AstroCAN AutoDome

Connectors

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AstroCAN AutoDome Connectors
Hotspot	Function	Description
1	CAN-Bus	CAN-Bus Pin Header
2	AstroBus	6-pin connector for specific module mounts
3	Power Supply, 5.0V	Power Supply, 5.0V. Important: 5V ONLY! Otherwise you will damage your board.
4	JTAG-Connector	Debugging Interface, Developers only
5	I2C Connector	I2C Port for connecting other dome modules.
6	Power Supply from Motor Driver	See wiring instruction for details. Do not just connect constant voltage!!!
7	Dome Motor Connector	Pin header to connect your Dome Motor with built-in encoder. – M- : Motor Power Supply – – VCC : 5V Encoder Supply – C2 : Encoder Pin 2 – C1 : Encoder Pin 1 – GND : Encoder Ground – M+ : Motor Power Supply +
8	Center Sensor Connector	Center Sensor Connector Connect your position sensor here. Can be a microswitch, an optical switch or a hall sensor. Recommended to install at center position, but can be installed anywhere below gear ring. GND – Sensor Ground SIG – Sensor Signal 5V – Sensor Power Supply
9	ESP32 Dev Kit V4	ESP32 Dev Kit V4 (in case you have to replace it…)
10	WIFI/NOW-Antenna	Do not cover with metallic case etc.
11	Connector Motor Driver	Connector for IBT2 Motor Driver (or similar). See pinout below.
12	Serial Connector Syren Motor Driver	Serial communication from Shadow to Syren. See wiring examples below.
13	Serial Connector PID-Tune	Interface for communication with serial monitor for PID tuning. See PID-Tuning for Details
14	CAN-Bus	Can-Bus Screw Terminal. Same as CAN-Bus Pin Header
15	CAN-Bus Terminator	CAN-Bus Terminator. See CAN Termination for Details
16	Reset Button	Press to restart module
17	USB-Connector	Connector for flashing and configuring your device
18	Pair / Boot Button	Hold for 3s to start ESP-Now-Pairing. Bridge module has to be connected to AstroCAN Shield / AstroCAN Brain via CAN-Bus to get paring information!

JTAG

Dome Driver Pins

Pin compatible to IBT-2 Motor Driver.

AstroBus (TOP VIEW!)

6	5	4	3	2	1
+5V	GND	n/c	CANL	CANH	n/c

Commands

Use serial terminal to connect via USB (see above) to AstroCAN-AutoDome. If your browser supports “Web Serial”, you also can use the terminal available in the Firmware section. Communication speed ist 115200 baud. The following commands are available for configuration and management:

AstroCAN AutoDome Commands
Command	Parameters	Description	Example
/HELP	–	shows usage	/HELP
/SETTINGS	–	shows all settings stored in EEPROM	/SETTINGS
/WIFIAPSSID	AP SSID	sets the access point SSID	/WIFIAPSSID R2TOCH
/WIFIAPPASSWORD	AP Password	sets the access point password	/WIFIAPPASSWORD R2TOUCH123
/WIFISSID	WIFI SSID	sets the WLAN SSID	/WIFISSID HOMELAN
/WIFIPASSWORD	WIFI Password	sets the WLAN Password	/WIFIPASSWORD HOMELAN123
/PAIR	–	auto pair module with ESP-NOW peer (connect both modules to CAN for pairing) Pairing mode depends on Dome jumper. When in dome mode, it looks for brain/shield module. When in body mode, it looks for bridge module.	/PAIR
/NOWLMK	16 byte key	sets the local master key for ESP-NOW communication. See -> ESP-NOW encryption for details.	/NOWLMK 0123456789ABCDEF
/NOWPMK	16 byte key	sets the primary master key for ESP-NOW communication. See -> ESP-NOW encryption for details.	/NOWPMK 0123456789ABCDEF
/NOWCHANNEL	Channel	sets the ESP-NOW channel number	/NOWCHANNEL 5
/NOWSETPEER	MAC Address in xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx format	set ESP-NOW communication peer MAC address	/NOWSETPEER 01:23:45:67:89:AB
/NOWCLEARPEERS	–	clear all ESP-NOW communication peers	/NOWCLEARPEERS
/NOWLISTPEERS	–	list all ESP-NOW communication peers	/NOWLISTPEERS
/RESTART	–	restart module	/RESTART
/FACTORY	–	set factory settings and restart module. All EEPROM settings will also be set to default.	/FACTORY
/ACTIVATE	CAN\|CAN1\|CAN2\|NOW\|WIFI\|ENC	acticate CAN-/NOW-/WIFI-Functionality or ESP-NOW encryption. CAN1/CAN2 only available on Dual-CAN-Boards.	/ACTIVATE CAN
/DEACTIVATE	CAN\|CAN1\|CAN2\|NOW\|WIFI\|ENC	deacticate CAN-/NOW-/WIFI-Functionality or ESP-NOW encryption. CAN1/CAN2 only available on Dual-CAN-Boards.	/DEACTIVATE CAN
/NOWSETBRAIN	MAC Address in xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx format	set ESP-NOW brain/body peer address	/NOWSETBODY 01:23:45:67:89:AB
/SETMINSPEED	speed	set minimum dome rotation speed 0-100 (speed in percent)	/SETMINSPEED 50
/SETINITSPEED	speed	set dome initialization rotation speed 0-100 (speed in percent)	/SETINITSPEED 70
/SETAUTOINIT	[0\|1]	dome autoinit at startup 0=no / 1=yes	/SETAUTOINIT 1
/CALIBRATE	[ALL\|SPEED\|STEPS]	start calibration test(s): ALL – minimal speed + steps per 360 deg SPEED – minimal speed test only STEPS – steps per 360 deg only	/CALIBRATE ALL
/INITDOME	–	initialize dome position and turn to start position	/INITDOME
/ROTATE	speed	rotate dome motor at speed -100 to 100 (speed in percent). 0 to stop.	/ROTATE -50
/TURN	degrees + speed	turn dome motor by degrees at speed 0 to 100 (speed in percent).	/TURN 45 100
/POSITION	degrees + speed	move dome motor to absolute position degrees (0-365) at speed -100 to 100 (speed in percent).	/POSITION 180 -100
/SPOSITION	degrees + speed	move dome motor to absolute position degrees (0-365) at speed 0 to 100 (speed in percent), shortest way.	/POSITION 270 50
/SETP	double	set P value for PID tuning	/SETP 0.3
/SETI	double	set I value for PID tuning	/SETI 0.0
/SETD	double	set D value for PID tuning	/SETD 0.0
/SETFRONT	–	stores the current position as front looking position	/SETFRONT
/SETAUTOMOVE	[0\|1]	random dome movement	/SETAUTOMOVE 1
/SETAUTOMAXDEG	degrees	random dome movement, max degrees	/SETAUTOMAXDEG 90
/SETAUTOMINDEG	degrees	random dome movement, min degrees	/SETAUTOMINDEG -90
/SETAUTOMAXSPEED	speed	random dome movement, max speed	/SETAUTOMAXSPEED 80
/SETAUTOMINSPEED	speed	random dome movement, min speed	/SETAUTOMINSPEED 35
/SETAUTOMAXTIME	milliseconds	random dome movement, max time between movements	/SETAUTOMAXTIME 12000
/SETAUTOMINTIME	milliseconds	random dome movement, min time between movements	/SETAUTOMINTIME 4000

Settings

Use serial terminal to connect via USB (see above) to AstroCAN-Bridge. Communication speed ist 115200 baud. The following settings can be configured (see command set above):

AstroCAN AutoDome Settings
Setting	Description	Example	Config Command
MAC	MAC Address of ESP32	12:34:56:78:9A:BC	fix, not configurable
AP_SSID	Name of the access point network, the AstroCAN module opens up to get connected by apps like R2-Touch	R2TOUCH	/WIFIAPSSID
AP_Password	Password of the Access point network.	R2TOUCH123	/WIFIAPPASSWORD
WLAN_SSID	Name of the WLAN the AstroCAN module can connect to, to be controlled by other systems within that network	HOMELAN	/WIFISSID
WLAN_Password	Password of the WLAN the AstroCAN module can connect to.	HOMELAN123	/WIFIPASSWORD
NOW_PMK	ESP-NOW encryption parameter: Primary Master Key. See -> ESP-NOW encryption for details. Only change, if you exactly know, what you are doing!	0123456789ABCDEF	/NOWPMK
NOW_LMK	ESP-NOW encryption parameter: Local Master Key. See -> ESP-NOW encryption for details. Only change, if you exactly know, what you are doing!	0123456789ABCDEF	/NOWLMK
NOW_Channel	WIFI channel to be used for ESP-NOW communication. All ESP-NOW peers have to communicate over the same channel number	5	/NOWCHANNEL
CAN1_Active	Shows, if main CAN bus is active	true – activated false – deactivated	/ACTIVATE CAN /ACTIVATE CAN1 /DEACTIVATE CAN /DEACTIVATE CAN1
CAN2_Active	Shows, if secondary CAN bus is active	true – activated false – deactivated	/ACTIVATE CAN2 /DEACTIVATE CAN2
NOW_Active	Shows, if ESP-NOW is active	true – activated false – deactivated	/ACTIVATE NOW /DEACTIVATE NOW
WIFI_Active	Shows, if WIFI is active	true – activated false – deactivated	/ACTIVATE WIFI /DEACTIVATE WIFI or WIFI jumper
NOW_Encryption	Shows, if ESP-NOW encryption is active. See -> ESP-NOW encryption for details.	true – activated false – deactivated	/ACTIVATE ENC /DEACTIVATE ENC
MinSpeed	Minimum dome rotation speed (0-100), speed in percent	35	/SETMINSPEED
InitSpeed	Dome initialization rotation speed (0-100), speed in percent	50	/SETINITSPEED
SpeedFactor	Calibration factor for dome rotation direction. Calibrated automatically.	1	–
MotorRange	Number of steps for a 360 deg turn, center sensor not active. Calibrated automatically.	1800	–
CenterRange	Number of steps for a 360 deg turn, center sensor active. Calibrated automatically.	30	–
POS_Front	Front looking position	300	/SETFRONT
AutoInit	Dome autoinit at startup, 0=no / 1=yes	0	/SETAUTOINIT
PID_P	P value for PID tuning	0.300000	/SETP
PID_I	I value for PID tuning	0.000000	/SETI
PID_D	D value for PID tuning	0.000000	/SETD
Peers	Description	Example	Configuration
Peer	MAC-Adress of ESP-NOW communication partner, not used in autodome module	12:34:56:78:9A:BC	/NOWSETPEER
Brain/Body	MAC-Adress of ESP-NOW communication partner placed in body	12:34:56:78:9A:BC	/NOWSETBRAIN
AutoMove	random dome movement	true	/SETAUTOMOVE
AM_MaxDeg	random dome movement, max degrees	90	/SETAUTOMAXDEG
AM_MinDeg	random dome movement, min degrees	-90	/SETAUTOMINDEG
AM_MaxSpeed	random dome movement, max speed	80	/SETAUTOMAXSPEED
AM_MinSpeed	random dome movement, min speed	35	/SETAUTOMINSPEED
AM_MaxTime	random dome movement, max time between movements, in ms	12000	/SETAUTOMAXTIME
AM_MinTime	random dome movement, min time between movements, in ms	4000	/SETAUTOMINTIME

F.A.Q – AstroCAN AutoDome

What is it?

The AstroCan AutoDome provides precise dome positioning. Optionally it replaces the Syren10 motor controller by a simple H-Bridge motor controller like the BTS7960. If you already own the Syren10, it can be used in place of the BTS7960. See wiring examples for details.

This is all you need:

a dome motor with encoder (such as the JGB37-520 with a Hall encoder), 100% compatible to the existing solution (ca. $10)
a simple switch (photoelectric barrier, or hall sensor or even a simple microswitch)

You do not have to modify anything of your standard Michael Baddeley built. Just replace the motor and find a place for the module. (I’d recommend using Gonz Pousada J Luis motor mount modification https://www.facebook.com/reel/674742714720239) and add something to the dome gear that activates the switch at a specific position (mount examples will follow at release date).

Features

AstroCAN extension module
ESP-NOW Wireless Comm (serial, Canbus, I2C)
Support for existing Syren 10 motor controller
JTAG-Live Debugging
Status Leds for serial & CanBus transmission
Plug and Play for existing systems. Just connect it to existing droid control system (Shadow, Padawan…) which uses Syren/Sabertooth motor controllers
Syren simulation. Just use a cheap standard motor controller (e.g. IBT-2) if you like, the AstroCAN module will be able to understand the serial protocol. No need for Syren motor controller any more.
Auto-Calibration, Auto-Adjustment on startup, move to position, move by degrees
PID based motor positioning

All modules adhere to a standardized size and possess an identical “Astrobus” interface. This uniformity enables secure mounting onto the electronics board without the need for extensive wiring. However, the use of the Astrobus is not mandatory, and traditional free-floating wiring can be used if preferred.

Best Practice – Wiring

Firmware Installer

To install most recent firmware V1.0.2 connect the AstroCAN module via USB to your computer and click on “Connect” button.

Revision History

Version 1.0.2 (01. January 2025)

Bugfixes

–

Features

based on recent AstroCAN Toolkit
added auto-movement

Version 1.0.1 (30. July 2024)

Bugfixes

–

Features

First official release