SOAR Issue Status
This page provides a brief summary of the status of significant issues with the SOAR Telescope and its associated instrumentation. The emphasis is on issues that are internal to SOAR. There are two tables - one comprising known issues, and the second second listing resolved issues in approximate reverse chronological order of resolution. The lists comprise only recurrent issues; responses to problems reported on individual night reports are not provided. In some cases there have been additional updates to "resolved" issues.
If a recurrent problem that you are aware of is not listed, please contact the instrument scientist, telescope scientist, or SOAR Director.
ACTIVE ISSUES
|
Issue |
Description |
Activity toward Resolution |
|
Remote connection speed |
Remote connections are slow, both for VNC and file downloads |
Newer firewall now available with faster connections. NOTE - credentials subject to update as NOIRLab implements additional cybersecurity measures, but the faster speed is current available |
|
SOI not in service |
SOI is not available because a guider detector failed; can only be operated by “borrowing” the EM CCD from another guider (in this case, SOI) |
Move CCD from optical Nasmyth now that new guider has been implemented there. Still pending. |
|
Guider obsolescence |
The facility guiders use obsolete hardware and do not support autofocus |
The guider upgrade project is active, and installation of the new guider on the optical Nasmyth is complete. |
|
Spartan IR Camera obsolescence |
Spartan detectors are failing; overall performance is slow |
The ISPI imager from Blanco is being upgraded and transferred to SOAR. Expected completion date mid-year 2023. |
RESOLVED ISSUES (After Jun 2022)
|
Problem |
Date Resolved |
Description |
Solution |
|
Goodman internal flexure/jumps |
Dec 2022 + Feb 2023 |
Spectra would shift or jump during longer observations |
Visit from UNC repaired flexure compensation mechanism & trained local staff; updated GUI |
|
Goodman internal scattering |
Dec 2022 |
Internal reflection from camera barrel at certain (low) grating angles compromised flat fields and spectra |
Anodized camera barrel replaced with a barrel with a low-reflectivity coating |
|
Elevation brake faults |
Nov 2022 |
Mount control generated false brake fault alarms |
Implemented relevant part of new mount control hardware |
|
Elevation limit at 79 degrees |
Nov 2022 |
Damage to encoder tape prevented telescope from operating above ~79 degrees elevation |
New hardware (see previous) bypasses encoder that “sees” the damaged portion of the tape; a more permanent solution is pending. |
|
Rotator brake faults |
Aug 2022 |
Mount control generate false IR rotator brake faults |
Bypassed alarm trigger; will be fully resolved with new mount control hardware |
Updated on February 23, 2023, 8:16 am