New beta version of APCC Standard (1.9.1.0) and Pro (1.9.1.1)
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Ray Gralak
Hello all,
Here are new BETA versions of APCC Standard and Pro. Note that I said BETA! I've tested them to the best that I can, but please only download/try these if you want to try a specific new feature. There is also more work to be done updating the help file. That said, you can easily downgrade APCC by reinstalling the last public releases on the astro-physics web site. Here are most of the changes: APCC Standard / Pro - Because the NASA Horizons website has been revamped, copying/pasting the website data no longer works as instructed in the help. However, the web site now allows you to download the file. Horizons (the application) now has a new button, that when clicked, allows you to select the downloaded ephemeris file. APCC Standard / Pro - Provides an additional time offset for meridian flip point for Sequence Generator Pro users. Occasionally someone has reported a flip has not occurred because of a race condition between SGPro and the mount. This offset can be used to move the flip point so that flips reliably occur. APCC Pro - Any calculated pointing term that exceeds a predetermined maximum value is set to 0 to prevent huge over-corrections when using the all-sky pointing models. When generating Dec Arc models sometimes the generated pointing model will have crazy-high term values. This change zeros out any pointing term with a crazy-high value so that pointing will not be grossly wrong. APCC Pro - The 3D View now follows the Mach 2 position even when declutched. You might see warnings pop up in this version, but those will be removed in the next release build. The following change requires a license dated August 1, 2020 or later: APCC Pro - APPM - Add check box to ASTAP plate solve configuration to use FITS header for RA, Dec, and image scale. APCC Pro - APPM - Add new command line switch (-M) to accept configuration on the Measurement Points tab. This is for Dec-Arc support using NINA's method of kicking off a dec-arc modeling run before imaging. APCC Standard BETA: https://www.apastrosoftware.com/apcc_download/APCC_Standard_BETA_Setup_1.9.1.0.exe APCC Pro BETA: https://www.apastrosoftware.com/apcc_download/APCC_Pro_BETA_Setup_1.9.1.1.exe -Ray Gralak |
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Linwood Ferguson
Ray Gralak wrote:
> APCC Pro - APPM - Add check box to ASTAP plate solve configuration to use FITS header for RA, Dec, and image scale.
I had a bit of time waiting for dark so I ran the prior and beta through 2-3 points in a "run" from APPM (not just the plate solve).
As best I can tell it worked perfectly. Here is the log in the old version:
0000390 2021-10-21 19:37:46.472: Info, ASTAP Plate Solve, Solve() called. 0000391 2021-10-21 19:37:46.472: Error, ASTAP Plate Solve, Failed to get FITS dimensions (NAXIS1/NAXIS2) 0000392 2021-10-21 19:37:46.472: Info, ASTAP Plate Solve, StartSolve: application path: c:/program files/astap/astap.exe 0000393 2021-10-21 19:37:46.472: Info, ASTAP Plate Solve, StartSolve: arguments: -f "C:\Users\ferguson\Documents\Astro-Physics\APPM\Image-APPM-2021-10-21-193634.txt-0002-RA_20.213-DEC_-41.000.fit" -ra 20.1891585182137 -spd 48.9385895224573 -fov 0 -s 1000 -r 5 0000394 2021-10-21 19:37:46.488: Info, ASTAP Plate Solve, ASTAP is still running. 0000395 2021-10-21 19:37:46.640: Info, State Machine, Entering State=PlateSolveWait 0000396 2021-10-21 19:37:46.702: Info, ASTAP Plate Solve, ASTAP is still running. 0000397 2021-10-21 19:37:46.905: Info, ASTAP Plate Solve, ASTAP is still running. 0000398 2021-10-21 19:37:47.109: Info, ASTAP Plate Solve, ASTAP is still running. 0000399 2021-10-21 19:37:47.311: Info, ASTAP Plate Solve, ASTAP is still running. 0000400 2021-10-21 19:37:47.514: Info, ASTAP Plate Solve, ASTAP is still running. 0000401 2021-10-21 19:37:47.718: Info, ASTAP Plate Solve, ASTAP has exited. 0000402 2021-10-21 19:37:47.718: Info, ASTAP Results, Results Filename = C:\Users\ferguson\Documents\Astro-Physics\APPM\Image-APPM-2021-10-21-193634.txt-0002-RA_20.213-DEC_-41.000.ini 0000403 2021-10-21 19:37:47.719: Info, ASTAP Results, PLTSOLVD=T 0
Note the "-fov 0" which causes a couple of extra loops, and the "failed to get FITS dimensions".
In the new version:
0000531 2021-10-21 19:40:50.143: Info, ASTAP Plate Solve, Init 0000532 2021-10-21 19:40:50.143: Info, ASTAP Plate Solve, Solve() called. 0000533 2021-10-21 19:40:50.143: Info, ASTAP Plate Solve, Image scale (arc-secs/pixel): X = 0.793280434129994, Y = 0.793280434129994 0000534 2021-10-21 19:40:50.143: Info, ASTAP Plate Solve, NAXIS1/NAXIS2 (pixels) = 4784 / 3194, Image dimensions X/Y (degrees) = 1.03062828266667 / 0.688090872666667 0000535 2021-10-21 19:40:50.143: Info, ASTAP Plate Solve, StartSolve: application path: c:/program files/astap/astap.exe 0000536 2021-10-21 19:40:50.143: Info, ASTAP Plate Solve, StartSolve: arguments: -f "C:\Users\ferguson\Documents\Astro-Physics\APPM\Image-APPM-2021-10-21-194002.txt-0001-RA_20.468-DEC_26.570.fit" -ra 20.4524913831812 -spd 116.499133899902 -fov 0.688090872666667 -s 1000 -r 5 0000537 2021-10-21 19:40:50.160: Info, ASTAP Plate Solve, ASTAP is still running. 0000538 2021-10-21 19:40:50.334: Info, State Machine, Entering State=PlateSolveWait 0000539 2021-10-21 19:40:50.365: Info, ASTAP Plate Solve, ASTAP is still running. 0000540 2021-10-21 19:40:50.568: Info, ASTAP Plate Solve, ASTAP is still running. 0000541 2021-10-21 19:40:50.771: Info, ASTAP Plate Solve, ASTAP has exited. 0000542 2021-10-21 19:40:50.771: Info, ASTAP Results, Results Filename = C:\Users\ferguson\Documents\Astro-Physics\APPM\Image-APPM-2021-10-21-194002.txt-0001-RA_20.468-DEC_26.570.ini 0000543 2021-10-21 19:40:50.772: Info, ASTAP Results, PLTSOLVD=T
In this it has a calculated fov and no error. The solve time was fast in both cases, but did improve from 1.25s to 0.62s.
I didn't have time to do a full model but let it run a couple points and all looked good.
Thank you.
Linwood
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Ray Gralak
Thanks, Linwood, for giving the beta a try! I'm glad the new APPM version solved the ASTAP problem.
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-Ray -----Original Message----- |
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Sébastien Doré
Hello Ray,
Re 3D viewer, a quick test confirmed it now tracks the movements on my Mach2 (FW: VCP5-P02-10 if that matters)
with clutches disengaged.
Will test the APPM/ASTAP enhancement next time I get a chance to do a real mapping run, but I can already tell the solving time I now get with the NINA camera simulator (which shouldn't be that much different with my own camera assuming correct exposure and
solver settings) has improved by 10 times, from 5 sec to 0.5 sec per point !
🙂
Also I don't know if it has something to do with it (or if a recent intempestive Win10 update or something else fixed it) but I also got the "Refresh COM Ports" in APCC working with this version, which never did for
me before (always had to restart APCC when I managed to create COM ports conflicts somehow).
That plus the continued DEC-Arc modeling integration effort with NINA's feature set makes very good reasons for that version to be loved, as far as I am concerned.
Thanks for this update. I for one much appreciate it.
Sébastien
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Dale Ghent
Big thanks to Ray for implementing this option. I'm going to be fleshing out the dec-arc integration for my NINA plugin over the next week.  On Oct 22, 2021, at 15:15, Seb@stro <sebastiendore1@...> wrote: |
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Ray Gralak
Hi Sébastien,
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Thanks for confirming the 3D View operation with the Mach 2 declutched! I just posted a new APCC Pro build that eliminates the popup windows when you start the 3D Viewer. If you want to try it, here it is: https://www.apastrosoftware.com/apcc_download/APCC_Pro_BETA_Setup_1.9.1.3.exe -Ray -----Original Message----- |
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Sébastien Doré
Yep, pop-up no more.
Sébastien
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Sébastien Doré
Hi,
Did a full Dec-arc mapping run last night using
the FITS header RA/DEC coordinates for platesolving with ASTAP. All solves were successful. About 80% of the points were solved in less than 1 sec. The rest in less than 2 seconds. All ASTAP calls were done using the correct FoV value, as expected.
For reference, here are the details of the APPM run:
Total duration was 27 minutes, a saving of about 23% vs a similar run with the previous APPM version.
Gives me an average time
per point of about ~37 seconds.
I will probably try increasing the slew speed to 1800x to further speed this up a bit, but I think my bottleneck will remain the image acquisition
which I eyeballed to about 17 secs in itself, from the time APPM calls it to when it calls the solve.
Sébastien
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DFisch
Sebastien, thank you so much for your pioneering work and breaking new ground with the combination of DSLR/large FL/tight Dec-arcs and plate solves. You have given us a nice map on how to proceed forward in the wilderness when you are a pilgrim like me. Thanks So Much! Tom Fischer, Indy
TJF ThinkPad1
From: Seb@stro
Sent: Monday, October 25, 2021 11:41 AM To: main@ap-gto.groups.io Subject: Re: [ap-gto] New beta version of APCC Standard (1.9.1.0) and Pro (1.9.1.1)
Hi,
Did a full Dec-arc mapping run last night using the FITS header RA/DEC coordinates for platesolving with ASTAP. All solves were successful. About 80% of the points were solved in less than 1 sec. The rest in less than 2 seconds. All ASTAP calls were done using the correct FoV value, as expected.
For reference, here are the details of the APPM run:
Total duration was 27 minutes, a saving of about 23% vs a similar run with the previous APPM version.
Gives me an average time per point of about ~37 seconds. I will probably try increasing the slew speed to 1800x to further speed this up a bit, but I think my bottleneck will remain the image acquisition which I eyeballed to about 17 secs in itself, from the time APPM calls it to when it calls the solve.
Sébastien
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Sébastien Doré
Glad if it can help Tom! 🙂I too am a pilgrim in the world of point modeling. Our
specific use case doesn't seem that common either so I thought it could indeed be of interest to share.
As many, I like to make the most out of my equipment/software and squeeze every drop of performance whenever I can. That's what I do for a living too (profesionnal system engineer) so I am used to complex system integration / optimization. Of course, AP equipment
quality / support tremendously helps alleviate the grieve and so does the community on this forum. So I am happy when I can give back.
That said, I think the next step for me will be to learn how to interpret the modeled terms so I can improve my setup. But I think I'll keep that for a future post...
Clear skies!
Sébastien
De : main@ap-gto.groups.io <main@ap-gto.groups.io> de la part de DFisch <manusfisch@...>
Envoyé : 25 octobre 2021 11:50 À : main@ap-gto.groups.io <main@ap-gto.groups.io> Objet : Re: [ap-gto] New beta version of APCC Standard (1.9.1.0) and Pro (1.9.1.1) Sebastien, thank you so much for your pioneering work and breaking new ground with the combination of DSLR/large FL/tight Dec-arcs and plate solves. You have given us a nice map on how to proceed forward in the wilderness when you are a pilgrim like me. Thanks So Much! Tom Fischer, Indy
TJF ThinkPad1 |
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Linwood Ferguson
Seb@stro wrote:
I would love to hear more about that, how to interpret these numbers to pick higher priority items to address, or at least to understand, so please do share.
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You all know that I am a HUGE fan of APCC Pro’s modeling! However;
Mag. 7 or Better Skies!
Howard Hedlund Astro-Physics, Inc. AP Phone: 815-282-1513 Direct Phone: 815-315-7015 Please include this e-mail with your response.
P Consider the environment before printing this e-mail.
From: main@ap-gto.groups.io <main@ap-gto.groups.io>
On Behalf Of ap@...
Sent: Monday, October 25, 2021 12:20 To: main@ap-gto.groups.io Subject: Re: [ap-gto] New beta version of APCC Standard (1.9.1.0) and Pro (1.9.1.1)
Seb@stro wrote:
I would love to hear more about that, how to interpret these numbers to pick higher priority items to address, or at least to understand, so please do share.
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Patrick Sparkman
Hi Ray. Tonight was the first night that I was able to try and image with the Beta APCC. I wanted to to try it for this feature "APCC Standard / Pro - Provides an additional time offset for meridian flip point for Sequence Generator Pro users. Occasionally
someone has reported a flip has not occurred because of a race condition between SGPro and the mount. This offset can be used to move the flip point so that flips reliably occur." However, last night I had two meridian flip failures on two targets. I am using the latest version of SGP version 4.0.0.680. The previous version of APCC did meridian flips fine, with the same APCC and SGP settings. I will revert to the previous version of APCC and test it tonight. Here are my APCC settings.  And a link to the log files for APCC and SGP. Only the second flip failure is shown in the SGP Log, as I had to restart SGP after the first flip failure. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/13E7zoMXb6M-QS1itm0k5V2Ai3E7sm_se?usp=sharing |
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Ray Gralak
Unless you posted the wrong screenshot, I don’t think you tested it. I don’t see the control for Flip Offset Padding in your screenshot.
It would be right below the “Flip Offset(mins)” control as shown in this screenshot:
-Ray
From: main@ap-gto.groups.io [mailto:main@ap-gto.groups.io] On Behalf Of psparkman via groups.io
Sent: Wednesday, October 27, 2021 12:21 PM To: main@ap-gto.groups.io Subject: Re: [ap-gto] New beta version of APCC Standard (1.9.1.0) and Pro (1.9.1.1)
Hi Ray. Tonight was the first night that I was able to try and image with the Beta APCC. I wanted to to try it for this feature "APCC Standard / Pro - Provides an additional time offset for meridian flip point for Sequence Generator Pro users. Occasionally |
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Marcelo Figueroa
On Wed, Oct 27, 2021 at 03:18 PM, Ray Gralak wrote:
Very interesting, I had not noticed this new function, I am one of those who have this problem between SGP and APCC, this function is specific to the beta version, correct?
I will definitely test it when the final version is available. Now I am using the latest version 1.8 of APCC Pro and it works fine for my needs (I missed the free upgrade date by only a couple of days ), but this new feature is worth it.
Thanks for introducing it.
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Patrick Sparkman
Sorry Ray, I am so embarrassed. I took that screen shot after I had reverted to the older version. I never even noticed that new setting. Sorry! I have set it to 10 minutes, and will run the same set of sequences tonight and see what happens. I assume that the flip offset padding adjusts the point to which the mount will try to counterweight up slew when SGP sends a slew command for a meridian flip?
I went back to the Beta version, and here are my settings that are currently running now. 
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Ray Gralak
I assume that the flip offset padding adjusts the point to which the mount will try to
counterweight up slew when SGP sends a slew command for a meridian flip?No, it does not. It shifts the meridian delay. Note that the flip offset can be negative or positive. -Ray -----Original Message----- |
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Mauricio Guerra
I did tried one more time today using the BETA version you provided above (Pro 1.9.1.1). I did set the proper settings and used the buttons to download the data within JPL site and the "Load JPL File" button in Horizons. Unfortunately, I still get the same behavior/error.
I use windows 10, in case it is important.  Hopefully my observation is consistent with other. Thanks for the help getting this resolved. Regards, Mauricio Guerra San Diego, CA. |
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Mauricio, Did you check that the necessary table settings are selected (2, 3, 4, 7, 9) ? Check Edit Table Settings on the Horizons web page. Geert
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