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

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

Feedback on new version 3.3.6

  • Posts: 321
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Hi there. Some feedback from last night:

Working on: Operating System: KDE neon 5.15
KDE Plasma Version: 5.15.5
KDE Frameworks Version: 5.58.0
Qt Version: 5.12.0
Kernel Version: 4.15.0-50-generic
OS Type: 64-bit
Processors: 4 × Intel® Core™ i3-7100U CPU @ 2.40GHz
Memory: 7,7 GiB

With KStars 3.3.6 (see screenshot)

I work with a 10" LAcerta f/4 newton on a EQ6-R. i use a Canon 5dmarkiiia and a asi 120mm (usb3) and a LAcerta mfoc motorfocus device.
All this is connected via powerde USB hup direct to my ASUS LAptot running KDE.

There are some unexpected crashes with the new version, maybe the logs and the crashlog helps.

Fokusing is not working proper. Settings like in screenshot. when i push autofocus it takes three pics, moves out one step, than another three pics and a sudden movement for 51(!) steps out. Why that, i do not understand. And the it says fokussing failed. And whats this maximum working distance for?

The mount does not park anymore after a job is aborted or done. Or is it not aborted? i don get it. In the morning it just has stopped somewhere pointing to the horizon... very strange... Settings of scheduler with set constraints see screenshot.

Another thing was with phd. I set the exposure to three secs, but it obviously would take pictures with about 1 sec at the max. Even though its written 3 sec in PHD AND Kstars focus module.

Wanted to attach the whole logs but they were far too big. So i cut out the end of two logs from last night. and called them log and log2

OK, hope you can use this information and maybe help a bit to understand.

Cheers, Niki
Skywatcher EQ6-R | Lacerta 10" Carbon-Newton | Lacerta MFoc Motorfocus | Moravian G2 8300 Color | Canon EOS 5DMarkIIIa | Lodestar X2 guiding cam | KSTARS 3.4.3. on my outdoor-Laptop with KDE-Neon/Plasma | KSTARS 3.4.3. on Remote-IMac with Catalina | KSTARS 3.4.3 on Remote-Macbook Air with Catalina
4 years 6 months ago #43708

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I don't think there have been any changes to the focus algorithms in quite some time.

I took a look at your screenshot, you have selected that you want three samples per focus point. That would be why it takes 3 images before moving the focus position. Then, yes it should move the focus position significantly to take the next point. 50 is a very good distance to move it for most focusers, that is not strange at all. Your step size is a bit small I think, you have it set to just 1. It almost certainly should be more than that. Probably something like 25 to 100 would be good for many focusers. But I don't know your focuser. Your Max Travel setting is only 50, I would expect that to be much bigger. Mine is set to 1000. This is the farthest the focuser is allowed go before it says it fails. Your focus failed because this value was set too low. Also the tolerance is 0.01 %, which I think is a bit extreme. Maybe 1% would be fine? You also have the iterative solving method selected. Do you have a Moonlite, Focus Boss, or Feathertouch like focuser? Or is yours more like a Robofocus on a Scmidt Cassegrain? If it is the former, I would highly recommend a Polynomial fit, for the latter, your current setting is fine.

Thanks,

Rob
4 years 6 months ago #43751

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Hey Rob!

OK, i will have a go on this settings you mentioned. I do not knwo if there were changes in the focus module, because i did not use a motorfocus recently.
Its my newest device. You ask for my focuser. Some things here sometimes get lost in translation for me. You mean the "Okularauszug"? Its the german word, and its not translated by google so i don´t know what you mean exactly.
But i think you mean this: Octo

It´s a very good one from a local company, as well as my newton.

I know that i use 3 pictures for one sample. What i do not know is, if this is "normal" or unusual.

I think i rember that a setting of more then 5 was to big for my motorfocus but i will try to make this higher next time.

The max travel is the one thing i understood TOTALLY wrong. i´ll put this up to 1000 then.

Checked some pics and i think my "focuser" is like a feathertouch, at least it looks like one...

So "polynomial" would be my choice. Maybe you could explain to me what de difference is between the two algorythms? Ore you have a link for me where i can check it myself?

Thanx
Niki
Skywatcher EQ6-R | Lacerta 10" Carbon-Newton | Lacerta MFoc Motorfocus | Moravian G2 8300 Color | Canon EOS 5DMarkIIIa | Lodestar X2 guiding cam | KSTARS 3.4.3. on my outdoor-Laptop with KDE-Neon/Plasma | KSTARS 3.4.3. on Remote-IMac with Catalina | KSTARS 3.4.3 on Remote-Macbook Air with Catalina
4 years 6 months ago #43757

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The KStars handbook would be a good place to look. It often is a bit out of date because of the rate of progress of KStars but I think it was updated recently.

The iterative solve is meant for focusers whose numbers aren’t too reliable like Schmidt Cassegrain scopes, it tries not to go back and forth over focus too much, it tries to creep up on the best focus.

The polynomial focus goes back and forth taking points trying to get a nice curve that it can apply a polynomial fit to. It calculates the best point from the curve fit.

The number of points you take depends on how reliable your numbers are. But note that it will do that many before it moves.
4 years 6 months ago #43763

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I have had a chance to check your link to the focuser. I do suspect it is the feather touch, though I really couldn't be 100% sure. It does look like one. Sorry I don't have time to check to make sure.

So yes, I think a polynomial fit is best for you.
4 years 6 months ago #43771

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Hey Rob!

Had a try today. The focuser settings where set as follows:

Max travel 1000
Step size 30
2 pictures for one try
1% tolerance

I focused manually via Bahtinovmask at first, then i pushed autofocus.

So it went in a bit and out a bit for about 4 times. With steps like 20 steps in 45 steps out, and so on..
Then the last step was suddenly focusing out for 950 steps...
How that, this can not be right?
Step size is 30 so how could it move for over 900 steps?

It´s a shame that i can not rely on the focuser, since it´s essential that after a meridian flip a ne focusing is done right...

I set the stepsize now to 10, just for next time.

cheers
Niki



cheers
Nki
Skywatcher EQ6-R | Lacerta 10" Carbon-Newton | Lacerta MFoc Motorfocus | Moravian G2 8300 Color | Canon EOS 5DMarkIIIa | Lodestar X2 guiding cam | KSTARS 3.4.3. on my outdoor-Laptop with KDE-Neon/Plasma | KSTARS 3.4.3. on Remote-IMac with Catalina | KSTARS 3.4.3 on Remote-Macbook Air with Catalina
4 years 5 months ago #44102
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Hi Niki,
Try pushing up your exposure time to about 3 secs (0.5 is a bit fast), increase your step size to at least 60-100. If you use 30 the autofocus routine may not be able to get a reliable change in focus to indicate which direction best focus lies. This can change due to poor seeing and all sorts of other things. Using 60-100 just tells the autofocus to use that for its first step. After that it will move back or forward depending on the change in focus dependant on the algorithm used. Generally it will start of with largish steps and get smaller as it gets closer to best focus. Occasionally it gets confused and does that massive move, loses the star and then goes back to the starting point with a focus failed. I think that this is more likely if you use a small first step size.
I have used SEP with some success (although back using gradient at the moment) and I find polynomial is a little quicker. Use 1000 for max travel as Rob has suggested and 3% tolerance although I don't think that this is critical.
Hope this helps.

Mike
4 years 5 months ago #44273

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Hi Mike!

Thanks for the informations. Thanks for the advice. i will have a try on this settings asap!

ATM it works OK with step size 10, but i have to admit that i updated to the latest nightly build, which has big changes in the focus module.
Don´t know if there were changes in the back that help for me but its working better now.

i tryed with step size 10, max distance 1000, 2 pictures at 0.5secs and 1% tolerance. The algorythm was polynomial.

cheers
Niki
Skywatcher EQ6-R | Lacerta 10" Carbon-Newton | Lacerta MFoc Motorfocus | Moravian G2 8300 Color | Canon EOS 5DMarkIIIa | Lodestar X2 guiding cam | KSTARS 3.4.3. on my outdoor-Laptop with KDE-Neon/Plasma | KSTARS 3.4.3. on Remote-IMac with Catalina | KSTARS 3.4.3 on Remote-Macbook Air with Catalina
4 years 5 months ago #44282

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Had an interesting issue this morning. After my scope auto parked (and thank you for the default), my camera continued to take pictures. I don't remember that happening before.

Also, don't change your Guide Binning while guiding. Yeah, I know, who would do that? I saw it was 1x1 and though, oh, that should be 2x2 and a I clicked the drop-down and it immediately crashed INDI. Maybe the drop-down should be disabled while imaging? No matter, I learned my lesson... haha!

Also using DSS Colored still really slows everything down... badly. I didn't expect that with 4GBs on the new RPi.
4 years 5 months ago #44283

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I had one immidiate crash to desktop by clicking "manual dither" after PHD had a "dithering error"
Just for information.

cheers
niki
Skywatcher EQ6-R | Lacerta 10" Carbon-Newton | Lacerta MFoc Motorfocus | Moravian G2 8300 Color | Canon EOS 5DMarkIIIa | Lodestar X2 guiding cam | KSTARS 3.4.3. on my outdoor-Laptop with KDE-Neon/Plasma | KSTARS 3.4.3. on Remote-IMac with Catalina | KSTARS 3.4.3 on Remote-Macbook Air with Catalina
4 years 5 months ago #44286

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Was this crash before or after my latest PHD2 changes? Another words, are you running the latest version from GIT or the KStars 3.3.6 version?

It probably doesn't matter because I think that I didn't change anything related to dithering.
4 years 5 months ago #44292

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Sorry Rob i forgot to say...

I updated to the latest nightly build. I think its 3.3.7

The laptop is outside and offline atm, i´ll be updating my signature soon.

I do not know what git is, so maybe not from there.

I just updated via konsole...

Niki
Skywatcher EQ6-R | Lacerta 10" Carbon-Newton | Lacerta MFoc Motorfocus | Moravian G2 8300 Color | Canon EOS 5DMarkIIIa | Lodestar X2 guiding cam | KSTARS 3.4.3. on my outdoor-Laptop with KDE-Neon/Plasma | KSTARS 3.4.3. on Remote-IMac with Catalina | KSTARS 3.4.3 on Remote-Macbook Air with Catalina
4 years 5 months ago #44293

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