Astro-Smart SMP-PRO-R2, User Manual

Page 1: ...User s Manual Computerized Sky Master Pro System Model SMP PRO R2 SMP R2 Copyright Oct 17th 2020 SMP R2 PRO OLED SMP R2 SMP R2 PRO LCD R2 Enclosure SMP R2 RF ...

Page 2: ... Tour Of Your PC Control Remote User Interface Summary 19 H GUI Interface Description Summary Using the Sky Master Pro Software 24 I Configuration Calibration of your Sky Master Pro Sensor Thresholds 29 J Astro Smart ASCOM Software Interface With Sequence Generator Pro 36 K Other 3rd Party ASCOM And Boltwood File Software Interfaces Sky Roof 39 L Blue Tooth Interface 42 M RF Interface 45 N Specifi...

Page 3: ...aph Sky Master Pro data and an ASCOM driver to integrate with ASCOM compliant astronomy applications All units come turn key with sky quality clouds brightness rain snow and barometer with temperature humidity and pressure Other options include wind speed and direction anemometer wireless communication and GPS There are two available models SMP PRO R2 SMP R2 The SMP PRO R2 SMP R2 has a complete tu...

Page 4: ...rogrammable measurement scale as low as 1 sample every 3 seconds The Cloud Sensor is IR based and informs the user whether cloud formations or clear conditions are present necessary for imaging or visual work The other sensors are self explanatory and add to the overall SKY Master Product Capability The relay option out has two options for the SMP PRO SMP R family based on the needs of the user If...

Page 5: ...ProvidingtheAstronomicalCommunity with Premier ProductsandServices Astro smart com Copyright 2010 2049 All rights reserved Oct2020 Page 5 B SMP Family Purchase Configurations SMP PRO R2 OLED ...

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Page 7: ...ProvidingtheAstronomicalCommunity with Premier ProductsandServices Astro smart com Copyright 2010 2049 All rights reserved Oct2020 Page 7 SMP R2 ...

Page 8: ...oductsandServices Astro smart com Copyright 2010 2049 All rights reserved Oct2020 Page 8 SMP R2 RF The Astro Smart SMP family controllers are designed to be user friendly serviceable elegant and reliable and include the following features shown below ...

Page 9: ...rc Sec MSPAS and Naked Eye Star Magnitude NELM 0 2 mag square arc sec accuracy The LUX sky brightness sensor has a reporting range of 0 0001 to 100K LUX 7 IR Cloud Sensor to measure Cloud Sky Conditions 8 Optional Wind Speed and Direction Sensor in meters sec or MPH 5 for speed and 16 division scale wind direction accuracy for all measurements 3 5mm jack style interface 4 wind sensors to choose fr...

Page 10: ...quality components with conformal coatings for outdoor use 17 Price point set below development cost for such a system while providing more features 18 Dimensions SMP Family Controller 5 2 Length x 3 Width x 1 9 Height 19 Dimensions R2 Full Sensor Fusion Enclosure 6 Length x 4 5 Width x 1 3 Height This enclosure houses all the sensors connected via communications cable to your SMP Family Controlle...

Page 11: ...ort that can be used for connection to your wind mount These cable lengths are standard 6 feet in length Use the mounting clips to secure your R2 enclosure and wind sensor to the PVC mounting package or to your desired platform After all connections are made to your R2 enclosure plug in your power connection followed by your USB cable to your SMP PRO R2 or SMP R2 controller near your computer loca...

Page 12: ...software by running the setup msi on your software DVD or download By default By default the app is installed in the C Program Files x86 Astro Smart Sky_Master_Pro_Standard_Setup Astro Smart folder For compatibility select run as administrator control after installed before running if required but should not be necessary 3 Once your software is installed power up the controller first with the powe...

Page 13: ...you do not see the Data Port Status change to Port Read Complete verify the COM port for SMP controller is correct 8 Specific to the SMP R2 RF version of product one can control DEW heating via PWM control on rain snow sensor via the software GUI if the dew heating option is purchased This can be seen using the pro version of software in picture below 9 You can send email alarms based on the senso...

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Page 18: ...her features of the GUI and examples can be seen by demonstration on our website to browse support pages video tutorials of this product and others http www astro smart com index php p 1_49_Video Overviews Enhancements to the software will be made based on user input on a continual basis and can be uploaded from our site for your convenience ...

Page 19: ...serial ports to connect You just pick the correct one A video tutorial is listed in the support page of our website to go thru the basic operations of this feature Some basic features are listed below In the following pictures you can see the SMP family controller software GUI interface snapshots The first snapshot below shows the standard GUI interface which captures all SMP family controllers se...

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Page 23: ...shown above the user can do the following 1 Save upto 4 presets for IR cloud data based on seasonal atmospheric changes 2 User can change Humidity and Temperature offsets change Rain Threshold Voltages to trip relay closure based on rain mist or drops based on calibrated threshold values set by user 3 The user can couple Rain and Cloud Sensors to relay closure or just rain sensor data ...

Page 24: ...station Your Sky Master Pro station sensors send data to the controller on demand or every 8 10 seconds with the looping read function You can use the information from your Sky Master Pro station to determine if conditions are ideal for visual astronomy or for astro imaging See Section I for information about using the ASCOM driver 1 First we ll cover basic operation and station information shown ...

Page 25: ... Pro and reads the current sensor data e Loop_Read Enable this checkbox to have the Sky Master Pro continuously monitor the data The Sky Master Pro data will be updated every 10 seconds f Clear Data this clears the current Sky Master Pro data in the app g Refresh Ports if you are unable to locate the COM Port used by your Sky Master Pro click Refresh Ports to get the updated list of COM ports for ...

Page 26: ... and F ii IR Sky Temp the infrared temperature of the sky above the outdoor unit The temperature is reported in C and F iii Temp Diff the difference between the ambient and sky temperatures The temperature difference is reported in C and F iv Clouds Setpoint the current setpoint e g temperature differential which determines that it s cloudy out The Set button allows you to reset the Sky Master Pro...

Page 27: ...ensor is covered completely in water such as during a heavy downpour viii Weather Conditions an indication of rain based on the rain sensor volts d SQM Sensor Data _ SQM or sky quality measurement is an evaluation of the ability to see astronomical targets such as stars planets the milky way or faint objects such as galaxies or nebulas i Sky LUX the brightness of the sky When the Sky LUX is 0 0000...

Page 28: ...ky Imaging Conditions a forecast for the Seeing Typically good seeing produces limited star movement or scintillation from high altitude wind clouds or moisture e GPS Sensor Data if equipped with a GPS this section reports the data from the GPS sensor i Longitude your longitude in degrees If no GPS is connected it will report 0 ii Latitude your latitude in degrees If no GPS is connected it will re...

Page 29: ... current humidity a Using a calibrated weather station or by viewing on online weather station source that provides local weather information such as weather gov or wunderground net determine your current humidity For this example assume that the humidity is actually 94 b Since the Sky Master Pro has varying cable lengths for sensors that affect readings you have the ability to calibrate with an o...

Page 30: ...he same method you used to determine the current actual temperature in the previous step determine the actual current temperature in C for your location b Subtract the Sky Master Pro s reported temperature in C from the actual temperature to get your temperature offset Round to the nearest whole number and enter this number into the Temperature Offset Value Use a negative integer if the Sky Master...

Page 31: ...ons You ll need to set a preset for each season but to start we can configure each of the four presets to be the same Just remember to update the values each season I have included an example of some presets throughout the year You ll need to capture information under a night sky both a clear night sky and a cloudy night sky to properly configure the cloud presets a In the Sky Master Pro app click...

Page 32: ...our next reading shows a temp delta of 4 and your setpoint for clouds was 3 you should see a reporting of Cloudy Skys e If Clear night lets set the Clear Sky Setpoint keeping in mind a clear night has absolutely no clouds all stars are visible As before conforming to the rules as described in c above observe and calculate the setpoint value using the Temp Diff value between IR sky and ambient temp...

Page 33: ...s a To determine the right threshold value use a spray bottle to spray a fine mist of water on the sensor It s helpful to turn on Loop_Read to get a frequent update of the Rain Sensor voltage Notice the Rain sensor voltage after one spray Repeat spraying the sensor to approximate the amount of rain you want the Sky Master Pro to consider Raining b The rain sensor will also consider dew or frost as...

Page 34: ...Page 34 5 Notes on Relay Use on GUI as discussed in 4 The following is a summary of the GUI switches on regarding relay control per below a Relay ON Activates the relay manually and negates any sensor input b Relay OFF Turns off the relay and turns on all sensor input c Relay Disable Turns off the relay and ignores all sensor input ...

Page 35: ...ts reserved Oct2020 Page 35 6 Dew Control using the SMP R2 RF version of product The SMP R2 RF product can control dew heating on rain snow sensor using the Software GUI as shown below Simply store and PWM wanted for the sensor and turn it on or off during operation The PWM applied for heating can be from 0 100 ...

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Page 38: ...r unit and click on Done button which should close Astro Smart configuration window 4 Connect ASCOM driver via chain link icon next to wrench icon for Astro Smart Driver 5 Environmental Data should appear for SMP family controller unit and update every 8 10 secs ASCOM Example Using Sequence Generator Pro 1 Start Sequence Generator PRo 2 Open Environmental ASCOM interface Setup Tab 3 Select ASCOM A...

Page 39: ...loud and clear sky delta set point settings Here you then press Setup SMP PRO R button and the Focus Smart Controller Pro interface is invoked as shown below Use this interface as described above connecting with com port changing any settings closing port and then Exit the application when all settings are set to your liking This will return you to Sequence Generator Pro where you can select the c...

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Page 42: ...checking the box if not already checked This should start your computers install of the serial port BT drivers to use with your SMP R2 R system Now you need to add the HC06 Bluetooth device in your SMP R2 R system to computer serial ports in next step 3 Open Bluetooth devices from your OS ribbon or from control panel to add this device by doing a search for Bluetooth devices You should see HC06 or...

Page 43: ...cable from your SMP R2 R system 2 Re apply power to your SMP R2 R system 3 Turn on the BT power switch in upward position on your SMP R2 R system located on the back interface panel 4 Notice the BT LED on the front panel of your SMP R2 R system starts flashing This indicates the BT module in your SMP R2 R system is ready to link to your computer but not linked yet 5 Insert the supplied Bluetooth U...

Page 44: ...aneous operation of USB and BT will not be possible In this instance only one or the other interface can be used at any given time This will apply to SMP R2 R systems that have a BT ON OFF switch Reset switch and BT LED added interfaces 9 Once Bluetooth serial ports installed you will see 1 or 2 ports If 1 port then used that port If 2 ports one is for Incoming and the 2nd is for outgoing Please u...

Page 45: ... the com port as either Silicon Labs CP210x or Prolific PL2303 type 2 WIN10 Family OS i OS should detect all modules and no need for installation which have CP210X style hardware dongles ii Dongles with Prolific PL2303 type need to install a driver provided with instructions per video link below iii https www youtube com watch v aWquKi_e 3A N Specifications The SMP PRO R2 SMP R2 requires the follo...

Page 46: ... power plug Note Astro Smart recommends you buy our certified tested power supplies for this product Users can buy and connect their own power supplies to this product but they do so at their own risk O SMP Family Controllers Front Panel And Connector Diagram Computerized Sky Master Pro Model SMP PRO R2 SMP R2 Configuration See Figure 2 3 and 4 below ...

Page 47: ...com Copyright 2010 2049 All rights reserved Oct2020 Page 47 OLED Display Data Rolling Display With Programmable Window Figure 2 SMP PRO R2 OLED Break Out Overview Model 2018 On Off SW Pwr In USB Interface Single Sensor Fusion Data Port Jack Relay Output Jack 8 Line OLED OInterface ...

Page 48: ...2010 2049 All rights reserved Oct2020 Page 48 Example LCD Display Data Rolling Display Window 6 Panes Of Various Scrolling Sensor Data Figure 3 SMP PRO R2 LCD Break Out Overview Model 2019 On Off SW Pwr In USB Interface Single Sensor Fusion Data Port Jack Relay Output Jack 4 Line LCD OInterface ...

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Page 50: ... ProductsandServices Astro smart com Copyright 2010 2049 All rights reserved Oct2020 Page 50 Figure 5 SMP R2 RF Break Out Overview Model 2020 An online video demo of operation can be found on our website at http www astro smart com index php p 1_24 ...

Page 51: ...hts reserved Oct2020 Page 51 P R2 Full Sensor Enclosure Front Panel And Connector Diagram The R2 Full Sensor Fusion Enclosure to be used with Computerized Sky Master Pro Model SMP PRO R2 SMP R2 Configuration is shown below in Figure 6 below Figure 6 R2 Full Sensor Fusion Enclosure Break Out Overview Model 2018 ...

Page 52: ...Full Sensor Fusion Enclosure Model 2019 The version above now has all connections underneath the sensor housing which are protected from the elements This cable harness can be shrouded through pipe mounting as part of PVC mounting kit option This way the data cable and wind sensor cable can be routed to R2 Enclosure inside the piping mounting conduit ...

Page 53: ...R2 controller Shown above are the 4 four wind sensor options mounted with the R2 enclosure for use with SMP PRO R2 SMP R2 controllers The wind sensors plug into the R2 via wind connection port This mounting enclosure feeds the single wire harness through PVC conduit to SMP PRO R2 SMP R2 with pre drilled mounting holes Each anemometer shown above is available separately as well for other mounting o...

Page 54: ...Magnitude Sky lux brightness measuring from 0001 to 100K lux As part of your R2 enclosure sensor package that Astro Smart offers for your SMP Family Controller is the Cloud Sensor 4SMP C This very sensitive IR sensor informs the user of the atmospheric conditions on whether is cloudy partly cloudy or clear for imaging visual or technical work communicating with the user GUI interface which gives t...

Page 55: ...with digital readout As part of your R2 enclosure sensor package that Astro Smart offers for your SMP Family Controller is the Barometer Sensor 4SMP B This sensor informs the user of barometric pressure temperature and humidity when observing remotely This sensor package comes standard with R2 enclosure Another convenient accessory for your SMP Family Controller that Astro Smart offers is the Rela...

Page 56: ...as an option Another convenient accessory for your SMP Family Controller that Astro Smart offers is a Display upgrade to 8 line OLED or 4 line LCD Display Come standard with any SMP R2 PRO purchase COMMUNICATION Upgrade Options Another convenient accessory add on that Astro Smart offers is the USB 3 2 7 Port Astro Hub optional add on interface specifically designed for the SMP family controller Fo...

Page 57: ...at www astro smart com R Astro Smart s Product Goals Astro Smart is the innovator of this elegant and convenient sky master sensor and control system solution to your telescope mount or observatory needs The Computerized Sky Master System Controller Pro SMP family controllers are an economical yet superior Automation solution made available to the amateur or professional Astronomer The SMP family ...

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