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TimC

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Posts posted by TimC

  8. Future Direction of This User's Group

    in Software

    Posted

    Hi All, including all the team at ASA,

     

    I operate my DDM mount remotely with complete automation. I have now used Autoslew for 2 years or so, and still I read the current manual with confusion regarding so many aspects of the software. I do use it successfully though most nights to do the basics. I haven't gone near the new "supermodel" stuff in the latest software as it is not yet documented and as I haven't had the time, and I am terrified of upsetting what is a reasonably stable situation with the mount that has been achieved finally.  I use CCDAutoPillot to automate my imaging all night as Sequence didn't seem to have all the features I expected in an automation program, at the stage I setup 2 years ago. This means, with all night robotic automated remote imaging that the MLPT feature has  not been  available to me sadly....I would have loved to see MLPT integrated with the CCDAutoPilot software.

     

    I would accept  paying a fair price for ongoing support/software, but I have to say the software documentation has to be improved.

     

    All the best,

    Tim

  9. Future Direction of This User's Group

    in Software

    Posted

    I really hope that all of you guys, the experienced ASA users, don't abandon this forum out of frustration.....then were would we all be?? I think we need each other to stay together on this forum and to keep checking in regularly to help each other. I really appreciate the assistance I have received from this forum.

     

    I also would appreciate it if ASA had more time devoted to this forum.

     

    I am sure ASA realises that their credibilty / reputation is their best asset after the good products. A product, no matter how good it is,  has to have good ongoing support -  and that includes delivering on software updates that are promised, but most importantly,  providing excellent documentation and software manuals. 

     

    I have had good support directly from ASA, when I have needed it.

     

    I am sure ASA really means well and has the customer at the center of their plans going forward.

     

     

    Thanks,

    Tim

  14. ASA Scope Fan control on Autoslew

    in Software

    Posted

    Hi,

    I have my scope's fans connected to the ASA mount DDM85's fan controller facility. I can switch my fans on and off by using the slider control on the Autoslew software. Is there a way to switch the Fan control slider on and off using visual basic scripting?? I have scripts to park the mount etc, but is there a way to use script for the fan control slider?? I currently find that to slide the slider half way across gives a good fan speed on my scope.

     

    Thanks and regards,

    Tim

  17. Does anyone have experience with dome slaving?

    in Small Talk

    Posted

    Hi Ian,

     

    Sorry, we are talking about he same thing. I was talking about the ASCOM Dome Control in my last sentence -  that utilises the MaxDome2 driver. You will, of course, need to input all the offsets...offsets of the mount pivot point from the absolute centre of the dome,  and also the optical offset, assuming you are using a GEM??

     

    Sorry to confuse the issue.

     

    Cheers,

    Tim

  19. Does anyone have experience with dome slaving?

    in Small Talk

    Posted · Edited by TimC

    Hi Ian,

     

    Yes, this is a frustrating and time consuming pursuit at times. I have both a 2.3m Sirius dome and a 3.5m Sirius dome in the Southern Hemisphere. In the 2.3m dome I have the dome scope slaving done by TheSkyX Dome add on controlling MaxDome2 as the mount in this dome can only really be run by TheSkyX as it's driver. I therefore put the  dome geometry and scope offsets in TheSkyX. In the 3.5m dome, I am running the DDM85 premium, and have had good success putting the dome geometry and offsets in to POTH so that POTH handles the issue. I am now using TheSkyX in this dome however to control the mount driver and use TheSkyX's dome add on to control the dome and that is giving me adequate scope slit slaving alignment.

     

    Whatever software you use, as you know, it is important to set the dome's home position  azimuth accurately into the MaxDome driver before doing anything else. I then check that the dome slit azimuth lines up well with the scope azimuth when the scope is asked to point due east and due west. I have found negative numbers in any of the software for the mount RA/DEC intersection to the optic tube centre do not work, but in all the software I have used, a positive number woks for me. I point the scope to the north and south and make the tube flip and unflip experimenting with the offset until I get the best results. The offset has been close to, but not exactly the measured distance from the RA/DEC mount intersection and the middle of the optic tube. I had to experiment for a while to get the correct offset. Of course it is important to enter the correct dome radius of 1.75m and the correct lat. and long. I think POTH was the easiest to setup. I have never just relied on MaxDome2 by itself to do this.

     

    Cheers,

    Tim

  21. Some niggling issues

    in ASA DDM85, 100, 200, 500

    Posted

    Hi Lukas, George, and Robert,

     

    Thank you all very much. I will swap out the USB and see if I get some improvement. The power source is the one supplied by ASA, so I suspect that is OK. George, it looks like to me there is no current rise before the crash, so maybe it isn't the dreaded lack of balance gremlin. I will hope it is an inadequate USB rather than a fault. The last 3 nights have been run by CCDAP all night without another glitch, but the night before that the scope froze up after trying to point to the ground....!

     

    Cheers,

    Tim

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