update on RIT activity

[Stupendous Man <richmond@a188-l009.rit.edu>]

  A very brief update, I'm afraid.  In order to teach myself how
the Mark IV control software works, and in order to create a non-
interactive version, I have written a QuickBasic program which
reads commands from an ASCII input file, sends them
to the telescope and/or camera, and prints diagnostics to an 
ASCII output file.  

  I've figured out how to call the QuickBasic program from 
DOSEMU, the DOS emulator for Linux.  So, in a very roundabout
way, I can have a computer running Linux which controls the 
Mark IV.   I have successfully taken pictures with it, 
moved the telescope with it, etc.

  I have a Rubbermaid shed outside on a concete pad at the 
RIT Observatory.  There is power and Ethernet into the shed.
I have a UPS and a surge protector for the Ethernet line.

  Problems: the DOS emulator is sl-o-o-w.  This is critical only
for reading out the memory card.  It takes me over 2 minutes to save
an image to disk!  Also, for some situations, I'd like to send
individual commands to the Mark IV and read the responses before
deciding what to do next.  That would require executing a separate
DOSEMU process for each command, which makes me (and my video card)
queasy.

  Breakthrough: I have just figured out how to read the memory
card directly from Linux, in a very simple and stupid way.  It's not
as elegant as Chris A's device driver .. but I can't get his device
driver to work under the kernel I have.  My own fault, of course.

  Delay: I _would_ started re-writing the control software in 
C or some other language for use directly under Linux, but the
cataclysmic variable WZ Sge just went into outburst on Monday --
for the first time in 30-odd years.  I was up all night observing
it with our 10-inch telescope on Tuesday, and I'll be out again
tonight.  I don't do much the next day (lack of sleep), so as long
as long as this star is bright (a few weeks) and the skies here are
clear, I'll move forward on the TASS stuff only slowly.  

  Arne -- have you considered having your Mark IV monitor WZ Sge?
It's 8'th magnitude right now, and will remain brighter than 13'th
for several weeks.  It seems an ideal candidate for the Mark IV...

  As soon as the weather here reverts to its usual form, I'll
write up briefly a description of the control command language,
so that others can help me improve it before I commit it all to code.

                                               Michael