ACP SafetyMonitor

This page describes how to install and configure the Deep Sky Chile weather interface for ACP Observatory Control. This integration allows ACP to use roof state and weather data from your Deep Sky Chile observatory to determine whether observing conditions are safe.

Overview

This collection of scripts was written by Bob Denny for Deep Sky Chile. It enables ACP to read the weather and roof state of your Deep Sky Chile observatory and map it to ACP’s internal Weather Safety Monitor.

When the roof of your selected observatory is open, ACP will show weather as safe. When the roof is closed, ACP will show unsafe weather.

Download

You will receive a ZIP file containing several scripts:

• DeepSkyChileWeather_obs1.wsc
• DeepSkyChileWeather_obs2.wsc
• DeepSkyChileWeather_obs3.wsc
• (and others depending on the number of observatories)

Select your observatory’s script — for example: Select the script corresponding to your observatory (obs1, obs2, obs3, etc.).

Installation

You must install and register the .wsc component so that ACP can load it.

1. Copy the script

Place the correct DeepSkyChileWeather_obsX.wsc file in a suitable folder. The recommended location is:

C:\Program Files (x86)\ACP Obs Control\Weather Components

Administration rights may be required.

2. Register the component

These steps assume a 64-bit Windows system with UAC enabled.

1. Locate: C:\Windows\SysWOW64\cmd.exe
2. Right-click → Run as Administrator
3. In the admin command prompt, enter:

CD "\Program Files (x86)\ACP Obs Control\Weather Components"

Then register the component:

regsvr32 DeepSkyChileWeather.wsc

You should see a success message popup.

Close the command window when done.

ACP Configuration

1. Open ACP.
2. Go to: Weather → Setup
3. Set:

Object ID: ACP.DSCWeather

1. Click: Setup Weather Server…

If everything is correct, ACP will display a popup indicating the weather server is ready.

Close ACP Preferences.

Connecting to the Weather Server

In ACP:

1. Open the Weather menu.
2. Click Connect.

If the roof of your selected Deep Sky Chile observatory is open, ACP should show:

• Green **WEA** indicator
• Weather status: **Safe**

If the roof is closed or the API is unreachable, ACP will show unsafe weather.

Logs and Troubleshooting

If something does not work:

A detailed trace log is written to:

My Documents\ACP Astronomy\Logs\DSC_WeatherTrace.log

Check this file for:

• API connectivity issues
• Wrong observatory script used
• Communication timeouts
• Invalid or missing data

If ACP cannot retrieve data from the Deep Sky Chile weather API, weather will automatically be marked as unsafe.

Notes

• Registration is required **only once** during installation.
• If you change observatories, install the correct .wsc file and re-register it.
• Weather safety in ACP depends entirely on the data returned by the Deep Sky Chile servers.