Telescope control software

[johnnyt123 (John)]

Hi everyone

I need a little help with something.

I would like set up a system which is completely computer controlled.
I would like to set up the scope in the backyard and control it from the warm comfort of my living room.
it is freezing outside these days....

What i have s far:
Celestron CPC925 SCT
Meade DSI which i can use as an guide cam
Orion starshoot deep space imaged CCD
DMK51
Moonlite focuser with high resolution stepper motor.

I still need a motorised filter wheel and i believe that is it.

What i know so far is i need MaximDL to capture with the starshoot ccd

What i want to ask is if anyone knows what programs i need:
- a planetarium that can control the scope
- software to control the focuser, filter wheel, focusing software

Any other information would be valuable and appreciated.

thanks.

John

[DavidTrap (David)]

Provided there are drivers for what ever filter wheel you buy, Maxim should run that. Maxim has a basic planetary program and can drive an ASCOM compatible mount.

Focusing is best done with FocusMax - should interface fine with the stepper motor on your Moonlite focuser.

DT

[madwayne (Wayne)]

Hi John

Shame I don't live in Sydney any more you could have swung by as I would have been just down the road.

Anyway, the way I do it is laptop outside in a plastic storage tub to keep the dew and frost off it. Everything is run from there using Maxim DL and Focus Max. Inside the house I use either a 2nd laptop running Log Me In or my IPad running Splashtop 2. I tend to use the IPad as the 2nd laptop is in the study where I generally work from these days. I generally monitor everything on the iPad and head outside to the cold only an as needed basis.

We have had some very cold nights here -7 and -8 a number of times in Marulan this Autumn and I have been tucked up inside at 23 degrees.

Wayne

[johnnyt123 (John)]

Hi Wayne and David.

You both seem to insist on maxim DL. I will need to have a closer look at it.
I didn't realize it was a planetarium with goto function.

Well. That's the idea Wayne. I have a powerful mini itx pc which I have dedicated to my scope.
Now all I need are all the USB cables to connect the focuser and mount and which ever filter wheel I get. Might head to bintel and get one this weekend.

Thanks guys.

John.

[cfranks (Charles)]

Have a look at TheSkyX Pro. Adding Tpoint and the Camera Add-On gives you the total package you want. Price is high @ about $850 but there is nothing further to pay. Support and upgrades are at no cost. MaximDL Pro + Pinpoint Full version are a good combination as has been said but the initial cost is similar (~ $800) but you have to pay a further (annual?) subscription to get support & upgrades after the first year.

Charles

[DavidTrap (David)]

Are you sure the sky doesn't have ongoing subscriptions??

DT

[naskies (Dave)]

Originally Posted by johnnyt123

What i want to ask is if anyone knows what programs i need:
- a planetarium that can control the scope
- software to control the focuser, filter wheel, focusing software

Planetarium software - Cartes du Ciel and Stellarium are both free and you can use them to control your mount. Stellarium feels like it's more targeted towards visual observers who want an electronic sky atlas though - it can be a bit frustrating for imaging use.

David pointed me to Maxim DL a while back - I really like it. There's a free 30 day trial that you can download from their website.

If you're going to be indoors imaging, you may want to also consider:

* an electronic finder or all sky camera (i.e. a small camera with a very wide angle lens mounted on your scope or pointing up) so that you can see what's going on - incoming clouds, neighbours switched on the flood lights, target obscured by trees, etc.

* automation software such as CCDAutoPilot (many others available too) so that you can pre-program the whole night's imaging, including taking sky flats at twilight and parking the scope.

Originally Posted by cfranks

Have a look at TheSkyX Pro. Adding Tpoint and the Camera Add-On gives you the total package you want. Price is high @ about $850 but there is nothing further to pay.

The SB website seems to say that there's a $75/year subscription cost after the first year

http://www.bisque.com/sc/shops/store...nDownload.aspx

[Merlin66 (Ken)]

Have a look at AstroArtV5 - cheaper than the alternatives and just as functional.
Combined with CdC, and Teamviewer for remote operation it does the job!

[alistairsam]

hi

Sequence Generator pro is also a good candidate for automation,
I'm still evaluating but you basically add targets in a list, it will then slew, plate solve, auto center, sync, focus, and then start exposure runs as configured. also does automatic guide star acquisition and pauses if the guide star fades.
it can then park the scope as well. I believe the flats module is in development for twilight flats.
it also does auto meridian flips, re-doing the plate solve, center, sync, guiding and exposure.
good support with the yahoo groups forum.

I also use maxim, I find its goto, plate solving, sync, centre, feature to right click and center all extremely good. i find its guiding much better and easier than phd but that's a personal preference.
only bit i hate is the auto stretch, makes the image very grainy whichever method i choose. i like the auto stretch in ccdstack although that's not for acquisition, but for processing.


I also have a plastic box under the scope with all power adaptors and also a wireless access point and a dedicated laptop. I then run one usb lead to a USB hub on the scope and one multi core wire for all the DC power connectors.
I then use teamviewer from my laptop/PC inside to connect to the laptop outside.
I just spend an hour at the start to polar align, focus, sync 6 to 7 stars. after that the plate solve helps with auto centering.
the wireless access point is useful when i go to remote sites. that way I can sit in the tent and control the whole thing wirelessly. the laptop is connected to the AP with an ethernet cable.

in theory, with SGP, you should be able to build a whole list and let it do its thing. I also use a $5 electrical time for the power, and its set to turn off at 6am, lappy is also set to hibernate in 15 minutes when on battery.
that way, everything powers down at 6am including dew heater, mount, ccd camera cooling, camera etc.
i use an eq6 with eqascom and I set the alignment points to be saved and loaded on startup. that way I don't lose the sync data and the goto's work well.



Cheers
Alistair

[DavidNg (David)]

Hi all,

Some have favored FocusMax for automated focusing. I am running Maxim DL which has its own autofocus (in the Observatory control tab). How do I get Maxlm to run FocusMax?
Thanks
David

[g__day (Matthew)]

I presume the CPC is on a wedge - else you will need a field de-rotator. The C9.25 is fairly long focal length - so I would recommend a decent Off Axis Guider as the most likely cheapest alternative. I went Lumicon (which also provided a focal reducer - but I gave up on the focal reducer) because I couldn't figure where to position it all without introducing coma. Avoid piggybacking a second OTA to guide unless you can 100% avoid even the most minute differential flexure - which means either On axis guiding (more expensive) or an Off Axis guider - at 1/4th to 1/6 the cost of the ONAG.

You need to ensure your OAG and imaging camera will fit between your mount and its base if your are imaging close to the South Celestial Pole - make sure you don't get one that is too long!

When I started out I found CDC -> ASCOM -> CG5 worked okay - the mount's raw pointing precision was a tad weak for the small field of view of a C9.25. So either consider adding MaxPoint or Tpoint into the scope control chain - or else try the free Astro Tortilla (described below) to add plate solving, sync and slew) to your mount!

Bahtinov masks are a great idea to really speed focusing up!

I also found the original C9.25 focuser pathetic - it introduced a lot of mirror sag, flop and shift! A Feathertouch 10:1 manual microfocuser removed near all this this mirror shift, whilst still preserving the SCT's enormous backfocus. For precision focus I added a Meade microfocus controlled by PC from a Shoestring Astronomy's FCB (serial to USB converter).

Your PC / laptop will need at least one serial port to control the hand controller (and a custom built cable), plus numerous USB ports for cameras, focusers etc. A powered USB HUB may be a great idea. Ensure you use the original Meade DSI cable (which is thicker than standard) to deliver more power else your DSI will be flakey.

Which reminds me - the Colour DSI I found was a very poor performing guide camera; I upgraded back then to a DSI II Pro mono and it worked much, much better.



I think Astro tortilla is also worth a look (its free) for plate solving, but I think there is a goto error in v0.52 (32 and 64 bit versions) so try maybe v0.51.

PHD is a decent guide package (again free) but you will need to master tuning its use over time!

I think that is a decent start. My suggestion would be learn how to integrate all the software during the day and have it ready to go for sundown, then precise focus, precise align and go inside to image until things need your attention.

Also have an emergency arrangement in case a sudden rain cloud develops - a large trap to keep your gear dry during a flash storm is a great idea!

Cheers,

Matt

[cfranks (Charles)]

Originally Posted by DavidTrap

Are you sure the sky doesn't have ongoing subscriptions??

DT

Looks like I was looking at my subscription for TheSky6! I haven't had TSX for a full year yet so missed the subscription cost. SAT.

Charles

[JohnH]

AstroArt is simple to use and will allow you to do full automation - including scripting of captures, plate solves etc and it runs most mounts, cameras, focusers etc and is ASCOM compliant. It is worth a look. If that is not enough for you you might need to use something like CCD Commander.

I have my laptop inside - and run a single USB out to a 5 port powered USB hub. There are then connections to the CCD/fwheel, guidecam, focuser (a moonlite) and mount. I only need to go out for initial alignment and for meridian flips.

[johnnyt123 (John)]

Hi all...

Wow i dont know how to thank you all.
your information has been most valuable in my quest to have a fully automated astrophotography system.

So far i have tried TheSky6, Stellarium, MaximDL 5, FocusMax and i have installed the ASCOM platform.
Turns out i dont have enough USB to Serial cables nor do i have a GPUSB for guiding.
But it was exciting seeing the focuser listening to the commands i was sending it from my PC.
I still have to get my head around writing scripts and plate solving and the rest of it.

Thanks again guys..
really appreciated

John