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

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

Moonlite focuser times 2

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my CEM60 would allows me to carry both my scopes, and I am tempted to see if EKOS will will be able to recognize and address 2 Moonlite focusers...

Did anyone try this before?

Does anybody know if this is technically possible?

Thanks
Mike
4 years 8 months ago #41050

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I am not 100 percent sure, since I haven’t tried it before, but I know how it *should* work

The first issue you will probably have is that both focusers will look the same to the OS and it won’t be able to tell the difference between them. They will probably get assigned names based on the order they get plugged in. The rules files are how a Linux system responds when the device gets plugged in and is how we keep our devices separate in INDI so we don’t tell our focuser to slew and our telescope to focus. What you want is a rules file that will recognize each focuser and assign each one the same unique port name each time. Unfortunately the focusers have the same manufacturer id so the usual method of writing a rules file identifying the device based on that number won’t work. The serial number might be different in which case you could try to use that in a custom rules file. But that might not work. If that doesn’t work, you can set aside a usb port for each one and only ever plug that focuser into that port. So your rules file could see that a device got plugged into that port and assume it is that particular focuser. I would definitely try to solve this problem first so that each time you plug in focuser 1 or focuser 2 they get the correct name.

The second problem is with the driver. The Moonlite driver would have all the settings of and be associated with one Moonlite focuser, not both. To fix that you need to use the “custom drivers” feature and call each focuser by a unique driver name and associate each one with the unique port name I discussed in the previous paragraph. This problem is easy to fix because Ekos has a great custom drivers tool.

Then it should work
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4 years 8 months ago #41059

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Replied by Eric on topic Re:Moonlite focuser times 2

As an illustration of Robert's post, the following So answer has a user creating a symbolic link with an arbitrary name to a specific USB port (1-1.2 or 1-1.3) when a device is recognized there.

unix.stackexchange.com/questions/394411/...-ports/394481#394481

This is for udev under Linux. Note that udev rules are notoriously tricky to set up :)

-Eric
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4 years 8 months ago #41066

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When I did ASCOM drivers for two identical devices I ended up generating and installing two driver DLLs from the same code, identical except for the Guid, progID and Served Class Name. This would allow two devices to be selected separately and have their own configuration information.

Keeping track of a device could be more tricky, in some cases a serial number could be read from the device and for COM ports devices using the FTDI drivers would remember the COM port ID even when moved from one USB port to another. Otherwise plugging into the same port would preserve the port ID.

This is different but maybe there's something here that will help.
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4 years 8 months ago #41070

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Replied by Michael on topic Moonlite focuser times 2

Thank you guys,

OMG, will have to get into "rules file" and " DLLs ,Guid, progID, Served Class Name" and into that great customs drivers tool!
I thought I left DLLs when I fired my last Windows machine! 15 years ago....
:unsure: :ohmy:

Just reinforces the notion that we are all in a Hobby For Masochists!
4 years 8 months ago #41138

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Fired? As in a kiln or a bonfire?
4 years 8 months ago #41149

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Replied by Michael on topic Moonlite focuser times 2

All of the above, but mostly as in "get the hell out of my office"
4 years 8 months ago #41151

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Replied by Eric on topic Re:Moonlite focuser times 2

I recently saw that you can now delay Windows 10 updates by up to 35 days so that they don't crash your imaging session with a reset. Well, sorry, not convincing enough to have me come back yet :)

-Eric
4 years 8 months ago #41166

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Replied by Michael on topic Moonlite focuser times 2

Sooo,
Played with the driver aliases, that was definitely not a success.

However, after scanning the ports, i just disconnect box1, change to the other port, reconnect moonlite, and voila, box2 is online...

Not super elegant but it works!

Mike
4 years 8 months ago #41213

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If they each have a unique serial number, you can create a udev rules to assign each one of them a designated port. This along with driver aliases will run 2-focusers at the same time.
4 years 8 months ago #41229

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