AMiBA Engineering Telecon Minutes
27, Sep. 2001

Chair:K.Y. Lo
Participants: B. Martin, J. Peterson (USA), M. Kesteven,M. Sinclair (ATNF),
T.D. Chiueh, H.C. Lu, M.T. Chen, Y.J. Hwang, H.M. Jiang,W. Ho, K.Y. Lin, P.Shaw(Taipei)

Summary

MMIC:

  1. Mal reports the packaging & testing on the sub-harmonic mixer at ATNF is successful; test result is 10 ~ 12 dB conversion loss at 48 GHz comparing with the requirements of 15 dB at 42 GHz is quite close. He thinks those 5 mixers are quite useful, and re-design is in progress right now. Milton has also worked on the SiGe multiplier design with Paul Robert during this visit. Milton will finish his visit at ATNF and come home tomorrow. Thanks Mal and ATNF for hosting him.
  2. The letter to TRW has been gone and happily acknowledged. Bob will follow up to answer the Sales Questionnaires that rose by TRW this afternoon. TRW will send us the Sales agreement between TRW and RUCH We are hoping still able to make the wafer run in Dec. Bob will check with TRW to find out.

Prototype mount:

  1. Mingtang has figured out the weight of receiver, IF and LO, and circulate it all around or reference & comment.
  2. Fred, Mike, Bob, Philippe and Paul had a phone meeting on last Friday, discussing the current statue and what the next step will be. Mike and Philippe had a phone meeting followed up on this Tuesday, They decide to purchase one rotary table for testing its load capacity and deformation under offset loads. The intention is to see whether it is OK at 100 kg-m, they will test it by the end of the week.If it is OK, Philippe will go ahead to calculate the load above the platform, and sketch out something.
  3. Mike and Bob think to get mechanical assembly work done in Hawaii will be the simplest way for mount.

Lab/ office set up at Hilo

  1. Mal inputs some comments on the Hilo test equipment list, which prepared by Mingtang, he also provides a w-band cryo test block diagram at the second attempt for reference. Mal will discuss with Mingtang in detail offline this afternoon.
  2. Bob reports on the lab and office acquisition issue: Tom Phillips agreed basically to loan out part of space of CSO Hilo building to us. CSO can offer us about 171 sq.ft for office and 238 sq.ft for lab at the rate $1.25/sq.ft. Bob will follow up to figure out all details and prepare a draft agreement later on. In the mean time, Bob with forward the relative lab space information to Mingtang and Mal as well.
  3. Fred ask Bob to take more specific pictures of site, and send them around.

Time line:

Fred high lights the target completion date for assembly and testing at site for prototype is by the end Jan.

Correlator:

  1. Jeff says it is going will with the 16 elements lag correlator, all components are designed and manufactured on schedule. It looks promising to get all fabrication done, and start testing by 1, Nov.
  2. As to the read-out chips, we need to make a decision very soon whether to go ahead with the read-out chips. If we decide to against, then we do have time to build the discrete version for prototype by the end Jan, 2002. This is what we intend to do according Warwick's status report by email yesterday. Fred will follow up discussing this issue with Warwick offline.

IF :

Paul says the shortest lead time for the IF amplifiers is ten weeks after APO, and we hope to get all amplifiers delivered here by mid-Dec. Fred demands Leo to get all IF assembly and test work done before end Dec., he asks Mingtang to give Leo all necessary manpower support in order to catch up the program.

Software:
As for the receiver monitoring, Mike will send the interface card to Mingtang & Homing. Mike asks Homing to identify the address where he should send.

Site:

Bob got some maps of the ML, he is trying to layout precisely the site in that area. He will figure out how much cost to prepare the site, so first of all he will locate exactly what is it, and then talk to the MLO people what we need. The closer the better with the man camp to get the power, Fred think. Mike reminds we need to think about the far field range measurement requirement while we locate the site.

LO/Noise source calibration:

Mingtang proposed three solutions to everyone to review and comment, and he got some comments back from Warwick. Mal will discuss this issue with Mingtang offline this afternoon.

Dishes:

Bob says the two small dishes will fish fabrication soon and then send to another firm to measure the accuracy

Action items

  1. Mike/ As to the options of dish dimensions, Mike will go over the current status of competitors, and summarize something out for discussion by next week.
  2. Mike/ As to measure the near field range for the whole dish apertures at ATNF, Mike will help to figure out the price.
  3. Everyone/ Fred asks everyone to look into the Prototype schedule, at least the part that you are responsible for. He wants to make sure whether it is realistic, if it is OK and then we will hold this schedule.as much as possible. If the item you think missing in the schedule, please let Paul know.
  4. Mal, Mingtang/ Mal and Mingtang will discuss the noise source calibration in detail offline this afternoon.
  5. Bob/ Paul/ Bob and Paul will discuss on the Sales Questionnaires of TRW as well as the preparation cost for site/lab/office offline today.
  6. Bob/ Bob will contact TRW to find out whether TRW can keep the original schedule to make the 1st wafer run by Dec.2001.
  7. Homing/ Homing will inform Mike the address by email where the interface card for receiver monitoring should be delivered.
  8. Bob/ Bob will keep on talking to MLO people to figure out the site location.
  9. Mike/ Mike will keep working to the simulation on the CMB polarization experiment with 7 arrays.
  10. Fred/ Regarding the read out chips of correlator, Fred will talk to Warwick to find out whether we should go ahead to make the discrete version or not.

 

Next meeting : Thursday, 4, Oct., 2001 at 8:30AM Taipei time