Time out option for sequencer and dithering

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cwm2col
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Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2021 2:21 pm

Time out option for sequencer and dithering

#1

Post by cwm2col »

Hi Robin,

When imaging now in nautical darkness, I usually setup for 4 hours run with the sequence set to end about 3am determined from number of exposures. I dither every frame, and ask the scope to park so that it does not cause a camera tripod crash.
Unfortunately it happened again using sharpcap sequencer. As it constantly checks for guiding to be re established when brightness comes back early in the morning, the sequence often never ends and the mount keeps turning, and I don't want it to do that. Maybe I missed it, but how do I prevent this happening? Is there a guiding check timeout that can be used to stop the sequence because there are no stars anymore when the sun comes up.

Thanks.
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Re: Time out option for sequencer and dithering

#2

Post by admin »

Hi,

I can't think of a way to build this sort of functionality with the current sequencer capabilities, but it make sense to have something like this in a future update. Perhaps a 'StopWhen' step that can stop the main part of the sequence and run some cleanup steps at time of astronomical dawn or some other configured time?

cheers,

Robin
cwm2col
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Re: Time out option for sequencer and dithering

#3

Post by cwm2col »

Thanks Robin,

that might be a useful addition eventually.
Last night, fyi, I ran a sequence and timed instead to finish after 35 exposures before the sun came up. The sequencer was finished, everything ran perfectly, except for one issue that I would like solved.
The mount did not go back to zero position or warm up the camera (two tick boxes at bottom of sequencer). I was very lucky that it stopped at 15 deg past meridian per mount settings without a crash.
Do you need a log (I assume done is saved) to see why this happened, or tell me where in the log I should look.
It used to work in earlier beta versions, but does not at the moment.

thanks again, Colm
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Re: Time out option for sequencer and dithering

#4

Post by admin »

Hi,

if you do have the log (it will be in the SharpCap logs folder somewhere) then I am happy to have a look. The log tracks the sequencer very carefully including the full details of any sequence being run and start/end/info/errors on each step, so hopefully the reason should be there.

cheers,

Robin
cwm2col
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Re: Time out option for sequencer and dithering

#5

Post by cwm2col »

I attached what I hope is the correct log file.
When the dawn breaks (although it is before 3am), guiding is lost but (and this is what I do not know), does that prevent the sequence from stopping, parking and warming?
thanks, Colm
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Log_2021-05-30T23_24_43-19228.log
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Re: Time out option for sequencer and dithering

#6

Post by admin »

Hi,

thanks for sharing.

At just after 01:40, PHD starts to have trouble maitaining guiding, and SharpCap basically keeps telling it to 'try again' in the hope of getting guiding active so that imaging can continue.

When I put that code together, I must admit I was thinking mostly in terms of guiding being lost due to passing clouds, so repeated retries to restart guiding make sense - SharpCap retries about every 60s, because after all, that cloud could be gone now. I think that that strategy still has value - I would hate to see sequences give up after 5 minutes only for the cloud to clear after 6 minutes...

I need to think of a way to express the idea that the sequence (or maybe part of the sequence) must be finished by a particular time (or by dawn, or when within X degrees of the meridian, etc).

Your sequence from the planner is

Code: Select all

SEQUENCE
    DELAY 1
    STILL MODE
    STILL MODE
    COOL DOWN TO -10 RATE 8 TOLERANCE 1
    SET COLOUR SPACE TO RAW16
    SET OUTPUT FORMAT TO "FITS files (*.fits)"
    GUIDING CONNECT ABORT False
    #Capture 45 Light frames
    PRESERVE CAMERA SETTINGS
        FRAMETYPE Light
        GUIDING DITHER EVERY 230
        CAPTURE 45 FRAMES REQUIREGUIDING True
        GUIDING DITHER EVERY STOP
    END PRESERVE
    MOUNT PARK
    WARM UP TO 10 LIMIT 5 RATE 8 TOLERANCE 2
END SEQUENCE
maybe you can imagine something like

Code: Select all

SEQUENCE
    DELAY 1
    STILL MODE
    STILL MODE
    COOL DOWN TO -10 RATE 8 TOLERANCE 1
    SET COLOUR SPACE TO RAW16
    SET OUTPUT FORMAT TO "FITS files (*.fits)"
    GUIDING CONNECT ABORT False
    STOP WHEN NauticalDawn
    	PRESERVE CAMERA SETTINGS
        	FRAMETYPE Light
        	GUIDING DITHER EVERY 230
        	CAPTURE 45 FRAMES REQUIREGUIDING True
        	GUIDING DITHER EVERY STOP
    	END PRESERVE	
    END STOP WHEN
    MOUNT PARK
    WARM UP TO 10 LIMIT 5 RATE 8 TOLERANCE 2
END SEQUENCE
basically the idea is that imaging would stop at a specifed time (in this case Nautical Dawn) and then the remainder of the sequence (park, etc) would run.

Any other ideas welcome,

cheers,

Robin
cwm2col
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Re: Time out option for sequencer and dithering

#7

Post by cwm2col »

That looks like it would be very useful. For summer imaging at least, being able to end a sequence and run the mount parking is important in my opinion, while retaining the option the continue guiding as you say for intermittent cloud cover. It would prevent mount crashes, which is what could happen in the current iteration.

A form of astronomical clock or something similar.

Becomes moot in the winter I suppose where clouds or dew are more limiting than sunrise for the guiding aspect.
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Re: Time out option for sequencer and dithering

#8

Post by admin »

Hi,

thanks for the feedback - I have this now on the TODO list, along with several other items I will be looking at this after the first full release of SC 4.0 is completed.

cheers,

Robin
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