Documentation - Alcor
Contents
1. 2039 70 9755 Heating enabled 1 AutoHeating 0 Power 50 GetData gt 12 2 C 2039 70 9771 Heating enabled 1 AutoHeating 0 Power 50 Read Buffer Error read 0 byte s expected 2 byte s e order REQ GET VOLTAGE COM Exception Read Butter Error read 0 byte s expected 2 byte s gt order REQ GET VOLTAGE GetData gt 12 2 C 2039 70 9740 Heating enabled AutoHeating 0 Power 50 Read Buffer Error read 0 byte s expected 2 byte s z order REQ GET VOLTAGE COM Exception Read Butter Error read 0 byte s expected 2 byte s gt order REQ GET VOLTAGE GetData gt 12 2C 2039 70 9771 Heating enabled 1 AutoHeating 0 Power 50 B pute eq ute HEL bb PIL TAGE Fig 53 Note that for Cyclop Resistance is 14 Ohms and voltage is 24V advised this can wear out the o ring sealing quicker than expected Apply The heating of the front window entrance is achieved throughout a set of resistors placed under the sphere base It can defog or defrost the outside side of the acrylic sohere The inner side shall not have dew please refer to the inner humidity sensor figure The system is autonomous works without link to PC and without user s supervision It sets out the conditions when temperature and humidity levels enable occurrence of water condensation Alcor system 43 Temperature 2 AH Setup Plot upload Temperature C 2 zi p T o D 00 10 00 00 15 00 00 02. 0002 me eB amp fs BB oe Bo RB oR oR oR ol oR oR OR 15954852678060E70000 99294361311664E 0000 906113482675301E 0000 09032634816929E 0000 95611161196255E 0000 16626144833704E 0000 208868630852 77E 0000 O0035766706697T4E 0000 OT288S97T239504F 0000 32955576656984E 0000 95402136979396E 0000 08105364188156E 0000 1739133872 7981E 0000 215582112935896E 0000 93017379811840E 0000 957629241133568E 0000 91556160010443E 0000 93703846010445E 0000 Fig 45 The first column is the difference in seconds from the date when the file was created and named accordingly The second is the X position of the star into the detector the third is the Y position of the date and the last column is the mean FWHM in X and Y direction of the star This can lead to large amount of data only enable this last file if necessary This DATA folder can be changed if necessary using the setup form as follows Alcor system 36 Main Results FTP Transfer Server latitude 4 58 o US Longitude 4 o o 7 Altitude m 600 Country France Data Folder Misc Ignore zenith seeing value above 5 0 e The FTP DATA folder This folder contains data prior to be transferred to the FTP server This is mainly last screen copy of plots e The FTP logs folder This folder contains FTP logs in order to debug FTP data sending in case of failure to comply e The Logs folder This folder contains software logs in order to de
3. Pace TESTS Latitude Country Data Folder Base folder Change C Users cavadore Documents MiniCydop Data This folder sets where seeing data will be written Bringme there Save all data used for seeing computations o Misc Ignore zenith seeing value above so arcsec Set up your geographic place this is important It is meant to compute Sun set and Sun rise and other astronomical parameters the seeing measurement will operate during the night and will restart automatically so that seeing measurement are running 24h a day 365 days per year The Sun s maximum elevation is 5 for carrying seeing measurements Alcor system Software Setup Main Results FTP Transfer Server 9 Enable data transfer to FTP server Image web site depository Host or IP address ifip astrosurf com User login cavadore Password Remote folder PANN eteo seeing FTP passive mode FTP log level O basic advanced 2 Be sure to allow this software to access internet open Firewall for FTP Image setup JEG Compression rate PSL eee I Is bee be be ee ene Upload interval Server Update Interval 27 Alcor system The previous screen capture sets up were the seeing measurement output plot will be uploaded to a server Software Setup Main Results FTP Transfer Server General TCP Port 1 65535 578
4. Running seen measurements This should run at 50 frames per second fps and if the computer is too busy or too slow this might reduce the frame rate 3 4 Camera control tab This tab is only visible for debugging mode of the software so generally not visible to the end user 3 5 Status tab This provides the status of the system with results of the last 3000 measurement if set so Also SUN elevation is provided Symbol double quotes stands for arcsec Local and zenith corrected seeing are provided Alcor system 29 Setup Camera Heater Control Main Camera controls Status General Status Last measurement Local Zenith UTC time 09 07 2015 22 17 26 Sidereaime tease 1 91 A 1 5 5 uw E SUN Elw 19 548 r0 59 5 mm r0 73 3 mm Idle std v 0 178 prel std_ 0 211 pixel Fig 35 Measurement pending blue dot reports OK 3 6 The plot window The plot windows plots results of the seeing measurement either it will be the last 3000 tip tilt measurement data or seeing and star lux level for an all night Alcor system 30 Zenith Seeing plot Flux plot Latest Seeing Motion Data Latest FWHM Data o D w i fa E D wo 31 01 00 31 03 00 31 04 00 31 05 00 Time O a x axis Automatic Shift Fig 36 Zenith seeing measurement plot versus time Alcor system 31 06 00 31 Zenith Seeing plot Flux plot Latest Seeing Motion Data Latest FWHM Data
5. address can be used according to you network Please if you do not feel confident with this ask your network administrator to help you IP Configuration User defined Name IP Configuration Procedure Persistent IP Configuration V Persistent IP IP Address t92 168 1 229 F DHCP Subnet Mask 255 255 255 0 Link Local Auto IP Default Gateway 192 168 1 1 Fig 18 Persistent IP setup example If this mark appear just do a power cycle to the system Serial Number MAC Address IP Address Local Area Connection 1000 Mbit s 192 168 1 5 A DMK 23GP031 29510254 0007488 11 DE 192 168 1 46 Fig 19 Power cycle the system to get a valid camera icon Alcor system 19 2 4 Installing the System s control Software The software must be downloaded here http www alcor system com common MiniCyclop setup_cyclop exe This is the software used to control the system click on setup_cyclop exe and follow instructions Installation is quick and trivial Please accept all installation modules The software creates an icon to your desktop We must double click it to start the camera control software ED Seeinc vice Shortcut Fig 20 Application s icon in the desktop 2 5 Installing third party camera control software IC Capture software can be used to control the camera but this is a basic test software and does not have the ability to compute any seeing figure that can SeeingMonitor_Cyclop software Nevertheless it c
6. hai aceese di acdeascnicssscasscceasienlocseanddadeeciuesartearncaseaniecaenss 20 3 Using the SeeingsMonitor Cyclop software iccdiaciccsisicis ccassccdeuen inc ataeictinciascnaess E E 20 3 1 PrINCIDIC ON operatio ieee ae aati el E et oe eck lie Sia 2s a ad 21 3 2 PATI FUN ZUM Sao io we a Saat ap a aa ca A tare il aaa gl Soe a an lena ONi ahd kell aCe hea lae ie at ae ad 21 3 1 RYU III CeO tec acs creck aca aatcacighan E EE as nasoeaesaice Mews anne E N E 26 3 2 General Sotware SOLU ean cet rae a alk cle ae ia Sa elated ecclesia 2 ol dy 26 3 3 Starline Measurements eea T cduanasweaumeasnane saaneasiauwarenaemantacaanves 28 3 4 Came has COMUO a Dera a aso ana esteem aden nue aaah uh a dee cronies eeu anne 29 3 5 SIS cl cscs eee tie osc ate gcc seine E aise cut E E vlna dia acy orale E egal ences 29 3 6 TIVE DIGU WINDOW cc ctsi cesta eee Sa ack ie el ah aha rece al okie ee Na ee al LS ail del aa Na tae Se eee ct aeh ae 30 3 7 Storage of files produced bythe SVSLEMiiicwisesdaiceiteki aera nt aaa ETA EE EE R 34 3 8 Seeing measurement troubleshooting SECTION cccccccssseccecescececeesecceceescceeceeeeeeeseeeeceeeueeeceseugeceeeaeaeeeessuees 37 3 9 TOPRIP server data Xxcha nge eina a e E T N E E A 38 A Front wmndow heating COMUNO its sa desler T N E A a E a a 39 4 1 PEUNCID IO roae ae E A E E E T E A E A 39 4 2 Operam saaa EE E T A A A E E N S 39 S Syse TIVES IN IU Esseen E NE E lata hard ga eases a vaca Nae lp anatase 46 5 1 EMEFAN CSW I
7. me f s a MLR ates a 4X Time sec Fig 37 X and Y star motion plot last 3000 tip tilt measurement over last 60s Alcor system a gt m Pir A 2 is 7i a A h f rA 1 32 Zenith Seeing plot Flux plot Latest Seeing Motion Data Latest FWHM Data Mean Flux for clouds monitoring 4915 2 4710 4 4505 6 4 300 7 4 006 3 891 4 3 656 4 3 461 6 3276 8 3 OFS 2 O67 2 662 4 2 457 6 2 252 0 2 046 1 643 2 1 636 4 1433 6 T a Bee LEELEE ELETT ETPTTTTPRTELTTTTTELTFETTTTF 3 z Le 1 024 813 2 614 4 409 6 204 0 Q 02 10 00 0218500 022000 027500 0230 00 0235 00 024000 024500 025000 02 5500 02 00 00 03 05 00 03 10 00 03 15 00 ee x axis Automatic Shift Fig 38 Star flux versus time all night plot Alcor system Fenith Seeing plot Flux plot Latest Seeing Motion Data Latest FWHM Data FWHM pixels 30 Time sec Fig 39 Star FWHM versus time last 3000 tip tilt measurement over last 60s 3 7 Storage of files produced by the system The software stores all the files it produces into a directory that is specific to the user This directory and subdirectories is created automatically by the software on startup io di Libraries Documents MiniCyclop Organize Share with Burn New folder Fr Favorites Documents library em MB Desktop MiniCyclop i Recent Places Date modified Type Name m Downloads di Data 04 07 2015 2
8. 0 0 Apply Save 79 F VA FH Flots Settings LE a Set axis bo next interval gt Min sur RH oo Maxon 100 0 i Apply Save 4 2 4 sad i ci Outdoor Temperature Camera PCE Front Window Internal Camera z Heating Enabled Temperature Temperature Humidity D Dewpoint Temperature Heating Aono GAP ena Tamosatue 21 5 C 12 0 C 45 2 Fig 49 Top left shows outdoor temperature and humidity Those figures will trigger the window heating Also the temperature of the inner part of the camera and temperature of the front window are monitored A plot is showing how this figures evolves over the time The last 2000 points are automatically saved into a file Alcor system 40 F Temperature Ext Humidity 30s updated 14 7 C 48 2 37 C Heaino sto note Temperature AH Setup Plot upload Temperature C Trial 129 Mini Cy 31 07 2015 11 38 09 DISCONNECT R5232 COM port Number 21 Plots Set automatically axis Temperature Plot Settings Set y axis to next interval FH Plats Settings Set Y axis to next interval Outdoor Temperature Heating Enabled D Dewpoint Temperature intemal Temperature Window Temperature gt gt 6 Connect on window show Min on Y PC 0 0 Min sur r ZRH 0 0 Camera PCB Temperature 21 5 C LE wy Gy Max on 40 0 fi Apply Save l Max ory 100 0 Apply Save Front Window Internal Camera Tempe
9. 0 00 00 05 00 00 20 00 00 30 00 00 35 00 00 40 00 00 45 00 00 50 00 00 55 00 Fig 54 the violet curve rising up at 00 42 00 indicate that the front window heating is active and heating The green curve reports temperature of the entrance window As soon as the temperature is below a certain value and moisture above another value the heating system is automatically activated These levels are named temperature and humidity levels By default factory set the default threshold temperature is set to 7 C and humidity level to 90 These thresholds may be inappropriate for a given site and can be adjusted by user input Similarly the heating power is set by default to 50 duty cycle it can be changed according to site and circumstances Beware if this window is closed getting and recording data cannot occur anymore by PC software We recommend that you simply hide it Nevertheless window s heater activation is achieved by the camera alone without any link to the PC Finally it is possible to transfer these plots to website for remote checking There is possible effects on the heating of the windows to the measurements as shown below Alcor system 44 Seeing Seeing arcsec 0 30 00 00 300030 3001 10 300130 700200 300230 300300 WOW 00400 300430 700600 3700530 700600 7006370 Time Between 3h and 4h the heating power was set to 50 and has an effect on jeopardizing seen measurements The next table show
10. 2 06 2015 12 06 2015 12 06 2015 12 06 2015 12 06 2015 O3217 O3 168 2 03 19 03 20 O3 21 04 00 04 01 04 02 04 03 04 04 22 04 05 04 06 245 7185 5o36405 2457185 2457165 2457165 2457165 2457185 2457185 2457185 2457185 2457185 2457165 457165 29044924 3351450 5557970 3364490 5837898 2844417 5850937 2857458 5863976 2870496 5877016 12 06 2015 12 06 2015 2457165 5883536 n6 7015 j NR di f 25 ceo This is saving for each seeing measurements after 3000 tip tilt measurement the computed zenith seeing where from left to right the ending measurement date as UTC time the ending measurement date as Local time the ending measurement date expressed in Julian days the star flux as ADU the zenith seeing expressed in arcsec and the last column is the seeing RO fried zenith figure The Last_Seeing_Data txt file This is the same columns as the previous file but only the last measured is saved Alcor system 35 Last Seeing Datatt EJ 19 07 2015 00 34 15 19 07 2015 02 34 15 2457222 52379S6 Fig 43 The xxxx xx xx xxhxxmxxs_motion txt file Liisa 7 0 48 235 9 Where x is a digit from O to 9 xxxx xx xx xxhxxmxxs is the date where the file has been saved This file is only saved if the Save all data for seeing computation from the setup box is checked and after 3000 measurements have been carried out like set here 2015 07 04 19h27m57s_M
11. 2 34 File folder ti Network 2 Dropbox bo FTPData 07 07 2015 05 13 File folder di FTPLogs 19 07 2015 00 26 File folder GJ Libraries di Logs 12 06 2015 02 25 File folder E Documents Fig 40 Alcor system 34 Under Windows 7 8 amp 10 C Users username My Documents MiniCyclop e The subdirectory DATA This saves the measurement in different forms Documents library Data Arrange by Folder Name Date modified Type 19 07 2015 02 35 19 07 2015 02 35 04 07 2015 22 34 04 07 2015 22 33 04 07 2015 22 32 04 07 2015 22 32 04 07 2015 22 31 04 07 2015 22 30 04 07 2015 22 30 04 07 2015 22 29 TAT File TAT File TAT File TAT File TAT File TXT File TAT File TAT File TAT File TAT File __ Last_Seeing_Data tt C Seeing_Data tet __ 2015 07 04 20h34m00s_Motion tet 2015 07 04 20h33m22s_Motion tt 2015 07 04 20h32m43s_Motion tet 2015 07 04 20h32m05s_Motion tet 2015 07 04 20h31m27s_Motion tet 2015 07 04 20hs0m48s_Motion tet 2015 07 04 20h30m10s_Motion tet 2015 07 04 20h29m32s_Motion tet Fig 41 The Seeing_Data txt file H Seeing_Datatt 3 12 06 2015 12 06 2015 12 06 2015 12 06 2015 12 06 2015 12 06 2015 12 06 2015 12 06 2015 12 06 2015 12 06 2015 12 06 2015 12 06 2015 O11 O1 16 2 EN ia s e 01 20 01 21 02 00 O27 01 02 02 02 03 O02 04 02 05 02 06 12 06 2015 12 06 2015 12 06 2015 12 06 2015 12 06 2015 12 06 2015 12 06 2015 1
12. 9 Fig 32 TCP port for accessing last seeing measurement over a TCP client software 3 3 Starting measurements Once the camera is polar alignment and will be now forever the camera can be definitely clamped all screws of the latitude setting tightened the seeing measurement can take place The Enable seeing measurements can be checked and only a sub frame of the camera where the Polaris Star sits is defined allowing readout rate of 50 images per seconds The Number of measurements just below indicated how much tip tilt measurements has to be carried out before getting a valid seeing measurement 3000 is a goof number meaning that at 50 fps a seeing measurement will be computed each minute Lower figure can be put such as low as 1000 but noise measurement can be an issue pea Enable seeing measurements Number of Measurements 3000 Number of Measurements O Fig 33 Enabling seeing measurements Then measurements starts until the Sun has an elevation preventing from the measurements to occur Also clouds can interrupt measurements 28 Setup Camera Heater Control Main Camera controls Status Gain and exposure Enable seeing measurements a ana expos ain 3000 35 Number of Measurements 656 i Exposure Enable real time histogram g i di ind Star Number of Saturated pixels 0 Intensity of brightest pixel 194 X 318 Y 246 Enable real time zoom with factor 7x BA Fig 34
13. B link being not reliable Alcor System has a long experience connecting USB devices using a 20m extender and when it fails it is always due to PC issues with USB chipset drivers USB hub badly powered USB port been jeopardized by several Electro Static Discharge ESD and that had wear out Temperature sensor and humidity connector 1 It is a 5 pin connector The probe located at the end of the cord will be attached to one of the fork of the system and always with two set 4mm screws with the direction given in the next frame and horizontally It put upside down this can destroy the sensor and warranty will not apply Alcor system 11 Fig 9 Up down and horizontal temperature sensor and humidity directions for installation never put the sensor upside down compared to this picture 1 2 System polar alignment The system shall aim at the polar star so two degree of freedom can be used to do so latitude and azimuth axis The system can be set roughly with a compass during the day toward the north if magnetic local declination angle is subtracted then a laser during the night to allow first step alignment In the end fine alignment shall be performed with the use of the software and the image from the camera The field of view of the system is 3 6 x 2 5 Do not mix up the Polaris star with another star otherwise the star will be either too faint will not stay for long into the camera s field of view and lead to false
14. MOOW ClO AINE serioan iani RA EEE NAE eae 46 5 2 Inner ealnera Gesiccant TEDlacemMment sche cdc aoc ter artes aie accion a earache esas 46 6 PROGQUCETOMIMS On USC snes 6 ia ct reset a A AT A bisa an ta cd NEET des 47 Alcor system 2 1 System installation 1 1 Installation Latitude Clamp Heated front part Rotation axis Fig 1 Overall system view The system installation is simple and straightforward Alcor system This system works outdoor it is totally weather tight and is installed outside as it comes no need of a dome or a shelter Please do not install the camera near a pollution source like a chimney Give as much exposure as possible to the north and avoid obstacles This system has heater that can remove external condensation that can occur on the entrance window surface The system s tube shall be positioned toward the polar star this latter has the same elevation of your latitude s place and requires 0 2 positioning accuracy The base plate of this system has three M8 holes 100x160 mm allowing to be attached to a fixed pillar So we recommend to perform the polar alignment settings first and clamp the system once for all into a steel or concrete structure once performed This system shall not move at all because of the wind or building vibrations due to motors or any other vibration source Use the supplied screws to attach it or equivalent stainless steel A4 or A2 screw Three M8
15. Mini Cyclop System Installation and user manual Oct 1st 2015 revision ALCOR SYSTEM Alcor system Table of Contents Th eyste iNo Ma ENO Ialcesrecctrs sc casts aps ace ccc E sents We eaicu cts Hades ca vaste eects 3 1 1 Installation eeann esac one vag eatin ance oaks vate vse cle cay dard tea bg dats tea ca E ies cee N ee nace 3 1 1 CADDIES VS Call AUIONN saci ues ce sence ace cte ce cauteca cae E O 6 1 1 1 Ethernet cable 3 if this Options has been OFMered cccccccccseseeeccccecesseecccceceensececeesuauseeccessuegeeeeettags 10 1 1 2 POWER connector ana RSZ 3212 ecics 5 atest A RATANA TN 10 1 1 1 USB connector 3 if this options has been ordered cccccccceeseeecccceceeseccccceceesecececsuuseeceeeaueeeeeeeteaes 11 1 1 2 Temperature sensor and humidity connector 1 eeesesessesssrreessrrrrrsessrrersesssereressserereessrrerreesesrereesse 11 1 2 System polar alle NmMENt iroa E T E EAN 12 2 SONWANE T TAE AEA 16 2 1 PE Minim m reguiremeNtS sisin T E N ens 16 2 2 USB Camera driver installation software cccccssssssssssceccecceceseneesssseececcecsseuaesssseseeeecesesaueuenssseceseeeesueaeuggssssss 16 2 3 Gigabit Camera driver installation software ciicck siscicciciies cei adie dacksalead ca dandandva ane eased Meee 17 2 4 Installing the SVSteMm S COntrol SOMWane sashes ice ict eet ei ee ian iol dese ue case ee cali Sia ct el a 20 2 5 Installing third party camera control software wisi ccicdeciccies
16. ain en Number of Measurements 3000 Number of Measurements 0 Exposure TTT E Enable real time histogram 1 125s Find Stat Number of Saturated pixels 0 Intensity of brightest pixel 143 pK 1492 Y 1157 Enable real time zoom with factor 7x UTC 09 07 2015 21 43 27 8 Video size changed to 2592 x 1944 Fig 23 The yellow cross is where the polar axis of the earth must be located in the image The typical exposure time for Polaris is 1 125sec and camera gain must be set to the first half part of the range The star must be sharp and have only several pixels of size and must never be a big dot or donut shape The system focusing is factory achieved and user should not do it nor improve it Alcor system 22 Expected star position Fig 24 Polaris to be moved toward the expected star position Ideally the system shall be moved very smoothly azimuth and elevation so that the Polaris star red circle goes into the yellow circle it does not need to be exactly centered with respect to the yellow circle it can be off by 20 pixels The idea of this adjustment is to have always the Polaris star inside the field of view of the camera and never stop the measurement because the star leave the field of view Fig 25 Polaris located at the expected position perfect case distance Alcor system 23 Fig 26 Polaris located at the expected position worst case distance The next figure shows directio
17. an be useful to debug camera link or to polar align the system It comes along with the setup_cyclop exe and is installed while this process takes place Warning with IC capture many more setting of the camera can be accessed SeeingMonitor_Cyclop focuses on setting camera parameters for measuring the seeing Do not change the GAMMA setting of the camera with IC Capture or if so put it back to 100 3 Using the SeeingMonitor Cyclop software This software is fairly intuitive the documentation will focus on features that are considered difficult to use and about the startup procedure Alcor system 20 3 1 Principle of operation A camera embedded inside this system is aimed at the polar star from the Ursa Minoris constellation This star has two benefits it is moving around a circle that has a radius of 0 75 and is present inside the field of view during a 24 hours rotation of the earth meaning that no tracking is required It is a magnitude 2 star and is bright enough so that its position can be measured 50 times per seconds using a 1 125 sec exposure time with a green filter 550 nm K 12015 18 46 43 Polaris path in 24h Fig 21 Alpha Ursae Minoris Polaris path that fist well inside the camera s field of view 3 6 x 2 5 The star s tip tilt motion that is measured 50 times per second and the software computes the resulting seeing figure at the place where the star is located and retrieves the va
18. are The camera must be powered and connected to proceed The file can be obtained from our website following this link http www alcor system com common MiniCyclop usbcam driver zi Alcor system 16 Once installed the camera must appear as follows a Device Manager File Action View Help 0 H m amp p 4M Computer b a Disk drives b E Display adapters b DVD CD ROM drives Ble Human Interface Devices gt Cg IDE ATA ATAPI controllers b IEEE 1394 Bus host controllers 5 Keyboards Mice and other pointing devices gt lle Monitors gt Multifunction adapters RY Network adapters Portable Devices b Ports COM amp LPT p Processors b amp Sound video and game controllers gt gt Storage controllers b gi System devices P F Universal Serial Bus controllers b h WSD Print Provider Fig 14 USB camera properly installed and tied to the system hardware device manager form After camera driver is installed into the device manager the yellow exclamation point will disappear and provides the actual name of the camera The system is ready to use 2 3 GigaBit Camera driver installation software Please run the gigecam_setup exe file The file can be obtained from our website following this link http www alcor system com common MiniCyclop gigecam_setup exe This installs a new software layer bound to the PC network adapter Upon installation completion a new icon appears in the sy
19. bug the software this might be requested by ALCOR SYSTEM to tackle bugs 3 8 Seeing measurement troubleshooting section This section deals with issues that prevents seeing measurement from been collected properly 3 8 1 Pillar not been stiff enough If the pillar is not stiff enough the seeing measurement can be jeopardized by wind gusts A concrete or steal structure is recommended When hitting the system with hands it should not move or vibrate and be as stiff as possible If failing to comply with this seeing measurement will be very noisy and correlated with wind gusts so pay careful attention to the structure where is attached the system Do not leave the system unattached to the pillar or to the structure use bolts to attach it 3 8 2 No data despite clear sky Alcor system 37 Check that the front entrance window is not covered by moisture due high relative outdoor humidity To overcome this please read section 4 of this manual the system is equipped with heater Please connect the camera with the RS232 link to get access to it 3 9 TCP IP server data exchange This is currently being developed section will be updated as soon as possible This allows to get the mini cyclop output data from a TCP client Alcor system 38 4 Front window heating control 4 1 Principle Entrance window can be warmed up to remove condensation that can build up on its surface This is due to high humidity level combined with low outdo
20. entrance window e reading temperature of different sensors inside and outside camera the system has o one external temperature sensor one internal temperature sensor one internal humidity sensor one external humidity sensor O O one temperature sensor measuring the temperature of the front window So this is a mandatory control way for the camera Please connect the RS232 link to your PC do not leave it unconnected USB connector 3 if this options has been ordered This is tied up to a 6 pin connector Please always connect the camera first and then connect to PC second with camera turned off Power the camera once the USB connection is tied both sides The cable that goes to the PC is 20m length and is amplified Connect USB directly to the PC not thru hub The USB camera is very sensitive and does not allows USB ports that reports issues or been wear off by years of usage Please be sure to have installed the latest USB chipset software for your motherboard Do not put other devices on the same USB hub that requires some current If the camera is not recognized by the PC try another USB port Despite the camera is USB 2 0 USB 3 0 PCI extra board can be used and since they are very well powered most of the time they work more nicely and more reliably than embedded motherboard USB controllers This is an important step otherwise the PC can download images for some hours and then will not anymore because of the US
21. incomplete measurements To align the system in azimuth direction just rotate the base plate Alcor system 12 itai a A 4 a ti ae 2 Fig 10 The angle depicted above has the same value of the local geographical latitude To align it in the latitude direction unclamp the two screws shown above with a 5 Allen wrench One screw is rotating and another goes over the groove Alcor system 13 Alcor system Fig 11 The angle depicted above has the same value of the local geographical latitude 14 Stor Mag mI La Pe OT ed kee AE i Se a Majk ee me Ursa Leo N Minor a Cander t Bae en Celestial Equator Sun P Mercury venus o Mars F Jupiter a ete A Cepheus Ursa Minor Cassid peia Sao K s Camelopardalis T N a EELT AN rja we 3 t E a Triangulum a A a a a UE Orion Y i i Monocerds Canis AM ajot Dini 4 Gdlilearn Sotellite Information Homa E in ol Wm In on on Europa Gonyumeds Col listo maT E E ba mM a m Mm n oe le Lepus Home Encel odus Tethys Od ore Phen Titon Tope us t blaan h Saturn amp Uranus Y Neptune E Pluts 3 Fig 12 Sky map showing which star the system must be aimed at This is the magnitude 2 star Alpha Polaris from the Ursa Minor Alcor system constellation Never aim the system at the SUN 15 2 Software 2 1 PC M
22. inimum requirements This system needs a PC to be connected at to be able to work e Intel 15 or better CPU Processor system Any system that has a CPU benchmark above index 3500 see here https www cpubenchmark net e 1024x768 display e Operating System Windows 7 8 1 or 10 e Gigabit Ethernet interface for Gigabit camera mandatory e USB 2 0 port or higher for USB cameras The system embeds a camera into the tube aiming at the polar star System powers up by just plugin into the main s AC and wait 20s to complete mini cyclop from starting up 2 2 USB Camera driver installation software Connect the camera to the USB port of your PC where it needs to work with In the Windows device Manager form the camera should appear with an icon tagged exclamation point on a yellow background ay bri eet a File Action View Help e m H m amp b Imaging devices EF Intel WIUSB E USB IF xHCI USB Host Controller gt Keyboards R Mice and other pointing devices b fi Monitors b Network adapters i Other devices ij Unknown device gt ce rnnt queues b E Processors b Software devices i Sound video and game controllers t lt Storage controllers b pil System devices Universal Serial Bus controllers Generic USB Hub Generic USB Hub Generic USB Hub Generic USB Hub Fig 13 Lists of Windows hardware devices Please unzip the usbcam_driver zip file and run drvinstaller exe softw
23. is is not very useful and ZRH Setup Plot upload 02 34 00 938 02 34 00 968 02 34 01 604 02 34 01 654 02 34 01 925 02 34 01 934 02 34 01 962 02 34 02 645 02 34 32 657 02 35 02 670 02 39 32 952 02 39 32 965 02 39 32 995 02 36 02 947 02 36 02 954 02 36 02 979 Controls Force manual Front Window Heating IF outdoor temperature iz lower than Ts and if relative outdoor humidity is higher than Als then front window heating will start 10 Ts fo Rha IF outdoor temperature is higher than Ts 2 C and if outdoor relative humidity is lower than 50 20 6 WR hH s 5 then front window heating will stop Humidity Sensor Setup Gan ADU65535 157 25270 Resistance Ohms 14 Offset 40065535 9 15150 Voltage 24 Poll system each second SetContig gt Temp thres 1966 AH thres 10297 AutoHeating 0 Power duty cycle 50 GetData gt 12 2 C 2039 70 9728 Heating enabled 0 AutoHeating 0 Power 50 Manuel heating forced 1 feedback SetContig Temp thres 1966 AH thres 10297 AutoHeating 0 Power duty cycle 50 Read Buffer Error read 0 byte s expected 2 byte s gt order REQ GET VOLTAGE COM Exception Read Butter Error read 0 byte s expected 2 byte s gt order REQ GET VOLTAGE GetData gt 12 2 C 2039 70 9741 Heating enabled 1 AutoHeating 0 Power 50 GetData gt 12 2 C 2039 704 9741 Heating enabled 1 AutoHeating 0 Power 50 GetData gt 12 2 C
24. lue of an equivalent zenith seeing Using the polar star is possible in geographic location from latitude 90 North down to latitude 25 North For other places another star needs to be aimed at and consecutively sidereal tracking must be enabled and star be changed when too far away from the zenith In that case a DIMM system is more suitable rather than a Cyclop system 3 2 Initializing First initialization shall take place in the night and clear skies are required and the camera is aimed roughly to Polaris star using azimuth and elevation freedom degrees offered by this system Before starting the SeeingMonitor_Cyclop software be sure the camera is not used by another software Alcor system 21 If the camera is not properly attached to the PC and or driver not installed properly this message can pop up and the application will close So please check cables drivers and power Try with IC Capture x No valid camera has been detected this application will now close Fig 22 No camera is attached and detected by the software If the link to the camera is successful this window shows up The red circle and square is the position of the brightest star in the field which should be Polaris The yellow large circle shows the Polaris path overtime and Polaris must be located into the expected star position Setup Camera Heater Control Main Camera controls Status Enable seeing measurements 1
25. n Alcor system 9 1 1 1 Ethernet cable 3 if this options has been ordered Ethernet connector that goes to a PC or to a switch both must be GigaBit compliant If 100 Mbits is used the image will not go through to the PC All chain that goes to the PC must be Gigabit compliant PC Switch routers 1 1 2 Power connector and RS232 2 This is providing power to the camera and RS232 link for weather condition and entrance window heating control RS232 SUB D9 Femelle connector 220V or 110V AC cord input To the camera length 10 to 40m 12 or 24V PSU Fig 8 The RS232 and power cable The RS232 connector is a DB9 connector type female and attaches to the serial port of the PC Usually new PCs are not equipped with serial port and must be equipped either e By a RS232 USB converter it can be a very moderate cost FTDI ATEN devices please avoid Prolific there are not reliable e By RS232 PCI card Low cost device not suitable for laptops e By Serial to Ethernet MOXA devices very reliable and professional device http www moxa com product nport device server 1 htm Product type is Nport Alcor system 10 1 1 1 1 1 2 The RS232 control link is mandatory and must be connected to your PC This gives access to e Front entrance window heating control temperature and humidity thresholds that will turn on and off the heating control e setting the heat power to be applied to the front
26. n to move the system in azimuth and elevation or latitude to get star motion in order to place it into the circle Alcor system 24 Alcor system ETHERNET CAMERA Azimuth rotate counter E W clockwise Star goes right Raise to Star zenith Fig 27 Direction for Ethernet cameras red is the system motion Star goes right Lower to Star horizon Fig 28 Direction for USB cameras red is the system motion 25 3 1 Main tab The main tab allows to change exposure time and gain of the camera At first startup of the software camera exposure time and the gain are set so that the Number of Saturated pixels is either O or 1 but never 3 or more Also avoid to use too short exposure time otherwise the star is too dim and can lead to false measurements Main Camera controls Status Gain and exposure 1s Enable seeing measurements Gain Number of Measurements 3000 fj 4 Number of Measurements 0 Exposure rea Enable real time histogram Find Star n ___ _ 10 1 1111s Number of Saturated pixels Intensity of brighteetpixel 249 X 1099 Y 1333 Enable real time zoom with factor 7x a Fig 29 Polaris located at the expected position When the software is started the camera is set to its highest resolution 2500x1950 pixels to be sure to catch the Polaris star 3 2 General Software Setup The get it please check the next menu Alcor system 26
27. ng allowing water to enter and de facto warranty will no longer apply If you do not feel confident with dismounting the upper part please do not do it ALCOR SYSTEM can offer maintenance service if required 5 2 Inner camera desiccant replacement To avoid any dew to form in the inner side of the entrance window a desiccant bag made of 2A molecular sieve is installed into the lower part of the tube that contains the camera The inner camera relative humidity is monitored and should not exceed 40 A brand new desiccant will get relative humidity close to 5 and can last 2 years If replacement needs to be achieved please contact Alcor System sales alcor system com to know you how to proceed Alcor system 46 6 Product terms of use The use of this product is solely for monitoring the turbulence of the atmosphere during the night for educational or scientific purposes Use of this product involving people s lives is the responsibility of the user and in no way ALCOR SYSTEM will be held liable for injuries to persons or property theft as the use of this system described in this manual 0O0 Alcor system 47
28. or temperature The system has an external temperature and humidity sensor to start or stop the heating of the front window entrance The temperature of this window is also monitored so that it does not exceeded 30 C The control of this feature is possible by the means of a RS 232 link This link has not tied with the camera and uses a different channel Once the external temperature threshold external humidity threshold and the power level is set the system has an embedded processor that takes care of the heating management of the window even though any link to the PC is established This is a standalone and autonomous system 4 2 Operation The Serial RS232 COM port must be set to the right value depending on your system s settings and click Connect CONNECT COM RS232 port number 22 5 V Perform AS232 link upon form show Fig 47 If an error occur no cable tied or wrongly set port COM this message will be displayed Cannot get data from camera Buffer read error read 0 bytes s expected bytes s gt order REQ ORDER_VERSION check cables Fig 48 Otherwise the window expand and information is displayed as follows Alcor system 39 DISCONNECT RS232 COM portNumber 231 Connect on window show Temperature Ext Humidity 30s updated Plots Oo Set automatically 4 axis 1 5 6 C Temperature Flot Settings Set axis to nest interval Min on E 0 0 Max on 4
29. otionbt E O0000000000000EF 0000 2 0001612231135E 0002 D 1 3 s 6 T g 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 999738171696 7E 0002 20000699907541E 0002 40002312138677TE 0002 9000221841037T3E 0002 00002662092447E 0002 01000256836414E 0001 1200024746358 4E 0001 2 4999950639904E 0001 3899982441216 7E 0001 30999985635 261E 0001 63000146853394E 0001 TS000308081508E 0001 8800001125 7827TE 0001 91999885030091E 0001 1299987565 7260E 0001 26000207476318E 0001 pea Enable seeing measurements Number of Measurements 30007 Number of Measurements O 448610332415113E 0002 06484652781944E 0001 5 45766028500907TE 0002 LE5326225800103E 0002 8027940946012 7TE 0002 69960572663992E 0002 248161307421 70E 0002 60305153897707TE 0002 445001433951 35E 0002 99508712303214E 0002 21980994370119E 0001 1 3372006513948 2E 0002 002398597355 30E 0003 s8474155393083E 0002 47847398616182E 0002 6965341108252 7TE 0003 1480144635095 7E 0002 285552625291 530E 0002 Fig 44 La a eh hs ma ta in 4458048928 3635E 0002 41480559413867TE 0002 14983755505034E 0002 31943808 765345E 0002 22350497883 446E 0001 9152689908019E 0002 O978877T1029218E 0002 F835 7688817152E 0002 30228620006699E 0002 3815235840655E 0002 33006714003424E 0001 93115639599478E 0002 18884364863470E 0002 587497071 23364E 0002 062955159123056E 0002 00147969266220E 0002 22293465420265E 0002 48050168 920804E
30. r Cable Gender on see fig 2 Number camera a Temperature sensor Female 5 pins BLUE Power connector and RS232 data link for weather Male 4 pins condition and front heating control YELLOW Camera data link Male 6 pins or USB 2 0 link to camera or Male 8 pins Gigabit USB 2 0 link to camera Let the cables to go straight from the camera If the cables shall be bent respect a minimum curvature radius of 100 mm Those cable can go thought a wall or pipes In that case just avoid the cable to pass underneath water despite the cable can sustain rain and snow but not designed to be installed under water forever Alcor system 7 The waterproof connectors connect as follows e Identify the number of connector pins of the camera its type male female e Identify the number of pins of the connector cord and match e Identify the key pin inside the camera connector and the key at the connector cord side e Apply a rectilinear motion If insertion force strength persists please repeat steps for locating the pin number and key Excessive force applied to connector can cause the destruction of the connector or a bad connection can damage the camera In case of damage due to trials to attach cable to the wrong connector kind warranty could be canceled Fig 5 Key one of the three connectors power connector Alcor system Fig 6 Push the connector straight Fig 7 Then turn the connector s collar in clockwise fashio
31. rature Humidity 16 2 C 0 0 Temperature C 43 11 C Points number 11954 displayed 1442 interp 1 Fig 50 When the violet curve goes up it means that the window heating has been enabled and stay down when the window heating is disabled Alcor system Fig 51 41 Temperature SAH Setup Plot upload Relative Humidity 100 go a5 oo T5 TO 65 60 55 50 40 35 30 Triak 129 Mini Cy 31 07 2015 13 49 55 22 52 RH Fig 52 The humidity tab shows the outdoor relative humidity level and inner camera relative humidity The inner camera relative humidity shall never be above 45 otherwise dew may form in the inner side of the dome and this jeopardizing measurement quality On delivery the camera inner humidity can be very low less than 5 because of desiccant presence inside the camera The control setup tab allows to setup threshold temperature and humidity to allow dome heating to be turned on or off Alcor system 42 Temperature Temperature humidity thresholds settings Temperature Threshold C Humidity Threshold FRH Mas Power duty cycle 4 Write Data to System Activity Log 2015 08 26 2015 08 26 2015 08 26 2015 08 26 2015 08 26 2015 08 26 2015 08 26 2015 08 26 2015 08 26 2015 08 26 2015 08 26 2015 08 26 2015 08 26 2015 08 26 2015 08 26 2015 08 26 Jarig h Do not have the dome heating working all the time during the day for instance th
32. s the temperature increase of the window no wind stabilized versus different value of the power Power Temperature increase Window So beware of the heating power use large heating power to remove ice from the camera in normal operation measurements do not go above 10 of heating power Alcor system 45 5 User account Host or IP address ftp astrosur corm User login cayvadore Password TTT Remote folder WAAL meteo curent Humidity FH z Update intervall Minutes BU Force FTF update J Enable image posting using FTP Fig 55 Website setting for temperature and humidity plots to be uploaded System maintenance 5 1 Entrance window cleaning Entrance window cleaning must be achieved on regular basis Consecutive rain and snow can bring dust that is deposited on the entrance window surface it reduces the optical transmission The entrance window is made of BK7 and MgF2 anti reflection coating and it can be cleaned with water then with a Kleenex moistened with washer fluid dedicated for optical lens cleaning The 8 screws can be removed to detach the upper part from the rest of the camera if necessary Attention must be paid during this phase e The cable bringing power to the heaters should not be pinched during reassembly e O rings properly positioned in their grooves with grease e 8 screws must be put together and all tightened the same way Incorrect reassembly can cause loss of seali
33. stem s tray Alcor system 17 E A g C a e 7 Customize Fig 15 The arrow show the icon of the GigECam camera IP setup panel The camera can be connected or can be connected during installation process the next form shows up 6 GigECam IP Config 2 2 0 2290 Device Serial Number MAC Address Local Area Connection 1000 Mbit s 192 168 1 5 ca DMK 23GP031 29510254 0007488 117DE 192 168 1 229 Device Info IP Configuration Current IP Configuration DMK 23GP031 IP Address 192 168 1 229 The Imaging Source Subnet Mask 55 255 255 0 29510254 Default Gateway 192 168 1 1 20074881170E Fig 16 This is the form that informs about the current IP camera address and allows to change it Alcor system 18 By default the system is delivered with a camera that has the following persistent IP address 192 168 1 229 This address is suitable for networks that are like 192 168 1 x where x ranges from 0 to 255 For other networks or if the address is not suitable to your network press Configure gt gt The camera can have his IP address set by DHCP mechanism where the IP address is set by a router Device Info IP Configuration User defined Name Firmware Upgrade IF Configuration Procedure Persistent IP Configuration F Fersistent IF IF Address 192 166 1 44 IW DHCP Subnet Mask 255 255 255 0 Link Local Auto IP Default Gateway 0 0 0 0 Fig 17 DHCP setup Or persistent IP
34. x30 mm screws are provided The whole camera weights 9 5 Kg so ensure that camera attachment is achieved properly The North direction is defined by rotating the camera accordingly in latitude and azimuth Please perform image capture tests before attaching the camera to the pole as explained here 3 1 To install the camera only two metric Allen hex set keys are required for M6 5 and M8 screw 6 The base plate as depicted in figure 2 shall be horizontal and this can be checked with a bubble level Alcor system Fig 2 Position of the three screws to attach the base table system to a stable structure Alcor system 1 1 Cables installation Top Power amp Rs232 link USB or Gigabit Ethernet Temperature humidity Sensor Bottom Fig 3 Position of the three connectors according to their function At the backside of the tube three waterproof connectors are present leave enough free space at that location to be able to install and allow the cables to run out see fig 3 Alcor system Fig 4 Three cables one is going to the temperature and humidity sensor and other goes to inside a building Connectors keying and different amount of pins and gender are preventing from connection errors However user must look at the number of connector pins at the end of the cable before connecting the camera in order to avoid forcing the pins and damage the camera connector Connecto
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