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| I prefer to use Macintosh computers, so when I decided to add a DSC (digital setting circles) to the scope, I looked for one that was Mac compatible. Mel Bartels directed me to the MacDobs list on the internet, a group headed by Jack Brindle & Dave Sopchak that's committed to the design and development of just such a system. Shown here is my tentative installation of some components of that sysem. The two encoders, one for altitude & one for azimuth, are 8k resolution, obtained from Dave Hearn at Procyon Systems. The MacDobs black box reads the encoders and sends the data on to a Mac PowerBook or iBook. | ||||||||
| The shaft of each encoder must be precisely positioned at the center of rotation of the altitude and azimuth axis for optimum pointing accuracy. The MacDobs software has provision for offsets to correct for some degree of inaccuracy if necessary.
The DSC component is the first of several planned modules that will comprise the MacDobs system. Stepper motor drive control modules are now in field testing & software development. Also in the works are modules for a handpad for user interaction, IR wireless communications for components and perhaps a central power supply module. |
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| Jack's expertise is in hardware & firmware design & fabrication. It's his wizardry that makes all this stuff possible. Dave's own form of magic is developing software for the MacDobs system. He wrote the DSC plug in interface for Starry Night, an excellent astronomy software on the Mac from Sienna Software. Starry Night is also available on the PC, and a plug in is in progress for that platform as well. Dave has a web page giving more descriptive information about the MacDobs DSC offering.
The name of this system is "MacDobs", but it's not just for Dobsonian telescopes nor will it be limited to Macintosh computers. The concept is to make available low cost objects or modules that perform particular functions so that the user can custom build a sophisticated, yet economical astronomy system by using only those modules that are needed. It's an "open system" in today's parlance, that will be expanded to include new functions in the future and will almost certainly allow compatibility with whatever computing & communications devices our future holds in store for us. MacDobs is at the forefront of "helping to shift the paradigm for low-cost amateur astronomy". |
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