MCE Maintenance

Notes on Winchester Connectors

• The thumb screws on these connectors provide a secure mating. However, they can be difficult to connect. The following points may help:
  • Do not use a screw driver on the thumb screws, it is very easy to break the thumb screw shaft
  • Hold the connector in one hand and support the weight of the cable while mating the connectors
  • Alternate tightening the 2 screws one revolution at a time
  • Attempt to keep the 2 mating connectors parallel

Notes for SPIDER Subracks

• Additional weight saving may be achieved as follows:
  • The rear panels on the subrack protect the backplanes from foreign objects but may be removed prior to mounting the subracks (the rear panel is not part of the RF enclosure)
  • The feet may also be removed if the subracks are not on the bench (on the bench, the feet provide proper airflow to the bottom of the subrack).
  • The top panel protecting the heat pipes can be removed (in flight configuration, these panels are on the bottom)

• Some issues that may need further investigation
  • The heat fins between the cards in the subrack are intentionally loose for easy fitting, a spot of glue where then meet the Card Guide Stiffener Rail would eliminate the rattling of the loose fins
  • The white panel that covers the front of the subracks was designed for the normal orientation of the subracks before we realized that SPIDER mounts them upside down. The existing covers are usable either by inverting the cover and cutting a new hole for the clock card connectors or using them as designed and covering the opening with aluminum tape. New cover panels could be built but it doesn't seem to be necessary.