Oct 17, 2001 SALT PFIS Preliminary Design ReviewFabrication and Test Plan

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Southern African Large TelescopePrime Focus Imaging Spectrograph

Fabrication and Test PlanJeffrey W Percival

University of Wisconsin - Madison

Oct 17, 2001 SALT PFIS Preliminary Design ReviewFabrication and Test Plan

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Facilities

UW Dept. of Astronomy resources• Machinist

• 3 Electronics Technicians,1 with spaceflight qualifications

• Well-equipped machine shop

• Class 1K clean room with 2 class 10 flow tents and 1 laminar flow bench

• Thermal chamber covers all SALT operating and survival ranges in temperature - sized for actuators and mechanisms, not structure

Available from UW Physics Dept• 6-person machine shop, accepts any size job

Available from Rutgers University• Large machine shop with invar welding

Oct 17, 2001 SALT PFIS Preliminary Design ReviewFabrication and Test Plan

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Fabrication and Test Strategy

• Mitigate large number of mechanisms with “pipeline”

– Standard bench setups for acceptance testing of actuators

– Test mechanisms as they come out of fabrication

– Rapidly prototype software modules, use early experience to feed back into design

– High degree of commonality allows a few standard modules to be reused over and over

– Simulate missing components to allow high-level controls to be prototyped and used

Oct 17, 2001 SALT PFIS Preliminary Design ReviewFabrication and Test Plan

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Test Procedures

• Testing will be required throughout program

– Bench-level testing of components

– Assembly-level testing

– Instrument-level testing

– Pre-ship functional

– Acceptance testing in Cape Town

– Complete functional testing in Sutherland

• Procedures will be developed incrementally

• Procedures will embody experience gained during fabrication

Oct 17, 2001 SALT PFIS Preliminary Design ReviewFabrication and Test Plan

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Documentation

• Documentation will include

– User manual

– Troubleshooting guide

– Software source code

– Test procedure scripts

– Mechanical drawings

– Wiring diagrams and lists

– Vendor’s material for purchased items

Oct 17, 2001 SALT PFIS Preliminary Design ReviewFabrication and Test Plan

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Interfaces: Detector & Telescope

• Detector and telescope services will be provided according to an interface using LabVIEW network protocols

• Very important: early design, rapid prototyping, nail down the ICDs.

• Simulation mode is critical - support protocols before actually providing services

• Test software modes long before integration of hardware

– Frequent incremental exchanges of software & simulators

– Intercontinental testing of network modules