Challenges of the telescope control system for large robotic telescopes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Àngel Torres Gil ◽  
Juan José Valdivia ◽  
Asier Sebastián Oria Carreras ◽  
Carlos Manuel Gutiérrez de la Cruz ◽  
Alfredo García Piñero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Control System ◽  
Robotic Telescopes

scholarly journals USING OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE AND OPEN STANDARDS FOR OPERATING ROBOTIC TELESCOPES

2019 ◽  
Vol 51 ◽  
pp. 15-23
Author(s):  
T.-O. Husser ◽  
F. V. Hessman
Keyword(s):  
Control System ◽  
Open Source ◽  
South African ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Astronomical Observatory ◽  
University Of Texas ◽  
Robotic Telescopes ◽  
Open Standards ◽  
Original Observation ◽  
The University

The University of G¨ottingen, the McDonald Observatory of the University of Texas at Austin, and the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) operate two robotic telescopes called MONET at McDonald Observatory in Fort Davis, Texas (MONET/North), and at the SAAO in Sutherland, South Africa (MONET/South). After problems with our original observation control system and some difficulties with another one, we decided to build our own system, initially providing only the minimally required functionality, but allowing for easy extensibility. A decision was made to build on open standards and open source software only, so that we can use existing and well-tested technologies. In this paper we will describe our efforts to implement such an open observation control system using HTTP and XMPP. Furthermore, we will discuss possibilities for connecting multiple telescopes via VOEvents and RTML.

A controller for safe, convenient operation of LaB6 emitters on electron-beam instruments

1983 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. 408-409
Author(s):  
W. J. Abramson ◽  
H. W. Estry ◽  
L. F. Allard
Keyword(s):  
Electron Beam ◽  
Control System ◽  
Thermal Shock ◽  
Appropriate Care ◽  
Electron Guns ◽  
Tungsten Filaments ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Main Components

LaB6 emitters are becoming increasingly popular as direct replacements for tungsten filaments in the electron guns of modern electron-beam instruments. These emitters offer order of magnitude increases in beam brightness, and, with appropriate care in operation, a corresponding increase in source lifetime. They are, however, an order of magnitude more expensive, and may be easily damaged (by improper vacuum conditions and thermal shock) during saturation/desaturation operations. These operations typically require several minutes of an operator's attention, which becomes tedious and subject to error, particularly since the emitter must be cooled during sample exchanges to minimize damage from random vacuum excursions. We have designed a control system for LaBg emitters which relieves the operator of the necessity for manually controlling the emitter power, minimizes the danger of accidental improper operation, and makes the use of these emitters routine on multi-user instruments.Figure 1 is a block schematic of the main components of the control system, and Figure 2 shows the control box.

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