[ATM] Ideas/suggestions for South Pole sun following platform?

["Peter C Chen" <peterchenmd@comcast.net>]

Hi folks:

              I am helping to design an experiment for Antarctica and would
appreciate input from the ATM community.

               The experiment in question is a fiber optic spectrometer that
looks at the Sun.  It is to be mounted on a mobile robotic platform.   The
part to be moved is the fiber optic head which weighs a few ounces.
Tracking within 1/4 degree of the center of the Sun is adequate.  Location
is 78 degrees south latitude. Duration of experiment is 1-2 months during
the southern summer.  The robot has a computer that can be used for control.
Human assistance is available for setup and occasional adjustment.

             My question is, what would be a good mechanical platform that
can track the Sun?  We can either buy or build.  Current ideas under
consideration are:
1.  The smallest. simplest Meade ETX or equivalent alt-az mount that can
take Autostar and run under programs such as The Sky or Guide.
2.  A simple sun follower circuit using a pair of phototransistors that
control a motor relay.  The motor runs until the output from the two
phototransistors are balanced.
 3.  A quadrant detector driven by a pair of R/C servos mounted at right
angles to each other. The robot computer can look at the quad cell output
and command the servos to point and track the Sun.

               Any ideas/suggestions?

P.C. Chen

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