SkyAlert User`s Guide - Interactive Astronomy
Contents
1. i SkyAlerf Us r s Guide i Ea alge far Woathor Data System Interactive Astronomy E i a i SkyEye SkyAlert SkyRoof Ordering SkyEye Users Forum Support General Program Functions The SkyAlert Weather program serves as an observatory weather station to monitor prevailing weather conditions At its core one of the main functions of the program is to generate a one line weather data file Sometimes known as Clarity Boltwood II or Weather Data which can be used by many imaging software packages CCD Autopilot CCD Commander ACP etc to determine if an imaging session should be terminated or paused due to unfavorable weather conditions Other program functions include real time charting of weather data and at a glace weather condition reporting The program also works with the SkyRoof application to facilitate weather dependant roll off roof operation This program is designed to work in conjunction with the SkyAlert weather system module and will not function correctly with other weather data generating instruments Program Installation Do not connect the SkyAlert weather module to the computer until the software installation is completed Install the program by double clicking the SkyAlert Setup icon Follow the on screen prompts to proceed with the software installation When the following screen is displayed click the Install Drivers button to continue with the driver installation w SkyAlert In2. 00 PM 8 00 PM Wind Speed 6 Wind Speed 4 2 MMM Wind Speed 0 2 4 00 PM 5 00 PM 6 00 PM 7 00 PM 8 00 PM Brightness z 100 Brightness 80 60 xo 40 oo Brightness a 20 gt 4 00 PM 5 00 PM 6 00 PM 7 00PM 3 00 PM Sensor Calibration Moisture Sensor Light Sensor Cloudy Very Cloudy Offset Calibrate Dampness Calibrate Brightness Offset 8 0 Result Very Cloudy Dry 9590 Day 500 Damp 990 970 Result Dry Dim 500 250 Result Dark Rain 370 4 Dark 250 Measured 1015 Measured 163 Calibrate Windspeed Calibrate Temperature Zero Adj 0 030 Result 0 003 mph Temp 0 0 Result 73 8 F IR Sensor Humidity Sensor Calibrate Temperature Calibrate Humidity Temp 0 0 Result 74 F Humidity 0 0 Result 38 Calibrate sensors Moisture Sensor The values for the moisture sensor can be adjusted to fine tune the thresholds for dry damp and rain if needed The measured value currently generated by the weather module is displayed below the adjustment setting to facilitate the adjustment The default values are Dry 990 and Rain 970 Wind Sensor The zero wind speed setting can be adjusted to fine tune the wind speed setting Adjust the setting so that the wind speed is slightly above zero i e 001 when the wind sensor is completely shielded from any breeze or turbulence The default value is 010 IR Sensor Normally the calibration of the IR sensor can be left at the default sett
3. SkyAlert Remote program and SkyAlert needs to have successfully connected to the remotedata file at least once For testing the Sensor Location radio buttons on the Settings page can be changed while the program is running in order to verify proper operation Weather Data File The weather data file generated by SkyAlert conforms to the standard one line Boltwood II Clarity file format as follows 2014 12 30 16 13 37 00 C M 14 4 11 1 11 1 26 3 7 00000 00010 042003 67613111300 Each weather data entry is separated by one or more spaces From left to right values are File write date File write time Temperature scale Celsius or Fahrenheit Wind speed scale Mph or Knots Sky Temperature Ambient Temperature Sensor Temperature Wind Speed Humidity Dew Point Dew Heater Percentage not used Rain Flag Wet Flag Elapsed time since last file write Elapsed days since last write Cloud Clear flag 1 Clear 2 Light Clouds 3 Very Cloudy Wind Limit flag 1 Calm 2 Windy 3 Very Windy Rain flag 1 Dry 2 Damp 3 Rain Darkness flag 1 Dark 2 Dim 3 Daylight Roof Close flag Alert flag No Alert 1 Alert SkyAlert Installation Mounting the SkyAlert Sensor Module The Sensor Module comes with a mounting bracket Mount the bracket to the side of the Sensor Module as shown below with the 2 10 screws provided After mounting the bracket it may then be clamped to any vertical mast 1 to 1 1 2 diameter using t
4. automatically attempt to reset the port if a malfunction is detected Weather Data File Settings Tick the appropriate temperature scale button to set the system temperature scale to the desired units When the Create Weather File checkbox is ticked the program will generate and save a standard one line weather data file i e Boltwood II to a specified file location Click on the adjacent Save to button to select a name and file path to save the file to The Cloudy Offset setting can be adjusted to determine when the sky is cloudy This number is the difference of the measured sky temperature subtracted from the measured ambient temperature and will determine when the weather data file reports a cloudy condition You may need to adjust this setting to suit your particular climate or conditions The default value is 17 degrees Celsius or 31 degrees Fahrenheit The Wind Limit setting determines the maximum allowable wind speed before an unsafe wind speed alert is reported in the weather data file Graph Settings Set the name of the graphs page by typing a name in the Graph Page Title text field The Graph Timeline setting determines the length of the timeline the graph will show This can be set from one to three days Once the timeline setting has been reached the oldest graph data will be overwritten Ticking the Always on Top checkbox will keep the graph page top most over other open windows program
5. abetic order To open any of the folders double click on the lt Folder gt title With the cursor positioned within the file list right click for more navigation options After a location has been determined to upload the file to type in a name for the file in the Filename field The default filename is weathergraph This will be the filename used in your html code to display the image on a web site It is not necessary to add a filename extension as this will be automatically determined by the file image type The upload interval can be set by adjusting the Upload Interval control to the desired interval time Click on the Save button to save the settings and click the Close button to continue The log in credentials and settings only need to entered once On subsequent program sessions the software will automatically connect to the web server and upload data to the previously selected location In addition to uploading the image file SkyAlert will upload a copy of the one line weather data file in the same folder This can be be useful for sharing weather data to multiple locations that cannot otherwise access the file Note The ftp browser does not support double nested folder structures Files can be saved to the root of the server or a folder within the root but not a folder within a folder Specific Imaging Automation Software Instructions ACP Click on ACP from the main toolbar at the top of the of the window and se
6. by ticking an Ext Sensor check box This function is only available when running SkyAlert with SkyAlert Remote connected to an external Phidget 1051 2 sensor Contact support interactiveastronomy com for details The minimum and maximum values of the Y Axis of each graph can be set to automatically scale the adjustment by clicking the Autoscale radio button Alternatively you can set the minimum and maximum values of the graph by selecting the Min Max radio button and entering the desired settings in the Min and Max text fields Type a name for the Y Axis title in the Y Axis title field which will be displayed at the left hand side of the graph Clicking the Graph check box on the main menu will show the current graphs If the graph page is hidden by un ticking the graph check box on the main menu the data is still being recorded and charted in the background and can be displayed again by re checking the Graph check box v1 198 Clear As 31 F Ambient Temperature 504 F ri Dry v 1010 Sky Temperature 16 2 F BE ee Dark v 20 Twin Pines Observato Dew Point 41 7 F MSR y Vert Calm v 0 mph y Wind Speed 0 mph oat ata Syston me ai gt Safe Humidity 76 ens 8 41 34PM Saturday November 14 2015 Sky Condition 80 Sky Condition Ambient p Fp a a a 20 0 Cloud oie 4 00PM 5 00 PM 6 00 PM 7 00 PM 8 00 PM Weather 80 Wea sm Ambient 8 40 ca Humidity 20 J 4 00 PM 5 00 PM 6 00 PM 7
7. e Brightness EE a 52 F 0 mph 38 0 20 Connected Proceed by selecting the Tools selection from the drop down menu and clicking on the Settings option This will bring up the Settings page Program Settings Sensor Location Local Enable Backup Sensor Com Port COM12 Connected Data Update Interval 10 E Always on Top Reset Com Port Remote gt seconds Weather Data Fille Settings Temperature Scale Celsius Fahrenheit Create Weather File Cloudy Offset 31 degrees F Wind Limit 20 mph Graph Settings Graph page title Gigabyte 1 Graph timeline 2 days Always on Top Save Graph Image to File Reset All Graphs Graph 1 Line Range Graph Graph title Sky Condition Ambient Temp Wind Speed Sky Temp Dew Point E Humidity E Dampness Brightness EC Scope Temp Y Axis Autoscale Min Max 0 100 Y Awis Title Degrees Graph 2 Line Graph Graph title Weather E Area Graph Ambient Temp Wind Speed Brightness SkyTemp Dew Point E Obs Temp Humidity Dampness Y Axis Autoscale Min Max 0 100 Y Axis Title Degrees Sore Graph title Brightness Area Graph Transparent Ambient Temp Wind Speed L SkyTemp E Dew Point E Humidity Dampness Y Axis Autoscale Min Max Y Axis Title O Dark 100 Light Graph 3 Area Graph Graph title Windspeed Area Graph Transparent A
8. en select the Control Device tab From the Weather Monitor drop down select Boltwood Clarity II Remote Click on the Button adjacent to the weather monitor path text box and navigate to the location of the SkyAlert weather data file Now click on the Weather Monitor tab and set the weather action check boxes as desired From the main menu click the Actions drop down and ensure that the Weather Monitor Action is set to Enabled Additional Features SkyAlert features many built in failsafe and redundancy components In the event of a hardware malfunction or loss of data the program will generate a message indicating a failure and set a two minute warning If the issue is not resolved by user interaction within the two minute period SkyAlert will set an Alarm flag in the weather data file If you are using SkyRoof to control the roof SkyRoof will attempt to park the telescope s and close the roof Other imaging automation packages will function similarly depending on settings Refer to your imaging automation software manual for specific details on this function For mission critical installations two SkyAlert modules can be connected to the software concurrently If the primary module connected to the USB port of the computer should fail the software will automatically switch to the remote module In order for the system to function as designed the backup module must be connected to a separate computer running the
9. he provided bolt and nut A 1 4 diameter cross hole will be required in the mast for mounting Orient the weather module so the the top of the unit is facing North It is important that the infrared sensor has a clear view of the sky with no obstructions Mai Ae EP h ana paas r LEE i se Goan a AAR R eranan AA Ae a W B a a CG H i BaPa a a a Kan is aah t a ah AA ve oa i sts nae w a a a t 7 ss ae PRPPPR PPP PP eee ee P were aa ne BH Es nA APEA a i eee as as F ana AAA 11 14 2015
10. ing of zero Adjustments can be made if necessary Light Sensor The light sensor can be calibrated to match your particular environment and installation position The default values are Day 500 and Dark 250 Ambient Sensor The Ambient temperature sensor can be calibrated if needed The default setting is zero Humidity Sensor Default is zero Cloudy Very Cloudy Offset This adjustment dictates the difference between a Cloudy condition and a Very Cloudy condition You may have to experiment with this setting to get optimum results ftp astrobytes net TestFolder Select or enter a new file name Rip Settings lt Folder gt newFolder skyeye mp4 Hostname astrobytes net wild pe 4 Usemame Noname Paswod a Web Host Status Connected Target Path fip astrobytes net TestFolder Upload Progress Filename weathergraph png Upload Interval 10 seconds Server Response Connected Ftp Settings Weather graph images can be optionally uploaded to a web host for web page display To connect to a web host enter hosting credentials in the Hostname Username and Password fields and then click the Connect Disconnect button If a connection is successfully established in a few moments the list box to the right will populate with the names of the files currently on the server When the ftp browser list is populated the contents of the server will appear with folders at the top followed by files listed in alph
11. lect Preferences Click on the tab labeled Weather In the Weather server object ID field type in ACP BoltwoodFile Click on the Setup Weather Server button and navigate to the location of the weather data file created by SkyAlert You may need to change the extension setting in the file browser from log to All Files in order to locate the weather data file From the main screen menu select the toolbar drop down item labeled Weather and then click Connect After a few seconds the WEA icon should light up indicating weather status Note ACP checks the weather status frequently be sure to set the update interval in SkyAlert to twenty seconds or less when interfacing with ACP CCD AutoPilot On the Setup page select Cloud Sensor from the Weather drop down item box Click on the Settings option from the main menu on the left and then select the Control Settings tab at the top of the window In the Weather Sensor group box click the file path button and navigate to the file location of the weather data file being generated by SkyAlert weatherdata txt To confirm connection click Link to Software on the Setup page After connecting to the software click on the Run menu item The current weather conditions should be displayed in the list box on the upper left area of the window CCD Commander Click on the Setup menu item on the toolbar at the top of the program window th
12. mbient Temp Wind Speed SkyTemp Dew Point C Humidity C Dampness Y Axis Autoscale Min Max Y Axis Title Mph Brightness E Obs Temp 100 E Et Sensor 100 The settings instructions are sorted by groups starting at the top left of the settings page Program Settings In order for the program to function it will need to collect data from the SkyAlert weather module Two different methods of data collection are provided for this purpose Local connection or Remote connection Using the Local connection means the weather module is connected directly to a USB port on the computer running the program For Remote connections the weather module is connected to a networked computer running the SkyAlert Remote program and the data is retrieved over a network connection This method can be useful for connecting multiple computers to a single weather system module or as a failsafe backup in case a module malfunctions Either way the computer connected to the weather module will need to have the hardware drivers installed and will need to be running either the SkyAlert program or the SkyAlert Remote program Local Connection Connect the weather module to a free USB port on the computer select the Local radio button select the appropriate com port from the drop down Com Port selection menu and click the Connect button If you are uncertain which port the weather module is connected to conti
13. nue selecting com ports until the label adjacent to the Connect button indicates that the device is connected Note As long as there are no hardware changes this only needs to be done the first time the program is run On subsequent sessions the program will automatically connect to the module when it is launched Remote Connection Before continuing connect the SkyAlert module to the remote computer and launch the SkyAlert Remote program Launch SkyAlert on the local computer open the Settings page and click Remote radio button A navigation button adjacent to it will appear Click on the button and navigate to the location of the data file generated by the SkyAlert Remote program The default name for this file is remotedata txt Note As long as there are no file location name changes this only needs to be done once On subsequent sessions the program will automatically connect to the remote file Enable Backup Sensor Check this box if an auxiliary remote weather module is connected to another computer on the network Data Update Interval The Data Update setting determines how often the data is retrieved from the weather module The default interval is twenty seconds Always On Top Ticking the Always on Top checkbox will keep the main menu as the top most window when displaying other program windows concurrently Reset Com Port Click this button to reset the serial port the board is connected to SkyAlert will
14. s Tick the Save Graph Image to File checkbox if you would like a snapshot of the graph saved as an image file This is necessary if you plan on uploading an image of the graph to the web Click on the adjacent Save to button to set a name and file path to save the image to Image files can be saved as png or jog A new image will be generated each time the weather data is updated When the ftp client is connected the current graph image will be uploaded to the host The Reset All Graphs button zeroes out the data on all four graphs Graph 1 4 Specify the title name of each graph by typing a name in the Graph title field If Graph 1 is set to chart the Ambient Temperature and the Sky Temperature default the chart will fill in the area between the two graph lines with a color coded zone indicating the condition of the sky Clear Cloudy or Very Cloudy Otherwise Graph 1 is strictly a line type graph Graphs 2 4 can display charted values in a line type format or an area type format by ticking the appropriate check box In addition area type graphs can be displayed as a solid area or a Semi transparent area allowing other plotted data on the graph to be visible You can specify which weather conditions will be charted on each of the four custom graphs by checking the weather criteria check boxes and include as many plots as desired on each graph In addition an external temperature sensor can be monitored and graphed
15. stall Program End End Installation completed SkyAlert finishing installation Install Drivers Follow the on screen prompts to continue with the driver installation Device Driver Installation Wizard Welcome to the Device Driver Installation Wizard This wizard helps you install the software drivers that some computers devices need in orderto work To continue click Next After the device drivers installation has completed continue by clicking the Exit button on the SkyAlert Install program window Click Install on the next window to complete the installation Application Install security Warning Publisher cannot be verified Are you sure you want to install this application Name SkyAlert From Hover over the string below to see the full domain C Program Files x86 Publisher Unknown Publisher Instat Don tInstall While applications can be useful they can potentially harm your computer If you do not trust the source do not install this software More Information After finishing the installation connect the SkyAlert module USB cable to a free USB port on the computer Program Operation When the program is started the main dialog will appear displaying time date current weather conditions and a few options File Tools Help T4045 PM 11 14 2015 Light Clouds Ambient Sky Temp il T4 3 F 54 7 F Dew Point Wind Speed Humidity Moistur
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