Transcript Internet Controlled Telescopes

Internet Controlled
Telescopes
Two Choices
1. Sign up for one of the many remote
controlled internet telescopes available now.
– Slooh – Your live on-line observatory
– Mytelescope - Take control of an observatory!
– Global Rent a Scope – Where the Sun never rises
2. Control your own telescope remotely
1. What hardware and software do you need to
accomplish this task?
MyTelescope.com Videos
http://www.mytelescope.com/help/videos/
Global Rent a Scope
On you tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsG6ErvY6I
U&feature=player_embedded
This is a good demonstration of using the scopes
and image processing with it.
This is the site video tutorials:
http://www.global-rent-a-scope.com/Tutorials/
Global Rent-a-Scope
Global Rent-a-Scope
• Global Rent-a-Scope already has 24/7 nightsky coverage, thanks to its lineup of remotecontrolled telescopes in New Mexico, Israel
and Australia. The pictures typically look
sharper as well - compare this Slooh, but there
is a cost difference: A yearlong subscription to
Slooh costs $99, while the pricing for Rent-aScope time ranges from $37.20 to $145 an
hour.
Control your own telescope remotely
This will be the subject of this report as I felt
this would be the most interesting to our
members.
"The optical tube determines what may be seen with a
telescope, while the mount determines how the telescope
may be employed. In areas where real estate
development leaves the amateur seeing less and less of
the night skies, computers can help one find the target
and then move a telescope right onto that target."
Software Bisque
http://www.bisque.com/sc/
The information & images that follows was
cleaned from Software Bisque. Follow the link
below for the full information and check out
their great products with the link above.
http://www.bisque.com/Tom/remotecontrol/re
mote.asp#BluetoothSerialConnection0
A Little History
• For several decades amateur telescopes have been made
incorporating electronic circuits to automate regulation of drive
tracking rates, correct periodic error of worm gears, usually in
optional external Drive Correctors.
• So computer control has technically speaking been provided on
amateur telescopes since the 1960's.
• It is only in the 1980's that the first telescopes entered the market
with reliable optical encoders and specialized computers that
guided the operator to manually move the telescope onto the
target.
• And some years later the first practical telescopes came onto the
market that could be set up by an amateur and then be directed to
a target with high speed slewing motors under control of a
computer.
• But to most amateurs today the term "computer controlled
telescope" implies either: Computerized (or Digital) Aids to
Navigation - a telescope mount with devices attached as options or
built-in guiding the operator to move the telescope (usually
manually) onto target. Telescopes like this are still sold today, the
most successful being the Orion Intelliscope series.
• Go To - a telescope mount control system with the capability to
automatically direct the mount slewing motors to quickly move
(slew) the mount to precisely locate and center an object in the sky
in the field of view of the telescope optical tube.
– Amateur telescopes typically slew at rates of up to 3 degrees per
second taking about a minute to go from one object to another in the
opposite horizon.
– Advanced telescopes can slew at 6 degrees per second, some up to 12
degrees per second, while some specialized systems are slewing at up
to 24 degrees per second!
– The control systems are programmed to gradually ramp up the motors
in acceleration and to decelerate gradually to reduce stresses on the
mount components.
• For a automated observatory a Go To computer controlled mount is
required.
What do you want to do?
1. Sit in the house while the telescope is on the
deck or in a backyard observatory.
– You may be able to do this with one computer
and cables.
2. Control a distant remote observatory
– More equipment and expenses
What is required for backyard?
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A Telescope
Computer-controlled mount
Computer-controlled electronic focuser
CCD camera
One maybe two computers
– One for the observatory
– One for remote operations
• Software to control it all
• Connection system
Direct Connection
always the best case scenario!
• There is simply no
substitute for having a
hardware connection
from the primary
computer to all of the
hardware devices at
the scope
whenever/wherever
possible.
• The principle reasons
are performance,
cost, ease of use, and
hardware
maintenance.
Direct Connection
always the best case scenario!
• Wireless connections can be very convenient, but they are
slow in performance compared to a direct connection, even
with today's best and most expensive wireless hardware.
Additionally, the size of the CCD detectors has grown
tremendously over the years; downloading 3 to 100
megabyte files over a wireless connection is painfully slow.
•
• Even using Remote Desktop/PCAnywhere, VNC, and all
other remote control software that is completely
bandwidth dependent fails in comparison to a simple direct
connection. Yes, remote software has come a long way, but
no remote control software over a LAN works as well as
being on the same machine that is hard wired to the
equipment.
Direct Connection
always the best case scenario!
• So, if the computer is no more than 30 feet (9 m) or so
away from the telescope equipment, running wires directly
from the PC to the equipment has numerous advantages.
For example the PC is located say inside the house or warm
room safe from the cold and not subject to leaky
observatories or changing temperatures. In this type of
control you simply have the very best most cost effective
performance. PERIOD!
• Note just as soon as you introduce two PC's in a LAN or very
long expensive cable runs the price goes up and usually the
performance down and while the hassles go up.
Serial RS-232 Cabling Options
• Almost all "goto" telescopes use RS-232 serial communications as
do many focusers, filter wheels, and other devices. Serial RS-232
cables ranging from 1 foot up to 175 feet are inexpensive.
• In fact, even if the telescope mount boasts a USB interface why
bother with the added expense associated with longer cable runs
(runs longer than about 15 feet) if RS-232 is an option?
• Because currently there is no speed advantage using USB for
telescope control you can get by with lesser expensive standard
phone cable.
• For longer than about 175 feet consider the RS-232 Extender
feature here which uses cheaper Cat 5/5E or 6 cable.
• You can use a serial cable using standard phone type cable 4 and 6
conductor cable up to 200 feet with the mount and other RS-232
serially controlled devices.
USB 1.0 Cable Runs - Up to 80 Feet
• If the device is USB 1.0 compliant NOT 2.0 the cost of cable
extensions is slightly cheaper.
• This is the case with the older SBIG CCD cameras or
Paramount ME
• USB 1.0 active extenders work fine.
About $15.00 U.S.
USB 1.0 Cable Runs - up to 150 feet
USB 2.0 Cable Runs - Up to 80 Feet
• Until recently finding a USB 2.0 active extension cable was not available.
So those with newer and faster USB 2.0 CCD cameras they would have to
spend a lot on extenders that supported the faster speeds.
• However, you can now get USB 2.0 Tripp Lite 16 foot extenders . These can
be daisy chained to a distance of 32 feet or more .
• The best part is they can be purchased for about $15.00 per extender!
Amazon.com has these in stock at nearly 1/2 off the list price of $49.00!
Need longer runs see below.
Longer USB 2.0 Cable Runs Up to - 198 Feet Cat 5/6!
• For USB 2.0 cable runs that are longer a better albeit more
expensive option is the Iogear USB 2.0 extender which uses
Cat 5E or Cat6 cheap network cables! I recommend these runs
for over 50 feet. Having one single Cat 5/5e or 6 cable is more
convenient then dealing with extenders daisy chained
together and the price is similar.
WARNING! You may also need an additional power
supply +5 volts at 2 amps on the receiver end for longer
cable runs. This is NOT included or ever mentioned in
the documentation. I am still waiting on mine!
The "optional" power supply required for USB devices
needing additional power (i.e. my SBIG CCD camera) is
Iogear part number 0AD8-0705-261G and sells for
$19.00 US.
What About Long Parallel Cables?
• For those with a CCD camera using a parallel
interface longer parallel cable runs (more than
about 50 feet) are available and reasonably
priced. Up to 200 feet with parallel is possible
using more expensive twisted pair shielded
cabling. Contact Software Bisque for pricing
on custom shielded parallel cables.
IOGEAR PS2 KVM Console Extender
GCE250
• Dual console operation lets you control your
system from either the CPU or the remote
KVM console
• The PS/2 KVM console extender uses
inexpensive CAT5 cabling instead of
expensive coax to connect to a remote KVM
console up to 450 feet away.
• Just attach the local unit to your CPU and
the remote unit to your monitor and PS/2
peripherals. A single CAT5 cord is all you
need to connect the two units to carry
signals for the monitor, the keyboard and
the mouse.
• The extender also lets you control your
system from either the local or remote
consoles.
IOGEAR PS2 KVM Console Extender
GCE250
• The IOGEAR PS/2 KVM Console
Extender allows access to a
computer system or a KVM switch
from a remote console (keyboard,
monitor, and mouse), from up to
500 feet away, via a CAT5e cable.
• Auto signal compensation makes
installation easy, with no need to
configure dip switches
• Video resolution up to 1280 x
1024 at 60Hz
• Supports VGA, SVGA & multisync
monitors
• Plug 'n' Play
IOGEAR PS2 KVM Console Extender
GCE250
• What you have is keyboard/mouse/monitor at one station then a
single controlling PC connected to all the telescope hardware and
placed very near the telescope. The amount of money you save by
not having to buy 500 feet of custom cabling for direct connection to
all devices or a LAN easily covers the cost of the remote console
device.
• This system is faster, cheaper and uses less equipment than setting up
a LAN. Hardwired being first, this is the second best hook-up.
Wireless Connections
• Wireless has it’s uses and works well for
controlling the mount, focuser, filter wheels
etc.
• The hang up is the CCD image especially with
larger mega-pixel CCD detectors!.
• Wireless still does not have the performance
of a hardwired system for transferring the
data.
• Wireless RS232 Serial Device Wi-Fi Aaxeon.
Now here is a very handy device. The unit will
convert RS-232 serial communications to
standard 802.11b Wi-Fi! Great for controlling
mounts, focusers and etc.
What is required Distant Remote
Observatory?
• Computer at the observatory
• Internet connection, chances are this would have to be via
satellite dish.
• Computer dome control
• Weather detection system
• Appropriate computer connections
– Cabling at the observatory to the various devices.
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Weather detection system
Dome
Mount
Focuser
CCD camera
• A Power source
• Joe Morris will cover this subject at a later meeting.
The End