Digital-SF Dome

The dome is a vintage (1998) 10' Technical Innovations Pro Dome. It's all fiberglass, 10 feet in diameter, with a two piece shutter that opens 105 degrees to the zenith.  The azimuth is driven by two belt drive friction wheels located at opposite sides of the dome.  The shutter is open and closed with a system of cables attached to a screw windless.  Both are powered by manually operated  12VDC motors.

Over the winter of 2020-2021, the azimuth motors were upgraded to 24VDC gear driven friction wheels with a resulting greater torque and more stable operation.  With the addition of a chain & sprocket encoder, the dome is now computer controlled with an ASCOM compatible LesveDome controller and 24V power supply. 

 
 LesveDome Controller

This is a DIY dome controller available from LesveDome.Net. If you can load and solder a PCB, and wire a few relays, you can make and install this with ease.  The Arduino processor that runs the controller comes pre-programed, and the associated ASCOM drives are available online.  The controller will automatically match the shutter oppening to the direction of your OTA, and can automate the operation of the dome's shutter as well.

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Old Motor Drive	New Moror Drive
Custom designed and 3D printed encoder assembly.