This page last changed on Jan 29, 2008 by jbirch.

ESP Engineering Mtg -- Jan 17, 2008

11am-12
Present: Jim, Doug, Addie, Scott, Cheri, Brent, Kevin

Tech Transfer

Discussion Items:
  • Arm status update
  • Environmental test chamber update

Arm/Hand.  Removed Bruce from cold testing, and almost finished with hand cold testing.  Removed hand from Bruce and installed on Mack. Plan is to finish cold-test on hand and cold-test valves simultaneously on Mack.  First priority in cold is to finish testing hand gripper.  Once it passes, Mike will get green-light parts of the other hands (first 3 old action items).  Order is placed with Maxxon for new forearm motors (maybe 6-8 weeks).  Small order of fluidic fittings still needed for all of them.  (Cheri)

ETC (Environmental Test Chamber).  Cold box finished, electrical connectors in, fluidic connectors still need to be put in.  New rotary valves all on Mack and being homed and calibrated.  All we be ready for cold testing by end of day.

Action Items

ACTION:  Order fluidic fittings for cores and MFB (Cheri) 

Action Items from last week:

ACTION: check with Jose about number of dwarves to order (Scott)  In progress:  Jose has mad the first pass through and looks like all components are still available.  Jose getting price and lead time on everything.
ACTION:  meet with Mike Parker to discuss the cam assembly and redesign of the cam motor mount.  Decide about the assembly (Scott)  In progress
ACTION:  Will rev the drawing and have El Camino make enough to retrofit all hands (Doug)  In progress
ACTION: Will drill out pressure sensor holes in clamps when we revalve the cores. (Scott/Cheri)  In progress
ACTION:  cannot purchase on 708 grant yet.  701312.04 should take all cost.  Change:  Order only 2 cans (Jim):  DONE; ordered 1-11-08
ACTION:  talk to Jose to figure a solution to broken home sensor cable. (Scott/Doug/Cheri)  DONE
ACTION:  Contact MAXON about forearm motors (Cheri) DONE: ordered 1-14-08
ACTION:  confirm we have 3 swapable EM cables  (Jim) DONE: confer w/group and decide 1 spare is enough

MFB

Discussion Items:

•    Syringe positioning

Syringe now oriented like other syringes on the core, i.e., pointing 'downward', and working well.  Still waiting to test as several cables needed to be lengthened.

•    Status of mixing column for extraction lysate.

Unable to build a 10cm mixing column because the use of 2 reducing unions requires a minimum of 50cm of tubing.  Thus, mixing column is now 5x as long as it needs to be but waiting for Chris P. to do testing.  Hope to test column next week around LLNL PCR visity. 

ACTION:  Jose to lengthen motor control cables (Addie).
ACTION:  syringe motor mount.  Mount 'upsidedown' for better lubrication.  Changing motor for better gearing/speed ratio. (Addie)  DONE
ACTION: confirm with email to Tony (Jim):  DONE

Software

Much discussion on how the code will be modified to accommodate a new thermal profile for puck heating.  Brent suggested a very thorough plan of action, but was forced to accept a less elegant solution.  Scott will provide nominal offsets and Brent will put in a mechanism to set gain/offset before every heating cycle.  He has agreed to do this before the can cold-testing. (Brent) 

Pressure tests; did four pressures.  Chris P tried to grow lysate, but ran out of a reagent.  We like 20-25psi---it's pumping like GG was.   This number easy to change.  He's made several parameters changeable.  Chris P. knows most.    Brent will create cheat-sheet for how these changes.

 Firmware:  servo-control works very well on MFB.  Sampling at 64hz.  this is different from all other dwarves so what should be do?  Old code cannot change the divisor in the dwarves, but new Ruby can actually change the divisor, thus sampling at different rates.  These are relatively large firmware modifications, so we will implement when the MFB goes in, NOT for Spring deployments. 

Several small changes have resulted in a new firmware version that we should update on Mack, Bruce, Neo.  Brent will send email to everyone explaining changes.

Action Items: 

ACTION:  Put in mechanism for setting gain/offset before heating cycles (Brent)
ACTION:  Write 'cheat sheet' showing new parameter available for changing during sample collection (Brent)
ACTION:  Update firmware on Mack, Bruce, Neo with the 'slightly modified version, and email the changes within this new firmware to everyone (Brent)

Action Items from last week:

ACTION: Set-up sleepy board and an elmo on desk to emulate (Brent)  In progress: Can't find elmo but have other pieces.
ACTION:  working on a cue of interrupts in the threading environment--[low priority] (Brent): Not started
ACTION:  Work with the auto-cal code (Brent):  Not started
ACTION:  Speak with Wayne about his timeline with BIOSA and his ability to commit to low-power studies for us.  (Jim): In progress
ACTION:  Test pressure stuff (above); if problems, then heating stuff is dropped.  DONE (we believe 20-25psi delta will work like GG)
ACTION:  Chris to give Brent water sample for running next week.  Test running on bench at various pressures and run lysate test to test effects of different pressures (Chris/Brent) DONE

Sphere and 4K DWSMS

Oil for DWSM has arrived and currenly being cold-tested.  Doug met with local micro-pump rep, and is getting close to choosing the pumps he wants.  All parts are ordered for the plastic model, which he will build in the Bldg B lab.  He has the layout design and partial design for vavle actuators. 

Nilo has inventoried all pucks and is receiving instruction on how to get them laser-etched.  Will take first batch for etching next week.  Following this numbering scheme.

ACTION:  get inventory of screens from Roman (Jim): Must spec hole size and fix original drawings and talk to manufacturer before ordering.  In progress
ACTION:  Order two battery boxes (w/out batteries)--~$4K; account #701312.04: In progress:  Scott waiting for lower price
ACTION: Get quote for surface cans from Gene and place order (Jim):  DONE
ACTION: discuss procurement and build schedule for next 2 cores (WHOI and CMORE funded) at 1-24-2008 mtg (in two weeks) next meeting

GUI Development

Kevin trying to have the Mission Script GUI in our hands before the cold box testing.

On Table:

Chris P. must work with Brent before spring deployments to solve sampling problem
Chris P. and Brent need to address high volume issues for Sept deployment.
BIOSA integration as a contextual sensor.  ACTION: how will BIOSA integrate and drivers needed (Brent & Wayne)

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