Avoid excessive drift during unguided live stack

Discussions on extending SharpCap using the built in Python scripting functionality
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ppato
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Aug 20, 2020 3:10 pm

Avoid excessive drift during unguided live stack

#1

Post by ppato »

My guide camera went down so I'm trying to use my C8 on EQ6 to shoot in live staking.
It works well with 20s exposure but leaving the scope shooting for some hours bring to a massive drift and a "drifting" final result.
I wrote a very small script to pause the stack and use the plate solve to recenter the object every 10 minutes.
I found no other cleaner way than using an external command (mouseclick.bat is using the NirCmd command) to press by mouse the "Plate Solve and Sync" button provided by SharpCap.

Code: Select all

import time
import subprocess
while True:
	SharpCap.LiveStacking.Parameters.Pause()
	subprocess.call(["mousclick.bat"])
	time.sleep(120)
	SharpCap.LiveStacking.Parameters.UnPause()
	time.sleep(600)
Any advise how making it much clean and less error prone (the Plate solve and Sync has to be in the right screen potion to work)?

Thanks

Pasquale
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admin
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Re: Avoid excessive drift during unguided live stack

#2

Post by admin »

Hi,

there isn't a better way to do this in SharpCap 3.2, but SharpCap 3.3 will have a sequencing tool. One of the steps the sequencing tools can be programmed to run is the plate solver and re-synchronise step. I can't see anything difficult in adding support to run sequence of steps from the scripting model which would be a good workaround for this sort of thing in future.

Cheers, Robin
ppato
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Aug 20, 2020 3:10 pm

Re: Avoid excessive drift during unguided live stack

#3

Post by ppato »

Thanks, it seems quite promising. :)
When the new version I expected to be rolled out?
Bye
Pasquale
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Re: Avoid excessive drift during unguided live stack

#4

Post by admin »

Hi,

I'm expecting to have a publicly available beta testing version before the middle of September.

Cheers, Robin
ppato
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Aug 20, 2020 3:10 pm

Re: Avoid excessive drift during unguided live stack

#5

Post by ppato »

Ok. Thanks.
I'm not sure how much observing time I'll have in September but if useful I could test the beta.
Meanwhile I share a still very basic evolution of the previous script to show on the console how the different phases are proceeding.

Code: Select all

import time
import System
import subprocess


def countdown(t,text):
    waittime = t
    mins, secs = divmod(waittime, 60)
    timeformat = '{:02d}:{:02d}'.format(mins, secs)
 
    while t:

        for num in range(1,20):
            print("\n")
        print text + str(t) + "s di " + str(timeformat)+ " mm:ss"
        time.sleep(1)
        t -= 1

while True:
    SharpCap.LiveStacking.Parameters.Pause()
    subprocess.call(["mousclick.bat"])
    countdown(90,"Attesa Plate Solve: ")
    SharpCap.LiveStacking.Parameters.UnPause()
    countdown(480,"Attesa ripresa: ")

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