Hobbies & Leisure - Plus Bible Study & Games/HobbiesLeisurePlusBibleStudyAndGamesMapleMedia1995.disc1of1.iso/sunpow11/sunpo.doc

Text File | 1992-03-01 | 20KB | 383 lines

        ******* WARNING ***** WARNING ***** WARNING ***** WARNING *********
        *                                                                 *
        * THE AUTHOR OF THIS SOFTWARE DOES NOT PROVIDE ANY WARRANTY WHAT- *
        * SOEVER! YOU USE IT OR TRY IT ENTIRELY AND STRICTLY AT YOUR OWN  *
        * RISK. THE AUTHOR EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY LIABILITY FOR DAMAGE   *
        * TO YOUR COMPUTER, FILES OR ASSOCIATED ELECTRO-MECHANICAL        *
        * DEVICES. NOR IS THERE ANY GUARANTEE AS TO THE ACCURACY OF THE   *
        * RESULTS OR AS TO THE FITNESS OF THE SUNPO PROGRAMS FOR ANY PAR- *
        * TICULAR PURPOSE.                                                *
        *                                                                 *
        *    REMEMBER, YOU USE IT OR TRY IT SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK!      *
        *                                                                 *
        ******* WARNING ***** WARNING ***** WARNING ***** WARNING *********

        1.0 GENERAL INFORMATION

        SUNPO will calculate the azimuth and elevation of the sun as a
        function of the date and time of day at any place on the earth
        (with the possible exception of the poles and precisely where the
        0 or 180 degree meridians cross the equator). It will also compute
        the approximate times of sunrise and sunset and the azimuth of the
        sun at those times. SUNPO does not take careful account of the fact
        that a year isn't composed of exactly 365 twentyfour hour days, so
        you may expect errors of a few degrees over a leap year cycle.

        Why would you want to know such things? Use your imagination!
        Maybe you would like to know where the sun sets on June 21 (the
        approximate date of the summer solstice in the northern hemi-
        sphere) so that you can figure out where to plant a tree to put
        the shade just where you want it on the longest day of the year.
        Maybe you want to decide how big to make some awnings so that they
        will block the sun's direct rays (or pass them) in some particular
        season. SUNPO will tell you what you need to know about the sun's
        position if you can figure out a reason to know it!

        SUNPO's results are displayed as a table showing the local and GMT
        time in a 24 hour "military" format (for example, 6:34 PM would
        appear as 1834). Azimuth angles are measured clockwise from north
        (so, due south corresponds to an azimuth angle of 180 degrees).
        Elevations are measured from a level horizon (straight up is a 90
        degree elevation angle). Results may be saved in an ascii formatted
        file for later printing if desired. There is no internal print
        command (at least not yet).

        In order to actually run SUNPO you need to know your geographical
        longitude and latitude in at least degrees and minutes. You also
        need to know or figure out a "time zone" value for your location.
        Data for a few cities may be found below.

        SUNPO is distributed as Shareware. That means you may try it for a
        reasonable period (say three weeks) at no cost, but that you should
        register it and pay the registration fee if you use it after the
        trial period. SUNPO is available as both a Windows (3.0) appli-
        cation and as a DOS executable program.

        The Windows version was written using Borland International's
        Turbo Pascal for Windows. The DOS version was compiled using
        Borland's Turbo Pascal version 4.0.

        Windows and MS-DOS are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
        Turbo Pascal is a trademark of Borland International,Inc.

        2.0 INSATLLATION INFORMATION

        2.1 STANDARD FILES

        The SUNPO files included in the authorized archive are:

             SUNPOW11.EXE - Windows 3.0 executable application file.
             SUNPO.INI    - Initialization file for SUNPOW10.EXE.
             SUNPO.DOC (this file)
             SUNPOD10.EXE - DOS executable program file.

        Antivirus valiation data obtained using the McAfee Associates'
        VALIDATE program are:

        SUNPOW11.EXE: Check Method 1  1D25; Check Method 2: 19AF
        SUNPOD10.EXE: Check Method 1: 4013; Check Method 2: 10BF

        2.1 INSTALLATION HINTS

        SUNPO is so simple that no installation program is provided.
        To install it about all you need to recover the files from the
        SUNPOW11.ZIP (which you must have already done if you are reading
        this), copy them to an appropriate directory, and "run" them.

        2.1.1 DOS Version

        If you want to run from a fixed disc, then copy SUNPOD10.EXE to
        any directory you choose. Start it in the usual fashion for DOS
        programs either from the fixed disc or a diskette. The DOS version
        is interactive and queries you for needed data as it runs. However
        it might be helpful to read some of the comments later in this
        file.

        2.1.2 Windows Version

        The Windows version may also be run from either a diskette or a
        fixed disc.

           A) Copy the SUNPOW11.EXE file to any handy directory. To run
              it use the Program Manager File Run menu options and
              type in the complete path name. Or add it to a program
              group. See your Windows manual for details.

           B) As an option, copy the SUNPO.INI file to your base
              Windows directory (the one where WIN.INI is found) and
              edit it to replace the sample data with that appropriate
              to your geographical location (also see discussion below).
              Doing that will make it unnecessary for you to re-enter your
              location data each time you want to run the Windows version
              of SUNPO (SUNPO.INI is ignored by the DOS version of SUNPO).

              If you use SUNPO.INI, be sure to set the "TIMZON" parameter.
              Your time zone is the number of hours you need to add to
              Greenwich Mean Time (or more properly UTC) to get your local
              24-hour time. West longitudes have negative (or zero) TIMZON
              values (they are "earlier"), while East longitudes have
              positive values. If you do not enter a value, one will be
              calculated from your longitude, but it may not be correct
              since local time zones don't adhere very closely to the way
              the earth rotates.

        3.0 RUNNING SUNPO

        3.1 DOS Version

        Once you have started execution of SUNPOD10.EXE, you will be
        queried for various information by the program and just enter
        the needed data when asked to do so. Before starting, however, you
        will need to calculate your latitude and longitude as fractional
        numbers. Use a formula like:

            longitude = # of degrees + ( # of minutes / 60).

        Make longitude positive if your longitude is "East" and negative
        if it is "West". Likewise, make yor latitude negative if you are
        south of the equator.In addition, you will be asked to enter a
        value for your "time zone". See Section 5.0 below for some hints.

        You will be asked if you want to store the results in a file.
        If your response is a letter Y (which means YES) then you will
        be asked to enter a file name. The file name can include a DOS
        "path" if you like. If you choose the "file output" option you
        will not see anything on the screen until the calculation and
        file writing are complete. If you opt for screen output, then
        you will, of course, see the data as they are generated.

        You will also be asked to enter the month (1-12), day (1-??),
        a "start" hour, a "stop" hour and am "increment" in MINUTES.
        The "start" hour is the hour at which the first calculation of
        solar position is made. The next one will be calculated at a
        time which is later by the "increment" you enter. The last result
        is calculated at the "Stop" hour.

        At the end of each run you are asked whether you want to restart.
        Answer with a Y or an N as you prefer.

        3.2 WINDOWS Version

        When you run the Windows version you must somehow enter most
        of the same data required by the DOS version, but the manner
        of entry conforms more to Windows style than the "stream" style
        of the DOS version.

        When you start SUNPO you will be greeted by a more or less blank
        screen. There is no "cursor". There is a standard menu bar at the
        top of the screen. The menu choices are as follows:

        File  Control Data  Run  Sunrise  Reset Graph  Help

        3.2.1 The "File" Menu Item

        Clicking on the "File" option brings up a popup menu composed of
        three items: "New", "SaveAs" and "Exit". Selecting "new" simply
        clears any previous results from the screen and memory and resets
        some in ternal flags. The File "SaveAs" option is chosen to initi-
        ate saving of the current results into an ascii file. It works
        pretty much as you would expect. The "Exit" option terminates SUNPO.

        3.2.2 The "Control Data" Menu Item

        This item also brings up a popup menu with two sub-choices:
        "Observer Position" and "Time of Day".

        If you have not copied the SUNPO.INI file to your Windows directory
        you should click on the "Observer Position" choice and enter your
        geographical data, and a time zone value in the spots provided.
        (See section 2.1.2 B (above) for a few comments on time zones, and
        Section 5.0 (below) for sample data.)

        If you have made a change in the observer position or time zone
        data, then when you exit from  the dialog via the "Ok" button you
        will be asked if you wish to save the changes in the SUNPO.INI
        file. If you answer "yes" then the file will be updated.

        You will need to execute the "Time of Day" dialog to set the month
        and day of the month for which you want solar position data. Within
        that dialog you also set the hours for the first and last times of
        day and the increment in minutes for the calculations. All the
        input numbers are expected to be integers with no  decimals, etc.
        Some, but not all, parameters are checked before a run, so if you
        enter any oddball values (like ~23 degrees), all bets are off.

        3.2.3 The "Run" Menu Item

        Choosing the "Run" menu item is the action which actually causes
        something to happen to produce data to be displayed in the blank
        window. There will probably be something of a delay before you
        see any results because SUNPO does all calculations before it
        displays any results.

        3.2.4 The "Sunrise" Menu Item

        This item initiates iterative calculations which attempt to find
        the APPROXIMATE times at which the sun crosses the horizon (or
        for which the elevation angle is zero). These calculations may
        also take a while if you do not have a fast computer. Those times
        and the approximate solar azimuth at those times are then shown in
        a popup window. The results should be moderately valid if you live
        in an area which is pretty "flat". If there are any trees, houses,
        mountains in the direction of sunrise or sunset the accuracy may
        not be very high.

        3.2.5 The "Reset" Menu Item

        Choosing the "Reset" menu item erases the "worksheet" and prepares
        some internal flags for "new" calculations. "Reset" does not,
        however, alter the observer or time of day data. "Reset" performs
        the same actions as the "File New" choice (see above).

        3.2.6 The "Graph" Menu Item

        Select this item by mouse click or Alt+G to get simple graphs of
        elevation and azimuth angles (in degrees) vs local time (hours).
        They are displayed in an independent window. Negative elevation angles
        will not appear on the graph. Instead of using the 0 to 360 degree
        range, azimuth angles are shifted into the - 180 to + 180 range. After
        shifting, an azimuth angle of 0 is still North and + 90 is still East,
        but West becomes - 90. Both - 180 and + 180 mean due South.

        In order to avoid the fairly complicated task of deciding exactly
        which data are to be plotted if you have changed observer position
        ot times, etc, only the FIRST "case" will be used for graphs. By
        "first case" is meant the data produced by the first "Run" made
        after initial startup of SUNPO, or just after a "Reset" or "File
        New" option selection.

        Use thσ Alt + Spacebar keys and then select the CLOSE popup menu
        item to close the graph window if you don't havσ a mouse.

        3.2.7 The "Help" Menu Item

        This one brings up another popup menu from which you can select
        the display of a few terse descriptions of various SUNPO related
        items. It does not (as yet) bring up a full-fledged Windows style
        help window.


        3.2.8 Last But Not Least

        You can begin execution of SUNPOW11.EXE by clicking the Windows
        Program Manager's "File" menu item and then the "Run" item from
        the popup menu. Then you simply enter the complete path name needed
        to locate SUNPOW11.EXE. If you placed SUNPOW11.EXE in your base
        Windows directory you can omit the directory portion of the file
        name. SUNPO has no command line parameters.

        If you added SUNPOW11 to a program group, then just start it in the
        usual fashion.

       *********************** WARNING No. 2 ******************************
       *                                                                  *
       * The behavior of SUNPOW11.EXE in the REAL mode of Windows has     *
       * been a little unpredictable: It seems to run just fine on a      *
       * Zenith Z386/16 (circa 1987) machine, but the author has found    *
       * that it may cause "hang up" of an IBM PS-2/70 (16 MHz) machine,  *
       * or it may run fine. Which thing happens appears to depend on the *
       * contents of the CONFIG.SYS file. It has not been tested on a     *
       * machine using 8088, 8086 or V20 CPU's.                           *
       *                                                                  *
       * No "hang ups" have been encountered in the STANDARD or ENHANCED  *
       * modes.                                                           *
       *********************** WARNING No. 2 ******************************


        4.0 OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION

        SUNPO is distributed as Shareware. If you use it after some
        reasonable trial period, please send the author $ 5.00 for his
        trouble. Its the right thing to do! That will also make you feel
        better and will get you on a mailing list for information about
        any fixup versions or future enhanced versions (such as perhaps
        one that will find lunar position data as well).

        You may not incorporate SUNPO into any commercial package without
        express written approval of the author, but you may feel free to
        give away unmodified copies of the original files (all or none,
        however) or post copies on any BBS which will accept them AND which
        makes no charges other than those made on the basis of connect time.

        Send your $5 as well as any constructive comments or suggestions to:

        A. Miller
        P.O.Box 3512
        Las Cruces, NM 88003-3512

        (internet: [e-mail] or [e-mail])

        IF YOU ENCOUNTER ANY "ABNORMAL" BEHAVIOR, PLEASE SEND AS MUCH
        INFORMATION ABOUT ITS NATURE AND CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH IT
        WAS OBSERVED TO AUTHOR.

        5.0 MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

        In case you don't know where you are, here are a few clues:

                            Latitude       Longitude      TimeZone
                            -------------  ------------   --------
        Atlanta, GA         33D 21M North   84D 22M West     - 5
        Boston, MA          41D 21M North   71D  3M West     - 5
        Chicago, IL         41D 52M North   87D 37M West     - 6
        Dallas, TX          32D 47M North   96D 47M West     - 6
        Denver, CO          39D 44M North  104D 59M West     - 7
        El Paso, TX         31D 45M North  106D 29M West     - 7
        Fairbanks, AK       64D 48M North  147D 51M West     - 9
        Las Cruces, NM      32D 19M North  106D 47M West     - 7
        Los Angeles,CA      34D  3M North  118D 14M West     - 8
        New Orleans, LA     29D 56M North   90D  3M West     - 6
        Phoenix, AZ         33D 26M North  112D  3M West     - 7
        San Francisco, CA   37D 47M North  122D 25M West     - 8
        Seattle, WA         47D 37M North  122D 19M West     - 8

        London              51D 32M North    0D  4M West       0
        Hamburg             53D 33m North   10D  2M East     + 1
        Capetown            33D 55M South   18D 22M East     + 2
        Guayaquil            2D 10M South   79D 56M West     - 5
        Irkutsk             52D 30M North  104D 19M East     + 7
        Bangkok             13D 45M North  100D 30M East     + 7
        Manila              14D 34M North  120D 56M East     + 9 (I think)
        Mexico City         19D 26M North   99D  7M West     - 6
        Rio de Janeiro      22D 56M South   43D 11M West     - 3
        Tokyo               35D 45M North  139D 45M East    + 10

        wherein, "D" means degrees and "M" means minutes. Some of time zone
        values are based on longitude alone. They may be off by an hour or
        so either way in a few cases due to the author's ignorance of local
        customs.

        6.0 DISPLAY INFORMATION

        For an observer located as in the sample SUNPO.INI file, the screen
        display and the ascii output files look something like:

           Local Global     Solar     Solar   Observer
            time   time   Azimuth Elevation Parameters

             600    600        65        -8     21 Jun
             700    700        67         5     8.15 N
             800    800        68        19    12.57 W
             900    900        67        33
            1000   1000        64        46
            1100   1100        57        59
            1200   1200        37        70
            1300   1300       353        75
            1400   1400       315        68
            1500   1500       300        56
            1600   1600       294        43
            1700   1700       292        29
            1800   1800       292        15
            1900   1900       293         1
            2000   2000       296       -12

        REMARKS:

        The 353 degree azimuth value means that the sun appeared north of
        the observer at some time close to 1300 hrs. The negative eleva-
        tion values indicate that sunrise occurs between 6 AM and 7 AM
        local standard time and that sunset occurs just after 7 PM local
        standard time.

        (V1.01)