Maxim DL script - Page 4

alistairsam · #61 15-05-2013, 11:19 AM

yeah, maybe a teamviewer session, debug and code in real time!!

scagman (John) · #62 15-05-2013, 08:12 PM

Hi Robin,

I have teamview, so if youd like to use that for testing that would be fine.

Tandum (Robin) · #63 15-05-2013, 08:42 PM

No good John, you'd have to also have Visual Studio 2010 installed.

Also going by your last PM the scope is moving but at slew speed. I found that bug, it wasn't scanning the full rate list and just selecting the top rate. I fixed that in v1.0.7 which I have uploaded.

I have my fingers crossed it does the trick.

Your rate should be 0.00208903731114552

scagman (John) · #64 15-05-2013, 11:18 PM

Hi Robin,

Thankyou very much. V1.07 works great. Its does have about a 6-7sec delay in the change of direction.

If it was possible to extend the move time for the west(return move) by 6-7secs would be good. Its not a problem on the longer runs but on the 30sec exp. the return line will be very short.

But otherwise it works great. M fingers and buttons thankyou very much for the time and effort you put in.

Cheers

Tandum (Robin) · #65 15-05-2013, 11:31 PM

Excellent, now take that gemini and .........

Er, it should go west first I would have thought. I fixed that too.

There is no delay between them, unless the timer is slow or the mount has backlash.

Or is it just star movement, I've ignored that completely. Still overcast here

[edit]
Here's the new location for it if you want to try it. Newest version is v1.1.0
And here's the PDF to tell you what it tries to do.

scagman (John) · #66 16-05-2013, 05:29 PM

Hi Robin,

I could have gotten the e/w directions the wrong way. RA would count down then increase. I was pointing at the SCP (park postion) when I tested it. I dont think it matters which way it moves first, or does it?

I havnt tested it on a star yet, clouds here too. I dont think the delay is your app, it seems to take time from when I think the app issues the change of direction to the mount stopping and changing direction. There is some backlash but I would hope that it's not 5secs worth.

I'll try and give 1.1 ago tonight.

alistairsam · #67 16-05-2013, 11:29 PM

Hi Robin,

Great to know its working with the G11 as well. John would be a happy man.
I've also tested it with the eqascom simulator with stellarium showing the scope slewing east and then west.
Very nice work and thanks from me as well.

one thing I noticed is although the rate and duration are the same in both directions, it doesn't go back to the same position. that's because the stars are constantly moving west at sidereal and that would explain why John is seeing the return trail shorter.

the basic math
tracking rate is 15arcsec/sec
so 1deg = 3600arcsec in 240secs.

so if we enter 240 in the program and slew east, that would mean that the star would be more or less at the same place as you're travelling east the same rate as west. i've tested this with the scope in stellarium and it stays put.

so simple solution would be

slew west at 120s, thats sidereal x 2 for half the duration, and then stop tracking. the star would then drift to the start point at sidereal.
that would give the complete V.
Then resume tracking at sidereal.
so you don't really need to adjust the tracking rate and you could default it to 120, but just start west instead of east.

This is what the eqmod script does as well.

what do you think?

btw, there's a small demo video I captured here showing the reticle moving the way it is and your software

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hgv0rvl5uc...align-demo.avi

Cheers
Alistair

scagman (John) · #68 17-05-2013, 12:33 AM

Hi AListair,

I havnt actually tried it on a star yet. I just watch the RA value and how it changes. I have tested v1.1.0 tonight, again with no stars.
RA ends up back were it started from, albiet after the image has finished exposing. I have a 5-7sec turn around between changing directions.

Eg. 30 sec selected. Press "move", maxim starts to capture, at 5sec mount starts to move, at 20sec CCD-Align issues change of direction, it then takes 5-7sec before the RA changes direction, at 35sec maxim stops exp. at about 41secs RA stops, usually back at start postion.

So for the 30 I have a star trail that is at least 15secs long one way but the return trail is only about 8secs long.
60 I would have a trail 30sec long and the return trail would be about 27-28 sec long.

If this weather clears I will be able to try it with a star but I cant see any problems with it.

Hope this makes sense.

cheers

alistairsam · #69 17-05-2013, 12:57 AM

Hi John,

Do try it with the simulator and the skyx and see if it goes back to the start.
I'm not sure why you're seeing the 6-7sec delay, i can see the change in direction immediately with the eqascom simulator. i havent checked the ra value though. will check again.
Cheers

Tandum (Robin) · #70 17-05-2013, 08:50 AM

If I connect the ascom simulator to sky6 I see it going west first, no delay in reversal and it comes back to the star it started on. Skippy says it will be clear here tonight so I might be able to try it.

Maybe the gemini needs a stop command before reversing?

[edit]
OkyDoky, got to run it. v1.1.0 moves east first and yes it needs more maths to take star movement into account. I guess there's no point having rates that are less than sidreal either. I'll look into it. On a side note, I get straight lines out of it

Tandum (Robin) · #71 17-05-2013, 10:57 PM

I've found the rate needs to be much higher than I thought. I've removed the rate box and fixed the rate at 12sec per degree and selected centering speed for gemini, which is probably what they use for the hand set buttons anyway.

I've also made it go west longer than east so it should get back close to where it started and I stopped it before reversing.

The ASCOM simulator has east/west arse about which confused things.

I've uploaded v1.1.2

alistairsam · #72 18-05-2013, 03:44 AM

hi Robin

how did you get that rates need to be higher? was the line not long enough?
12sec per deg is about 10x sidereal and for a 5 min exposure, might ovetshoot the fov. not that it matters. I guess pixel scale is also a factor, I didn't think of that.
have you tried this, in a real test, stop your tracking for 1min while exposing and see what the length is.
can I suggest, having two modes, one for eqascom where rate is 2xsidereal or maybe a choice between 2 4 and 8x. and a gemini mode with the centering speed you mentioned.
I still think going west for 30s at 2x and turning tracking off for 30 would get it to the same start point, you could easily do this with the eqascom buttons.
will be interesting to see your result when you did this.
btw congrats on the straight line.. its the 4 or 5min exposure that confirms your PA.
cheers

Tandum (Robin) · #73 18-05-2013, 10:16 AM

It worked better. I can't tell a gemini to do double sidereal rate, I can only pick from it's rate list and centering speed is about 12. John's guiding speed is pretty much sidereal rate. I don't think it matters if it goes out of field. I also tried balancing movement times by calculating an offset based on rate minus sidereal and adding that to time west then subtract it from time east. Doesn't do much though

[edit]
I found the problem with the time offset. It wasn't converting a double to an integer correctly resulting in a time offset of zero. I've fixed it and uploaded another version (v1.1.3)

It will pop a box when you change exposure time and show the rate and time offset.

scagman (John) · #74 20-05-2013, 01:33 PM

If I could get some clea skies I'd be able to test it on some real stars. Last night was looking good early on but truned to crap.

Doesn't look good for the next few days either.

Tandum (Robin) · #75 20-05-2013, 02:29 PM

John,
V1.1.4 is up and it's very close. I'm trying to tune the time offset settings to get the star back where it started. This version still puts the star back a little too far east on the 600sec exposure option.

scagman (John) · #76 22-05-2013, 09:46 AM

Finally the clouds parted and I was able to get a chance to use CCD_Align last night.

Brilliant!.

I tried V1.1 and V1.3. I didnt realise V1.4 was there. I'll see if I can try that tonight.

The stars looked like they ended up pretty close to where they started.

Thanks again Robin.

alistairsam · #77 22-05-2013, 12:30 PM

great news. I'm hoping to try it tmrw.

Cheers

Tandum (Robin) · #78 26-05-2013, 08:25 PM

How'd we go guys? Close enough?

If it works for you, I'll turn off the popup boxes and finish it.

alistairsam · #79 27-05-2013, 02:50 AM

Hi Robin

the weathers been really bad out here clouded up or raining quite often
hoping to give it a try tmrw if the weather holds

have you tried it? how does this method measure up against others you've tried?l

cheers
Alistair

scagman (John) · #80 28-05-2013, 09:33 AM

Hi Robin,

I was able to try V1.1.4 out last night. It moves way to fast. A 30sec exp moves well out of my FOV then comes back. Were V1.1 a 120sec sec exp. mostly says within my Fov. The last version I have that is at the correct speed is V1.1. I havent got 1.1.2 or 1.3. I thought I did, but when I run them they are 1.0.7. Not sure If I did ever run them missed them due to weather I think.

Cheers