed to control all telescope and dome
   (but not instrument) functions (e.g.: focus, mirror covers, balance,
   dome rotation and shutter, rotator). This will improve the reliability
   of the entire telescope system and provide for much better diagnostic
   reports should failures occur.

3) The 11 year old Dec PDP-11 computers and FORTH software will be replaced
   by a VxWorks/C-based system. This new telescope control system will be
   run through a modern X-window Graphical User Interface (GUI) that can
   be operated from any X-computer on the network. This provides the option
   for future remote observing and control. The new system offers much finer
   control of the telescope, much better software maintenance, and an
   industry-wide solution to real-time hardware control. Observers will
   appreciate the easy-to-use GUI that allows them to control instrumentation
   from their data-taking workstation.

4) The oil bearings will be cooled to ambient temperature, thereby removing
   the single largest heat source from within the dome. (See March 1993
   Newsletter article on "The View at 10 Microns".)

George Jacoby, Bruce Bohannan,
Scott Bulau, D'Anne Thompson

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