Blue Side
Collimator |
Filter Tray |
Grisms |
X-Y Stage |
Direct Imaging
Collimator
A typical focus value is presently about 40000 (but this could change
radically). Initially, try increments of 5000 units to focus. The
range is 3500 to 71,500. The focus does not appear to be affected by
the presence of the dichroic. The off-axis paraboloid is aluminized
and overcoated.
Filter Tray
There is provision for three square filters up to 4.5" in size, plus
an open poisiton. Presently, a liquid CuSO4 + UG-2, which
approximates a Johnson U band, and a "wide G" (4700/1200) are mounted.
Notice that small filters here in the collimated beam will drastically
reduce the effective aperture of the telescope.
| Position | Name | Contents | Step number |
| 0 | open | empty | 20600 |
| 1 | U | CuSO4+UG2 | 4800 |
| 2 | G | wide G | 10000 |
| 3 | | empty | 15300 |
Grisms
Blue is left in the spectra as displayed on the terminal. To select a
grism, type the grism number desired, or 0 for none. We have three
grisms and they are all always in place, easily damaged, and carefully
positioned, so we see no reason why observers should ever have
occasion to touch them. If you think there is a problem with them,
please do not attempt to solve it yourself; please ask for help.
| grism | grooves/blaze str. | thru | A/pix | range | nominal coverage |
| 1 | 452/3306 | 4780 | 2.54 | 3050 | 3150-6200 |
| 2 | 600/4310 | 4340 | 1.85 | 2200 | 3300-5520 (match D55) |
| 3 | 830/3460 | 3880 | 1.13 | 1350 | 3200-4550 (match D46) |
X-Y Stage
For each direction of movement (x and y), there is one thumbscrew
lock, a large black knob with which to move the stage, and a dial
micrometer to read the position. Notice that each stage lock actually
locks "the other side"; the locking screw near the x-stage micrometer
locks the y-stage motion, and vice-versa. This makes sense if you
realize that the stage locks are sideways clamps, but the micrometers
and handles that move the stages are mounted on the ends of the stages
which they push or measure, and what is the end of one stage is the
side of the other. Be sure to relock both stages firmly. The clamps
are surprisingly effective. See Figure 1 below for labeled image of
the X-Y stage dials and clamps.
Though there is slop in the screws which move the stages, the
micrometers are spring-loaded, so backlash should not affect the
reading of the position. One turn is one millimeter, and the scale is
37 pixels per millimeter. The micrometers are read as aa.bb, where aa
comes from the very small dial, and bb is read from the large dial.
The two dials for each camera are labeled x and y, and the convention
adopted is that x moves along the dispersion, and y moves
perpendicular to it. The "normal" y position for each is so that the
spectrum falls near the top of the chip for most efficient readout.
The x position for the blue side is carefully chosen to positon the
chip in the center of the usable image from the camera. This usable
image area closely matches the size of the chip. You may be able to
make small departures if you wish to extend the coverage to one side or
the other of the normal range, but if you move it very far you should
expect the new spectral region access to have a degraded resolution
and vignetting.
For the blue side, the sense of the micrometers is that (x) larger
numbers moves the spectrum right (shorter central wavelength), and (y)
larger numbers moves the spectrum down on the chip (larger central row
number).
To summarize the blue side x-y stage motions (scale 37 pixels/turn):
| Blue side |
| nominal | + moves to |
| x | 10.00 | lower wavelength |
| y | 10.00 | higher row number |
Figure 1: Blue Side X-Y stage
Direct Imaging
A good window for blue direct images with the mirror in the dichroic
carrier and the blue x-y stage at the nominal settings is: number of
rows = 210, number of columns = 200, start row = 0, start column =
530. Check it with the top lights, not the TUB lights.