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INDI Library v2.0.6 is Released (02 Feb 2024)

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

Multiple Config files for same piece of equipment.

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I could not find this discussed, so posting this question.

I have two ASI EFWs. I use one with my monochrome camera and one with my color camera. I have separate profiles for monochrome and color, but I don't know how to have two ASI EFW config files (namely ~/.indi/'ASI EFW_config.xml'). Consequently I have to re-enter filter names for the filter slots whenever I switch between color and monochrome.

Since the "ASI EFW" name seems to be determined via selecting it from the pull-down menu for filter-wheels when building a profile, what is the proper technique to allow for distinct config files?
2 years 5 months ago #76766

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Hi John

It can be done with 'Custom Drivers'! (Tools/Devices/Custom Drivers ...)
You can create as many aliases for a driver as you want. Name one 'ASI Color' and another 'ASI Monochrome'. After a restart of KStars you can create two profiles with the respective alias driver name. Start each one seperately and save the configuration. Now you can choose between mono-profile and color-profile with the correct filternames in the slots.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Jasem Mutlaq, John Mocenigo
2 years 5 months ago #76794

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Thanks so much. That worked!
2 years 5 months ago #76803

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Well, let me update: I still thank you, but it actually did not work. It only works in some cases. Apparently MDPD drivers cannot be aliased. I am not 100% sure what a MDPD driver is, but I am guessing it is one supplied as an object file rather than as source. Anyhow, the 'ASI EFW' driver is supplied by ZWO and it tagged as MDPD so it cannot be aliased and I cannot do what I had hoped to do using aliases.

That is where things currently stand.

Can anyone confirm what an MDPD driver is and why it cannot be aliased?
2 years 5 months ago #76894

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MDPD = Multiple Devices Per Driver. With such drivers, aliasing would not work. When you start this driver with two ASI EFWs plugged it, what are they exactly named in INDI control panel?
2 years 5 months ago #76903

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Hi John

Sorry!  I personally used this possibility for SX-Wheels (not MDPD) successfully, and was not aware of the restrictions with MDPD-drivers. I remember however that it is/was? possible to tweak such drivers with custom XML-files (/usr/share/indi). Perhaps somebody has done it this way and can help?
2 years 5 months ago #76910

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I am not actually trying to use two filter wheels at the same time. I basically have one with color-related filters attached to my color camera and one with mono-related filters attached to my mono camera, so depending on what camera I am using on a night I need to distinguish between the color or mono filter wheel.

However, to answer your specific question, I just plugged them both in at the same time and one shows up as "ASI EFW 0" and the other shows up as "ASI EFW 1".
2 years 5 months ago #76920

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Not a problem - I appreciate your help.

Basically any driver that shows up in the pull-down menu on the Custom Driver screen can be aliased as you described.

However, the code explicitly suppresses from that drop-down drivers marked by mdpd="true" in those XML files you mentioned (in this case indi_asi.xml).
2 years 5 months ago #76921

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Unfortunately, aliasing wouldn't be possible in this case as the driver dynamically renames itself upon detecting connected filter wheels. The only way I can see this happening is by modifying the driver directly.
2 years 5 months ago #76923

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OK, thanks.

I'll play around with the asi_wheel driver for my own purposes and see what I learn.
2 years 5 months ago #76924

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I implemented a simple change to the asi_wheel.cpp file that allows one to use the existing "Tools->Devices->Custom Drivers..." mechanism in conjunction with creating symbolic links back to the standard driver (indi_asi_wheel).

I will create and submit a PR later today and hopefully you will find it benign enough to accept it into the source base.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Radek Kaczorek, Jordi Sesé
2 years 5 months ago #77003

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