Automatic Control of Astronomical Dome Based on ASCOM and PLC

Mountain Wumingshan, located in the Daocheng county, Sichuan province, was sited by Yunnan Observatory recently. For the purpose of carrying out remote automatic observation test with 50 cm telescopes on Mnt. Wumingshan, development of the dome-driver is required. The driver which was based on ASCOM standard and connected to PLC controller with Modbus/TCP protocol, realized the automatic control of dome. This paper mainly introduced dome control principle and realization method. The results showed that the control system of the dome is characterized by its high alignment and convenience. Besides, it can meet the needs of remote and automatic observation and can be used as a reference for similar small and medium-sized observation systems.