Skybadger Observatory

Node Red Dashboard and Driver

In setting up an automated observatory, one of the requirements if its fully automated and remote, is that I need some way of controlling and viewing the status of the component parts.

Node-Red

Node-Red is a drag and drop programming environment underpinned by the NPM softweare management tool and Node.js javascript hosting tool. Fortunately, a lot of the complexity is kept from us by providing a set of drag and drop operators that are then wired together with operators and grphical cables that turn them into flows of p[rocessing of in put into output. Find Node-red here :

Node Red Alpaca Drivers - Observing Conditions

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Node Red Observing Conditions Driver

As part of setting up an automated observatory, one of the instruments we will need is a way to look at the sky and the environment around us so we know its safe ( in the expensive sensitive equipment meets rain and weather sense) to operate This is then used to control when the observatory operates by combining - the input from a Sky Quality Meter (SQM Meter) which measures the sky brightness - the input from a weather station - safe operating windspeeds - presence of rain - presence of cloud - Input from a clock - is the time of day sensible to oibserve this object ? The way to collect all this information is, for me in the Node Red safety sensor. I use this page to describe what a Node-red driver looks like and how we can provide an ASCOM Alpaca driver in Node-Red to service status requests to things like imaging software that needs it.

Node Red Driver - Safety Driver

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Integrating 'IsSafe' into Voyager for pausing observing sessions