Hale Telescope
Control Pulpit
Operator's Manual
Copyright © 2008 Selden Ball
All rights reserved.
This is a brief description of the simulated
Control Pulpit. It primarily controls the mirrors in the telescope.
Although it's similar to the real thing, some artistic license has been taken.
- The real desk doesn't have buttons at the right to open and close the cover.
- It also doesn't have an on/off button at the lower left to cause the switches to appear.
- The controls on the simulated pulpit are not interlocked: more than one of the secondary mirrors can be down at the same time.
To start, click on the "Open" button of the set at the lower right corner of
the desk's surface.
That will open the pulpit's cover so you can see its switches and lights.
Click on the "Close" button to close the door.
The buttons are blue when off, green when on.
When the door has opened,
click on the on/off button at the lower left corner of the pulpit's surface.
That will activate the lights and switches. The button is blue when off, green when on.
Switches and lights
The secondary mirrors can be watched more easily if you hide the
telescope's secondary cage. The controls for hiding telescope
components are on the Demo Desk.
Top row, left to right
- Cassegrain Mirror
Controls the Cassegrain Secondary Mirror
- Up
Rotates the Cass mirror to the upright position
Mirror cover automatically closes.
Green upper lamp illuminates when mirror is fully upright
- Off
Turns off rotation motor: mirror stops moving
- Down
Rotates the Cass mirror down to the horizontal position
Mirror cover automatically opens.
Red lower lamp illuminates when mirror is fully down
- Coudé No.1 / 3 Mirror
Controls the upper Coudé Secondary Mirror
Used when the central Coudé flat can send light directly to the Coudé room
i.e. when the telescope is observing objects South of about 85 degrees North Declination
- Up
Rotates Coudé mirror #1 to the upright position
Mirror cover automatically closes.
Green upper lamp illuminates when mirror is fully upright
- Off
Turns off rotation motor: mirror stops moving
- Down
Rotates Coudé mirror #1 down to the horizontal position
Mirror cover automatically opens.
Red lower lamp illuminates when mirror is fully down
- Coudé No.2 / 5 Mirror
Controls the lower Coudé Secondary Mirror
Used when the central Coudé flat sends light to the Coudé room by way of a
second flat in the Coudé Arch and a third flat in the Yoke's axial hole.
i.e. when the telescope is observing objects North of about 85 degrees North Declination
- Up
Rotates Coudé mirror #2 to the upright position
Mirror cover automatically closes.
Green upper lamp illuminates when mirror is fully upright
- Off
Turns off rotation motor: mirror stops moving
- Down
Rotates Coudé mirror #2 down to the horizontal position
Mirror cover automatically opens.
Red lower lamp illuminates when mirror is fully down
- Coudé Flat Crane
Controls the motion of the crane which carries the central Coudé flat
- Up
Rotates Coudé crane to the upright position
Green upper lamp illuminates when crane is fully upright
- Off
Turns off rotation motor: crane stops moving
- Down
Rotates Coudé crane down to the horizontal position
Red lower lamp illuminates when crane is fully down
- Flat Clamp Tube-Crane
Controls the opening and closing of the clamp by which the crane holds the Coudé flat.
- Remove Flat
Closes the clamp so the flat can be lifted off the central support
Green upper lamp illuminates when clamp is fully closed
- Place Flat
Releases the clamp so the flat sits on the central support
Red lower lamp illuminates when clamp is fully open
and Coudé flat has been dropped.
- Flat Rotation
- East
Turns mirror until it reflects light into the East Arm of the Yoke.
- Off
- South
Turns mirror until it reflects light toward the Coudé room.
- Flat 45 degree Tilt
- 45 degrees
fixed 45 degree angle, used for the Cassegrain-Coudé configuration,
to direct light into the East Arm of the Yoke.
- off
- Desk
allows switches on the
Control Desk.
The desk controls the
Coudé Flat's
tilt angle, so it reflects either down the Yoke's
axis or out toward the Coudé Arch.
- Coudé Arch / 5 Mirror
Controls the position of the Coudé Arch.
- Down
Rotates the Coudé Arch toward its stowed position.
- Off
- Up
Rotates the
Coudé
Arch toward its active position.
- Coudé Axis / 5 Mirror
Controls flat in Yoke axis
- Up
Rotates the axial flat up out of the Coudé light path.
- Off
- Down
Rotates the axial flat down to reflect light from the Coudé Arch
into the Coudé room.
Second row, left to right
- Pulpit Control
Power to pulpit controls (ignored in simulation)
- On/Off
- Indicator Light Sw
Turns desk lamp on and off
- On/Off
- Tube Horiz. Cwt. dial
- Vertical Cwt dial
- Vertical Counterwt switch
Rotates Vertical Cwt dial
- Up/Off/Down
- Horizontal Tube Cwt switch
Rotates Tube Horiz. Cwt. dial
- 40./Off/50.
- Balance Mode Indicator switch
(moves but does nothing in simulation)
Bottom row, left to right
- Emergency Trip button
- dynamic balance meter
- Pulpit Off Telescope Reset