Tracker Status Report

March 19, 2004

1. Thermal Vacuum Testing

a. Data analysis is in progress and first results will be reported at the meeting in Bari next week.

b. The EM tower is back in Pisa, where tests were made to try to reproduce some power fluctuations seen while in the T/V chamber. The fluctuations could not be reproduced so far.

2. Mid Tray Production

a. Plyform is assembling about 20 panels in the first lot.

b. They will be ready for ESPI testing March 31.

3. Bottom Tray Closeouts

a. The drawings should go out for release today.

b. The PO is being prepared for the machining at COI.

c. LAT QA will travel to COI for their inspection.

4. Bottom Tray Titanium Parts and Flexures

a. The machining is in progress at Advanced Machining, with a delivery date of April 9.

5. Bottom Tray Static Test (E. Swensen)

a. Hytec completed a detailed write-up on how to assemble and use the test fixture.

6. Bias Circuit Fabrication

a. 50 new bias circuits arrived at SLAC yesterday and are being inspected prior to shipment to Pisa.

b. 2 of the circuits will get a complete CMM dimensional inspection.

7. PWB Machining and Inspection

a. Diamond machining was qualified by LAT QA, and 200 boards went there this week to be machined.

8. MCM Test System

a. The procedure document was signed off and released.

b. The COM card in the Teledyne setup broke and was replaced. SLAC is working on obtaining and calibrating spares for all of the equipment.

9. MCM Assembly and Test

a. Preproduction: the last 10 MCMs underwent final testing and inspection at Teledyne yesterday.

b. Flight production: the production start has been delayed by 3 weeks now to get a PO in place. Hopefully today (but I typed the same 2 weeks ago).

10. MCM Burn-In and Acceptance Test System

a. The procedure document was signed off and released.

11. MCM Qualification

a. 5 MCMs completed 200 thermal cycles between –30C and 85C for qualification testing. They were electrically tested yesterday, with no change found with respect to the test results before thermal cycling (i.e. they still function properly).

b. Work is still in progress to repair the T/V chamber for the testing to be done there.

12. Sidewall Manufacture

a. A complete specification document was drafted.

b. Plyform sent COI an RFQ for the prepreg.

13. Flex Circuit Fabrication and Test

a. A "minor" interference between all cactus arms and MCM connectors led to a mechanical re-layout of all cables. The design will be verified and hopefully frozen today.

b. One final fit check of the cables in the 3-D tower model is going on in parallel.

c. The electronic layout of the first cable (C3), which is one of the longest, is making good progress and will be completed on Monday. We are planning to have sign-off on it (next week?) and submit it to flight production. A guess of the TOA of these is beginning of June.

d. The electrical layout of the following cables will take about 2.5 days each; i.e. we are looking at April 20 for completion of electrical layout of the entire set. 

e. Parlex is having problems estimating the testing of the C0 cables that we have ordered, so we sent them design information on what we've done at SLAC for cable testing.  We should receive their proposal this week.