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

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

Ken:

          You have hit the nail squarely on the thumb... I mean head.
Tracking the sun with photosensors is easy.  The problem comes when there
are extended cloudy periods -- then the electronics would lose track and
must have some ways of reacquiring target.
           Temperature can be as low as -30C.  That would probably be too
low for commercial scope drives, gears and lubrications to work.  We do
expect to have some power available to keep some parts of the robot from
getting too cold.
           Rain and snow can be kept out with a plastic cover.   Since the
instrument is non imaging, one can use thick plastic pieces in front of the
fiber optic head.  I'm thinking a recessed tube and some sort of dew zapper
might work to keep the sensor head clear.
            Looks like we might need to go to a computer controlled system
after all.
           Thanks for the insightful comments and suggestions.

P.C. Chen

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ken Lowther" <hermit@outofoptions.org>
To: "Peter C Chen" <peterchenmd@comcast.net>
Sent: Thursday, July 08, 2004 10:49 AM
Subject: Re: [ATM] Ideas/suggestions for South Pole sun following platform?


> What is the expected temperature range?  If it is outdoors unattended, I
don't
> know if a light duty telescope drive will survive things like rain.  The
> transistor thing would have problems if it lost the sun due to cloudiness.
> Well, unless you had 360 cabablility.
>
> Ken

> > ATM mailing list http://www.atmlist.net/
>
>
>
> Hermit, holed up in Youngstown, Ohio

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