How do I connect a Pegasus motor focuser?

[StuartT]

Ok, I clicked on Properties and it looks the same as yours does (apart from mine saying Pegasus, rather that Pegasus Astro)

[admin]

Hi,

ok, that all looks fine, which makes it very odd that the little ASCOM Simulator Focuser window is popping up when you use SharpCap.

What happens if you take the Device Hub thing out of it and just select the Pegasus device directly in SharpCap? Any difference then?

cheers,

Robin

[StuartT]

It doesn't seem to like that either.

[admin]

Hi,

OK, so that one means that something else is already using the COM port. Can you get it working that way if you run SharpCap first without connecting anything else to the focuser (also, is COM4 the right port?)

cheers,

Robin

[StuartT]

I always have NINA connected (as I control the scope with it and connect my Pegasus etc). The COM port (Prolific) moves around each session (most annoying). So I always have to check which port it is in Device Manager in order to be able to connect everything.

It's weird though, because even when NINA is connected, SharpCap can always connect to my camera (which runs down the same USB cable)

[StuartT]

whatever I do, I can't get SHarpCap to connect to my focuser. This is driving me crazy

[admin]

Hi,

are you using the device hub focuser in both NINA and SharpCap (set to connect through the device hub to the pegasus)? You must do that in both applicaitons otherwise the first one to connect will put the COM port into use, stopping the second from connecting.

cheers,

Robin

[StuartT]

Ok, I tried connecting both via the Device Hub (I assume you are referring to ASCOM here, rather than my Pegasus - which is also a kind of 'device hub')

But the problem with that is that NINA can't seem to autofocus when connected that way.

Also, I got this error from SharpCap

System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0x80131023): CLR has been disabled due to unrecoverable error. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80131023)
at System.RuntimeType.InvokeDispMethod(String name, BindingFlags invokeAttr, Object target, Object[] args, Boolean[] byrefModifiers, Int32 culture, String[] namedParameters)
at System.RuntimeType.InvokeMember(String name, BindingFlags bindingFlags, Binder binder, Object target, Object[] providedArgs, ParameterModifier[] modifiers, CultureInfo culture, String[] namedParams)
at ASCOM.DriverAccess.MemberFactory.CallMember(Int32 memberCode, String memberName, Type[] parameterTypes, Object[] parms) in C:\ASCOM Build\Export\ASCOM.DriverAccess\MemberFactory.cs:line 265
at ASCOM.DriverAccess.AscomDriver.get_Connected() in C:\ASCOM Build\Export\ASCOM.DriverAccess\AscomDriver.cs:line 157
at SharpCap.ViewModels.MenuItemViewModel.Refresh() in C:\Documents\Source Code\SharpCap\src\SharpCap\ViewModels\Menus\MenuItemViewModel.cs:line 116
at SharpCap.ViewModels.MenuItemViewModel.Refresh() in C:\Documents\Source Code\SharpCap\src\SharpCap\ViewModels\Menus\MenuItemViewModel.cs:line 126
at SharpCap.ViewModels.MenuItemViewModel.Refresh() in C:\Documents\Source Code\SharpCap\src\SharpCap\ViewModels\Menus\MenuItemViewModel.cs:line 126
at SharpCap.ViewModels.SharpCapViewModel.UpdateAllStatuses() in C:\Documents\Source Code\SharpCap\src\SharpCap\ViewModels\SharpCapViewModel.cs:line 454
at SharpCap.ViewModels.SharpCapViewModel.<Transforms_SelectedTransformChanged>d__131.MoveNext() in C:\Documents\Source Code\SharpCap\src\SharpCap\ViewModels\SharpCapViewModel.cs:line 481
--- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown ---
at System.Runtime.ExceptionServices.ExceptionDispatchInfo.Throw()

[admin]

Hi,

it just gets weirder and weirder

I can't see any good reason to get that error in SharpCap - all SharpCap is doing is asking if the focuser is connected, which should have a simple yes/no answer. If you get an error from that then something is badly broken already.

I just tested this with my Pegasus focuser - I put the latest ASCOM Platform (now 6.6) and the latest Pegasus ASCOM driver (now 2.19) onto the PC, along with SharpCap and NINA. I could happily get both SC and NINA to talk to the focuser at the same time. NINA only seemed to update the focuser position value on connecting, so maybe misses noticing changes that SharpCap makes (or maybe I was just looking at the wrong bit of NINA).

Anyway, the real question was... are you fully up-to-date on both the ASCOM platform and the Pegasus focuser ASCOM driver?

cheers,

Robin

[StuartT]

I think I don't fully understand how all this is supposed to work, so I am probably doing something wrong.

I was using ASCOM 6.5 but I have now upgraded to 6.6

My Pegasus focuser is the motor focus unit (not the focus cube). I don't know if that makes a difference?

Can you point me to where the driver is that you are using? Maybe I have the wrong one?

Also, when I click Properties in SharpCap I get two COM ports to choose from. COM4 and COM15. In Windows device manager, one of these is Prolific and the other is not. Which should I be using?