Dome controller — in collaboration with NexDome
Developed by Lunaticoastro in collaboration with NexDome, Beaver is a full-featured dome controller with USB and Wi-Fi connectivity, rotation and shutter modules, and seamless CloudWatcher integration.
Beaver handles rotation and shutter as a coordinated system — with over-the-air updates, automatic calibration and direct integration with weather sensing.
Connect via USB cable or Wi-Fi — in station mode (joins your network) or access point mode (creates its own). No dongles, no hubs.
Separate modules for dome rotation and shutter control, working as a coordinated system with automatic shutter module synchronisation via OTA updates.
Firmware updates delivered wirelessly — both modules update automatically and synchronise with each other. No cables, no manual flashing.
Direct integration with the Lunaticoastro CloudWatcher and Hydreon rain sensors — automatic dome closure when conditions turn unsafe.
Complete automatic calibration of dome position and shutter travel — advanced on-the-fly rotation resynchronisation keeps pointing accurate.
~50 mA at rest when motors are stationary. 12V operation. Designed to run continuously in remote and unattended observatories.
Beaver monitors multiple safety conditions simultaneously. If anything goes wrong, the dome closes.
Monitors battery voltage and triggers safe closure before power fails.
Integrates with Hydreon rain sensors for immediate response to precipitation.
CloudWatcher safety signal triggers automatic dome closure when conditions deteriorate.
Monitors for missing or failed limit and home switch signals — stops motion if anything is out of range.
Detects communication failures between controller and software — acts safely on loss of contact.
| Voltage | 12V DC |
| Current (idle) | ~50 mA (motors off) |
| Connectivity | USB + Wi-Fi (station & AP) |
| Modules | Rotation + Shutter |
| Updates | Over-the-air, auto-sync |
The Beaver Setup application runs on Windows and handles everything — connection, calibration, firmware update and configuration.
Beaver is sold exclusively through NexDome. · Dealers worldwide →
Full setup and configuration documentation for the Beaver controller.
nexdome.com/resources →ASCOM installer, Windows USB driver (CP210x) and firmware.
nexdome.com/resources →Beaver is available directly from NexDome, our development partner.
nexdome.com →Questions about Beaver? Our team is happy to help.
info@lunaticoastro.com →