SkyCommander/Orion Inteliscope functionality

[synfinatic]

Would require a simple LED display (ArgoNavis uses a 2x16 char) and a few buttons and lots of coding, but no reason I couldn't something like PalmDSC and do everything internal.

Honestly, I doubt I'll ever do this, but maybe I'll get really bored & curious about the whole thing?

[synfinatic]

Apparently there is some good info in the “Astronomical Computing” column of the February 1989 issue of Sky and Telescope

Good info:
http://www.cloudynights.com/topic/322622-open-source-push-to-system/?hl=dsc#entry4145697
http://www.geocities.jp/toshimi_taki/aim/aim.htm
http://www.bbastrodesigns.com/scopeToSky.html
https://www.google.com/search?q=taki+algorithm+arduino&oq=taki+algorithm+arduino

[synfinatic]

Arduino code doing Taki's matrix math:
https://github.com/juanrmn/Arduino-Telescope-Control/tree/master/main/arduino/plaser

See the CoordsLib files

[synfinatic]

So one less crazy idea is to implement the SkyCommander protocol. Basically using Taki's code, we can then factor in mount errors to provide even more accurate guiding. The best way of doing this is that on every boot, the TeensyDSC starts a HTTP server and you can do the alignment via a simple web page. Then once aligned, you'd click a button in the webui which would switch to SkyCommander mode for SkySafari. Should work I think. Nice thing about this, is it wouldn't necessarily require a display for the UI or a large star chart database since you'd only need to store alignment stars.

[synfinatic]

Looks like slidereal time should be easy with a "Ublox NEO-6M GPS". Should be about $15 on ebay. Also tells us where we are. :)

Also, probably easiest to have a "mode" switch which is "run" vs "config" (why didn't I think of that earlier???).

If we just want sidereal time, then a RTC would be cheaper:http://www.jimbo.net/circuitfarm/2010/07/sidereal-time/

[synfinatic]

Converting localtime to slideral time on Arduino:
http://astro.neutral.org/arduino/local-sidereal-time-arduino-microcontroller.shtml