An integrated automation and monitoring suite for a remote Seestar S50 / S30 / S30 Pro observatory, powered by a Raspberry Pi 5 (4GB). This system manages everything from proactive dew prevention to structural roof automation, ensuring the telescope is protected and accessible from anywhere in the world.
🔭 Project Overview This software provides a centralized "Heads Up Display" (HUD) and a background worker system. The Pi 5 is mounted directly inside the AllSky camera housing, which is secured to the observatory structure. The system is designed for high-availability, capable of running on Solar or Grid power, requiring only a WiFi internet connection for global remote access.
🚀 Key Features Dual-MOSFET Control: Heater: PWM-driven proactive dew prevention using a 5°F safety buffer. Roof: Logic-level control for a 20" Linear Actuator to open/close the observatory roof via the HUD. Remote Power Management: Integration with a SwitchBot to remotely trigger the Seestar S50's physical power button. Telescope Control: Full integration with Seestar_Alp for remote telescope operations. Global Access: Fully compatible with Raspberry Pi Connect and VNC for real-time control from anywhere. Environmental Safety: * Wind Guard: Automatic roof closure if wind speeds exceed 20 MPH. Rain Guard: Instant lockdown upon precipitation detection.
🛠 Hardware Configuration Component Connection / Pin Purpose Anemometer GPIO 4 Wind Speed Monitoring Dew Heater GPIO 12 (MOSFET 1) Proactive Condensation Prevention Roof Actuator GPIO 17 (MOSFET 2) 20" Actuator Drive (Open/Close) Rain Sensor GPIO 18 Precipitation Detection SwitchBot Bluetooth (BLE) Seestar Power On/Off BME280 / MLX90614 I2C Bus Ambient & Sky Temperature
🌡 Dew Prevention Logic The system proactively calculates the dew point. If the ambient temperature falls within 5°F of the dew point, the Pi 5 engages the MOSFET on GPIO 12:
This ensures the optics remain clear before moisture can settle.
📦 Software Structure hud.py: The primary GUI providing the visual dashboard and manual roof/power controls.
sensor_worker.py: The background engine handling sensor data, wind pulse counting, and automated safety logic.
seestar_push.py: The Bluetooth script for SwitchBot/Fingerbot interaction.
🔧 Installation & Remote Access Clone & Setup: Bash git clone https://github.com/bsbachert/Seestar-Remote-Observatory-Control.git
cd sumner_guard ./install.sh
Connectivity: Ensure Raspberry Pi Connect or VNC Server is enabled via raspi-config.
Power: Designed for 12V DC input 5A, compatible with solar charge controllers or standard grid-tie adapters.
This is a work in Progress. Adding more as I build the Observatory.