A USB controller for Celestron telescopes using the NexStar AUX protocol.
This is a USB controller for Celestron NexStar AUX protocol implemented in Arduino. It substitutes the hand controller, receiving the commands from the PC (HC procotol) and communicating with the mount (AUX protocol).
Documentation on the NexStar HC and Aux protocols:
- Get/set location and time
- Sync
- Goto (equatorial and horizontal coordinates)
- Tracking on/off
- Meridian flip
- Above-the-horizon limit
TODO:
- RTC support
- Homing switches
- Hibernate/wakeup
- Support for South hemisphere
- Support for alt-az mounts
Currently, only equatorial mounts in the North hemisphere are supported.
The library AstroLib, wich is part of this project, must be installed in the Arduino libraries directory.
The provided Makefile requires Arduino-Makefile to work. In Debian/Ubuntu/Mint, you can install it with
sudo apt install arduino-mk
If you downloaded Arduino-Makefile to a custom location (other than
/usr/share/arduino), you must indicate the correct directory by modifying
the ARDMK_DIR variable in the Makefile.avr or Makefile.sam.
The code can be compiled and uploaded to the Arduino board using
make
make upload
Of course, you can also program the Arduino board using the Arduino IDE.
Download the toolchain for SAM boards using the Boards Manager in the Arduino IDE.
Comment the line include Makefile.avr and discomment the line
include Makefile.sam in the Makefile.
The CAD directory contains an STL model of the enclosure I use, which was created with openSCAD. It requires an Arduino Nano and a small prototype board. The resistor, the diode and the modular connector shown in the schematics are mounted in the prototype board.