I have two questions concerning the focus module process, and it's use during a session.

First, if I understand the focus operation correctly, it will perform a series of iterative focus sweeps back and forth until it hits the lowest HFR number. When it finalizes this lowest number, has it moved the focus motor "out" towards infinity, or can it revert back from "past" infinity until it hits the lowest HFR number? The reason I ask is because I will be using the focus module with an SCT scope, and the final focus movement on an SCT must always be counterclockwise towards infinity, in order to "push" the mirror up to avoid mirror flop. So does the focus module finalize it's focus setting "pushing outwards", or does it just move either way until it hits the lowest HFR?

The second question concerning focusing is how do I get it to periodically refocus. Watching the Stellarmate focus module tutorial video, which is now five years old, the camera module had a provision to set refocusing for a given amount of time, as well as to refocus if HFR rose above x setting, as you can see in the screen grab below. Those settings are no longer in the camera module, and I don't see any other module that has them. So how do you set Ekos to refocus at a given interval of time?

Thank you.

There's a new video from John Evans recently posted here -

Periodic refocus - CCD/Capture module | Limits | Re-focus every

Thx for the plug Maxthebuilder!

Phil,

In addition to what Maxthebuilder said...

Q1. If you use the Linear 1 Pass algorithm it will always approach focus from "out" (bigger position number) to "in" (smaller position number). In addition, if you use AF Overscan on the Mechanics tab to neutralise backlash then all outward focuser movements will be a double movement of a larger step out followed by a smaller step in to arrive at the requested position.
There is more info on Overscan in the Focus->Backlash section of the Kstars Handbook...
docs.kde.org/trunk5/en/kstars/kstars/too....html#focus-backlash

Q2. Here are your options and how to access them...

Thanks for your replies.

So then the answer is no, I can't have the focuser finalize focus on a counter-clockwise sweep. This is unfortunate, as I can't use the focus module to focus my SCT. So I will simply have to periodically manually refocus the SCT.

Thanks again.

Hi Phil,

You should be able to achieve this by setting the zero position of your focuser appropriately and the in / out direction in Indi.