m1OASYS ASCOM Roof Driver

ASCOM dome/roof driver for observatories using the ELK M1 Gold and M1OASYS architecture.

This driver provides reliable roll-off roof control, live telemetry, watchdog protection, optional Hall-effect pulse tracking, and optional hardware-based mount safety interlocks using Elk M1 automation rules.

Features ASCOM Dome Interface Open roof Close roof Abort roof motion Real-time shutter status Compatible with ASCOM dome-capable applications including: NINA Voyager SGP CCD Commander custom automation systems Native Elk M1 Integration

Communicates directly with the Elk M1/XEP over TCP/IP using the Elk ASCII protocol.

Supports:

Elk task activation status polling counter polling custom telemetry messages CRC framed packet handling Roof Telemetry

Optional Hall-effect pulse telemetry provides:

live pulse counting percent-open roof tracking motion monitoring calibration-based positioning

Telemetry is fully optional and the driver also supports traditional limit-switch-only operation.

Automatic Calibration

Built-in calibration mode:

automatically learns full-open pulse count saves calibration persistently survives reconnects and reboots supports automatic percent-open calculations Safety Features Movement Timeout Watchdog

Detects:

stalled motion failed relays missing limit transitions roof jams

Automatically:

aborts roof motion enters ASCOM error state reports fault condition Pulse Watchdog Protection

When Hall telemetry is enabled:

verifies pulse movement during roof motion detects motor stalls/slipping couplers faults safely if pulse motion stops unexpectedly Optional Mount Safety Interlock

Supports hardware-based mount safety sensors through Elk rules.

When enabled:

roof movement is blocked unless Elk reports the mount/scope is safe no telescope control is performed by the driver client automation software remains responsible for mount parking

This architecture keeps:

hardware safety in Elk observatory sequencing in client software roof enforcement in the driver Live Status UI

Integrated lightweight telemetry window displays:

roof state percent open pulse count fault status reconnect status watchdog events calibration status

The UI automatically opens/closes with ASCOM connection state.

Supported Operating Modes Basic Mode limit switches only no pulse telemetry no scope safety sensors required Advanced Mode Hall pulse telemetry percent-open tracking watchdog protection mount safety interlocks Example Elk Features

Typical Elk rule support includes:

Open Roof task Close Roof task Stop Roof task Hall pulse counter Scope-safe sensor evaluation roof open/closed status reporting Architecture Philosophy

The system intentionally separates responsibilities:

Component Responsibility Elk M1 Hardware authority and sensor evaluation ASCOM Driver Roof control, telemetry, safety enforcement Client Software Observatory automation and mount control

This creates a robust and maintainable observatory control system.

Requirements Windows ASCOM Platform Elk M1 with XEP Ethernet interface ElkRP configured automation rules Optional Hall-effect pulse sensor Optional mount-safe sensors

Current project status:

Core development complete Operational testing in progress Observatory deployment ready

License

Personal / observatory use project.