Utvikling av styreelektronikk til fotometer-prototype

Abstract

The objective of this assignment was to build the control system for a pointing photometer. The photometer will be mounted at the observation post for northern lights in Adventdalen, Svalbard (Norway).

EISCAT Svalbard Radar (ESR) has an antenna which is continuously pointed to the sky in a scanning manner. The research group for Space- and Plasma physics with the Department of Physics, University of Oslo, wished to build a photometer (extremely sensitive light meter) which could follow the movements of ESR. By doing this the connection between particle precipitation, northern lights and electron density can be monitored.

From this starting point a mechanical platform was constructed (this has been altered several times during the process). Det crucial point of this assignment has been the development of electronics to control this platform.

In an early stage the desire to track ESR was substituted with the desire to track sounding rockets. This had no consequences for the mechanical design of the photometer, but has resulted in some minor changes of the electronics design. There was also desired to be able to control the photometer over inter-net. To minimize the expenses of sending personnel to Svaldbard when the instrument needed updates, there was desired to be able to reconfigure the hardware and the software over inter-net.

Under the prerequisites described above, a printed circuit board (PCB) was designed. The circuit can control, monitor and read data from the instruments sensors. It also controls all of the instruments motions. The circuit, and its firmware, are able to control the photometer as desired. The function of reconfigure the circuit isn't yet fully implemented. The software for this has to be developed, but the circuit is fully prepared for this operations.