Using Viking as a TCP/IP connected PWM flat field panel controller?

Hope someone can give me ideas or point me to the right thing to do.

I like to keep the number of cables going to/from the OTA/mount to a minimum, so my NUC rides on my OTA with just power and one Ethernet cable back to my switch (mainly because I don’t trust Wifi, but even that could go).

I control the rest of the observatory via TCP/IP, which easy with Viking’s client/server support. (my Nexdome I talk to via a Serial to TCP/IP Windows driver talking to ser2net on my Linux Raspberry Pi - works great!)

The only thing I haven’t figured out yet is how to connect the flat field panel to this environment.

I have a second UPBv2 box in my rack that I have wried up to the light panel - should I use this controlled by Viking?

If yes, then do I need to;
1). send Viking commands to switch the panel on/off and control brightness in my DragScript, or
2). is there a better way where I tell Voyager that Viking is looking after the panel for me? I don’t see anything that integrates Viking to Voyager specific to flats, but I may be missing something

I am guessing it’s #1?

What flat field panel do you have? I must be missing something but quite a few popular panels are managed inside Voyager even without Viking. Can’t you use that?

image

Great question - I am using a Alnitak, but I can’t connect it directly to the machine that’s running Voyager (as it’s on top of my telescope).

What’s the best way to get it talking/controlled over TCP/IP?

Perhaps a need to rephrase the question/idea, here’s the logic.

  • Flat panel controllers are often just USB controlled PWM dimmers
  • Voyager is already designed to manage USB connected PWM dimmers
  • Voyager does not (yet) have the ability to manage TCP/IP connected Flat panels
  • Viking supports controlling a “dimmable” PWM device
  • Voyager supports Viking

IDEA: make a Viking I/O card # & channel # an option in the Flat & Device section
RESULT: a network connected Flat panel!

Viking is for managing I/O cards, Voyager is for automation. Flat Device is a control of Voyager Setup so … write a ICoverCalibrator Device ASCOM driver and you have solved all the questions. Voyager is ready to use this new interface of ASCOM, just select and run.

All the best
Leonardo