Just when I thought I was getting it, CCDAP has shown me who's boss.

All was going well, I thought. It was taking images. It was changing filters. It did a flawless meridian flip. But I noticed that, although it said it was focusing as I asked it to, it actually was doing nothing. So I stopped it to refocus. Then adjusted the session, and told it to start again.

It told me that the default target (which heretofore has been the target the scope is pointed at) was below the horizon, and it proceeded to shut everything down--close the dome; disconnect from TheSky, and disconnect TheSky from the mount. Why it thinks that I would be pointed at something that doesn't rise for 10 hours is beyond me. And how to stop it from thinking that is beyond me.

If I uncheck "default" for target, it thinks I don't want any lights taken.

Six times in a row. Despite looking at everything I could think of. I'm as sure as I can be that I'm doing the same thing I did earlier in the evening, when it was happy to start guiding and imaging, but now it just wants to shut down. I'm the one supposed to be going to bed, not the software.

So I have the choice between it taking no lights, and it shutting down everything. A poor choice at 2 in the morning.

I'm going to bed.

Questions:

1. Why is it doing this? While I've managed to find a million things about this extramely difficult piece of software to trip on, this is yet another new one. I even recalibrated the guider/drive, to no avail. Same result

2. Why is it not focusing, when I asked it to, and it said it was? I checked "brightest star in FOV" in the method, cuz any other choice and it gives me an error message and won't even pretend to focus.

I'm sure that some day, I'll actually gain sleep from using this, and increase my imaging time. Instead of losing sleep, and not getting any imaging accomplished. But that day, alas, hasn't yet arrived.

Hi Mark,

It's hard to give you answers or suggestions with little to no information to work on. The best thing to do is post your log file so we can see the particular parameters you had setup, and the sequence that was taking place when focusing wasn't responding like you had wanted. This really is the quickest way to get an answer that could get you back up and going in the shortest time possible. The software is very stable when all the hardware performs as it should.

To answer your questions:

1. I don't have a clue, but a log might give me one.

2. Brightest star in FOV is probably not the best choice depending on which focusing algorithm you have selected. If a galaxy core is brighter that any star in the FOV, some routines will try and focus on that. Again a log file would really help give some suggestions and hopefully answers that will get and keep you going.

It does work, I use it all the time with the same stuff you have. I'd like to help.

Merry Christmas.........

Frank, thanks for this.

How does one extract the log, and share it?

I'm sure it works, and I'm sure that I'm somehow doing something stupid, but it is incredibly frustrating to have done absolutley nothing in the way of changing settings, or anything else other than tell it to take fewer exposrues, and suddenly it refuses to do anything except shut everything down!

Mark,

Much of your frustration can be alleviated by reading the help file, paying particular attention to the First Use and Walkthrough topics. While a random walk through the features and functions may eventually get you there, I believe this is a better way to get comfortable with the program, as hundreds of others have. (You may also glean some overview information by viewing the Demo on http://www.ccdware.com/products/ccdap3/ click on "Click Here for Demo") For example, note this section from the walkthrough, identifying the location of the log file:

Now, notice the Image Managementt box. In addition to setting the exposure's starting serial number, a very powerful default storage mechanism is provided. First set the base or root imaging folder, C:\Astronomy in this example. Assume today's date is January 15, 2006, you are imaging M1 and M2, and the Auto-generate sub folders is checked. Your entire imaging run will be stored as follows:
Light Frames : C:\Astronomy\060115_M1 for the M1 light frames
and C:\Astronomy\060115_M2 for the M2 light frames.
Bias, Dark and Flat calibration frames: C:\Astronomy\060115_CalibrationFrames
CCDAutoPilot log files: C:\Astronomy\CCDAutoPilot_Logs

So wherever the image folder is set, the log file is nearby.

Do not rely on the Default target. Note that it has no RA and Dec coordinates. Unless you are in the spring, this is the first point of Aries and you can't slew to it. Instead, choose a target of your liking using any of the target add features. See the Targets topic under Enter and Edit. (The Default target will be removed in 3.30.2 as it appears to be a source of confusion.)

Merry Christmas!

Hi Mark,

As John pointed out, your log file will be located in the folder called "CCDAutoPilot_Logs", in the path you have setup on the Options tab. When posting a message, click on "Add Attachment?" right under the window you are typing in, then click on Browse, then navigate to the path the logs are in, click on the log file that is relevant to your issue and it will be added to your message when you click on post now. That way if there is something that can be seen in the setup or running of the program, it can be identified very quickly. HTH ......

Here is a good example: Two nights ago I setup a run and everything was going well. I got up the next morning and checked and the software hadn't taken all the planned exposures, but it did take my darks at the end of the run. Well, that didn't make sense, so I went to the log and saw that my Boltwood had shutdown the observatory due to a cloudy condition that persisted longer than the time limit I had setup. OK that was fine, but there weren't any clouds in the forecast, Hmmmmm.. I went to the Boltwood log and sure enough, the records there indicdated that clouds had indeed rolled in and lasted for 40 min before clearing again !! Rats, and I had my time limit set for 30 min :-)). I was happy to see that John's program did what was expected and had the clouds produced any rain, no problem as everything was shutdown. Sometimes you have to be part detective as the program is very complex, since all the things John has programmed it to do for us make life much easier :-)))

Post that log file and let's see what happened............

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Frank Barnes,

Thanks, Guys!

John, I read all of the "help" files I could find, to no avail. I'm sure it's all there, but not in a way that's obvious to me when I'm trying to use it. That's not a complaint, but rather an explanation.

I have attached a zip file with all the logs from that night. Have at it!

John, I don't want to just tell the software to take an image of a particular object, located at a certain RA and Dec, because I want to frame it, and get the guide star. So just telling it RA and Dec won't get me where I want to go. I frame it, make sure there's a guide star, and then tell it to go. If there's a way to reconcile the two, I'm all ears. The "default target" is all I've used in the several times I used the software, with no problems; I don't know why it went haywire this time.

I look forward to the solution to my mysteries (focusing and taking images). And the clock on the observatory computer was correct.

CCDAP_Log.zip (18 KB, 23 downloads) Logs zipped

hi Mark,

On target framing, take a look at the demo on the web site as well as the help topic on Targets/Entering targets with TheSky6. Once you are successfully initializes, all you need to do is position the FOVI in TheSky6 over the target you wish, making sure a guide star is in the guider FOV. Then hit the Get button on the CCDAP targets page and you got it! Your target will be entered on the targets page and you can subsequently edit the name to whatever you want, in place of FOV Center. CCDAP will slew the telescope there, rotate the rotator if you have one connected and away you go!

Re focusing, see the CCDAP software requirements. You are using an old version of FocusMax that is not compatible with CCDAP. A patch file is available from www/ccdware.com/downloads/ that will patch your FocusMax version to the required 3.3.21. While not mandatory, you should update CCDSoft to the latest version, 5.00.182.

quote:

Originally posted by John Smith:
hi Mark,

On target framing, take a look at the demo on the web site as well as the help topic on Targets/Entering targets with TheSky6. Once you are successfully initializes, all you need to do is position the FOVI in TheSky6 over the target you wish, making sure a guide star is in the guider FOV. Then hit the Get button on the CCDAP targets page and you got it! Your target will be entered on the targets page and you can subsequently edit the name to whatever you want, in place of FOV Center. CCDAP will slew the telescope there, rotate the rotator if you have one connected and away you go!

Thanks. I am successfully initialized; it was happy to image, and do a meridian flip, with me having done nothing more than calibrate the guider (presumably so it would know how I had rotated the camera from the initialization) until it when haywire.

As to putting the FOVI where I want it, will CCDAP take the coordinates (which may not put the scope exactly right), or does it do an image link to get it exactly right?

quote:

Re focusing, see the CCDAP software requirements. You are using an old version of FocusMax that is not compatible with CCDAP. A patch file is available from www/ccdware.com/downloads/ that will patch your FocusMax version to the required 3.3.21. While not mandatory, you should update CCDSoft to the latest version, 5.00.182.

I just did both of these, and both updated fine. Which focusing method do I choose?

Did the log files give any clues as to why it wouldn't take pictures?

In most of the logs, there was no target therefore there would be no light frames. I suggest you enter a target using the Get function. Wherever you locate the FOVI, CCDAP will precision slew to it.

I suggest you use SkyStar for focusing.

John,

Interesting, since I did nothing different that time than I have ever done. When I chose "default," it just shut down everything, telling me that the selected target was below the horizon; when I chose nothing, it waited for flats.

I'm still not sure whether, if I select the FOVI as you suggest, it will manage to go exactly to there, exactly as I want it, rather than to where the mount would slew (which is not quite the same thing).

Mark,

CCAP3 will do a "precision slew". This means that it will slew the telescope to the RA/DEC values, take a frame, plate solve it, then bump the mount to the exact location. It's very precise. But it has to have a reachable RA/DEC to start with.

Ok, that sounds very good. Now, for getting to the same place the next night, how does one do that withing a few pixels?

Save a target file and load it the next night.

Hi Mark,

To get back to exactly the same place, before you close CCDAP3, from the menu bar, select "Target List" then click on "Save as ...". Give your target a name ( I usually save it with the name of the target and the camera/scope I used). Now the next night, start CCDAP3, click on Target List and then Load. Depending on the folder you saved the the target in, navigate to it and select that target from the last run or any run you want to continue collecting data on. CCDAP3 will load the target data and after you setup any additions or changes to the light frames etc. and start the run, CCDAP3 will put you right back on the target and select the same guidestar you used before. If there is any offset, it's never more than a dither anyway and collection continues. I have collected data this way over 10 separate nights, sometimes only getting 1 or two images before the clouds closed in. It is really easy to do with the target lists. I have targets that I will come back to next year and CCDAP3 will put me right back on them so I can add to the data I have already collected. What could be easier :-))

Thanks, guys. I have the dome again on Wednesday night, and I'll give all the new-found knowledge a try (weather permitting).

I really am sure that this is a fabulous piece of software, with a rather staggering array of capabilities. I'm just finding it to be a bumpy learning curve, especially combined with learning all this new equipment, and fully remote imaging.

The support is wonderful; I'm sure I'll be back with more questions, but I'm also sure I'll eventually learn how to really use this.