Maxim, EQMOD and TSX

[pvelez]

Is anyone using EQMOD with TSX and imaging with Maxim DL?

I have managed to get TSX and EQMOD going together - though its a bit hard to sync properly. However, I have found that when connecting Maxim to the telescope using the EQ6/EQ5 ASCOM setting, the RA and DEC automatically added to the FITS header drifts over a session - its as if TSX doesn't tell Maxim that it remains in the same place throughout the imaging session.

Am I missing something?

Pete

[pvelez]

Bump

Its nice and clear this afternoon. I fear that a software glitch will throw a spanner into my evening.

Pete

[bert]

You have done better than I. I couldnt get eqmod to work with skyx. Everytime I tried a slew, skyx gave an error and crashed out. I just rolled back to sky6.

Brett

[Terry B]

I use TSXpro with EQMOD but with CCDSoft as the capture program. If you are autoguiding and not synching on each image the software thinks you have moved the scope a bit and changes the RA and Dec in the file name.

[pvelez]

Thanks Terry

Its all a bit odd. I was keen to try TPoint so bought TSX Pro. It was all part of a general upgrade with a new PC to drive the scope and my lovely new pier.

Last night I had TSX, EQMOD and Maxim all talking happily. I did a 10 star run with TPoint and was told my polar alignment was off only 12 arcminutes. After adjusting it, I was able to refine it a bit (though the alt was then out).

Then I noticed that there was a difference between the RA/DEC recorded by Maxim as it slewed to a star and that shown for that star by TSX. Plate solve with Pinpoint confirmed the Maxim record. I then did a plate solve with MPO Canopus and it confirmed the Maxim RA and DEC.

All very odd. I found the difference was a few arcminutes - at times 10 arcminutes which made plate solving a real pain with my RC8 (it has only a 30x20 arcsecond FOV).

So my thinking was that Maxim took its RA/DEC from EQMOD. Perhaps there is a difference in time or site details. But this is unlikely as the PC time is used for all software.

I wonder whether it has to do with the sync feature. With TPoint, I synced the first star with TSX only. I then slewed to the next target star, centered it manually (using crosshairs on the Maxim image) and added that location in TPoint. However, later I used Pinpoint to platesolve an image, synced in Maxim and then used the centre function in Maxim to bring the relevant target star into the centre of teh image. I then added that star in TPoint.

Perhaps what is happening is that TPoint and EQMOD are developing different pointing models. While I am adding target stars happily in one area of the sky, all works well. But when I head to a new area of the sky, there is a difference between the 2 models, resulting in the difference between Maxim/EQMOD and TPoint.

I am connecting to TSX via the ASCOM/X2 driver and selecting EQMOD EQ5/6 in settings in both TSX and Maxim.

I'd welcome any thoughts on this.

Pete

[Terry B]

Very interesting. I don't really understand how T point functions. Maybe it does have it's own model separate to to EQMOD.
I don't use the sync from TSX at all. I slew to a star or a star field and then image the area with a 5 sec exposure. I use "elbrus" to plate solve and then sync using elbrus. I can use TSX but find it more tedious.
I will be interested to find out also.

[Tandum]

Pete,
I would have thought that if you want to use tpoint to correct your pointing accuracy then you should turn off the eqmod model and connect maxim to the sky not to the mount. I know you can do that with sky6 but not sure about skyx.

I figure that once the tpoint model is done, it will send the mount to an altered ra/dec which compensates for errors. Connecting maxim to the mount means maxim will read ra/dec from the mount which may well be off.

[edit]
Looks like there is a skyx driver. 3 from the bottom of this page (http://ascom-standards.org/Downloads/ScopeDrivers.htm).

[pvelez]

Thanks Robin

I had a suspicion that I needed to link Maxim to TSX.

More challenging is turning off the EQMOD.

What I find odd is the fact that it is the mount rather than TSX that is correct

Pete

[Tandum]

I think there is an option in the eqmod driver to set sync points via dialog which stops it auto recording sync commands as modelling points.

[pvelez]

Bingo! Thanks for that. I knew that that feature was available - I use it myself when using Alignmaster.

As always, its a case of remembering what I know.

So I'll turn off the auto sync function, send Maxim to TSX (using The Sky Telescope setting for Telescope connection) and roll on from there

Thanks for your help. I'll try it this weekend (weather permitting of course)

Pete

[Tandum]

Good luck. I've not used skyx but to get it to work in sky6 under win7 I had to run sky6 once as Administrator to get it to register its remote control features properly with windoes and I also had to enable remote connections which lives under telescope/server settings on the sky6 menu, as I remember.

[pvelez]

Thanks Robin

I am running the scope remotely using RealVNC. As the scope pc is driving the mount directly, I don't think those settings are required. It seems to work anyway

Pete

[pvelez]

Success!

I managed to get TSX, TPoint, EQMOD and Maxim to play nicely.

In the end it was surprisingly simple - set up the ASCOM/X2 driver in TSX to connect to the mount via EQMOD - EG5/EQ6. Change the sync feature in EQMOD to Dialog-based. Set the mount in Maxim to The Sky Telescope. Initiate TPoint and off we go.

Now I need to get AAPMapper running properly - I am sure there is a setting awry as I can't get the plate solving to work.

Thanks for all the tips

Pete

[Tandum]

Pete, I had a play with skyx at pmrid's place last weekend. To do a tpoint run, I think you will need to set skyx to use maxim as the camera so skyx has camera control then run a tpoint mapping session from skyx.

We got skyx to connect to maxim and the camera, but it hung when doing an exposure. We got it to start ccdsoft for camera control but it wouldn't startup a camera connection. I don't think he has got that going yet either :(

I also read somewhere that you may need a larger star cattledog like usno for solving to work as expected. I don't know how true this is, we didn't get that far.

[Terry B]

I'm not sure about what catalogues are needed with skyx. I just have the default that came with the program. If I import an image into skyx anywhere in the sky it will plate solve 100% as long as the scale parameters are correct. This is using a 5 sec exposure binned 2x2 and a V filter. My field size is 20 x 30 arcmin.

[pvelez]

Robin

I was able to do a manual TPoint run. No issues with it. I used the "Centre" command in Maxim to get the relevant target star centred before adding it as a TPoint star.

I understand that you need to use the TSX camera add on to do an automated TPoint calibration run. However, I was trying to use AAG TPoint Mapper which will automate a TPoint calibration run provided you have the full Pinpoint loaded. For some reason it would fail to platesolve - but when I did it manually in Maxim - there were no issues. I suspect there is a setting in Mapper that I have yet to get right. I can platesolve also in TSX.

Here is the link to AAG - http://www.aagware.eu/aag_software.htm#MAP

I was keen to use Maxim rather than mucking about with another add on for TSX.

I didn't have any issues with the camera hanging - but I was using Maxim not TSX for exposures.

I have the GSC 1.1 catalogue downloaded from the Pinpoint site.

Hope that helps

Pete

[frolinmod]

With the Camera Add On for TheSkyX, you can use Maxim as your camera via Evan Warkentine's X2 to Maxim driver. You can then use the built-in Tpoint automated calibration functionality. No need to use AAG Tpoint mapper and no need to buy Pinpoint.

[Tandum]

Pete, I didn't realise the camera part of skyx was another addon at extra cost.
I guess pmrid got it as part of his mx package.