AstroMeters AMSKY01
Overview
Section titled “Overview”The AMSKY01 is a compact, weatherproof sky sensor designed for astronomical observatories and environmental monitoring. It combines sky brightness measurement, infrared cloud detection and ambient condition monitoring in a single outdoor-rated unit.
Note: AMSKY01 is the first generation of the AstroMeters sky sensor family. Its successor, AMSKY02, provides dual SQM sensors and a higher-resolution dual thermopile array. Both models use the same
indi_amsky01driver and communication protocol.
Features
Section titled “Features”- Sky brightness (SQM) – TSL2591-based measurement in lux and mag/arcsec²; 10° or 60° field of view (selectable).
- Infrared cloud sensor – MLX90641 16×12 pixel thermopile array with 75°×110° field of view for sky temperature mapping.
- Temperature & humidity – SHT4x sensor for precise ambient condition monitoring including dew point calculation.
- USB-C and RS-485 interfaces – plug-and-play serial connection or industrial RS-485 bus.
- IP53W weatherproof enclosure – designed for continuous outdoor use in observatory conditions.
INDI Driver
Section titled “INDI Driver”The driver indi_amsky01 provides the following INDI interfaces:
- Weather – sky quality (SQM), cloud status, temperature, humidity, dew point.
- Auxiliary – raw sensor readings and IR frame data.
Starting the driver
Section titled “Starting the driver”indiserver indi_amsky01Connection
Section titled “Connection”In KStars/Ekos, select the AstroMeters AMSKY01 driver. You can connect via:
- Serial – direct USB-C connection (
/dev/ttyACM0or by-id symlink). - TCP – if the device is shared over the network via
ser2net.
Stable device naming (udev)
Section titled “Stable device naming (udev)”SUBSYSTEM=="tty", ATTRS{idVendor}=="1209", ATTRS{idProduct}=="ae02", SYMLINK+="ttyAMSKY"Apply with:
sudo udevadm control --reload-rules && sudo udevadm trigger
Python Viewer
Section titled “Python Viewer”A GUI visualiser (amsky01_viewer.py) is available for real-time data display including IR thermal map, SQM readings and environmental data.
python3 amsky01_viewer.py --port /dev/ttyACM0 --baud 115200
Technical Specifications
Section titled “Technical Specifications”| Parameter | AMSKY01 |
|---|---|
| Cloud detection | MLX90641 16×12 px, 75°×110° FoV |
| Sky brightness (SQM) | TSL2591, 10° or 60° FoV, mag/arcsec² |
| Temperature range | −15 °C to +50 °C |
| Humidity | SHT4x relative humidity |
| Interfaces | USB-C (CDC serial), RS-485 |
| Power supply | USB bus power or external 8–13 V DC |
| Ingress protection | IP53W |