telescope safety
A system that monitors the current position of a large astronomical telescope and triggers a safety monitoring system when it enters a predefined forbidden zone
WIZnet - W55RP20-EVB-Pico
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🛰️ Telescope Collision Protection System with LoRa & Ethernet
This project implements a redundant safety system for large astronomical telescopes to monitor real-time orientation and prevent mechanical damage caused by accidental entry into pre-defined forbidden zones. The system features dual-MCU architecture and uses both LoRa (long-range wireless) and wired Ethernet for fault-tolerant operation.
🧭 System Architecture Overview
Inertial Unit (on telescope):
RP2040 Pico
9/10 DoF IMU (e.g., ISM330DHCX)
LoRa transmitter (868 MHz)
Dual Power Bank redundancy
Control Unit (stationary):
W55RP20-EVB-PICO: RP2040 + W5500 (on-chip 10/100M Ethernet PHY)
Arduino Nano: Direct control of LCD, touch buttons, relays, siren
LoRa receiver
SD card logger, motor cutoff via relay & MOSFET
Web-based UI (via LAN at teleskop.local):
Configure forbidden zones and operational parameters
View logs and real-time telescope orientation
🧩 Hardware Stack
| Module | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| W55RP20-EVB-PICO | Web server, SD logger, motor cutoff | Integrated W5500 → No Ethernet Shield needed |
| Arduino Nano | LCD, relay, and button controller | GPIO extension for peripherals |
| RP2040 Pico | IMU data acquisition + LoRa TX | Dual battery for field reliability |
| LoRa SX1276 (868 MHz) | Long-range wireless link | Up to 2 km outdoors |
| IMU (9/10 DoF) | Orientation sensing (yaw, pitch, roll) | ISM330DHCX recommended |
| Siren, Relay, MOSFET | Physical alarm, power cutoff | Protects telescope gear system |
🖥️ Software & Communication Stack
| Layer | Technology / Protocol | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Wireless | LoRa (Custom Protocol) | Reliable long-range low-power communication |
| Network | lwIP + EthernetCompat (W55RP20) | Arduino Ethernet API-compatible web service stack |
| Application | Collision detection, SD logging | Forbidden zone validation, auto-recovery logic |
| Web UI | HTML/JS, no framework | Real-time telemetry, upload/download of config/logs |
⚙️ Key Features & Engineering Highlights
| Feature | Implementation | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Forbidden Zone Watchdog | IMU → spherical coordinates → FZ validation | Predictive collision avoidance |
| Kill-Switch | Relay + MOSFET-driven motor cutoff | Prevents mechanical damage |
| Web Config Interface | SD JSON ↔ Web UI via Ethernet | Fast local parameter tuning |
| LoRa Fail-safe | Packet timeout triggers system halt | Robust against wireless interference |
✅ Strengths & Potential Enhancements
Strengths:
Redundant communication (LoRa + Ethernet)
Web-based UI for intuitive operation
No external Ethernet Shield needed thanks to W55RP20
Improvement Ideas:
Migrate Arduino Nano functions to W55RP20 for reduced board count and power draw
Add user authentication (HTTP Basic or token-based) to web UI
Implement IMU Kalman filtering for improved accuracy
Enable remote log upload (via SFTP or MQTT) for backup and monitoring
💬 Summary
This robust and scalable system ensures the protection of expensive telescope hardware by combining real-time IMU-based collision detection, dual-mode communication, and fail-safe motor control. Ideal for observatories or research institutions operating in remote environments where network stability and mechanical reliability are critical.