 Wed Jan 18 22:06:05 2023, Julian, Update, ELOG, Cleanroom Update
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| I wiped down all the inner walls of the cleanroom using alcohol wipes, as per Cao's instruction. |
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Mon Feb 6 20:02:32 2023, Julian, Update, General, Cleanroom Update
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I wiped down the main table (including frame, legs, and transparent shelf) and workbench using alcohol wipes. Once I cleaned all of the surfaces, I used
the Hepa vacuum to pick up any fallen debris. |
Sat Feb 11 00:17:27 2023, Julian, Update, General, Vacuum Chamber Cleaning 
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Today I finished wiping down the rest of the vacuum chamber, specifically focusing on the connecting ports and outside surface of the chamber. When I was
finished, I test wiped every surface of the chamber and took pictures confirming the current state of cleanliness; Attachment 1 "Wipes for top and bottom
of chamber's upper lip." Attachment 2 " Top and bottom of chamber's lower lip." Attachment 3 "Inside and Outside main chamber." Attachment 4 "Inside connecting |
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Thu Feb 23 21:12:33 2023, Julian, Update, General, Vacuum Chamber Cleaning
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Today I was able to come in and wipe down both sides of the vacuum chamber lid using the regular alcohol wipes and also wipes that were left to dry in the
fume hood then saturated with acetone. I managed to get a good amount of the residue off both the inside and outside surfaces of the lid, then did a test
wipe of both sides using acetone-soaked wipes; pictures of the wipes are attached below. Once I finished with the lid, I used another acetone wipe to test |
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Thu Mar 2 20:53:56 2023, Julian, Update, General, Cleanroom Update
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Today Pamella and Julian began the final cleaning of the cleanroom, starting with the HEPA vacuuming and mopping then wiping down every surface of the laser
table. We wiped the main tabletop as well as the legs, but we were unable to completely wipe down the upper frame of the table before we had to leave.
For next steps, Julian will come in on Friday and finish cleaning the frame, then both of us will come in on Monday to finish the final cleaning. |
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Sat Mar 4 00:34:46 2023, Julian, Update, General, Cleanroom Update
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Today I was able to finish cleaning the frame of the laser table, and for good measure I wiped down the tabletop and exterior of the vacuum chamber when
I was finished. I was also able to go through and wipe down the bags containing the vacuum parts as well as the tabletop of the workbench. |
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Thu Mar 23 18:40:08 2023, Julian, Update, General, Cleanroom Update
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| Today Pamella and I came in to Hepa vacuum and mop the floor of the cleanroom for general maintenance. |
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Tue May 2 17:03:14 2023, Jon, Cao, Physics, VAC, First pump-down test of vacuum chamber
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[Jon, Cao]
1. Re-routing of cables
We re-routed the connections between the turbo pump and its fan to the controller. Instead of going through the side of the server rack, they |
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Thu Jun 29 18:27:26 2023, Jon, Cao, Infrastructure, VAC, Vacuum bake attempt 3: success!
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[Jon, Cao]
Summary : We resolved problems with heaters tripping power and were able to proceed with chamber baking
1. Circuit connection adjustment
After yesterday elog 137, today we resolved
most of these issues. After Jon contacted Facilities, the LP3B 6 circuit was reset and the cleanroom filter & light panels resumed to work as normal.
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 Mon Nov 13 11:23:54 2023, Jon , Update, CDS, CyMAC testing
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[Jon, Shane, Luis]
My repair of the internal ribbon connecting the ADC to the adapter board resolved the timing signal problem. After this repair, we were able to
start the front-end IOP model and checked out the RTS diagnostic screens (pictured below). All indicator lights were green except for the DK flag (indicating |
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Thu Jun 2 16:14:58 2022, Jon, HowTo, General, Custom conda environment on JupyterHub
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| Cross-linking instructions: How to run a Jupyter notebook in your custom Conda environment |
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Thu Jun 2 21:55:02 2022, Jon, Update, Cameras, FLIR Camera Setup
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The new FLIR A70 infrared camera has arrived. Tyler and I unpacked it in the lab yesterday. In less than an hour, we succeeded in powering it on and
connecting it to the lab network. We have assigned it the static IP address 192.168.1.6.
Online Configuration Portal
The FLIR camera can be configured, as well as stream live data, through a web browser interface. It can |
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Fri Jun 3 13:03:33 2022, Jon, Update, Cameras, FLIR Camera Setup
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Summary
I have installed the requisite software on chimay for interfacing the FLIR A70 camera in Python. There are two packages required from
FLIR:
Spinnaker SDK, which provides the low-level camera drivers and a C/C++ API.
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Mon Jun 6 17:11:48 2022, Jon, Update, Cameras, FLIR Camera Setup
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Today I tested the Spinnaker/PySpin software installations (detailed in ELOG #4) with the FLIR
camera connected to chimay. It works!
Example codes
I was able to run several of the PySpin example codes. In particular, there is one which connects to the camera and streams |
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Mon Jul 11 14:29:45 2022, Jon, Omnistructure, General, HEPA filter installed
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Today I unpacked and installed the new HEPA filter for the lab. It is an Omni CleanAir OCA1210 capable of 1200 CFM. This flow rate is sufficient to turn
over the air in the room once every 4 minutes, or 14 times per hour. Hopefully this will cut down on our particulate accumulation issues. |
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Wed Dec 14 17:35:41 2022, Jon, Infrastructure, Computers, Windows Laptop
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I set up the new Windows 10 laptop (pictured below), which arrived yesterday. This laptop is intended to be used for running lightweight Windows-only
programs, such as the Thorlabs beam profiler software or the SRS RGA client. However, none of that software is installed yet.
Configuration details
As usual, the computer is configured with one shared account (username: controls) and the standard password. Note |
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Wed Dec 14 18:34:33 2022, Jon, Configuration, Electronics, Adapter for 532 nm laser power supply
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I installed an EU-to-US plug adapter for the 532nm laser's 9V power supply. I then re-measured the laser's power with the correct supply voltage (previously
we had been using a 6V supply). At 9V, the max power is 0.83 W, so the laser is confirmed to be Class 2 as labeled. |
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Tue Feb 7 17:44:17 2023, Jon, Infrastructure, Computers, Workstation 1 (ws1) set up
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The Linux workstation (ws1) that used to sit on the old workbench has been mounted on the new electronics bench and is now ready for use again. I upgraded
the OS to Debian 11.6 and also upgraded the CDS workstation tools. |
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Wed Mar 1 21:27:20 2023, Jon, Infrastructure, Cleanroom, Over-table shelf height raised
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Jon, Cao
Today we raised the height of the shelf overhanging the cleanroom laser table by 8 inches. This was done to create more vertical clearance between
the top-loading vacuum chamber and the bottom of the shelf. The added clearance should make both removing the chamber lid and inserting large parts easier. |
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Wed Mar 1 21:50:46 2023, Jon, Infrastructure, Computers, Workstation 2 (ws2) mounted on cleanroom cart
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The Linux workstation (ws2) that used to sit on the blue workbench (now inside the cleanroom) has been mounted on a mobile cart, as pictured below. This
is intended to be a clean cart that will be housed inside the cleanroom.
The cart is currently dirty and will need to be throughly wiped down (along with the computer monitor and peripherals) prior to being moved into |
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Mon Mar 6 15:32:58 2023, Jon, Infrastructure, General, Cabinet installation completed
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Jon, Cao, Peter
This morning Facilities delivered and installed two new cabinets with sliding glass doors.
The smaller of the two (36" W x 13" D x 84" H) has been installed in the Clean & Bake area adjacent the flow bench. The larger one (48" x 16" |
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Wed Mar 22 12:16:20 2023, Jon, Infrastructure, Cleanroom, Experimenting with HEPA fan speeds
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Jon, Cao
In effort to try to reduce the noise level inside the cleanroom, we have dialed all four HEPA fan-filter units (FFUs) down from HIGH to MEDIUM
speed. These dials can only be accessed from inside the cleanroom, by bringing in the large ladder and opening adjacent ceiling tiles. |
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Fri Mar 24 07:14:38 2023, Jon, Infrastructure, Computers, Workstation 2 (ws2) mounted on cleanroom cart
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The ws2 cart has been thoroughly wiped down with IPA wipes and moved inside the cleanroom. I have reconnected it to power and Ethernet (cables bundled and
ran to the server rack just outside the cleanroom). It is ready for use.
Quote:
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Tue Apr 4 16:43:53 2023, Jon, Update, VLC Electronics, Additional Thorlabs PDA10A2
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I ordered a second PDA10A2 and mounting post + spacer (which puts the aperture at the VLC's standard 3" beam height). These arrived today and I delivered
them to the lab. They are sitting on the VLC table near the laser. |
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Tue Apr 4 16:52:08 2023, Jon, Update, Cleanroom, Particle counter docking station
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Due to the problems we have encountered trying to serially communicate directly with the Met One DR-528 particle counter, I went ahead and ordered the add-on
communications/charging dock. The dock "ethernetizes" the serial communications by wrapping them in TCP packets and transmitting them over the lab network.
This will allow our Python code to communicate using the standard Internet sockets package, rather than PySerial, PyNut, etc.
the docking station arrived |
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Fri Apr 21 00:06:43 2023, Jon, Update, VAC, Vacuum prep and installation - parts have arrived
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The two parts needed to complete the vacuum assembly (ELOG 70) have arrived.
(10) 5/16"-24 x 1 3/4" threaded rods - for attaching the turbo pump reducing nipple to the CF 4.5" gate valve;
(1) 45 degree CF
2.75" elbow for attaching the calibrated Ar/He leak to the chamber.
I left them laying on top of the ultrasonic washer. They both need |
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Tue Apr 25 11:56:37 2023, Jon, Update, VLC Electronics, Red Pataya has arrived
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| The Red Pataya 125-14 starter kit that we ordered for locking the 532 nm cavity has arrived. I left it laying on the optical table near the laser. |
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Thu Apr 27 21:43:07 2023, Jon, Physics, VAC, Grounding vacuum system
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This afternoon I made up a green 10 AWG grounding cable and connected it to the vacuum system.
One end is tightly connected to the bottom flange of the vacuum chamber (photo 1). It is run along and up the table framing to the top of the cleanroom,
where it exits into the overhead cable tray in the same location as the other power cables. It drops down from the top of the server rack all the way to |
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Tue May 9 15:49:20 2023, Jon, Infrastructure, VAC, Permanent cable routing
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Today I brought in a fresh supply of zip ties (we now have 1500 in the tool chest) and used them to permanentize the cable routing for the gauges, pumps,
and RGA.
I also brought and installed a 3-foot 15A extension cable for powering the scroll pump. Installing the cable required shutting down the pumps, |
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Tue May 9 20:55:12 2023, Jon, Infrastructure, VAC, Calibrated Ar leak rate
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For future reference, the calibrated Argon source has a leak rate of 7.55E-8 atm cc/s, or equivalently 5.74E-8
torr L/s. This can be used to calibrate RGA scans to units of physical leakage (outgassing) rate. |
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Tue Jun 27 21:47:56 2023, Jon, Infrastructure, VAC, Vacuum chamber bake attempt 1
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The electrical overload problem encountered in ELOG 130 has been resolved. The two heater controllers,
which draw up to 14.1 A each, overloaded the UPS and tripped one of its circuit breakers, shutting off power to both power strips mounted above the optical
table. |
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Thu Jul 13 15:31:21 2023, Jon, Update, General, Ant traps placed around lab
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In response to reports that ants have been observed in the lab, I placed five ant bait traps around the room today. Each is sitting on the floor on top
of a piece of aluminum foil, in areas unlikely to be inadvertently stepped on. They contain liquid which will spill
out if picked up, so please take care not to disturb them. |
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Thu Jul 13 16:59:03 2023, Jon, Update, General, Ant traps placed around lab
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Update: After seeing the strong response to the first set, I redistributed them to the hottest spots and added one more trap.
Quote:
In response to reports that ants have been observed in the lab, |
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Mon Jul 24 14:55:53 2023, Jon, Update, VAC, Removed extension power cable
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I removed the extension cable that was powering the leftmost heater controller, since there is no bake currently happening. It is currently powering the
LED over the electronics bench, and can be removed if needed. I will be ordering more extension cords to permanentize our setups. |
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Wed Aug 9 11:32:56 2023, Jon, Infrastructure, General, New power cables
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I delivered new NEMA 5-15 (120V / 15 A) power cables to the lab for the following items:
WS2 (cleanroom) cart - 10ft cable
Electronics workbench overhead LED - 10ft cable
Both PI heater controller sets - (2)
6ft cables
I installed the new cables on the WS2 cart and the workbench myself, and left the two 6ft cables (as pictured below) for Aiden |
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Thu Aug 10 15:10:12 2023, Jon, Update, VAC, VAC System Heating Update
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I shut down the turbo pump since this is evidently a large leak. We CANNOT turn on the RGA for leak checking with the pressure above 1E-5 Torr.
I think
we will have to manually inspect it. The most likely cause would be that the Viton seal around the lid overheated and failed.
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Wed Oct 11 20:47:11 2023, Jon, Update, VAC, Vacuum upgrade begins
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[Jon, Tyler, Aiden, Peter]
Upgrade of the UHV system to a larger turbo pump began today. After obtaining a final RGA scan in the old configuration (Aiden to post), we vented
all three volumes and proceeded to disassemble the 4.5"-diameter pump line. We completed installation of the new 6"-diameter pump line to the point where |
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Mon Oct 30 08:42:22 2023, Jon, Update, VAC, Vacuum Leak Test
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By 5:30 pm Friday, the pressure had reached 8.6e-8 torr and was continuing to fall. So it seems we are OK to proceed with permanentizing this configuration
(cable routing, heater tape reinstallation).
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Wed Nov 8 17:55:49 2023, Jon, Update, General, Lab Clean-Up Day 1
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[Jon, Tyler, Shane, Peter, Luis]
Today we completed the first phase of lab clean-up. Activities included:
CF/KF parts stored under the cleanroom table were removed and transferred to Physics 1129
Cleanroom workbench cleared, with all |
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Fri Nov 10 08:32:34 2023, Jon, Update, VAC, RGA experiments
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I ran a 3-minute degas cycle of the RGA filament for the first time yesterday (in this process, the filament gets very hot in
order to "boil off" settled particulate). I was surprised to see the pressure (of not just the RGA volume, but also
the main volume) rise from 2e-8 to 5e-6 torr.
This observation, |
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Tue Nov 14 17:21:40 2023, Jon, Update, VAC, RGA best practices
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As a follow up ELOG 261, I have received advice from one of the vacuum experts at LIGO Hanford
on best practices for our RGA:
For future RGA degassing, definitely keep the main volume isolated, since it |
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Thu Nov 23 12:34:44 2023, Jon, Update, CDS, DB25 signal connections for FROSTI heaters
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Update: I was able to put the FROSTI power controller on the lab network. It is connected to the switch in the top of the rack and is assigned
a static IP address of 192.168.1.12 and an NDS hostname of relay1.
The controller can be remotely accessed through an SSH command line interface as well as an HTML webpage, which can be opened from any web browser |
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Sat Dec 9 12:34:12 2023, Jon, Update, General, Electronics workshop migrated to 1129
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[Jon, Tyler, Shane, Luis]
On Wednesday we completed the migration of the electronics workshop from 1119 to the large new workbenches in 1129. The two workstations pictured
closest to the front of the room are for electronics assembly and testing, while the two in the rear will house LIGO CDS workstations. We moved all of |
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Mon Dec 11 16:20:17 2023, Jon, Summary, TCS, FROSTI Assembly Procedure
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Below is the procedure we will follow to assemble the FROSTI prototype.
Install SS guide rods and bottom Macor spacers in bottom reflector
Install AlN elements on top of bottom Macor spacers
Install
upper Macor spacers on top of AlN elements
Feed unterminated power and RTD leads through slots in upper reflector
Install upper reflector, |
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Sun Dec 17 21:04:15 2023, Jon, Infrastructure, Clean & Bake, Clean and bake lab migrated to 1129
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[Jon, Tyler, Aiden, Luke]
On Friday we completed assembly of the new stainless steel-topped benches in 1129. We then moved the clean and bake equipment from 1119 to its
new larger space in 1129. This included the HEPA flow bench, ultrasonic washer, deionized water drum, nitrogen tanks, and forced-convection oven. The oven |
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Wed Dec 20 10:33:34 2023, Jon, Infrastructure, Clean & Bake, Clean and bake lab migrated to 1129
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Update: I have completed permanent routing of the electrical cables. I also ran the ultrasonic washer's drain line to
the sink drain (the current hose does reach). The new clean and bake lab is now fully operational.
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Fri Dec 29 16:02:27 2023, Jon, Configuration, Electronics, RTD Readout Chassis
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The custom front and rear panels for the RTD readout chassis arrived last Friday. I installed them in the chassis frame to check their fit. They fit
very well, so all that now remains is to complete the internal wiring and test the connections.
The chassis panel designs are archived to LIGO-D2300452 and LIGO-D2300453. |
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Mon Jan 15 22:29:34 2024, Jon, Infrastructure, General, Cabinet installation & lab clean-up completed
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[Jon, Tyler, Aiden, Shane, Pooyan, Michael, Cynthia, Luke]
On Wednesday, we completed long list of work towards making the new lab (1129) fully operational and enabling the next phase of FROSTI testing.
Cabinet Installation
Three new VWR cabinets with sliding glass doors were installed in 1129. Each unit measures 48" |
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Fri Feb 2 16:56:56 2024, Jon, Update, CDS, RTS model implemented for FROSTI RTD readouts
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Summary
Today I finished implementing an RTS model to read out the integrated FROSTI RTDs (temperature sensors) via the CyMAC. The model is
named "MSC" and is located at cymac:/opt/rtcds/usercode/models/c1msc.mdl. We successfully tested it with the heater elements operating in vacuum at low
power (12 VDC), finding them to reach an average steady-state temperature of 160 C. |
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Fri Feb 16 18:37:28 2024, Jon, Update, VAC, Bake ended 6:23 pm
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I ended the bake of the UHV system (that began on Monday) at 6:23 pm today by switching OFF both PID controllers. The heaters elements were run at max
power (24 V DC / 200 mA per element) during this bake, and I left them powered at the same level.
At the time, the instrument readings were as follows: |