This guide is meant to remind experienced ESI users of the basics of starting and running ESI. For a more comprehensive description, see the ESI User's Guide.

One of the first tasks you may want to do is print out some logsheets.

Starting Up

• Log into hanauma in Remote Ops 2 as your assigned numbered esi account (e.g. esi5). See your IS or other support if you don't know the password.

• From the desktop menu (right-click on the blue background) select the "ESI Control Menu" and then "***Start ESI observing software". This will check the health of the system, bring up various pieces of the software, such as the DashBoard GUI, the audio notifier tool, FIGDISP, etc. It will also assign you a directory name.

Initializing the Instrument

• Once the GUI has initialized itself, click on "Start Here!" to set up your output directory, observer names, etc., and initialize the instrument to a known state. Be sure to check the output directory name. After this the button name will change to "User Config."

• After this you may want to check the CCD windowing and binning. You can select 1x1 binning and either full-frame or the imaging window using the "Quick Frame" menu to the right of the Object text box on Dashboard. Alternatively, double-click on the "CCD" box to bring up the CCD details panel. Click "GO" or "Update CCD" when you change any CCD parameters, including the exposure time.

Setting the Spectrograph

• The "Mode" setting may also move some of the other stages. For example selecting "Echellette" will also move the dekker into place in the middle wheel. So select the Mode first.

• The top line in each stage represents the current position of that stage. The bottom line is actually a pull-down menu which lets you select a different setting (such as a different filter). To make the stage move from the "current" to the "desired" setting, click the "GO" button. If you first select new settings on several stages the stages will all move in parallel when you click GO.

• Lamp control can be done from the pull-down menu or the separate Lamp Details window.

While Observing

Some other tips while observing:

• The object name can be set in the box just above the exposure progress bar. If you change anything in this box, even the simple act of moving the cursor from the box will implement the change.

• The exposure progress is shown by the countdown timer and the progress bar.

• The "Exposure type" is important. It allows the software to check for inconsistent settings. In particular setting this to "Dark" will cause the shutter to remain closed during the exposure. If either lamps are on or the hatch is open, the software will pop up a warning asking whether you meant to take a dark under these conditions. Similarly, if you are taking a "Lamp" and do not have any lamps on, it will query you. In no case does it prevent you from taking data in any configuration.

• Pop up warnings will inform you of unusual circumstances, such as described above. Once you silence a particular warning you cannot turn it back on without shutting down and restarting the GUI. In general it is a good idea to avoid silencing alarms unless your Instrument Scientist tells you it is OK.

• To see details about a given stage, double-click on the brown box representing that stage on the GUI.

Shutting Down

Simply select "ESI Control Menu" from the desktop menu, then "***Shutdown ESI". Log out after this has been given a chance to kill all of your GUI windows.