The Portable Telescope Control System project

The Portable Telescope Control System (PTCS) project is a collaboration between the Anglo-Australian Observatory and the Joint Astronomy Centre, Hawaii. The project aims to develop telescope control software in a form which is portable between a wide range of computer systems, and which can easily be adapted to different telescopes. PTCS uses the DRAMA software environment which provides a high degree of operating system independence. The PTCS design is based on tested algorithms used in existing successful telescope control systems. The initial version of PTCS is now being interfaced to an EPICS based drive servo system for use with the James Clerk Maxwell sub-millimetre telescope on Mauna Kea.