DragonFly — macros

Park your mount — no PC needed

DragonFly can send the park command directly to your mount via a macro, from the DragonFly itself.

If you use a 10Micron, an iOptron CEM120, or any other mount that accepts network commands, you can have DragonFly park it automatically as part of your roof-closing sequence — no computer, no automation software, nothing else running. The DragonFly does it all.

DragonFly product page Macros manual (PDF)

How it works

DragonFly sends the command. The mount parks.

The DragonFly macro system is more than scripting — it is a complete network automation engine.

DragonFly macros can open TCP connections, send arbitrary text commands, and receive responses — the same mechanism your automation software would use, but running directly on the DragonFly board without any PC involved.

When your weather station triggers a roof close, the DragonFly's close sequence can include a macro call that connects to your mount's IP address, sends the park command, waits for the acknowledgement, and only then proceeds to close the roof. The mount is parked, the roof closes. All of this can happen with your observatory PC off.

The macro manual documents the full API — including the TCP socket functions used for mount communication. The same approach works for any mount that speaks an IP-based protocol.

What makes this different

Runs on the DragonFly — no PC, no NUC, no automation software
Triggered automatically on weather-unsafe or roof-close events
Can wait for park confirmation before closing the roof
Works over your local network — same Wi-Fi or Ethernet the mount uses
Built with the DragonFly macro configurator — no programming needed
Full API in the DragonFly Macros manual

Confirmed compatible

Works with these mounts — and more

Any mount that accepts park commands over TCP/IP can be controlled this way. The following have been confirmed working by Lunatico customers.

10Micron mounts

The 10Micron GM1000HPS, GM2000, and other models expose a TCP command interface. DragonFly can connect and send the park command — exactly as the macro manual describes. Customers running unattended 10Micron observatories use this daily.

iOptron CEM120

The CEM120 supports network control via its standard command set. A DragonFly macro connects to the mount's IP and issues the park instruction, allowing fully automated shutdown with no PC in the loop.

Other network-capable mounts

If your mount supports TCP/IP commands — whether through a built-in server, an ASCOM Remote setup, or a Stellarmate / INDI server — a DragonFly macro can send it whatever the protocol requires.

Used in the closing sequence

The most common use case: on weather-unsafe or manual close trigger, DragonFly parks the mount, waits for confirmation, and only then closes the roof. The whole chain runs from the DragonFly — the observatory can shut itself down completely.

DragonFly — full product page Ã¢â€ ’

Why it matters

The observatory that closes itself

This feature is often the deciding factor for unattended observatories.

Most observatory controllers can close a roof. What they cannot do is park the mount first — because that requires talking to the mount, which requires a PC running, which requires... everything to be working. If the PC has crashed or lost network, the mount sits wherever it was when the roof closes.

DragonFly breaks this dependency. The mount-parking macro runs on the DragonFly's own processor. As long as the DragonFly has power and network access to the mount, it can park — even if the observatory PC is off, rebooting, or unreachable.

Combined with the CloudWatcher for weather input and DragonFly's relay outputs for roof motor control, this creates a fully autonomous shutdown loop: weather goes unsafe Ã¢â€ ’ DragonFly parks mount Ã¢â€ ’ DragonFly closes roof Ã¢â€ ’ done, with no human or computer involved.

The full autonomous loop

CloudWatcher detects unsafe weather
DragonFly reads the CloudWatcher state
Macro fires: mount receives park command over LAN
DragonFly waits for mount-parked acknowledgement
Roof motor relay activates — roof closes
Observatory PC: optional throughout