The Carriage is the support structure of the spectrometer.
First and foremost as it is a multi leveled structure it is important to keep in mind that people may be working above you. This means that hard hats should be worn.
There are two sets of steps on the carriage. The first set of steps (closer to the pivot, leading to the power supplies) is very steep (almost like a ladder) and hence extra care should be exercised while using this set of steps. The second set of steps is at the rear of the carriage and provides access to the main level as well as to the catwalk and shield house. Taller individuals should be mindful when using this flight of steps due to the limited head room at some points.
The first level of the carriage is almost at beam height and therefore the usual precautions associated with working at heights should be followed (note: safety railings have been installed everywhere possible along the carriage perimeter, but there may still be unprotected spaces as conditions change).
The entire spectrometer can be rotated. Currently, the angle of the spectrometer is found using a plumb bob attached to a reference mark on the carriage frame under the ``pasta fork" at the rear of the spectrometer. This plumb bob is aligned over survey marks which have been painted on the floor in red and scribed at 0.5 degree intervals. Rotation of the spectrometer is accomplished by using the two motors on the carriage itself (the motors on the shield house bogies are not used in the present rotation system). These AC motors are controlled by synchronous pulse width modulated drives which are mounted near the bottom of the shield house steps.