Sky Simulator - wrong Focuser instance

[ChrisR Oz]

Hi All,

I have Sky Simulator working (seemed to be a good way to try out new SC plate solving functions). Anyway, got it working fine, and it responds to movements of the ASCOM .NET Telescope, which SC has connected to also. Star field in "camera" view moves when I move the "mount". Cool.

However, when I try to connect both SC and Sky Simulator to the ASCOM Focuser, so Sky Simulator can also simulate focus/defocus, they open separate instances of the Focuser - I now have two on the screen, acting independently. Doesn't seem to matter which I open first SC or Sky Simulator.

Does anyone have these working together?
Any tips, thoughts?

Cheers, Chris.

[admin]

Hi Chris,

it sounds like the simulated ASCOM focuser doesn't support multiple applications talking to it at once, so it creates a separate one for each program.

I think the trick is to choose 'Device Hub Focuser' in both applications and then inside the device hub setup choose the simulated focuser. The device hub should take care of making sure both programs talk to the same instance of the real focuser.

cheers,

Robin

[ChrisR Oz]

Hi Robin,

Bingo! Excellent. That works well. Can connect to a common Focuser via the Focuser Hub.

But the Focuser Hub does not seem to transmit focuser Jogs too well, using the In/Out buttons in SC to Jog focus. The display in SharpCap and the base ASCOM Focuser now show different Position (see snapshot below), which is why the Focus score, using the Multistar focus assistant appears to bounce around.

Focuser out of sync.JPG (73.43 KiB) Viewed 848 times

This simulator arrangement will probably be a good thing to try out an automated focus (driven by position command), which does not use Jogs.

Thank you.
Cheers, Chris.

[admin]

Hi,

it could be that, or if you have set up backlash compensation in SharpCap then the value displayed in SharpCap can be different from the value at the focuser due to the backlash being taken into account.

If it is the hub, it might only be synchronizing on a schedule (once per second or something) which could cause problems with rapid changes perhaps?

cheers,

Robin

[ChrisR Oz]

Hi Robin,

Yes, that’s possible- I was pondering the choice for backlash, so may have had that enabled.

The simulator worked well with the auto focus in the sequencer. The simulated out of focus tracked the focus set by the auto focus, and it all converged on the correct focus setting.

Cheers, Chris.

P.S. it would be nice to see the auto focus available on the tools menu too …

[admin]

Hi,

hmm, interesting idea to have it in the tools menu - so far I haven't done it because there are lots of choices to make, but perhaps if the one in the tools menu used all the settings from the most recent manual run it would work? Alternatively there would have to be a window pop up to ask you things like the focus range to scan, direction, number of steps, etc.

cheers,

Robin

[ChrisR Oz]

Hi Robin,

As a follow up, ironically, I found that CPWI doesn't seem to have anywhere to set the telescope FL, so I've started using the setting in SharpCap to provide the FL.

Cheers, Chris.