I found a couple of problems, eqmod does not support the tracking rates command and when the app exits it disconnects the maxim camera for reasons unknown. I fixed the eqmod issue but I dunno why it's disconnecting the camera, I will ask someone.
Uploaded a fixed version with all the debugging stuff removed.
[edit]
Fixed the maxim camera disconnect issue with a camera.DisableAutoShutDown = true;
Been a while since I've had an opportunity to do any astro-imaging or scripting, but I was writing a script that automatically slewed to where you'd want it on the horizon (you choose east or west) for ALT adjustment, started guiding with DEC off, you'd watch the Maxim guiding error graph and adjust ALT, start guiding again, then slewed to the meridian and repeat for AZ adjust.
I'll have to dig it out off my other computer etc, and can't recall if it was in a condition to make public. But it was close. Not quite the "V" image slew method you mention, but if you're using Maxim I found it handy.
thanks robin
'm hoping for some clear skies tonight so will test it outdoors else I'll try it indoors and let you know
got a few exception errors when I ran yesterdays version
would i need to install any dependencies like runtime files or anything?
hi Troy, would be cool to see your script as well. heaps of solutions, John your fingers would be happy once we get this working
It was probably imploding when trying to set the tracking rate on eqmod. This is a real quicky,no error catching or any nice stuff like that. I've just uploaded v1.0.1 which has all the quick fixes and I added radiobuttons for exposure time. I guess it will take a bit of fiddling to get the dec rate and exposure time right for your field of view. I'll try and figure out how to save these settings between sessions.
Robin, full marks for this app. It will be a real boon to those who have to polar align.
I have run the app in daylight and chosen a 60 second exposure.. Th exposure competed without a hitch. I'm not sure if the scope moved or not - I forgot to watch/listen. But I am wondering how to do the reverse direction movement and exposure. Am I right that the idea is still to do a forward then a backward movement on the one exposure?
Peter
Hi Peter,
fully agree, this would be a cool tool.
and yes, it needs to slewed E and W for the same exposure. But I think you get the reverse direction simply by turning off tracking so the star drifts.
that's what the eqmod script does.
so for the start and end points to be the same, the rate would need to be sidereal x 2, thats 0.00832 deg/sec. Else you'll need to do a slew in the reverse as well.
I don't think you'd need to change the rate and this rate works well for exposures till 5 minutes.
you can view multiple stars within the FOV and you could look at the brighter ones.
I usually use 2x2 bin on the 30sec exposure as that makes it bright and you can clearly see if it is a V or a straight line.
Robin, I'm still getting dot net errors. maybe i'm missing something.
System.Runtime.InteropServices.COME xception (0x80040154): Retrieving the COM class factory for component with CLSID {26819E05-F8BA-11D2-AA9C-444553540000} failed due to the following error: 80040154.
I'm guessing this would work for the gemini.net driver as well as that doesn't use eqmod.
Peter,
If you pick say 30sec, it actually exposes for 35sec. It is stationary for 5 sec to get a bright spot from the star, then it moves dec one way for 15sec and then back for 15sec so in the image you should see a line or a V with a bright dot at the start point. There should be a balance between dec rate and exposure time which you'd need to fiddle with to get it right for your FOV. It's probably easier to look at the dec numbers on the ascom control pad for your scope to see if it's moving dec.
Of course I have a house due south of me so ..... I can't test it
Al,
That CLSID number belongs to maxim.CCDCamera. Try starting maxim as administrator. So right click on maxim_dl.exe and run as administrator. If you've never done this before, maxim hasn't registered itself correctly. For win7 anyway. So long as the ascom telescope responds to the moveaxis command it should work on any ascom scope. I think they will all implement moveaxis command, that's like the command onscreen direction buttons talk to.
Peter,
If you pick say 30sec, it actually exposes for 35sec. It is stationary for 5 sec to get a bright spot from the star, then it moves dec one way for 15sec and then back for 15sec
Hi Robin,
Did you mean it moves in RA for 15sec and back?
Dec should be stationary and the V comes up due to the drift in Dec caused by the alignment being off.
so you slew East then west and if PA is off, the star would have drifted in Dec perpendicular to the East/West axis/line and that gives the gap between the start and stop.
Thanks Robin for your hard work. This looks really good. Much more than I expected. I tried V1 last night and that worked well using the simulator. I'll try and test V1.0.2 later tonight when I get home, wont be till late thou.
I get this error after the 5 sec wait when I set the rate to 300s.
ASCOM.DriverAccessCOMException (0x80040401): MoveAxis set - '0.00333333333333333' is an invalid value. The valid range is: -50 to -10, 0 and 10 to 50. ---> System.Reflection.TargetInvocationE xception: Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation. ---> System.Runtime.InteropServices.COME xception (0x80040401): MoveAxis set - '0.00333333333333333' is an invalid value. The valid range is: -50 to -10, 0 and 10 to 50.
The ascom docs say :
Both the Minimum and Maximum properties are always expressed in units of degrees per second. This is only using for Telescope InterfaceVersions 2 and 3
Here's a link to the VBS I was talking about above. I haven't played with it for a while. Will fire up the simulator to refresh my memory some time shortly.
************** Exception Text **************
ASCOM.DriverAccessCOMException (0x80040401): MoveAxis set - 'axisPrimary' is an invalid value. The valid range is: guiding, centering, or slewing speeds. ---> System.Reflection.TargetInvocationE xception: Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation. ---> System.Runtime.InteropServices.COME xception (0x80040401): MoveAxis set - 'axisPrimary' is an invalid value. The valid range is: guiding, centering, or slewing speeds.
--- End of inner exception stack trace ---
at System.RuntimeType.InvokeDispMethod (String name, BindingFlags invokeAttr, Object target, Object[] args, Boolean[] byrefModifiers, Int32 culture, String[] namedParameters)
at System.RuntimeType.InvokeMember(Str ing name, BindingFlags bindingFlags, Binder binder, Object target, Object[] providedArgs, ParameterModifier[] modifiers, CultureInfo culture, String[] namedParams)
at System.Type.InvokeMember(String name, BindingFlags invokeAttr, Binder binder, Object target, Object[] args, CultureInfo culture)
at ASCOM.DriverAccess.MemberFactory.Ca llMember(Int32 memberCode, String memberName, Type[] parameterTypes, Object[] parms) in c:\BuildAgent\work\c9b0aabbc621eced \ASCOM.DriverAccess\MemberFactory.c s:line 429
at ASCOM.DriverAccess.MemberFactory.Ca llMember(Int32 memberCode, String memberName, Type[] parameterTypes, Object[] parms) in c:\BuildAgent\work\c9b0aabbc621eced \ASCOM.DriverAccess\MemberFactory.c s:line 469
at ASCOM.DriverAccess.Telescope.MoveAx is(TelescopeAxes Axis, Double Rate) in c:\BuildAgent\work\c9b0aabbc621eced \ASCOM.DriverAccess\Telescope.cs:li ne 686
at ASCOM.tele.Form1.moveScopeWest(Obje ct sender, EventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.Timer.OnTick(E ventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.Timer.TimerNat iveWindow.WndProc(Message& m)
at System.Windows.Forms.NativeWindow.C allback(IntPtr hWnd, Int32 msg, IntPtr wparam, IntPtr lparam)
John, it looks like the gemini driver does not conform to V2 or V3 of the ascom driver standard, it must still be V1. There are no docs I can find online that describes the V1 standard so I'm a bit lost.
Just maybe, if you connect to poth and then connect poth to the gemini driver, poth might convert it to V3.
I'll see if I can knock up something that will dump it's guts to a txt doc so we can see what is going on inside the thing. Without a Gxx mount here I can't do anything.
