AllSky cameras (round 2)

[RodgerC]

Great, thank you very much. I appreciate it. I'll give it a try and hopefully be able to get it to work. Again, thanks for your help.

Rodger

[RodgerC]

Robin,
Is this how I'm supposed to put this into the sequencer? Got a feeling I'm not doing this right....

SEQUENCE
LOOP 100 TIMES
WAIT UNTIL EVENT CivilDusk
CAMERA OPEN ZWO ASI224MC
TARGETNAME AllSky
LOAD PROFILE "AllSky RAW8 to WMV"
DELAY 10
CAPTURE START
WAIT UNTIL NEXT EVENT CivilDawn
CAPTURE STOP
CAMERA CLOSE
END LOOP
END SEQUENCE
Output Format=WMV file (Lossy Compression, *.wmv)
Colour Space=RAW8
Auto Gain with Auto Exposure=Up to 1600
Auto Exp Target=70
Frame Rate Limit=1 every 30 seconds
Analogue Gain=1600
Exposure=36.585s(Auto)
Hot Pixel Sensitivity=15
Subtract Dark=Hot Pixel Removal Only

Don't think I'm understanding the correct way to do this. Tried reading the instructions but I think I'm missing something. Sorry for the confusion.

Rodger

[admin]

Hi Rodger,

it's just the first part (in upper case) that is the sequencer instructions, the bit below that is a capture settings file to set up the camera.

I have created an SCS (SharpCap Sequencer) file from the first part and attached it. You should be able to download it to your PC and open it into the sequence editor using the 'Load Sequence' button.

For the capture profile settings, it's best to manually set up the settings you want on your camera, then press the 'Save As' button in the capture profiles section at the top of the control area - name the new profile 'AllSky RAW8 to WMV' to match the name in the sequence and you should be getting there.

cheers,

Robin

[RodgerC]

Robin, thank you very much. Again, sorry for the confusion and I greatly appreciate your help. Looking forward to getting out tonight and checking this out. Again, thank you.

Rodger

[PeterNH]

Hi Robin et al.
Thanks for all this.
I have also just installed an allsky camera, on a pole in the back garden.

Camera enclosure "small allsky box" by Dew Control UK (bought at recent Stoneleigh Show), including dome and surrounding dew-heater. ZWO ASI224C with default 150deg lens (like you, have trees so that's more than enough coverage). Mini PC at site (in medium DriBox). 12V supply to site.

Running Ascom suite with Ascom Remote (alpaca) on mini-PC (Windows 11 Pro). ZWO and Ascom camera drivers installed, Also Sharpcap on mini PC. Mesh wifi network.

Running the Ascom programs and Sharpcap on indoor (cosy) computer.

All softwares up to date.

I am having no problem RDCing into Sharpcap on the mini PC and getting multiple fps on full resolution (useful in daytime/dusk!) over the wifi network, but with Ascom remote and latest Sharpcap functionality, getting only extremely slow liveview of approx 0.2 fps and stalling/stuttering most the time, for several seconds/sometimes minutes, then catch-up (?buffering).

The wifi seems to be quite reasonable from the fact that the RDC is "strong" using the local Sharpcap etc. (and I can watch BBC news streamed from the mini PC).

Is there anything I can do to try to improve the connection through Ascom remote? I appreciate may have nothing to do with Sharpcap, but that is the actual end-use. I haven't fiddled with the settings on Ascom Remote (except to enable Camera connection on all local addresses.)

Many thanks
Peter
Sharpcap Pro

(PS There are little tricks you can do to enable restart remote computer without password, even after RDCing, but that's another issue, which I solved from very helpful forum threads and googling shutdown shortcuts etc etc)
(PPS Hadn't realised that moon ruins allsky - so no real night testing for a week or so!)

[admin]

Hi Peter,

unfortunately ASCOM remote when used to control cameras is really only suitable for long exposure capturing where the extra time taken by the remote connection and transferring the frame over the network doesn't matter too much (compared to an exposure of 30s or 90s etc). For high speed imaging, it will simply not be able to deliver a high frame rate.

To dig a bit deeper into that, when SharpCap is talking to a local camera over USB, for video modes, SharpCap tells the camera to just keep taking frames and then SharpCap receives the image from each new frame as the camera sends it - the camera is in charge of when the images are captured and can keep the gap between frames to a minimum.

When using ASCOM remote, SharpCap has to request a new frame from the camera, which gets sent over the network to the ASCOM remote PC. That sends a message to the camera to start capturing a frame, which then happens. Now the data has to get back to SharpCap - first over USB to the PC, then to the ASCOM remote software, then over the network to SharpCap. Finally, SharpCap can show the image and request a new one and the whole cycle begins again. You can see that there is a lot of time when the camera is sitting doing nothing in this case

Anyway, the best bet for this is to run SharpCap on the computer next to the all sky camera if at all possible. As well as being able to get higher frame rates you can get full control of the camera including auto-exposure if available. The other advantage to this setup is that if the WIFI glitches, SharpCap keeps going talking to the camera, all that happens is that the remote connection software needs to be reconnected.

cheers,

Robin

[PeterNH]

Thanks Robin for such a detailed and clear reply, as always!
Although I only understand those processes you mention "conceptually" rather than in computer technology, I can see the issues (in a medical metaphor, perhaps the difference between a repeated spinal reflex and involving the brain in afferent/efferent pathways).

Actually, I am really surprised how powerful my very cheap new mini pc is - seems to have no difficulty with Sharpcap etc at these resolutions even at high video rates (and uses only about 10 watts). And Remote Desktop so much better than a few years ago! So, will do as you suggest, and use the capture software direct through usb.

I look forward to trying your sequence/profile - when the moon gets out of the way! (I suppose I could use much shorter exposures for a lunar timelapse)

Cheers
Peter

[PeterNH]

Used your sequence file and profile for an all-night capture to my mini pc last night. Worked perfectly and was able easily to retrieve the wmv file using remote desktop connection. Sequence still running for tonight's capture. Many thanks for making this (relatively) easy!
(I particularly like the idea that the profile can presumably be changed and saved from night to night, to experiment with what works best, all without interrupting the sequence - for example, I'm using manual gain at the moment, as not sure how auto gain will work with the asi224mc)

[admin]

Hi Peter,

glad to hear that it worked! You are right that changing the saved profile will allow you to make adjustments without altering the sequence code.

ZWO cameras do have auto gain as well as auto exposure options, and there are some adjustments you can make in the 'Misc Controls' section to specify the max gain and exposure that will be used in auto mode.

cheers,

Robin