How do I activate Printer Port for long Exposure?

[ballaratdragons]

I have plugged my Modified Toucam into my guiding PC, but it doesn't do Long Exposure. It works OK in normal mode.

How do I activate the printer parallel port to make the Long Exposure work?
Please make your explanation in simple non-computer talk :help:

Thankyou for any help :)

[[1ponders]]

What program are you using to autoguide with Ken?

[ballaratdragons]

Guidedog

[[1ponders]]

Go into Guidedog options and under the camera tab check to see that SC Modified is checked and that you have selected LPT1 under LX Control Port

[[1ponders]]

I think that is how it should go :P

[ballaratdragons]

No luck Paul.

I even switched from ASCOM to parallel. Nothing.

[[1ponders]]

Hmmm...well that has exceeded my well of technical know how :lol:

[Geoff45]

I never could get my Toucam to work in long exposure mode with guidedog, but it works fine with K3CCD tools and PHD.
Geoff

[ballaratdragons]

That would be good Geoff, but I can't download PHD into the outside PC coz it has no internet connection.

[[1ponders]]

Getchaselfa USB storage drive Ken ;) Cost ya all of about 10 buck for a 512 meg one. ;) or burn it to disc.,

[Geoff45]

You might be able to download the zip file onto a computer which does have an internet connexion and then copy it onto your outside PC using a flash drive.
Geoff
Edit Added :A Minute too late!

[ballaratdragons]

I've got an 80gig external HD. Can I download to that and then load it into the PC?

[sheeny]

Yep that should work Ken.

Al.

[ballaratdragons]

OK, I have downloaded 'Setup_PHD Guiding'.

Now it's sitting in a window I've never seen before called ''Setup_PHD Guiding.Zip WinRAR".

I want to put in on a CD if thats possible.

What do I do now? :scared:

[h0ughy]

double click on it and expand it out then copy the expanded stuff on to the disk, then run that

[ballaratdragons]

OK, thanks Houghy, I'll give it a try.

[h0ughy]

winrar and winzip are very similar, it should be straightforward

[h0ughy]

LOl you are about to pass me on the thread count Ken! Going out soon so tell me soon if it worked or not?

[ballaratdragons]

Not for me it isn't.

OK, I have double clicked and expanded it into my Mobile hard drive. I took that out to my PC and opened it.

It has 22 Icons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What The???? :shrug:

[ballaratdragons]

What do I do next?????

[h0ughy]

look for the exe file or setup

[ballaratdragons]

Nope, none of the 22 icons are called exe or setup.

One is called setup/unins so I opened it and it asked If I want to uninstall the program!!! Obviously that ain't the one.

[h0ughy]

ken I just downloaded it and ran the zip file - it extracted only one file. i then double clicked that file it did the rest after i selected that it could run. remember to click the desktop icons create button

[h0ughy]

you have 10 minutes with me here

[[1ponders]]

Ken at the top of the window in the tool bar there is an icon that looks like a small widow with two rows of coloured squares in it. Click the dropdown arrow beside it and select details.

It will change the way the window looks. Under the heading file type look for application. Tell us the names of the applications you have.

[h0ughy]

you taking over Paul? I have to leave shortly

[ballaratdragons]

When I downloaded it, it went into that WinRAR window. I doble clicked like you said to, and sent it to E drive (my portable HD), then took it outside and opened E drive and saw the folder marked PHD. I clicked on that and the 22 icons opened up. That's all I have done so far.

[ballaratdragons]

Paul, there are 2 Applications, 14 Application extensions and a bunch of other stuff.

The 2 marked Application are: PHD, and unins000.

[h0ughy]

should extract to a single executable file , then you run that file and it installs

[ballaratdragons]

So if I click on the folder called PHD, should it self-install?

[h0ughy]

run the phd one

[ballaratdragons]

I clicked on PHD and clicked 'Open':

"This application has failed because the configuration is wrong" or something along those lines. It's hard to remember every word by the time I ran back in here.

[DeanoNZL]

Hi Ken,
It looks like it extracted itself to the PHD folder.
WE need to go back 1 step.
You need the file "Setup_PHDGuiding.exe" on the removable drive.
(This was inside the file you downloaded.)
Then plug the drive into the laptop.
Then double click(open) Setup_PHDGuiding.exe on the laptop.
This will install onto your laptop, and configure.
Hope this helps:)

[ballaratdragons]

All is solved!!!!

The program is only compatible with Windows 2000 and up. I have Windows 98 on the old pooter out in the Control Room :doh:

But even better, I have 'Guidemaster' sitting in my pooter never used, so I fired it up and it does an even better job than Guidedog!

I tested it on Eagle Nebula and every star is perfectly round after 4 minute exposures!!!!!!!!! and I got long exposure working in it too :cool:

Thank you all for your input to my problem. I appreciate all your help :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[ballaratdragons]

Here is a guiding test I did tonight using the Guidemaster program. Total of 16 minutes of guided image.

I have not processed this Eagle Nebula image properly yet as I wanted to see how the stars turn out in stacked Raw Images. So please excuse the Black-eyed Stars, the Amp Glow, and the noise.

I have placed a blown-up inset. I'm happy with those stars considering they are out of a Toucam. :)

[h0ughy]

umm ken you didnt say it was windows 98????????:doh::doh::doh::doh::doh:

then that makes sense:lol:

glad you got a nice image of the eagle neb - not too many toucams have that one;)

[ballaratdragons]

I did tell you that I know nothing about computers :lol: