STXL integrated guider setup questions

[Paul Haese]

I have setup the guide prism so it is just outside of the field of view of the main sensor.

I am using maximDL. I had to use the dual chip function to get the guide camera to connect. In SkyX I am using the internal guide chip setting.

I get an image downloaded but nothing at all on the sensor. It could be possible that the unit is so out of focus that I am not getting anything at all.

Anyone got any tips here? I got the black image even when I was using the flat panel. What am I doing wrong?

[Peter Ward]

Only the STX and legacy cameras have internal guide Chips. Select external and problem should be solved.

Also just make sure he HDMI cable is well seated.

[Paul Haese]

Thanks Pete, I have the HDMI well seated. Actually looked closely at that the other day.

IN maxim I can choose external but it only gives a choice of STXL11002 as the camera. There is also parallel, and Ethernet. If I use the STXL with external it does not connect in the camera 2 option.

In SkyX external is not available at all. There is STT camera, STXL, celestron pixcel, STL camer, STi but no external.

Suggestions?

[Peter Ward]

I think you still select same guider as camera, but there should be an option to select an external guide chip, as you would a remote guide head.

Sorry I'm out of town at present & don't know the correct options off the top of my head. Ill have a definitive answer by the weekend.

In the interim I'd check the guider in CCDops to make sure there are no hardware issues. ( plus check the drivers are up to date, make sure you have the latest SkyX daily build etc. )

[Paul Haese]

I have the same daily build, so that is good.

Which guider do I select? If I choose dual chip in maxim it shows that it is reading the ccd and downloads the image.

In the camera two options there is only the options that I listed. I did set external but still no connection.

I don't have CCDops loaded down at the observatory. If I don't get it sorted before the weekend I will look forward to your response. :)

[Paul Haese]

Just hunting around a bit after I contacted Steve Crouch, who is looking for me at his settings.

I found in Maxim I select dual chip and in the main camera I selected guide chip as external and it seems to produce the right looking frame. Noise and all.

In Sky X I cannot find any similar setting.

[rat156]

Hi Paul,

Using my lowly STT, I use this screen to setup the auto guider in the CFW-8G.

Cheers
Stuart

[Peter Ward]

Had to do a little research to get to the bottom of this.

Select STX as the camera model and the auto guider "imagers built in auto guider " on the SBIG drop down menu within SkyX

On the auto guider tab, click on camera setup and then open up the drop down " settings". Select external auto guider.

That said, I've found SkyX prone to crashing. Would recommend CCDops, which you can't kill with a big stick, or MaximCCD.

[Peter Ward]

BTW....my Telstra cable connection has apparently been down since last Friday,
with the 3G phone network being my only connection to the net.... Tech support from someone in the Punjab region proved useless. Seems it will be down until at least Tuesday :mad2:

[gregbradley]

I don't think Sky X is picking on SBIG there. If I try to connect my SX camera in Sky X it freezes when I ask it to take an image. In my case probably a driver issue.

Greg.

[Paul Haese]

Thanks Pete, in the long run I will be using CCDAP to run maxim and Maxim I have got working now. Recently SkyX crashed on me endlessly because the Tpoint model got corrupted. Not sure how that happened but I now see that SkyX still is very buggy and not as stable as it could be. The daily builds don't seem to address these issues much, but I guess in time they will get it right.

[Bassnut]

One little tip. If you overexposed the guide cam enough, ittl actually produce a black image. If your testing with torches panels etc, use very short exposures

[Peter.M]

I have found this too, confused me for a while till I looked at the pixel values and then the screen stretch window. Then it all came to me!

[Paul Haese]

Yep good tip, sort of made sense once I thought about this a bit. I was trying to see noise during the day and exposing for too long.