The Microprocessor control of the Kavalur 234-cm optical telescope

Abstract

This paper gives an introduction to the control system of the 234-cm optical telescope. The computer used in control is based on an INTEL 16 bit microprocessor. The VAX 11/780 system has a supervisory role in the control system and is used primarily to calculate the pointing errors due to mechanical imperfections of the telescope, atmosphereic refraction, and other similar errors. The microcomputer and the VAX system are coupled with bidirectional drives and exchange data at predetermined sidereal intervals. The various tasks involved in the control of the telescope are explained. The interface circuits developed at our electronics laboratory are briefly mentioned. Circuits necessary for the display to telescope position, celestial coordinates and sidereal time are included.