Engineering weekly meeting (Nov 29, 2007)

Present: Birch, Harris, Scholin, Everlove, Pargett, Roman 

Tech Transfer
•    Status of Bruce and Mack (and Moe)
•    New hand construction update
•    Status of new motors/ new motor brackets
•    Cepheid coming Friday?

Bruce and Mack are 97% assembled.  Both lack hand, which only has slider issue to resolve, and all can be modified.  Have ordered more blue nipples and tubing; should arrive end of this week (tomorrow?).  27 Maxon motors shipped yesterday.  El Camino has not started machining new motor brackets because they lost our PO and the job fell out of que.  Mike Parker will push to make them meet their original Dec. delivery date.

Cheri to order enough syringes to completely outfit Bruce, Mack, Moe, plus have a spare set.  These are COTS.  Scott still working to get custom, cold-rated syringes built.  Break charge in thirds among 800560, 703506, 900612.

New motors to be placed on Bruce, Mack, and Moe; no changes to NEO and GG.  Dwarf boards--we have enough for Moe, but then no extras.  Must meet with Scott about new order.

Cepheid IS arriving for visit tomorrow, 10am. 

Chris S. says NOPP proposal generating much interest in PCR module.  Sandia, Stoneybrook, U Maine all have detection technologies they would like to use with our fluidics layout.   We must clarify IP issues with LLNL about transfer of fluidics (not PCR) technology to other parties.  Also will impact how many dwarves to order.  Have requested letters of support from us for their NOPP proposals.   WHOI is taking our specifications for syringe assembly for their in-situ flow cytometer.  A similar tech transfer agreement can be made to these other institutions once IP with LLNL worked out.  Don Kennedy here next Weds; Chris giving a tour with NEO in test-tank area.

MFB

•    Status of adding AIV and new ASV
•    Mounting of solid-phase extraction hardware
•    Status of new script development
•    Heater block sent to LLNL
•    Prediction for 12-21-07?

ASV now mounted and Addie's pushing water through.  AIV still waiting on mounting brackets from El Camino. Script written to control valves without AIV.  SPE mounted and moving water.  Heater is easy to control.  Chris has rec'd 12 more small columns and 12 holders.  Addie will get one to Mike Parker to build another heater.  PCR heater sent back to LLNL on Tuesday (11-27) and FedEx has it arriving 11-28 at 9:01am.  Still to hear from Tony if it arrived.  Hope is to have SPE working by 12-21.  Fluidics will be ready by tomorrow.  Then it is biochemistry testing.

Must still develop decon script for the SPE column/tubing. 

Software
•    Tracing the Ruby garbage error...
•    Plan for low power processor visit
•    Progress of Bob Herlien on MFB drivers?
•    Progress of Rich Schramm on GUI?
•    JIRA?

Brent able to reproduce the error, but cannot identify where it is occurring.   Took debugging scaffolding and ported to run on the core processor and now is able to reproduce the error in a repeatable spot.  He knows the structure and block that's getting messed up; perhaps modifying C-debugger to run code slower...

Work this week/end at pushing pucks through and reproducing the error.  If no progress by Monday, then work on creating a 'test case' that would allow sending to other developers, who would run this code without the need for hardware.

Low power CPU visit postponed, but decision to change to lower powered CPU will wait, as the market is already moving in that direction.  With this 'job' off the table, Jim will visit with Wayne R. about his timeline in 2008.

Bob Herlien has PCR driver multi-threading finished and awaits hardware to test in on.

Rich Schramm pulled off ESP GUI development for 2 weeks for MARS work; we will get him in January.  Plan is to use GUI during spring '08 deployment, which means we need it to fiddle with by ~March, '08. 

Sphere and 4K DWSM
•    Ordering sphere
•    Still awaiting machining quote from Hanard Machining, Oregon.
•    DWSM---need for mechanical design (Doug's return?)Jim will start PO process for sphere today.  Jon Erikson will be contact (backed up by Mark Brown).  Hanard has (as of yesterday) not completed their machining quote.  Doug will begin DWSM work when he returns in January.