Date: September 2025
Author: Carlos López Iniesta Díaz del Campo
Supervisor: Guillermo del Campo Jiménez (Tutor, UPM)
School: Technical School of Telecommunication Engineering (ETSIT-UPM)
Program: Master’s Degree in Electronic Systems Engineering
Research Group: Home Automation and Energy Efficiency
Type of Work: Master’s Thesis (TFM)
Abstract and Relevant Contributions:
In his Master’s Thesis, Carlos López Iniesta Díaz del Campo developed an advanced telemetry and control system for the secondary mirror of the T90 Telescope at the Sierra Nevada Observatory (OSN), aiming to enhance the telescope’s precision, stability, and energy efficiency.
The project combines embedded control technologies with high-precision instrumentation to provide the telescope with automatic focusing capabilities, ensuring optimal image sharpness and enabling mechanical fault detection through energy consumption monitoring.
The system features a custom-designed electronic architecture centered on an ESP32-S2 microcontroller, chosen for its integrated Wi-Fi connectivity and energy efficiency. Complementing this are an ADS131M03 analog-to-digital converter, which delivers high-precision voltage, current, and position readings, and a TB6600HG stepper motor driver that manages the movement of the secondary mirror.
The firmware, developed in C/C++ using Arduino and FreeRTOS, handles data acquisition, motor control, and bidirectional communication with the telescope’s central system via TCP/IP sockets.
During the validation phase, laboratory tests confirmed the system’s high reliability in motor control, accurate detection of safety events (limit switches and stop commands), and efficient power monitoring. The results demonstrate that the solution meets the required precision, robustness, and safety standards, making it ready for integration into the telescope’s control platform.
This work represents a significant contribution to the field of astronomical instrumentation, providing an efficient and adaptable system that improves maintenance processes, reduces the risk of mechanical failures, and extends the operational life of scientific observation equipment.