Main Telescope at the CAO Upgraded

/ 4 May 2026
Submitted by denisjgrey@gmail.com on 4 May 2026

During the Spring Work Party from May 2nd - 3rd, the control system on the the main telescope in the Geoff Brown Observatory was upgraded to a new technology platform (MKS 6000 control system). This mini-project involved:

  • Dismounting the RC16 primary telescope from the mount (70 lbs) and all counterweights 
  • Removing the existing electronics and cabling
  • Running new power and data cabling through the mount
  • Reassembling the mount (twice but don't ask us about that)
  • Recalibrating the mount's electronics to work with the new control software which was also installed.

The crack team of surgeons (Denis Grey, Claudio Ortani, Richard Sewards and Don Stewart) completed the project by noon on Sunday. All functions seem to be working. The final step is to perform a new polar alignment and to reset the telescope pointing model. 

The key improvements are as follows:

  • The planetarium software used for the telescope (TheSkyX) has been upgraded to the most recent release and it is now 64-bit software. Our last release was from 2018 so this is is a big jump in capabilities.
  • The mount is now controlled through Ethernet (with a direct connection to the GBO warm room) and optionally via its own WiFi network. The new connection is much faster than the old serial connection and will allow us to control the telescope from anywhere on the property.
  • A new hand controller is included with a lanyard to hang it from the mount, a red light display and four configurable speeds for manual movements and touchups.
  • A telescope computer (a Primaluce Labs Eagle 5S donated by Board Member and Past President Charles Darrow) has been added to the telescope. The Eagle computer now:
    • Includes a copy of TheSkyX to control the mount
    • Manages the dew heaters on the mount replacing a Kendrick Premier dedicated controller
    • Allows future expansion to connect and manage cameras

One of the key goals of upgrading this telescope mount, which is used mostly for public education, is to allow us to add cameras and the new Spectroheliograph to the telescope. With the onboard computer we can now support multiple camera options on the mount with clean cable management. We plan to add a guiding scope and camera capabilities for members over the next few months.