managing power remotely

[Somnium (Aidan)]

I am working through the teething issues of my remote observatory, i had power running through a relay which would i would switch on and off via the computer through an arduino. this system worked really well until i blew through 2 relays, they seem to fail in an on state (not sure if the current is welding it shut), the power is within the limit of the relay so i dont know what is happening. i then gave up on this idea and went and bought a Wemo, though this has its issues too, i don't have wifi out in the observatory, when i added a router it played havoc with my remote access and wouldn't allow the wemo to access the cloud. besides the wemo seems to shut down when i turn it on as well (probably can't hold what i am running). so now i am out of ideas, what do others use? i am only trying to power my camera, mount and a USD hub. help is needed

[Paul Haese]

Aidan, I am using IP power switching. You can set these up to be port forwarded and use the web page to turn gear on and off.

You should also set the computer to turn on after a power interruption and make sure you have a UPS to keep the power on if there is a power interruption. Ensure you have a weather station set up on the mains and then in your command programme make sure you have a shut down procedure if the weather station does not report for a minute.

[Somnium (Aidan)]

Thanks Paul, i have a couple of UPS' with the roof triggered to close when the power is interrupted, i haven't got a weather station set up but definitely something i will have to look into, i have been using local weather information and watching the guide camera for signs of clouds. i will have a look into IP power switching

thanks for the help