XmTel ===== Copyright 2012 John Kielkopf Email: kielkopf@louisville.edu Last update: July 30, 2012 Distributed under the terms of the General Public License (GPL, see LICENSE). XmTel is a telescope control interface designed to to communicate with a telescope server, and Elwood Downey's XEphem, through the INDI protocol. It will also operate as a free-standing program for control of telescopes that use the NexStar, Paramount, and LX200 command sets, telescope drive systems built using Galil's industrial motion controller, and RC Optical's Professional series fork mount with electronics from Telescope Control Systems. XmTel utilizes the "Instrument Neutral Distributed Interface" (INDI), Copyright Elwood Charles Downey. General Public Licensed software for this interface is included in this package. XmTel provides three user interfaces and an INDI server: * xmtel1 - communicates directly with the mount * xmtel - communicates with the indiserver which then talks to the mount * command line scripts -- talk to the indiserver The mount software is specific to different designs and must be selected when XmTel is compiled. You may build different versions if you want to run different mounts with this software. We offer protocols to run * NexStar mounts from Celestron * LX200 series mounts from Meade or other vendors * Galil Motion Control servo motor system for research applications * RC Optical Telescope Control System (on request) * Software Bisque Paramount (on request) * Planewave Instruments 200HR and CDK700 (under development) NexStar ------- The standard "HC" interface uses serial communications through the hand controller. It requires manual startup and is not suitable for robotic operation, but is very reliable for remote control once the telescope has gone through its starting routine. The powerful "AUX" interface also uses serial communications through the hand controller, but it bypasses the hand control processor except as a communication handler. AUX utilitizes the motor controllers on the axes of the telescope, and it does run in a fully robotic mode. However, the version included here is set up to run a specific gear ratio for a prototype of the Celestron Pro CGE. We will probably be able to supply parameters for the current CGE Pro, the older CGE, and models of the fork mounts when time and availability for testing permits. Please ask if you have a specfic need. We will not support the "PC" interface connector on some NexStar mounts. It uses the "AUX" code, but in tests on the mounts available to us, this connector was subject to electronic interference and not suitable for unattended operation. LX200 ----- Most telescopes from Meade or other manufacturers with an LX200 serial interface will respond to the protocol provided here, since it uses only a fundamental core set of commands. We no longer have access to a Meade telescope for development. The command set used here was developed and tested on a Meade 16-inch LX200. Galil ----- Galil Motion Controls DMC-4020 servo controller is a very versatile industrial controller that should operate motors and accessories on telescopes up to the 1 meter class. Code provided here runs an equatorial mount using these controllers, and it could be adapted to run a triaxial mount (alt-az and image rotation). See the notes in the Galil controller directory. RC Optical ---------- We have an RC Optical Systems "Professional" 0.6-meter with a drive system from Telescope Control Systems. During development, they kindly worked with us to integrate their control software into XmTel. The protocols that enable this are available on request. However, the driver technology and implementation in their controller is proprietary and would only be available from them with their mounting. We note only that the combination of the RC Optical control and XmTel is a professional research class system suitable for a large telescope. Contact us for more information. Paramount --------- Software Bisque does not release a library for the Paramount without a license agreement. However there is an effective solution implemented here that utilizes your licensed "The SkyX" software to talk to XmTel. Alternatively, a Linux library may be available from the RTS2 project. See the bisque directory for more information. Planewave Instruments --------------------- Planewave Instruments manufactures corrected Dall Kirkham telescopes and a large precision German equatorial mount. We have their telescopes in use at our observatories in Kentucky and Australia, and intend to support their functions fully in XmTel. As of this version, we have fully functional controller for the A200HR that uses its precision encoders to guide to arcsecond precision. We are awaiting delivery of a CDK700, and will incorporate its network-based controller into XmTel. VERY IMPORTANT NOTICES ---------------------- While this software is useful for us in operating our telescopes, it is supplied without warranty of any kind. Our intention is to offer a framework and examples that may be tailored to your own applications. Please test the provided routines with caution and use them at your own risk. In alt-az operation the mounting may acquire a target with an expected sense of rotation leading to undesirable cord wrap. Allow slack in cabling, and watch for the possibility that cables may be under stress. For German equatorials (e.g. the Celestron CGE) it is possible that a request to slew may generate a flip of the telescope from one side of the pier to the other. Be aware of this possibility, and watch for cable wrap. With the NexStar controller you should set slew limits in the hand controller if this feature is available. Slew limits are not a guarantee, and also have no utility in the "AUX" version of the driver provided here. The addition of mechanically actuated cutoff switches is recommended if this software is to be used on a telescope remote from the operator. Credits ------- Many thanks to Elwood Downey for maintaining XEphem, a program of extraordinary quality, and for his help to make the XmTel controller responsive to XEphem and INDI. Carlos Guirao, Ken Shouse, and Peter McCoullough contributed to the routines that implement the Meade LX200 command set. Andre Paquette provided documentation and assistance with the auxiliary command set for NexStar, Danyal Medley kindly answered technical questions, and Joe Haberman offered insights into the many features of the Celestron control system. Rhodes Hart and Ian Waite of Mt. Kent Observatory at the University of Southern Queensland have patiently have helped with debugging the software for use with the NexStar command set. Dan Azari's programming skills made an interface to RC Optical Systems Professional Series mounting possible. Galil Motion Controls provided the library that is necessary to use their controllers for telescope operations. Planewave Instruments provided the documentation and supporting information to interface their HR200 and CDK700 telescopes to our software. Daniel Bisque of Software Bisque suggested a useful solution to running their Paramount under Linux by using The Sky's Orchestrate "watched folder". We have implemented that under VMWare, and will use a similar solution when The Sky X Professional becomes available for Linux. Petr Kubanek provides the RTS2 module for communication with Software Bisque's Paramount ME in Linux. References ---------- "Motif Programming: The Essentials and More", Marshall Brain, (Digital Press, Burlington, MA, 1992). The book was also re-released by HP Technologies and may still be available in paper. ISBN 1-55558-089-0. "Motif Programming Manual", Dan Heller and Paula M. Ferguson, (O'Reilly and Associates, 1994). This volume (6A of the series) and its companion (6B) are also available on-line at http://www.oreilly.com/openbook/motif/. "Astronomical Algorithms", Jean Meeus, (Willman-Bell, Richmond, VA, 1991). Indispensable!