Ouachita Observatory
Power & Control Systems
OFF-GRID

Power & Control Systems

Off-grid solar + LiFePO₄ power, Victron monitoring via Venus OS on a Raspberry Pi, smart relay switching for loads, and an Omada mesh network for reliable communications across the observatory.

Power Overview Imaging Rigs
At a Glance
Power • Control • Network
Array
4 × 200W bifacial (800W)
MPPT
Victron 150/70
Battery
LiTime 200Ah • 12V LiFePO₄
Shunt
SmartShunt 300A • 6.5–70V
Monitoring
Raspberry Pi (Venus OS) → Home Assistant
Control
Relays: lights • fans • dew • mounts • PCs
Network
Omada mesh for site communications
Components
Generation • Storage • Monitoring • Control
Solar Panels
800W
4 × 200W bifacial panels feeding the charge controller
Details →
Victron MPPT
150/70
Manages solar charging, absorption, and system stability
Details →
LiTime Battery
200Ah
LiFePO₄ storage to run imaging all night, off-grid
Details →
Monitoring & Telemetry
VENUS OS
SmartShunt + Raspberry Pi → Home Assistant dashboards
Details →
Solar Panels
Four 200W bifacial panels (800W total) provide daytime charging. Output varies with season, sun angle, and cloud cover. The panels are tied togehter in a solar PV combiner that is connected to the Victron MPPT charge controller.
Photos
Solar array and rack (context view)
/img/power/solar_array_context.jpg
Victron MPPT 150/70
The MPPT optimizes panel output and charges the LiFePO₄ battery bank. It tracks PV input, charging state, and charging limits, keeping the system stable during load changes.
Victron MPPT 150-70 charge controller (context view)
/img/power/mppt-150-70.jpg
LiTime 200Ah 12V LiFePO₄
A 12V 200Ah LiFePO₄ battery bank provides overnight runtime for mounts, cameras, dew control, computers, and networking. LiFePO₄ chemistry handles deep cycling well and maintains stable voltage under load.
Litime 12v battery in box (context view)
/img/power/litime-12v-batt2.jpg
Monitoring & Control
A Victron SmartShunt (300A, 6.5–70V) measures battery state (SOC), voltage, and current. A Raspberry Pi running Venus OS communicates with Victron devices and relays live telemetry into Home Assistant for dashboards and alerts.
Power distribution and remote control is handled using four-channel Wi-Fi smart switches that independently control observatory lights, fans, telescope cameras, dew heaters, mounts, and telescope computers.
Shunt (context view)
/img/power/shunt.jpg
Back to Systems View Imaging Rigs