Skip to content

Shutdown checklist

End of session. Walk through in this order; the order matters.

Order

  1. Smoke generator OFF. Wait until the visible plume clears the test section.
  2. Tunnel ramp-stop. Press Stop Tunnel in ADCL WinSoft. Confirm Speed RPM reads 0.
  3. DAQ stop. Press Stop DAQ. Confirm the CSV is finalized.
  4. Close ADCL WinSoft cleanly (use the window close button; the app saves its settings on exit).
  5. Laser OFF. Disable the DC supply output, then power the supply down.
  6. Test-section lamp OFF if it was on.
  7. Main switch OPEN. This de-energizes the VFD and motor. The drive keypad goes dark.
  8. Visual confirmation: keypad dark, motor not spinning, no audible whirring, no laser beam.

Cleanup

  • Wipe up any smoke-generator fluid spills with a paper towel; dispose in the lab's solid waste.
  • Coil up any cables that were routed across walkways.
  • Restore the band saw to its blocking position across the exhaust if it was moved.
  • Lock the lab if you are the last person out.

Run log

In the run log (paper or digital — whichever this lab uses) record:

  • Date, start time, end time.
  • Your name and any observers.
  • RPM range and number of test points.
  • Data file names (or the folder).
  • Anything unusual: fault codes, software hiccups, noises, smells, anyone entering the lab during a run.

When something was wrong

If anything during the run was unexpected — a fault that took multiple resets, a smoke plume in the wrong direction, a model that shifted on its mount, a software glitch — escalate to a contributor and open a new milestone log (WT_MS_<n>/debug_session.md) in the project repository. Do not let the unexplained incident sit; it will recur and the next operator will not know to expect it.

Do not, ever

  • Walk out leaving the motor energized.
  • Walk out leaving the laser energized.
  • Walk out leaving the smoke generator energized.
  • Skip the run log because "nothing happened" — the log of unremarkable runs is what makes the abnormal ones detectable.