I am having a problem with FocusMax. Most focus runs started by CCDAP fail and the next star is selected. I have examined the FocusMax logs all the way back to when I started using FMx and this error message is in all the failed runs “FocusAsync failed to get Posted Start Message” and at the end of the run the focus time in seconds is not reported. FocusMax is reporting a failed run even though the actual focus has been successful. This error message only appears in runs started by CCDAP never in a run started manually. I have not had a manually started focus run fail as long as I have picked and centered a good star since I first got FMx setup. The problem was intermittent in CCDAP 3.19 and earlier now with 3.24.1 a successful run is the exception.
Has anyone else seen this problem?

Joseph Dunning

http://users.arczip.com/joedunning/

Hi Joseph,

Could you post your CCDAP3 log and a failed FocusMax log ?

how do you attach more than one log per post?

ccdap20061001_013444.log (21 KB, 105 downloads) CCDAP log

sorry, sent wrong log last (deleated) post

20060930_202306.log (45 KB, 111 downloads) FocusMax log

quote:

Originally posted by Joseph Dunning:
how do you attach more than one log per post?

By putting the files in a .zip file.

In reviewing your ccdap log, the focus fails immediately. This is almost always caused by stopping and restarting CCDSoft while FocusMax and perhaps CCDAP remain open. See the help topic on Troubleshooting, paying particular attention to the Hint after step 4 of the step-by-step troubleshooting.

The FocusMax log you posted doesn't seem to agree with the CCDAP log with respect to timestamps.

if you line up the time stamps in the logs you will see that they will match, the FocusMax log covers two CCDAP runs.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Joseph Dunning,

I also just noticed that the CCDAP log says that this is an evaluation copy of CCDAP. I paid my license and registered it.

What does Help | About say about your license?

quote:

Originally posted by Joseph Dunning:
if you line up the time stamps in the logs you will see that they will match, the FocusMax log covers two CCDAP runs.

Sorry, my mistake. FocusMax is telling CCDSoft that the focus failed yet it obviously did not. Did you close and re-open CCDSoft while FocusMax remained open? What is the speed and operating system of your PC?

I have a Toshiba Satellite 1.1gig Pentium 3 running XP pro service pack 2 with latest updates
CCDSoft was not restarted if you look further in the logs you will see a successful focus run where CCDAP got the correct response and went back to the target.

The CCDAP log is the second test run where I was testing the hand rotate and guiding. Which worked, bye the way. Nothing was shut down.
( the first test run was done at the location that I initialized CCDAP with the same guide star just to make it easy )
I slewed to the new target with TheSky. I rotated the FOV in the sky to find a guide star. I hand rotated the camera to the required angle. I took an image and plate solved it in CCDSoft. I loaded that image into CCDAP with the “from fit” button. I went back to CCDSoft and took an image with the guide chip to verify that the guide star was on the chip. I went back to CCDAP and started the run. The location and guiding and PA all appear to have worked the only thing that failed was the focusing.

quote:

FocusMax is telling CCDSoft that the focus failed yet it obviously did not.

I have been in contact with the authors of FocusMax on this issue. It may be either a bug or a timing issue in FocusMax. 3.24.3 inserts a delay to give FocusMax some time to respond properly. This may solve your problem. Depending on what Larry Weber comes up with, more changes, either to FocusMax or CCDAP, may be required.

If 3.24.3 doesn't help in the short term, there is another alternative but let's see if this solves it first.

quote:

I also just noticed that the CCDAP log says that this is an evaluation copy of CCDAP. I paid my license and registered it.

Do you run any registry monitoring/blocking/cleaning applications on your PC? If so, which ones?

I run a program call Ad-Aware that looks for spy-ware I have Norton antivirus 2005 and whatever Microsoft does. I checked the help about tab and the license looks ok. If I click on the register tab it asks if I want to upgrade to the professional version, I will after I get a rotator for doing mosaics. So I guess the license is ok just not in the log right.

Is there a way to force a download of 3.24.3? The automatic download thingy doesn’t seem to be working.

I got an e-mail from Larry and sent him the pertinent logs and files.