SGP compatibility with Denkovi relay module

Sequence Generator Equipment Compatibility
#1

Charles Galdies and myself are avid users of SGP to acquire scientific data. We are happy to include one of our recent publications that mentions the use of SGPro in our scientific investigations: MPB 46-3 (harvard.edu)

In view of the current upgrade of our observatories, we would like to get your advice on how to connect the SGPro software to our relay switches manufactured by Denkovi (Ethernet 12 relay module - Web, TCP/IP, Telnet, HTTP API, E-mails). You may refer to the technical details of this product in the link below.

IP Relay Module - 12 Relays, IO, WEB, HTTP API, SMTP, Telnet (denkovi.com)

This Denkovi relay switch is now becoming a popular choice to control observatories remotely.

In case SGPro software cannot link itself directly to the Denkovi relay switch, we would to know whether it is possible to develop a dedicated SGPro patch that would enable us to connect directly to our Denkovi relay switch.

We have been told that another alternative could be to add an API support in SGPro using a Viking Client.

Regards,
Stephen

1 Like
#2

Stephen - I have been following a similar path with USB-controlled relays. I started off with Denkovi but switched to KMTronics, for which I wrote my own ASCOM drivers. At the time, there was something about the Denkovi that caused me to switch. The protocols are not dissimilar and I can share ASCOM drivers if you want to have a play.

#3

Hello Buzz,

Many thanks for your feedback. Although the Denkovi relays are already in our possession, we may consider the use of a different relay for our observatories. We would be very pleased to have a copy of your ASCOM driver for the KMTronics relay module. We do not have any experience with their use, so I wish to ask if it would be possible to use the AAG cloud watcher and any safety sensors through the KMT?

Will the next SGP switches upgrade allow us to control all of the connected equipment?

Best regards and thanks,
Stephen

Flarestar Observatory (IAU/MPC Code:171)
ORCiD: 0000-0002-9205-5329

#4

Stephen - Iā€™m just an SGP user. I happen to have written some ASCOM drivers (necessity being the mother of invention) for my observatory and particular needs. There is another post on the SGP forum where another imager has kindly written a safety monitor that interrogates the observing conditions hub - which allows one to make a composite judgement based on rain, clouds, light level, wind, humidity etc.
http://www.dehilster.info/astronomy/ascom_environment_safetymonitor.php
One of my tasks this week is to understand about GIT, having never used it before, as it is probably is the best way to share code and source with others.

#5

Creating (or finding if it already exists) and ASCOM Switch driver for this bit of hardware would be your best option. As we have an ASCOM Interface for switches we would not pull in this piece of hardware in a native manner.

Thank you,
Jared

#6

@Jared @MPC171_Flarestar
OK folks - my first public Git repository. I hope I have published it correctly, took me a while to work out how to do it directly from Visual Studio. Please let me know if I have not done it right.

If you want to edit this to your needs, you will need to load Visual Studio 2019, followed by ASCOM 6.5SP1 and the developer components (even if you have already got it installed) and Inno Setup. Changing this to another relay that uses simple strings may be just a few lines of code. A binary switch only ASCOM driver is a sparse program.