TRIUMF RF System — Initial Operating Problems and their Solutions

The TRIUMF RF system was commissioned in December 1974, with the cyclotron coming into operation later the same month. Details of the RF system have been published in previous papers and will only be summarized in this paper which discusses the performance of the RF system over the first eight months of operation. Some problems of resonator frequency drift were encountered as a function of temperature and changes in the cyclotron geometry. RF leakage within the beam gap led to serious sparking and RF pick-up on the beam diagnostic probes. The solution of these and other problems affecting the RF system, and therefore cyclotron availability, are discussed.