1. main@ap-gto.groups.io
  2. Messages
   Date   
Re: Setting Park Position for ACP Script

Yves Laroche
 

ACP uses the ASCOM Driver.  You need to select the park position from the Driver not from APCC .

Yves

Le 17 juin 2021 18 h 25, Jerome A Yesavage <yesavage@...> a écrit :
Hey George, I do that and it still goes back to 3 when Bob's Shutdown runs.... is there maybe a registry setting?

Re: Setting Park Position for ACP Script

Jerome A Yesavage
 

Hey George, I do that and it still goes back to 3 when Bob's Shutdown runs.... is there maybe a registry setting?
Re: Question about meridian limits

Rick Darden
 

Bada Bing. Thanks Ray.
Re: Availability of Encoders for Mount Upgrades

Marj Christen
 

Renishaw is experiencing production delays so all incoming encoders that we have on order with them have been allocated to mounts that are on order and 1600s that are in production (we’ll be accepting orders soon). It is difficult to predict when we will receive more for upgrades, so we are not accepting orders for them yet. I hope to offer them again soon with delivery toward the end of the year.

 

Clear Skies,

Marj Christen

Astro-Physics

11250 Forest Hills Road

Machesney Park, IL 61115

Phone: 815-282-1513

www.astro-physics.com

 

From: main@ap-gto.groups.io <main@ap-gto.groups.io> On Behalf Of M Hambrick
Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2021 7:05 AM
To: main@ap-gto.groups.io
Subject: [ap-gto] Availability of Encoders for Mount Upgrades

 

Is there an ETA on when there might be some encoders available for those who want to upgrade their mounts ? I am on the notification list to get encoders for my 1100 mount.

Mike

Re: Sync with The Sky 6 Pro

Roland Christen
 

T-Point should work with sync in SkyX. I have used SkyX sync for years and never had it fail. You realize of course that T-Point will only create a pointing model. It will not give you a tracking model for unguided imaging. In my opinion T-Point without a tracking capability is now kind of obsolete since you can do that with plate solve. The better solution is to use APCC Pro which has modeling for both tracking and pointing.

Roland

-----Original Message-----
From: Astrobob <imager1940@...>
To: main@ap-gto.groups.io <main@ap-gto.groups.io>
Sent: Thu, Jun 17, 2021 9:43 am
Subject: Re: [ap-gto] Sync with The Sky 6 Pro

 
 
Sent from Mail for Windows 10
 
Hi Roland,
 
I slewed and resynced with The Sky 6pro and my is model is by Tpoint.
 
Bob

--
Roland Christen
Astro-Physics
Re: Setting Park Position for ACP Script

George
 

Jerry,

 

If you are using APCC, go to the Park tab and change to Park position to Park 5.

 

Regards,

 

George

 

George Whitney

Astro-Physics, Inc.

Phone:  815-222-6538 (direct line)

Phone:  815-282-1513 (office)

Email:  george@...

 

From: main@ap-gto.groups.io <main@ap-gto.groups.io> On Behalf Of Jerome A Yesavage
Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2021 9:39 AM
To: main@ap-gto.groups.io
Subject: [ap-gto] Setting Park Position for ACP Script

 

Hi,
My Mach 1 seems to have a default Park 3 position and I want to change it to Park 5.  This is evoked when the shutdown script in ACP runs telescope.park.  This cannot be changed in ACP.  I do not see a setting in APCC that controls this for my Mach 1.
Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Thanks,
Jerry Y

Re: Setting Park Position for ACP Script

Dale Ghent
 

If you have APCC open, you can go to Settings > Edit ASCOM Driver Settings... and look in the lower left corner of the resulting window. Change Park To: to Park 5 and make sure that Unpark From is set to Last Parked.

On Jun 17, 2021, at 10:39, Jerome A Yesavage <yesavage@stanford.edu> wrote:

Hi,
My Mach 1 seems to have a default Park 3 position and I want to change it to Park 5. This is evoked when the shutdown script in ACP runs telescope.park. This cannot be changed in ACP. I do not see a setting in APCC that controls this for my Mach 1.
Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Thanks,
Jerry Y
Re: Sync with The Sky 6 Pro

Astrobob
 

 

 

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

 

Hi Jeff,

 

I will be doing a new model once I pursue the suggestions from Ray and Roland.

 

Thanks,

 

Bob
Re: Sync with The Sky 6 Pro

Astrobob
 

 

 

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

 

Hi Ray,

My model is by TPoint.

 

Thanks, Bob
Re: Sync with The Sky 6 Pro

Astrobob
 

 

 

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

 

Hi Roland,

 

I slewed and resynced with The Sky 6pro and my is model is by Tpoint.

 

Bob
Setting Park Position for ACP Script

Jerome A Yesavage
 

Hi,
My Mach 1 seems to have a default Park 3 position and I want to change it to Park 5.  This is evoked when the shutdown script in ACP runs telescope.park.  This cannot be changed in ACP.  I do not see a setting in APCC that controls this for my Mach 1.
Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Thanks,
Jerry Y
Availability of Encoders for Mount Upgrades

M Hambrick
 

Is there an ETA on when there might be some encoders available for those who want to upgrade their mounts ? I am on the notification list to get encoders for my 1100 mount.

Mike
Re: NINA and utilizing APCC meridian limits

Kenneth Tan
 

Thanks

On Thu, 17 Jun 2021 at 00:40, Dale Ghent <daleg@...> wrote:

Hello everyone. Here's an update on this project.

The plugin system in NINA 1.11 has been more or less finalized and 1.11 build 93 contains the new Plugin Manager. Francesco has made Smart Meridian Flip available through it, so the previously outlined download and installation instructions are no longer relevant.

As of 1.11 build 93, you only need to go to the new Plugins tab, select Available Plugins, and select Smart Meridian Flip. There will be a button to install (or update, if already installed and there is a newer version available) in the upper right corner. Clicking on the Installed Plugins area and Smart Meridian Flip there, you can specify the MLM file in the same areas in the plugin's Options area. For now, updates of existing plugins require a restart of NINA.

I'd like to thank Francesco for putting the work into creating the SMF plugin and supporting APCC's MLM file format. I was doing some other tests last night and made a short video of the plugin at work, as unexciting as a meridian flip is.

https://youtu.be/hy9EvQ_f6jo


> On Jun 11, 2021, at 02:07, Dale Ghent <daleg@...> wrote:
>
>
> Hi all, this aimed at users of APCC and NINA; specifically those who are using the current development train of NINA, version 1.11.
>
> I've been working with another NINA contributor on a plugin for NINA's Advanced Sequencer that replaces the standard meridian flip trigger with a new one called Smart Meridian Flipper.
>
> SMF can read in an APCC .mlm file or one in SMF's own obstruction definition format. It will then dynamically adjust the flip time based on the target's declination and what that corresponds with in the MLM file in terms of a meridian limit.
>
> Flips will happen 10 seconds prior to the mount reaching the defined limit so as not to trigger an adverse reaction from APCC, which itself can be configured to do anything from emit a warning to halting tracking or parking the mount - the latter two being not-helpful when it comes to unattended imaging.
>
> If you are a 1.11+Advanced Sequencer user, use (or aspire to use) meridian limits in APCC, and are interested in having your sequences' meridian flips take advantage of these limits and the wild and crazy world of counterweight-up imaging, I've made the plugin available to try out and test. It seems to work fine on my setup (MLM generated in APCC Pro, driving a Mach1+CP3) but I'm interested in seeing how it works for people who might not have the typical hourglass-shaped limits and perhaps something more funky or asymmetrical going on.
>
> When you run a sequence, SMF will display two time values in its status area:
>
> 1. The local time when there would be a suspension of activity and tracking is halted before reaching the meridian if the limits dictate there will be a need for that
> 2. The local time when the flip will occur
>
> I think in normal settings, most people will not have any need to pause on approach to the meridian so both times will be the same. That's fine. It just means you'll image straight through the meridian until the specified time, which is when the flip will happen. So if your target transits at 1am and it's at a declination that gives you 2 hours of room past the meridian, then the flip will happen at 3am (or really, 2:59:49, due to the 10 second buffer prior to hitting the limit.)
>
> You can download the plugin here:
> https://daleghent.com/misc/nina/SmartMeridianFlip.zip
>
> To install it:
>
> 1. Make sure you're running NINA 1.11 build 92
> 2. Create the folder %LOCALAPPDATA%\NINA\Plugins if it does not already exist
> 3. Unzip the download and drop the DLL file into the above folder, then start NINA
>
> Once NINA is opened:
>
> 4. Go to Options > Plugins > SmartMeridianFlipper and configure it with the .mlm you want to use for your meridian limits.
> 5. Go to Options > Imaging > Meridian Flip Settings and change both Minutes After Meridian and Max. Minutes After Meridian to 1.
> 6. In the same section, make sure that Pause Before Meridian is 0
> 7. In your Advanced Sequencer sequence, *replace* any instance of the standard Meridian Flip trigger with the Smart Meridian Flipper trigger
> 8. Go about your business as you would normally do. If everything goes according to plan, you'll image right up until you hit the meridian limit (minus 10 seconds) for your target's declination.
>
> The plugin system in NINA is being finalized in its design and there will be some major changes soon, so this specific plugin file that I linked above may not work in builds of 1.11 past the current build 92. It will be updated as the plugin system evolves over the next few weeks, which will include an automated way to download and update plugins as new versions are made available by their respective authors.  I wanted to make this plugin available to interested persons early to get it some wider testing. Any testing and feedback is greatly appreciated, of course, and that feedback can be given directly to me (daleg@...) or on the NINA Discord server.
>
> A quick and dirty FAQ:
>
> Q: Will I still have the standard Meridian Flip trigger available if I want to go back to using it?
> A: Yes, it'll still be there. Drag SMF to the trash icon to remove it and drop the standard Meridian Flip trigger back in to your sequence in its place. Essentially the reverse of step 7 above.
>
> Q: Will this be available for NINA 1.10?
> A: No. This is a plugin and NINA's plugin system is new as of more recent builds of 1.11. 1.10 is in bug fix-only mode anyway
>
> Q: Will I be able to use this in NINA 1.11's Simple Sequencer?
> A: No. As with all plugins, this is available for use only within the Advanced Sequencer
>
> Q: If I'm having a problem with this, what info do you need?
> A: Your .mlm file and the target's declination would be great, otherwise I would have no way to replicate your conditions/configuration
>
> Q: CCD or CMOS?
> A: ...
>
> Thanks and happy imaging.
>
> /dale
>
>
>
>
>
>






Re: NINA and utilizing APCC meridian limits

Dale Ghent
 

Hello everyone. Here's an update on this project.

The plugin system in NINA 1.11 has been more or less finalized and 1.11 build 93 contains the new Plugin Manager. Francesco has made Smart Meridian Flip available through it, so the previously outlined download and installation instructions are no longer relevant.

As of 1.11 build 93, you only need to go to the new Plugins tab, select Available Plugins, and select Smart Meridian Flip. There will be a button to install (or update, if already installed and there is a newer version available) in the upper right corner. Clicking on the Installed Plugins area and Smart Meridian Flip there, you can specify the MLM file in the same areas in the plugin's Options area. For now, updates of existing plugins require a restart of NINA.

I'd like to thank Francesco for putting the work into creating the SMF plugin and supporting APCC's MLM file format. I was doing some other tests last night and made a short video of the plugin at work, as unexciting as a meridian flip is.

https://youtu.be/hy9EvQ_f6jo

On Jun 11, 2021, at 02:07, Dale Ghent <daleg@elemental.org> wrote:


Hi all, this aimed at users of APCC and NINA; specifically those who are using the current development train of NINA, version 1.11.

I've been working with another NINA contributor on a plugin for NINA's Advanced Sequencer that replaces the standard meridian flip trigger with a new one called Smart Meridian Flipper.

SMF can read in an APCC .mlm file or one in SMF's own obstruction definition format. It will then dynamically adjust the flip time based on the target's declination and what that corresponds with in the MLM file in terms of a meridian limit.

Flips will happen 10 seconds prior to the mount reaching the defined limit so as not to trigger an adverse reaction from APCC, which itself can be configured to do anything from emit a warning to halting tracking or parking the mount - the latter two being not-helpful when it comes to unattended imaging.

If you are a 1.11+Advanced Sequencer user, use (or aspire to use) meridian limits in APCC, and are interested in having your sequences' meridian flips take advantage of these limits and the wild and crazy world of counterweight-up imaging, I've made the plugin available to try out and test. It seems to work fine on my setup (MLM generated in APCC Pro, driving a Mach1+CP3) but I'm interested in seeing how it works for people who might not have the typical hourglass-shaped limits and perhaps something more funky or asymmetrical going on.

When you run a sequence, SMF will display two time values in its status area:

1. The local time when there would be a suspension of activity and tracking is halted before reaching the meridian if the limits dictate there will be a need for that
2. The local time when the flip will occur

I think in normal settings, most people will not have any need to pause on approach to the meridian so both times will be the same. That's fine. It just means you'll image straight through the meridian until the specified time, which is when the flip will happen. So if your target transits at 1am and it's at a declination that gives you 2 hours of room past the meridian, then the flip will happen at 3am (or really, 2:59:49, due to the 10 second buffer prior to hitting the limit.)

You can download the plugin here:
https://daleghent.com/misc/nina/SmartMeridianFlip.zip

To install it:

1. Make sure you're running NINA 1.11 build 92
2. Create the folder %LOCALAPPDATA%\NINA\Plugins if it does not already exist
3. Unzip the download and drop the DLL file into the above folder, then start NINA

Once NINA is opened:

4. Go to Options > Plugins > SmartMeridianFlipper and configure it with the .mlm you want to use for your meridian limits.
5. Go to Options > Imaging > Meridian Flip Settings and change both Minutes After Meridian and Max. Minutes After Meridian to 1.
6. In the same section, make sure that Pause Before Meridian is 0
7. In your Advanced Sequencer sequence, *replace* any instance of the standard Meridian Flip trigger with the Smart Meridian Flipper trigger
8. Go about your business as you would normally do. If everything goes according to plan, you'll image right up until you hit the meridian limit (minus 10 seconds) for your target's declination.

The plugin system in NINA is being finalized in its design and there will be some major changes soon, so this specific plugin file that I linked above may not work in builds of 1.11 past the current build 92. It will be updated as the plugin system evolves over the next few weeks, which will include an automated way to download and update plugins as new versions are made available by their respective authors. I wanted to make this plugin available to interested persons early to get it some wider testing. Any testing and feedback is greatly appreciated, of course, and that feedback can be given directly to me (daleg@elemental.org) or on the NINA Discord server.

A quick and dirty FAQ:

Q: Will I still have the standard Meridian Flip trigger available if I want to go back to using it?
A: Yes, it'll still be there. Drag SMF to the trash icon to remove it and drop the standard Meridian Flip trigger back in to your sequence in its place. Essentially the reverse of step 7 above.

Q: Will this be available for NINA 1.10?
A: No. This is a plugin and NINA's plugin system is new as of more recent builds of 1.11. 1.10 is in bug fix-only mode anyway

Q: Will I be able to use this in NINA 1.11's Simple Sequencer?
A: No. As with all plugins, this is available for use only within the Advanced Sequencer

Q: If I'm having a problem with this, what info do you need?
A: Your .mlm file and the target's declination would be great, otherwise I would have no way to replicate your conditions/configuration

Q: CCD or CMOS?
A: ...

Thanks and happy imaging.

/dale
Re: Sync with The Sky 6 Pro

Roland Christen
 


Tonight, after I slew to Vega it was off by several degrees so I centered it with the hand pad and  did a resync.
What program did you slew with? What program did you sync with?

Rolando


-----Original Message-----
From: Astrobob <imager1940@...>
To: main@ap-gto.groups.io <main@ap-gto.groups.io>
Sent: Wed, Jun 16, 2021 12:05 am
Subject: [ap-gto] Sync with The Sky 6 Pro

Hi All,
 
I’m having problems with my AP1200. The CP3 is updated. I have a large model that suddenly won’t sync. Tonight, after I slew to Vega it was off by several degrees so I centered it with the hand pad and  did a resync. Then when I went to Deneb and that was way off. So I parked the mount and found it pointing in the wrong direction on both axis. Then I releveled the mount and with the Sky6Pro slew to Vega and once again was off by several degrees. I’m running in circles. I’m sure I’m missing some step somewhere…
 
Bob
 
Sent from Mail for Windows 10
 

--
Roland Christen
Astro-Physics
Re: Sync with The Sky 6 Pro

Ray Gralak
 

Yes, ultimately, the model should be redone, but this should get the mount back into a close enough position to create a new model.

Also, reading the original post, it's not clear if the model is a TPoint or APCC model.

-Ray

-----Original Message-----
From: main@ap-gto.groups.io [mailto:main@ap-gto.groups.io] On Behalf Of Jeff B
Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2021 6:56 AM
To: main@ap-gto.groups.io
Subject: Re: [ap-gto] Sync with The Sky 6 Pro

But I see you re-leveled the mount. That's a change in position right. Should you do another model?

Jeff

On Wed, Jun 16, 2021 at 8:17 AM Ray Gralak <iogroups@siriusimaging.com> wrote:


Hi Bob,

1. In APCC, park the mount at its current position (it doesn't matter where).
2. Loosen the mount's clutches and manually move the scope to the Park 3 position.
3. In APCC, unpark the mount from Park 3.
4. Try slewing to someplace in the sky using Sky6Pro.
5. If the mount goes to the correct position, then recal on a star, or plate solve and recal, if you are imaging.

-Ray

> -----Original Message-----
> From: main@ap-gto.groups.io [mailto:main@ap-gto.groups.io] On Behalf Of Astrobob
> Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2021 10:05 PM
> To: main@ap-gto.groups.io
> Subject: [ap-gto] Sync with The Sky 6 Pro
>
> Hi All,
>
>
>
> I’m having problems with my AP1200. The CP3 is updated. I have a large model that suddenly won’t
sync.
> Tonight, after I slew to Vega it was off by several degrees so I centered it with the hand pad and did a
resync.
> Then when I went to Deneb and that was way off. So I parked the mount and found it pointing in the
wrong
> direction on both axis. Then I releveled the mount and with the Sky6Pro slew to Vega and once again
was off by
> several degrees. I’m running in circles. I’m sure I’m missing some step somewhere…
>
>
>
> Bob
>
>
>
> Sent from Mail <https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for Windows 10
>
>
>
>
Re: Sync with The Sky 6 Pro

Jeff B
 

But I see you re-leveled the mount.  That's a change in position right.  Should you do another model?

Jeff

On Wed, Jun 16, 2021 at 8:17 AM Ray Gralak <iogroups@...> wrote:
Hi Bob,

1. In APCC, park the mount at its current position (it doesn't matter where).
2. Loosen the mount's clutches and manually move the scope to the Park 3 position.
3. In APCC, unpark the mount from Park 3.
4. Try slewing to someplace in the sky using Sky6Pro.
5. If the mount goes to the correct position, then recal on a star, or plate solve and recal, if you are imaging.

-Ray

> -----Original Message-----
> From: main@ap-gto.groups.io [mailto:main@ap-gto.groups.io] On Behalf Of Astrobob
> Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2021 10:05 PM
> To: main@ap-gto.groups.io
> Subject: [ap-gto] Sync with The Sky 6 Pro
>
> Hi All,
>
>
>
> I’m having problems with my AP1200. The CP3 is updated. I have a large model that suddenly won’t sync.
> Tonight, after I slew to Vega it was off by several degrees so I centered it with the hand pad and  did a resync.
> Then when I went to Deneb and that was way off. So I parked the mount and found it pointing in the wrong
> direction on both axis. Then I releveled the mount and with the Sky6Pro slew to Vega and once again was off by
> several degrees. I’m running in circles. I’m sure I’m missing some step somewhere…
>
>
>
> Bob
>
>
>
> Sent from Mail <https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986>  for Windows 10
>
>
>
>






Re: Sync with The Sky 6 Pro

Ray Gralak
 

Hi Bob,

1. In APCC, park the mount at its current position (it doesn't matter where).
2. Loosen the mount's clutches and manually move the scope to the Park 3 position.
3. In APCC, unpark the mount from Park 3.
4. Try slewing to someplace in the sky using Sky6Pro.
5. If the mount goes to the correct position, then recal on a star, or plate solve and recal, if you are imaging.

-Ray

-----Original Message-----
From: main@ap-gto.groups.io [mailto:main@ap-gto.groups.io] On Behalf Of Astrobob
Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2021 10:05 PM
To: main@ap-gto.groups.io
Subject: [ap-gto] Sync with The Sky 6 Pro

Hi All,



I’m having problems with my AP1200. The CP3 is updated. I have a large model that suddenly won’t sync.
Tonight, after I slew to Vega it was off by several degrees so I centered it with the hand pad and did a resync.
Then when I went to Deneb and that was way off. So I parked the mount and found it pointing in the wrong
direction on both axis. Then I releveled the mount and with the Sky6Pro slew to Vega and once again was off by
several degrees. I’m running in circles. I’m sure I’m missing some step somewhere…



Bob



Sent from Mail <https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for Windows 10
Re: Question about meridian limits

Ray Gralak
 

> I have 2 independent imaging systems on my AP110AE that have their own

> independent computers. I did this because I have imagers from the same mfg on both

> systems and was having serious driver issues using 1 computer for both.

> I use APCC Pro. I am going to set up a median limit map.

 

> Can I create the map on 1 system and then copy the file to the second computer?

 

Yes, you can do this. Here are the steps:

 

1.    In APCC's Meridian Tracking Limits Explorer (see screenshot below), click "Save As..." and save to a file.

2.    Move the meridian limits file to the other computer.

3.    Then on the other computer, click "Load..." and select the meridian limits file that you copied.

 

 

-Ray

 

 

 

> -----Original Message-----

> From: main@ap-gto.groups.io [mailto:main@ap-gto.groups.io] On Behalf Of Rick Darden

> Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2021 3:52 PM

> To: main@ap-gto.groups.io

> Subject: [ap-gto] Question about meridian limits

>

> Hi All,

>

> I have 2 independent imaging systems on my AP110AE that have their own independent computers. I did this

> because I have imagers from the same mfg on both systems and was having serious driver issues using 1

> computer for both. I use APCC Pro. I am going to set up a median limit map. Can I create the map on 1 system

> and then copy the file to the second computer?
Re: Sky Safari - iphone - GTO

Bob
 

On Sat, Jan 16, 2021 at 02:37 AM, Howard Hedlund wrote:
PLEASE NOTE:  The southern hemisphere has a bug in the Park 3 position.  If you are in the southern hemisphere, please do NOT use Park 3 yet.  Sky Safari is aware of the problem and is fixing it.
Based on what just happened to me I am assuming Sky Safari still hasn't fixed this one yet? The mount decided to head for nadir.

Thanks
1 - 20 of 79052