LabVIEW Control Software for the UH-Hilo 0.9m Telescope

Presentation OverviewPresentation Overview

• UH 0.6m Telescope & UH 0.9m Telescope

• Problem: Telescope Control Software & LabVIEW

• Design: Steps to Solution

• LabVIEW Software

• Results: Manual & Program

• Conclusion: Benefits for UH 0.9m Telescope

UH 0.6m TelescopeUH 0.6m Telescope

• Operated manually by hand paddle.• It’s not fully functional for researchers and students. • Used for Instrumentation Testing.

In 1968, the first telescope on Mauna Kea. Photo courtesy of Bill Heacox.

The New 0.9m TelescopeThe New 0.9m Telescope

• Upgraded to see modern astronomical images.

• Electronically controlled from sea-level, UH-Hilo’s control room.

• Available for the research of UH-Hilo students, including undergraduates.

Sketch of the 0.6m Telescope. Photo courtesy of Bill Heacox

ProblemProblem ??

?

Photo courtesy of Bill Heacox.

Choosing LabVIEWChoosing LabVIEW

South African Telescope

LabVIEW Software: Front Panel and Block Diagram

Design ApproachDesign Approach

UH 24 inch Telescope

UH 88 inch Telescope

IfA 16 inch Mauna Loa Telescope

Manually controlling the UH 0.6m Telescope. Photo courtesy of Bill Heacox.

Experiment and RecordExperiment and Record

Compiling NotesCompiling Notes

BEFORE

AFTER

LabVIEW MANUAL

ConclusionConclusion

Students at the 0.6m Telescope. Given by Bill Heacox.

• Easy-to-read LabVIEW Manual • Finding the first error in the system.• Program showcasing future features.

ReferencesReferences• Jennings, Richard, and Gary W. Johnson. 2006.

LabVIEW Graphical Programming. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

• Kring, Jim, and Jeffrey Travis. 2007. LabVIEW for Everyone: Graphical Programming Made Easy and Fun. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

• National Instruments Corporation. NI Developer Zone. [updated 11 July 2007; cited 12 July 2007]. Available from http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/main.\

• Schmitt, Stephen R. Converting Celestial to Horizon Coordinates. [2007; cited 16 July 2007]. Available from http://home.att.net/~srschmitt/script_celestial2horizon.html

AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

• John Hamilton, Bill Heacox, and Jay Slivkoff.• Physics and Astronomy Department at

University of Hawaii-Hilo for their facilities.• Hilary O’Bryan, Sarah Anderson, Scott

Seagroves, and Akamai Interns.• Funding provided through the Center for

Adaptive Optics, a National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center (STC), AST-987683.