Skip to content

Pre-run checklist

Walk through this every run, every time. Five minutes of checklist beats five hours of post-incident debugging.

Physical state of the lab

  • Exhaust path clear beyond the band saw. Nothing loose downstream.
  • Band saw is in place across the exhaust opening.
  • Test section is clean inside — no tools, cables, fasteners, or rags. Open the test-section lamp to look.
  • Model is mechanically secure. Visual inspection of every mount; tug test on the sting.
  • Test-section access panels are closed and latched.
  • Camera, laser bench, and any tripods are stable. Cables routed out of the airflow.
  • No loose items anywhere in the airflow path.

Wind tunnel exhaust path with band saw block

Electrical state

  • Main switch is closed (mains live to the VFD).
  • VFD enclosure is closed. Never run with the enclosure open.
  • No visible damage to cables between the main switch, the VFD, and the motor.
  • No lockout/tagout is currently applied to the main switch.

Main switch on the wall

Drive state

  • Keypad shows REM in the upper-left corner. If it shows LOC, press LOC/REM on the keypad.
  • No fault codes on the keypad. If a fault is latched, clear it with RESET and identify the cause before proceeding.

VFD enclosure and keypad

Network and PC state

  • Lab PC is on and not pending a forced update.
  • Ethernet 4 adapter holds 192.168.50.100. If unsure, ask a contributor to verify.

Software state

  • ADCL WinSoft launched. (Double-click ADCL WinSoft.exe.)
  • Footer shows "Connected" on the Modbus side (green indicator).
  • Footer shows "DAQ: cDAQ1" — not "DAQ: simulated" — if you expect to record data.
  • Data output folder for today exists and the destination drive has free space.

Lab PC and computer station

Laser & smoke generator (only if flow-vis)

  • Laser power supply set to 12 V exactly. Do not raise the voltage.
  • Beam path inspected. Beam terminates on a diffuse non-reflective surface. No reflective objects in the beam path.
  • Smoke generator is off and unplugged from fluid refill within the last 5 minutes.
  • Glycol reservoir has fluid. Refilling mid-run is disruptive and a spill hazard.
  • Door placard updated to show laser and smoke in use.

Laser system: DC supply, Class 2 laser, glass rod sheet former

First powered run of the day — stop-path verification

Before loading a real test article, do this with the tunnel empty:

  1. Start the tunnel at 100 RPM setpoint.
  2. Press Stop Tunnel in ADCL WinSoft. Motor decelerates to zero. ✅
  3. Start again at 100 RPM.
  4. Press Emergency Stop. Motor coasts to zero quickly. ✅
  5. Start again at 100 RPM.
  6. Open the main switch. Motor coasts to zero. Software loses Modbus. ✅
  7. Close the main switch. Re-launch ADCL WinSoft. Verify reconnection.

If any of the three paths fails, do not load a model and do not run today. Escalate to a contributor.