Dome driver progress.
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Re: Dome driver progress.
What's so complicated?
To start with, which direction do you go towards home? If the circumference is calibrated, you go the shortest direction. If not, you arbitrarily go clockwise until you trigger the sensor.
How do you define Home? The magnetic switch is closed for about 300 motor steps, so which part of that range is the actual 0 azimuth? I defined it as the leading edge of the Home signal when rotating clockwise.
But that means that the azimuth might count down to 0 before triggering the sensor (if some motor steps got skipped), or it might zoom right by the Home position. So it has to either continue slowly in the same direction or back up slowly to find the actual home position. And since the position is only defined when moving clockwise, it has to finish clockwise, even if that means moving counterclockwise off the Home position first.
It is definitely not trivial. So I've been doing a lot of testing and fine-tuning this week. The Home function is used not just by the actual Home command, but also by the Open and Close commands, the Calibrate command, and the rain detection system.
The good news is that I have everything working now except the rain system, which has a bad relay that I have to replace. (Note to self: don't use a 5v relay in a 12v circuit! ) The detector is detecting, and the trigger is triggering; I just need the detector to activate the trigger and it will be good.
DSO AP: Orion 200mm f/4 Newtonian Astrograph; ATIK 383L+; EFW2 filter wheel; Astrodon Ha,Oiii,LRGB filters; KWIQ/QHY5 guide scope; Planetary AP: Celestron C-11; ZWO ASI120MC; Portable: Celestron C-8 on HEQ5 pro; C-90 on wedge; 20x80 binos; Etc: Canon 350D; Various EPs, etc. Obs: 8' Exploradome; iOptron CEM60 (pier); Helena Observatory (H2O) Astrobin
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Re: Dome driver progress.
I built a focuser using Arduino but someone else had done the hard work writing the program, so it was just figuring out a few of the bits and pieces of code.
Sure sounds like it's gonna be automated!
Scopes: Explore Scientific ED80CF, Skywatcher 200 Quattro Imaging Newt, SeeStar S50 for EAA.
Mounts: Orion Atlas EQ-g mount & Skywatcher EQ5 Pro.
ZWO mini guider.
Image cameras: ZWO ASI1600 MM Cool, ZWO ASI533mc-Pro, ZWO ASI174mm-C (for use with my Quark chromosphere), ZWO ASI120MC
Filters: LRGB, Ha 7nm, O-III 7nm, S-II 7nm
Eyepieces: a few.
Primary software: Cartes du Ciel, N.I.N.A, StarTools V1.4.
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Re: Dome driver progress.
So, at this point, the automation system is ready for its "first light". We have some clear nights in the forecast this week, dark of the moon, even, so I plan to take advantage of them. I might babysit the first session, then try an unattended session on subsequent nights.
It is not complete, by any means. I still have to wire up a manual remote. And I want to rebuild the remote power control system, so that I can turn on the devices without going out to the observatory, turn on lights, etc. That unit will also incorporate battery backup for the various systems, and a power fail detector that will trigger the same response as the rain detector.
DSO AP: Orion 200mm f/4 Newtonian Astrograph; ATIK 383L+; EFW2 filter wheel; Astrodon Ha,Oiii,LRGB filters; KWIQ/QHY5 guide scope; Planetary AP: Celestron C-11; ZWO ASI120MC; Portable: Celestron C-8 on HEQ5 pro; C-90 on wedge; 20x80 binos; Etc: Canon 350D; Various EPs, etc. Obs: 8' Exploradome; iOptron CEM60 (pier); Helena Observatory (H2O) Astrobin
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Re: Dome driver progress.
I babysat the session just in case anything went wrong. Nothing did! (At least, not with the dome. The focusing was another story.) Everything went smoothly. All slews ended with the dome slot perfectly centered in front of the scope. The microslews every two degrees to track the scope were all smooth. (The old DC motor used to shake the whole building on a microslew.) And the dome closed itself at the end of a session.
In order to improve the reliability of the dome slews, I removed the "hold-down" strips from the dome. These are plastic strips that are screwed under the skirt of the dome to prevent it being lifted off in a high wind. Because the plastic moldings of the dome are not precise, there really wasn't enough clearance for them. The strips used to drag and catch on the roof panels. The old DC motor had enough torque to continue moving anyway, but the stepper motor was stalling and losing track of the azimuth if one of the strips got hung up.
I don't think the strips are necessary. I have never noticed any tendency of the dome to lift in a wind. For strong storms, I have turnbuckles that I can install to hold it down.
DSO AP: Orion 200mm f/4 Newtonian Astrograph; ATIK 383L+; EFW2 filter wheel; Astrodon Ha,Oiii,LRGB filters; KWIQ/QHY5 guide scope; Planetary AP: Celestron C-11; ZWO ASI120MC; Portable: Celestron C-8 on HEQ5 pro; C-90 on wedge; 20x80 binos; Etc: Canon 350D; Various EPs, etc. Obs: 8' Exploradome; iOptron CEM60 (pier); Helena Observatory (H2O) Astrobin
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Re: Dome driver progress.
I just checked that the first frame was starting to integrate, then went to bed.
I just have to remember to park the scope at the end. I caught it this morning, still tracking the nebula down to the horizon. I'll have to see if I can find the custom parking script that I used to have. The CEM60 likes to park in the worst possible head-bonking position. I haven't been able to get it to park in a custom location automatically. Seems the custom positions are only available by clicking something. Under program control, it only parks in the default east-side-horizontal position, right where I raise my head after ducking through the door.
DSO AP: Orion 200mm f/4 Newtonian Astrograph; ATIK 383L+; EFW2 filter wheel; Astrodon Ha,Oiii,LRGB filters; KWIQ/QHY5 guide scope; Planetary AP: Celestron C-11; ZWO ASI120MC; Portable: Celestron C-8 on HEQ5 pro; C-90 on wedge; 20x80 binos; Etc: Canon 350D; Various EPs, etc. Obs: 8' Exploradome; iOptron CEM60 (pier); Helena Observatory (H2O) Astrobin
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Re: Dome driver progress.
That's what I have found also. I'm not fully automated but I do have a custom park and it only seems to want to park in the "Home" position. If you find a solution please post it!
Scopes: Explore Scientific ED80CF, Skywatcher 200 Quattro Imaging Newt, SeeStar S50 for EAA.
Mounts: Orion Atlas EQ-g mount & Skywatcher EQ5 Pro.
ZWO mini guider.
Image cameras: ZWO ASI1600 MM Cool, ZWO ASI533mc-Pro, ZWO ASI174mm-C (for use with my Quark chromosphere), ZWO ASI120MC
Filters: LRGB, Ha 7nm, O-III 7nm, S-II 7nm
Eyepieces: a few.
Primary software: Cartes du Ciel, N.I.N.A, StarTools V1.4.
- KathyNS Online
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- Joined: Thu Apr 25, 2019 11:47 am
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Re: Dome driver progress.
The iOptron Commander
DSO AP: Orion 200mm f/4 Newtonian Astrograph; ATIK 383L+; EFW2 filter wheel; Astrodon Ha,Oiii,LRGB filters; KWIQ/QHY5 guide scope; Planetary AP: Celestron C-11; ZWO ASI120MC; Portable: Celestron C-8 on HEQ5 pro; C-90 on wedge; 20x80 binos; Etc: Canon 350D; Various EPs, etc. Obs: 8' Exploradome; iOptron CEM60 (pier); Helena Observatory (H2O) Astrobin
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