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Interesting idea... good luck with it! Here are a few other ideas:
* More than one 12V power input port - so you can hot switch between batteries or AC power supply without power cycling everything.
* Multiple temperature sensor probes on the scope side associated with individual dew heaters.
* Ultrasound proximity sensors (e.g. that detects < 3 cm range) that can be added as-needed to avoid OTA vs tripod crashes.
* Following on Rick's idea of a separate ground-based box, perhaps you could integrate a weather-proof area for incorporating an all sky camera? It'd be useful for nomadic imagers - just plonk the battery box onto the ground adjacent the scope and you have an ASC view ready to go.
* Similarly near the box, having an integrated IR temperature sensor and/or an IR rain sensor (that will result in an alarm played via speaker).
* Lots of spare analog inputs and digital outputs that can be easily extended for additional devices (like a Phidgets I/O board).
* 5V power supply for USB hubs.
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