Python module for LX200 telescope command set

R

RayS

I've begun a Python module to provide a complete interface to the Meade
LX200 command set:
http://rjs.org/Python/LX200.py
and would like input from potential users or people interested in
developing it further.
The code I have online is a very alpha start - it contains all of the
command set, parsed from
http://www.meade.com/support/LX200CommandSet.pdf
reg-exp'd into methods, but few methods are actually complete yet.
My thinking is to have it useful for Python command line testing, as well
as GUI programs.

History: after searching for such a thing, I had found only:
http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache...e_code.html+lx200.py&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1
from University of Durham, but the code is not available...
and
http://cvs.sourceforge.net/viewcvs.py/projgalileo/lx200/lx200.py?rev=1.4
from the Galileo project, but which only has a subset and is aimed at their
needs, mostly. Some of the Galileo code looks useful, and so I might want
to make use of at least some of the methodology, even if only to get their
interest as well.

Current input I would most like is on module structure and Pythonic-ness:
-Only one class, or two?
I was considering splitting the commands into two classes: Telescope and
Library, as either could be used without the other for a scope session. (If
you have large libraries on your PC, you do not need the LX one - or if you
don't, or have a PDA, then just doing a Library lookup alone might be useful.)
If you were to "import LX200", how would you expect it to work?

-Should I have module methods, as I do? (Galileo uses some static methods)

-What constants might be useful to define?

-When should the com port be opened/tested? (I have it on init...)

-What about the class names?

It is already ~1200 lines code and comments, even without most of the
commands actually useful yet, and so I'd like to get a good form started
before getting too far along.

Is anyone here interested in using such a module, or willing to critique?

Thanks,
Ray
arr-ayy-why-ess at blue-cove.com
 
D

Dennis Lee Bieber

I've begun a Python module to provide a complete interface to the Meade
LX200 command set:
http://rjs.org/Python/LX200.py
and would like input from potential users or people interested in
developing it further.

While you might scare some away, have you considered posting in:
alt.telescopes.meade and/or alt.telescopes.meade.lx200?
--
 
A

Alan Kennedy

[RayS]
I've begun a Python module to provide a complete interface to the Meade
LX200 command set:
and

History: after searching for such a thing, I had found only:
http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache...e_code.html+lx200.py&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1

from University of Durham, but the code is not available...
and
http://cvs.sourceforge.net/viewcvs.py/projgalileo/lx200/lx200.py?rev=1.4
from the Galileo project, but which only has a subset and is aimed at
their needs, mostly. Some of the Galileo code looks useful, and so I
might want to make use of at least some of the methodology, even if only
to get their interest as well.

Do you know about ASCOM?

"The primary goal of the ASCOM Initiative is to provide software driver
technology that will help bring about a rebirth of science in amateur
astronomy by making instruments scriptable via standard low-level
scripting interfaces."

http://ascom-standards.org/faq.html

IIUC, ASCOM is a set of Windows COM objects which provides a
standardised API for controlling telescopes. Since it uses Windows COM,
you should be able to control it easily from python using the excellent
win32 extensions.

Python for Windows Extensions
http://starship.python.net/crew/mhammond/

From this page

http://ascom-standards.org/nr-11Jun01.html

comes the statement

"""
Telescopes currently supported are the Meade LX200 and Autostar,
Celestron NexStar, Vixen SkySensor 2000, Software Bisque Paramount (via
TheSky), a number of mounts that support subsets of the LX200 serial
protocol (Astro-Physics, Bartels, etc.), and many research-grade
telescopes that use the Astronomy Control Language (ACL). Products that
support telescope control via ASCOM are Starry Night by SPACE.com, MaxIm
DL V3 by Cyanogen Productions, and ACP2 by DC3 Dreams.
"""

HTH,
 

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