Abstract Details

Name: Dorje Angchuk
Affiliation: IIA
Conference ID: ASI2021_184
Title : Upgrading an old 50cm telescope for the robotic operation: The Current Status and the Plan for the Future.
Authors and Co-Authors : Dorje Angchuk(IAO-IIA), Padmakar Singh Parihar(IIA), Sonam Jorphail(IAO-IIA), Tsewang Stanzin(IAO-IIA), Tsewang Dorjai(IAO-IIA), Tashi Thsering Mahey(IAO-IIA), Tsewang Gyalson(IAO-IIA), Padma Dorjey(IAO-IIA), Suraj Kumar(IIA), Phuntsok Dorjay(IAO-IIA), Tashi Pamber(IAO-IIA), Tsewang Phunchok(IAO-IIA), Urgyain Stanzin(IAO-IIA)
Abstract Type : Oral
Abstract Category : Instrumentation and Techniques
Abstract : A 50cm Ritchey-Chretien (f/10 cassegrain) equatorial mount telescope manufactured by Torus Inc, is being refurbished at Indian Astronomical Observatory, Leh. The telescope has served as a good learning tool for the engineers at IAO to develop their own indigenous PSOC based motion control system and Observatory Control Software. The hardware control architecture consists of several microcontroller units, interfaced over local area network by making use of the CAN bus. The Telescope Control System (TCS) handles two primary telescope drive axes, focuser, filter wheel as well as the enclosure. Our emphasis has been to minimise the over all budget but at the same time have an equally good and robust motion control system. The TCS which is developed entirely from the scratch facilitate precise pointing as well as tracking. The secondary focus is actively compensated for any change in the ambient temperature. In order to protect the telescope and its equipment’s from the dust, rain/snow, a sliding roof enclosure is also designed & built. We plan to put this telescope in action at IAO Hanle and make it a fully robotic telescope so that it can be effectively used to carry out observations of transients objects of different kinds. At present telescope is going through rigorous testing as well as re-commissioning phase. In my presentation, I will briefly explain the effort made toward upgrading the telescope as well as present some observational results indicating its performance.