APT - not able to trigger Autofocusing until I disconnect scope

[g__day (Matthew)]

I love APT but I have one small issue with it for my set up. I have never been able to get temperature delta based auto focusing to work on my gear using APT v4.21 - until just now when I was about to close shop for tonghts imaging and I selected disconnect scope from The SkyX controlled telescope. Almost immediately after disconnecting the scope Autofocusing triggered automatically!

Has anyone else experienced this?

[Startrek (Martin)]

Ive used APT for over 3 years but don’t use auto focus routine
Might be prudent to post on the APT forum ( been a member since day 1 ) as Ivo the developer or other folk generally respond in a timely manner.I’ve solved most of my APT issues via the forum
Don’t know if too many folk use APT on IIS , maybe a few ( Drac0 ) but not many

https://aptforum.com/phpbb/

Good luck with it

Cheers
Martin

[g__day (Matthew)]

Hi Martin

I do that https://aptforum.com/phpbb/viewtopic...p=42060#p42060 but the only way I can find to share images there is upload them here and then cross link them in that forum for Ivo to see!

Ivo thinks it may be that if tracking is not set on by default then automatic auto-refocus is disabled! I didn't know that was a prerequisite for automatic auto refocus to work - and I didn't see that documented anywhere!

[g__day (Matthew)]

I wonder if APT simply refuses to set track on - even though the ASCOM driver allows it - I imagine if tracking is on the tracking button under APT Gear would be bright orange - and it isn't shown that way - so tracking may actually be listed as off - and this is what is disabling automatically trigger auto-focuses?

[g__day (Matthew)]

More on the determination of my challenge with APT. Ivo confirmed if the driver (ASCOM X2 driver for The SkyX - with the mount emulating a meade LX200) does not return a can track value - then APT disables event based auto focusing.

So now the issue becomes between APT to ASCOM to TSX folk - why isn't a mount that is quite capable of excellent tracking able to tell third party software this is the case.

Not sure if this will be more Software Bisque saying ASCOM guys didn't code it correctly or we don't know what it does or the ASCOM developers saying we only pass on what TSX reveals. So now I have support threads in all of SB forums, ASCOM developer forums and APT.

Meanwhile I have asked Ivo to consider letting APT warn the user but ask if they want to allow event driven auto focusing - or default to having it enabled if Guiding is active.

SGP makes this so easy but APT went down a path that makes getting legacy gear to work just a tad more challenging. But Ivo to the rescue again - says he can add a workaround until ASCOM / Software Bisque work this through...

Stay tuned!

[g__day (Matthew)]

So more help for Software Bisque - trying to solve a Tracking test that Conform testing says Tracking is false for this driver accesses via TSX ASCOM X2 driver...

As requested I ran the ASCOM Conformance checker – I suspect line 102 may be the error.


Is there any way in TSX itself to see (and share to a user) what it believes the value of Tracking is from the Meade Instruments LX200 driver?

So asking Confrmance to test the X2 interface to TSX the results are below – is it line 102 in this report that is the issue – namely
14:13:26.379 Tracking Read OK False

Ivo the developer of APT sees it wants to see Tracking as reported as True to allow event trigger autofocusing to occur.

Is there any way for TSX to override the LX200 driver if it forgot to set that value and set it to true for me – so X2 interface can pick it up and pass it to APT camera and focuser control?

* * * * *
from the file (if you need the full file):
ConformanceCheck ASCOM Device Conformance Checker Version 6.6.8048.17861, Build time: 13/01/2022 10:55:24 AM
ConformanceCheck Running on: ASCOM Platform 6.6 SP2- Early Access 6.6.2.3695
ConformanceCheck Driver ProgID: ASCOM.SoftwareBisque.Telescope


* * * * *

SB keep asking me to independently Conform test the ASCOM Meade Lx200 driver - and I keep telling them this driver has never, ever worked for me - I only use the Meade Instruments (non ASCOM driver written by Meade for TSX) and I connect to TSX using the ASCOM X2 interface they created.

Hence I have stated this again as clearly as I can to all involved and shared the following screen shot - that if Software Bisque can get this driver when queried by X2 interface to return Tracking Ok and True - we are good!

[g__day (Matthew)]

So the penny dropped - with William the person helping me - and I find out he is just a helpful soul - meanwhile the Bisque boys have been watching the thread on their forums for days now with barely a squeak out of them - as it comes full circle and as always lands squarely on their laps and seemingly missing quality control and untimely service response - and ther product costs magnitudes more than APT - who give tremendous service...

[g__day (Matthew)]

Latest update - SB (THouse) saying its Meade's issue - and everytime they ask them to fix their drivers they break other stuff!!!

[g__day (Matthew)]

Sharing the way Meade driver and they alone get to tell TSX one is using a GE mount

[g__day (Matthew)]

Getting closer - SB staff now asking I run powershell commands to test the Tracking status reply!

Trying to figure the correct status for talking to SS2K!!! - reads and write timing out...

[g__day (Matthew)]

So trying CoolTerm makes the testing a lot easier - it appears the SS2k-pc doesn't implement the :GW# command to explain if it can track or not - and TSX intreprets a null response as you can't track!

Shame CoolTerm doesn't show the commands entered - ACK, :GA#, :GD#, :GW#

I wonder if they get a null response if they can monitor RA for 4 seconds and see if it changes by an arc minute to use that to se the variable!

[g__day (Matthew)]

Command I am trying come from https://www.astro.louisville.edu/sof...ommandSet.html

[g__day (Matthew)]

My test results

[g__day (Matthew)]

So Ivo sent me a pre release workaround for APT to address the Meade LX200 drivers getting the tracking state wrong - tested it with TSX 32 bit and it set the Tracking state correctly - will test it triggers autofocus tonight if the weather holds tonight!

More surprisingly - Dan Bisque from Software Bisque sent me the next version of TSX 64bit to be released soon - it has the LX200 tracking state fix for the X2 check and I am pleased to state that also works exactly as hoped for!

So very happy with these two gifts today!

[g__day (Matthew)]

Well I am please to say - total success and thank you Ivo!

I did the first focus of the night - then every 30 minutes the autofocuser kicked in like clockwork!

A happy coincidence my imaging plan for NGC 6334 luns for 29 minutes per cycle - so it is awlays focusing on the Luminance filter.

APT showing tracking as illuminated now and there is a little FC in the top left hand corner - presumably saying Focus Control is on! Very happy with APT and SB!

[g__day (Matthew)]

So now I have a small challenge to face with SGP - each night the Moonlite focuser seems to associate the starting focus position (and temperature) with wherever and whatever position (at a far lower temperature) it ended on the night before!

So I get the focus maybe moves in 200 steps from start of night position with a temperature in the low 20s to and end of night position with the temperate around 10 celcius - but I would expect to see on the following night the pattern repeat as the same offset - but it looks more like the Moonlight focuser when it disconnected associated it position with the current temperature - rather than the position where it ended the night.

So log viewer shows the same shaped curve - but starting at a lower base point each night!

So its a relative issue. If I turn off the focuser at 10 degrees at position say 5,200 - and then the next night I turn on the focuser at 20 degrees and its still at position 5,200 - then it associates that 5,200 number with the 20 degree temperature - not the ten degree temperature of the night before.

So I can see a few possible process work arounds:

1. never turn the focuser off - and leave it auto temperature compensating in either the driver or the SGP software running the focuser with temperature compensation enabled - probably work a treat but not ideal

2. at the end of the night always go back the the starting position of the first night - say 5,500 for 22 degrees celcius.

3. at the start of the night - before connecting the focuser to SGP - use the hand controller to rack it in to position zero. Then connect SGP and tell SGP to move the focuser to position 5,500.

4. At the start of the night simply tell the driver to reset the focuser position to 5,500.

Wonder if there is any fifth option? Which option would folk advise - I am think 1 would be interesting - but 3 is probably safest!

[g__day (Matthew)]

One slight issue with the test version of APT now - it doesn't seem to store any images it captures - weird as - says they are logged where they would normall be - but no images at all are present - wonder what I did???


5 minutes later...


Oh beginner mistake - just looking exactly at the path - it must have added the camera name into the imaging plan for the directory name - and I missed this - had me panicked!!!

I either inadvertantly updated the directory name to included camera name twice ror something and/or added the camera name manually in the APT settings setup tab and it added this to a file path!

[g__day (Matthew)]

Think I also need to define this correctly!