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XmTel
=====

Copyright 2014 John Kielkopf
Email: kielkopf@louisville.edu
Last update: April 12, 2014

XmTel is a telescope control interface designed to communicate a telescope
controller with other software used to manage instruments in an astronomical
observatory, and with Elwood Downey's XEphem.

With Version 7.0, XmTel has two variants: a free-standing program that
communicates only with the telescope, and a version that runs a daemon and
communicates by the xpa protocol with a separate user interface, web server, or
other instruments. The connection to XEphem is through the fifo buffers on the
local machine in either case.

The new addition of an xpa server allows xmtel to be aware of other instruments,
and makes the connection of all instruments to a web application much simpler.
It also allows any one instrument's server to be stopped and restarted
independently, an advantage when there is an issue that requires an instrument
reboot. This mode of operation is recommended for observatories that are also
running xmccd, xmdome, or other code from us that integrates with xmtel. It is
useful as a command line program without a GUI, which makes it easily
scriptable for robotic or remote operations.

XmTel will operate as a free-standing program for control of telescopes that use
the NexStar, LX200, Sidereal Technologies, or Galil command sets. In
particular, we are developing telescope drive systems using Galil's industrial
motion controller that may be useful prototypes for other industrial class
motion-controller systems. We also have an RC Optical's Professional series
fork mount with electronics from Telescope Control Systems for which drivers to
XmTel are available on request.

In addition to XmTel, other user interfaces and protocols are available to
operate telescope instrumentation. These include XmCCD for Apogee and SBIG
cameras, and programs for controlling telescope focusers, rotators, fans, dew
heaters, and domes. The individual modules are being rewritten to use XPA, and
each will come with its own XPA server. The modules may talk to one another,
and to the system or a remote user through the command line.


XmTel is current written with a Motif graphical users interface to have
a look and feel similar to XEphem.



Preparing for Compilation
-------------------------

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
* Sidereal Technologies controllers (high resolution encoders are tested)
* Planewave A200HR using the Sidereal Technologies controller
* Galil Motion Control servo motor system
* RC Optical Telescope Control System (driver on request)
* Paramount with Software Bisque controllers (beta)
* Planewave Instruments CDK700 (beta)


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. The controller
has been tested on a German equatorial of our own manufacturer, and on the
the Paramount modified for a Galil controller.


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. For recent Paramounts our recommendation to run Windows in a virtual
machine and use the Software Bisque SkyX software as designed. The licensing
costs for other solutions is excessive.

Alternatively, an RTS2 library allows use of the Paramount in a Linux environment.
The library is available from the RTS2 developer.

Currently we are supporting two new solutions: operation of the the SoftwareBisque
software in a Windows virtual machine on the same computer running Linux applications,
and replacement of the SoftwareBisque electronics with other controllers such as the
Galil motion controllers.

If you have an older Paramount, particularly one in which the electronics is not
functioning, you could adapt it to use open source software by adding a
controller from Sidereal Technologies or from Galil, both of which are supported by XmTel.
This is not an inexpensive solution, and it does require technical expertise, but it
yields a robust Linux compatible telescope control.
Contact us for information on how we modified a Paramount to use the Galil controller.



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. We have fully functional controller for
the A200HR that uses its precision encoders to guide to arcsecond precision.

We also have a CDK700 telescope from Planewave which runs using their software
under a virtual Windows machine. The Planewave software provides an XML server
that we communicate with through XmTel. The server version of XmTel is under
development, and will be a template for any other control system that offers an
XML server interface.




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.

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 A200HR 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" and a
virtual Windows machine on a Linux platform. While we no longer support that
option in the current XmTel because we have no way to test it, it remains
viable and we appreciate their help in adapting the Paramount to our uses.

Petr Kubanek provided a RTS2 module for communication with Software Bisque's
Paramount ME in Linux. It could be integrated into the current XmTel. Please
contact him for information on the requisite proprietary library.


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!