Automatic plate resolution from SharpCap.

[pastorgalactico]

Hello;
My planetarium guide 9.1 connects to SharpCap, I believe, via the ESP32GO Ascom server. It responds to plate solving commands from the button on the crosshair, taking a picture and then centering the object by moving the mount towards it.

If this can't be done automatically with the free version of SharpCap and requires SharpCap Pro, I would purchase the license.
If it can be automated with the free version by adding a script as you suggest, how and where should I add the script?
Could you provide a screenshot showing where to add the script and what it should contain?
If I purchase the SharpCap Pro license, would this process be automated?
Another option would be to use the NINA program, but I would prefer SharpCap.
Thank you very much for your help.

[pastorgalactico]

Hello;
My planetarium guide 9.1 connects to SharpCap, I believe, via the ESP32GO Ascom server. It responds to plate solving commands from the button on the crosshair, taking a picture and then centering the object by moving the mount towards it.

If this can't be done automatically with the free version of SharpCap and requires SharpCap Pro, I would purchase the license.
If it can be automated with the free version by adding a script as you suggest, how and where should I add the script?
Could you provide a screenshot showing where to add the script and what it should contain?
If I purchase the SharpCap Pro license, would this process be automated?
Another option would be to use the NINA program, but I would prefer SharpCap.
Thank you very much for your help.

[admin]

Hi,

plate solving and then moving to the right co-ordinates from within SharpCap doesn't require a SharpCap pro license. Just use the button in the mount control area or the 'Plate solve and Resync' item in the tools menu.

Note that using the scripting or sequencing tools in SharpCap do require a Pro license - this is delibrate to stop people from trying to work around the limitations of the free version using those tools.

thanks,

Robin

[pastorgalactico]

Hello;

Is the "Resolve board and resynchronize" option in the tools menu the same as pressing the button on the D-pad, as I'm doing now?

Regards.

[admin]

Hi,

yes, that's right. It does sound as though the translation might be poor for that menu item though - can you suggest a better one?

thanks,

Robin

[pastorgalactico]

Hello;
I've attached these two images so you can better understand what I mean, as the translations are a bit unclear.
So far, I've been using the D-pad button to perform the plate solvent, and it works fine.

But I wanted to know if it's possible to do the same thing without pressing any buttons.

In other words, automatically.

[admin]

Hi,

the three menu items are as follows

Top one : 'Plate Solve (Solve Only)' - this only calculates the co-ordinates of the current image via plate solving and displays the results in the notification bar (green bar that appears) at the top of the image. No other actions are taken - it just gives you information. This will search the whole sky if necessary, although if a mount is connected it will start at the mount position and work outwards as that will give optimize the speed of the calculations.


Second one : 'Plate solve and Resync' - this is exactly the same as the button in the mount movement area - it plate solves the image, synchronizes the mount to the calculated position and then tells the mount to GOTO the co-ordinates it was at before the sync, which should put the intended target in the middle of the image. Note that this requires a GOTO mount and only searches within 15 degrees of the mount position by default.


Third one : 'Offset Plate Solve and Resync / Push To Target Position' - this is designed to help those who use a secondary telescope (guide scope, finder) and camera to help point the main telescope to a target, which is usually needed for very long focal length main telescopes. If you get the main telescope onto a target (maybe Jupiter as an example), then you use this tool to select the position of the same target in the guide/finder camera image. SharpCap remembers that position, and then if you do a plate solve/recenter on the finder/guide camera, it will place the target on the position you selected rather than in the middle of the image, which should in turn place the target in the middle of the field of view of the main telescope.

cheers,

Robin

[pastorgalactico]

Hello;
That would be the second option.
Do I have to select this second option if I want it to perform the board resolution and synchronization? And does it only happen if I select that option every time I want to perform that function, or can it be configured to do it automatically?
If not, couldn't this be improved so that I can choose to have it do it automatically after taking the first image?

Regards

[Jean-Francois]

Hello,

Note that the "Plate Solve and Resync" from the Telescope Control or the Sync Menu does only what you first select in
"File - SharpCap Settings - Plate Solving".

You can have:
- Do nothing
- Sync mount and re-center target
- Sync mount only
- Offset the mount position to center the target

You need first to find if your mount accept a sync without changing a pointing model.
Some mounts generate and modify continuously an intern pointing model with each sync.

If you do not know ... select first "Offset the mount position to center the target".

The menu "Plate Solve (Solve Only)" does all the time only the plate solve and show the result with or without a mount.

Regards,
Jean-Francois

[pastorgalactico]

Hello;
The mount can be moved from SharpCap, as it's doing when I press the button next to the crosshair.
To make it do the same thing without pressing that button, which of the options you listed do I need to choose so that it moves automatically when the mount reaches the desired position and centers itself, without pressing that button?

Thanks and regards