An Overview of IoT Enabled Generic Embedded Controller Developed for an Observatory

A generic IoT enabled embedded controller board with networking capabilities is designed for automation and control of the instruments required for astronomy in an observatory. For distributed control low level inter-board communication is implemented using the standard I2C and CAN protocols. Remote access by the interfacing computer is implemented over both wired and wireless LAN which also enables the IoT capabilities. Standard telnet and UPD protocol are employed for commanding the instruments and monitoring its status. The boards with embedded networking and IoT capabilities are successfully employed in different applications in the observatory. Different instruments on same network are accessed from a single remote location for logging, diagnostics and maintenance.