Hi Guys - I have CCDSoft and all the other Bisque stuff. I plan to buy a copy CCD-AP3 which looks like it will make my imaging so much easier and more efficient but a few of my friends use and swear by Focus Max. Can I use Focus Max with CCD-AP3 even if I don't have Maxim DL?

Regards

Monte

Sure can, Monte. I've been using FocusMax with CCDSoft/CCDAP "forever".

Cool! That will make life so much easier. The Bisque boys write good progies but for some reason their @Focus doesn't seem to be enjoying the adulation that FMax gets.

Hi Monte,

Actually @Focus2 (not @Focus) works quite nicely - certainly on a par with FocusMax - once you take the time to set it up. As yo probably know, FocusMax requires system calibration in the form of V-curves. @Focus2 requires only a magnitude/exposure time calibration for each filter. Both seem to focus accurately and in about the same time.

See the CCDSoft help file that accompanies the latest version of CCDSoft (5.00.188) for more details on @Focus2.

Thanks John - I will give them both a go. What are your comments with respect to fast F ratio scopes like the FSQ-106 (f5) and these AF programes? Are they easily confused? My scope has a rack and pinion focuser so it travels a long way in a short time so much so that it confused @focus in the past. I must add though I had the RoboFocus setting at 4 microsteps per pulse and I have now set it to 1. I haven't tried it yet.

Hi Monte,

I have a RoBofocus on my two FSQ-106Ns and use FocusMax on one and @Focus2 on the other. Both work equally well and bring the FSQs into great focus. I believe either one will work for you just fine.

Hi Frank - Can you recall your settings? Do you have your micro-steps set to 4 steps to 1 pulse? 4 is the standard setting. I think this is not fine enough for the FSQ but maybe your are getting by OK with this setting.

I think the problem with @focus2 and my scope was that when it went off to start the curve, the star was so out of focus that it caused the program to go "error". It seemed to me that the program expected the star to not be so far out of focus.

I have a '106 not an "N" , is your rack and pinion any different to the older 106? Are you using the 10:1 reduction on the focuser or is the RoboFocus going direct onto the focuser shaft?

Please tell me any settings for either program that you have found to work well. This would save me a lot of time and help me find any residual faults in my configurations.

Regards

Monte

Hi Monte,

I use a RoBoFocus Microstep of 1, a MicrostepPause of 10, and a Duty Cycle of 75%. This is the same for both of my FSQs.

@Focus2 does like to start close to focus. It makes a single pass from inside of focus, through focus, to outside of focus to get the best focus setting. I have found that the following parameters work very well for a FSQ/STL11K and the clear filter :

Samples = 20
Averaging = 1
Focus Range = 400
Subframe Box Size = 100

I found that a Mag 5 star exposed for 0.5 sec. is what is needed in my sky conditions. One thing that I found with @Focus2 that can help it be successful is to experiment and find how long an exposure is required to keep the "out of focus" star at the beginning of the focus run above an ADU count of 800. In my experience, when the star was fainter than that value at the start of the run, @Focus2 usually didn't work. Stay above that value, and it works almost everytime.

Both my RoboFocusers are attached directly to the standard shaft of my FSQs and they are both FSQ-106Ns, not the newer ED model. I don't have a 10:1 focuser on either one. HTH ....

Thanks Frank - Big help. I will copy these settings and see what happens.

Regards

Monte