Porting WinTICS-24 to Non-DFM Control Systems

It is planned in the future to port WinTICS-24 to several non-DFM telescope control systems. The first port will probably be to Dave Harvey's PC based TCS. Porting WinTICS to another control system requires either changing the existing routines in WinTICS to send and receive data in the format that the new TCS expects, or writing new tasks that are substituted for DFM-specific tasks when the new version of WinTICS is built. To assess whether your telescope control system is suitable for a port of WinTICS, here is a guide to required and optional features:

Telescope:

Required:

  • Ability to be controled via a serial port
  • Able to take RA, dec, and epoch inputs from a remote computer
  • Able to send the current telescope RA, dec, and epoch to a remote computer

    • Optional:

  • Able to send current telescope hour angle, zenith distance, and airmass a remote computer
  • Able to send next object RA, dec, epoch, hour angle, zenith distance, and airmass to a remote computer
  • Able to send current dome and focus positions to a remote computer
  • Able to accept a new focus position from a remote computer

    • Filter Wheels/Guide Acquire Module:

    Required:

  • Able to accept and send back the position of up to 4 axes to a remote computer

    • Optional:

  • Able to accept commands from a remote computer to turn on up to 8 digital I/O lines, and report their state back to the computer

    • These are only the most basic functions, of course. There are many others in WinTICS, like setting the TCS display epoch, setting up a trail or an offset, etc., that are provided for in WinTICS.

    Comments? Email lhawkins@brashear.phys.appstate.edu
    Last updated on: Sunday, 24-Aug-1997 03:17:46 EDT