Problems of 9/25/2011

Got a lot accomplished since last list but as usual more problems creep up over time.

Software

• Focus driver - implementing in RTS2 - DONE
  
• AstroHaven dome driver needs update to stop spamming error messages and to add feedback from new dome control hardware
• TBan driver needs code to handle when device is not there rather than spam messages - DONE
  
• Add user friendly GUI to control primitive features of the system
  
• Possibly add Android app interface/add
  

Hardware

• Ordered another Webswitch, they are so cool - DONE
  
• Mount Telescope and pier - DONE
  
• Buy cabling management for inside of dome
  
• Repair crack in AstroHaven Dome
  
• Still need to spec out computer capable of extreme temperatures. Computer still needs to have PCI slots and serial ports. Don't want to use USB<->Serial
• Draw a plan for UPS during extreme temps - put off
  
• Add lens heater on LX200GPS to reduce night dew.
• Corrosion on BigNG board - ordered new one - DONE
  

Summer Temperatures

A major concern of ours is internal dome temperatures. Right now we have a small ventilation system, but no cooling or heating system. Extreme temperatures will pose a problem because most UPS (uninterrupted power supplies) and computer systems are not designed to handle freezing or extreme heat.

On the left is a plot of our recorded temperature over a few months. The dome doesn't seem to be trapping heat or cooking our components yet. The dome currently houses an experimental computer with no special cooling and most of our required equipment (UPS, weather station, etc). So far the only casualty has been a remotely controlled power strip, but this is probably a defect and not a result of heat.