Focus Max

[gregbradley]

I am learning Focus Max and looking at the tutorial it seems to be designed to work with Maxim DL. Is this true? Does it work with CCDSoft or Sky X camera?

To do the plate solve and return to previous imaging position it seems to need Pinpoint. I have T-Point on Sky X, will that work as well?

Greg.

[DJT]

Hi Greg

Works well with CCDSoft. No idea about plate solving though as am not using acquire star at the moment

[gregbradley]

Thanks David.

Greg.

[cfranks]

Greg,

You have TSX and you can use the inbuilt @Focus2 for your focusing needs. I use it and find it works equally as good as I used to get with FocusMax. T-Point and Image Link (in TSX) will do any and all your Plate Solving needs and the recent addition of Closed Loop Slew is superb and very fast. I enter the object name or address, press the CLS button and my mount slews to the object and an image is taken. A Plate Solve is done and my mount then does a further small slew to the accurate position. A final image and Plate Solve is done for confirmation. The time for imaging and solving (after the initial slew) is usually less than 10 sec.

Charles

[frolinmod]

There's a beta test version of FocusMax out there (somewhere) that can also use TheSkyX Professional and the Camera Add On to TheSkyX Professional.

[gregbradley]

Thanks for that. That sounds very good.



I'll have a look for it. Thanks.

Greg.

[Paul Haese]

Just for clarity Greg, Pinpoint is a programme written by DC3 Dreams to do plate solving. Tpoint is just for doing PA modelling for mounts.

If you ever want to you ACP for command you will need to have pinpoint. Not sure it it is current required for ccdap, but I have it anyway.

Join the focusmax yahoo group for the latest version.

[frolinmod]

Actually Tpoint does quite a bit more than that.



That's for sure. Bob Denny wrote both ACP and Pinpoint, so it makes sense from an ease of support viewpoint that he would require Pinpoint rather than something else.


CCD AutoPilot will also happily use TheSkyX for plate solving.

[g__day]

I second how fantastic Closed Loop Slewing is in The SkyX with Tpoint and Camera add on.

It is a total pleasure clicking on anywhere in the sky chart and rather than selecting slew you simply choose Closed Loop Slew (ensuring your image scale is correct - and matches your Camera binning choice).

For me if the pointing is a tad wrong - I simply don't worry - it feels a bit like magic watching it almost hit the target, take and image and solve it - then simply normally on first go hit the desired spot dead centre!

Like you I want to play with Focus2 in the SkyX next. I am rather amazed at how good The SkyX is now.

I expect you can open an image of a previous run - solve it and then do a closed loop solve to that same location and it should all work perfectly!

[atalas]

Using FocusMax 4 with SkyX pro last night Greg......works fine!also tride The SkyX's @focus and that was a lot quicker to use with HFD numbers coming in similar to FocusMax.
So,from what I can see take your pick:)

Yes,Tpoint is fantastic with very fast plate solves and closed Loop Slew....where have you been all my life:lol:

I like the fact that all can be controlled within the one software package:)

[atalas]

Paul,is The SkyX's plate solve capability not part of Tpoint?is image link a separate software?either way works great.

[Atmos]

I find plate solve in TSX to be FAR quicker than Pinpoint when there is a large error in pointing. Within TSX I can point my scope at Rigil Kent very roughly by hand, take a 2s exposure and it'll find it within 5s even if I am several degrees away.

I find that Pinpoint can be REALLY quick but struggles with larger errors.

[TR]

There is a reason for this. PinPoint itself is not all-sky. You have to be fairly close with PinPoint for it to work. It only works when the initial estimated coordinates are within about a half to two thirds of a field of view. Once you are aligned and sync'd, there are generally no issues.

TheSkyX has an optional all-sky database that can be downloaded that works, and it is quick. You could always add astrometry.net, or an offline version of the astrometry databases that PinPoint can reference if it fails to find a solution.