Old FLI Filter plugin causes limit in the number of filters during a flat field?

[Stephane Basa]

Hi Bob

Last night, I was very ambitious and I wanted to make flats for all my filters in the catalog (9). However, I got an error message (below).

ACP console log opened 15-Feb-2021 17:02:53 UTC
This is ACP version 8.3 (build 1, Release 8.3)
Licensed to Stéphane Basa
17:02:53 This is AutoFlat version 8.3.1
17:02:53 Using flat plan last-flats-from-web.txt
17:02:53 Starting dusk flats. Low Sun at 6:52:05 PM
17:02:53 Starting flat field acquisition.
17:02:53 Flats will be acquired with 2.0 MHz readout mode
17:02:54 **Script Error (Tracking has been stopped)**
17:02:55 Source: Microsoft VBScript runtime error
17:02:55 Message: Subscript out of range: '[number: 1]'
17:02:55 Location: line 943 column 9.
ACP console log closed 15-Feb-2021 17:02:56 UTC

I have the impression that this is related to the fact that I was asking for too many filters and after several attempts and combinations, if I take one less, it works (see for example the plan that worked very well).

;
; Flat plan by IRiS, created Mon, 15 Feb 2021 17:03:11 UTC
;
10,Halpha,1
10,CH4,1
10,SDSS z,1
10,SDSS i,1
10,SDSS r,1
10,SDSS g,1
10,SDSS u,1
10,Luminance,1

Can you tell me what you think? In fact I looked at the code, but I admit I don't have the courage and time to look at it in detail.

Thanks for your lights
Stéphane

[Bob Denny]

Stephane --

I tried to reproduce your problem with this Flat Plan:

;
; Flat plan by IRiS, created Mon, 15 Feb 2021 17:03:11 UTC
;
10,Halpha,1
10,CH4,1
10,SDSS z,1
10,SDSS i,1
10,SDSS r,1
10,SDSS g,1
10,SDSS u,1
10,Luminance,1

and MaxIm's filters set up so;

Snap2.jpg

(Luminance is in slot 8)

I run the 8.3.2 AutoFlat and it is working OK:

ACP console log opened 15-Feb-2021 18:27:56 UTCThis is ACP version 8.4 (build 2, Private pre-8.4 #2 with script tracing.)
Licensed to Bob Denny
18:27:56 This is AutoFlat version 8.3.1
18:27:56 Using flat plan BasaFlats.txt
18:27:56 Starting flat field acquisition.
18:27:56 Flats will be acquired with Fast readout mode
18:27:56 Doing 10 flats in Halpha at binning 1
18:27:56   Start slew to flat area...
18:27:57   (wait for slew to complete)
18:28:22   (slew complete)
18:28:22   Stop tracking for test exposures
18:28:22 TEST Halpha:  0.5 sec at bin 1
18:28:22   Testing with 32 x 32 offset sub-frame
18:28:22   Camera exposing
18:28:23   Exposure complete
18:28:23   Downloading image...
18:28:24   Image downloaded
18:28:28   Background mean = 36255 (ADU)
18:28:29   Still too light - waiting 15 sec. to try again...
18:28:37 **Script Error**
18:28:37 Source:   ACP
18:28:37 Message:  The script was aborted.
18:28:37 Location: line 1692 column 25.
ACP console log closed 15-Feb-2021 18:28:38 UTC

Check the list of filters in MaxIm. The ACP version itself is not a factor.

[Stephane Basa]

There, I confess I don't understand. My filters are well defined, it seems to me, in Maxim. I enclose the capture of the defined filters (on two images because it is too long).


Moreover, it's really related to the number of filters chosen, not by the chosen filter. If I validate more filters, it doesn't work. On the other hand, if I take one less (whatever filter I remove), it's fine.

Disturbing...

[Bob Denny]

This appears to be related to the FLI filter wheel then. I set up my simulators for exactly the same filter names in each slot as yours. It's working fine.

The difference I can see now is that MaxIm appears to show that your filter wheel has many more than 10 filter positions? How many filters does your wheel have?????

filters2.jpg

This will need a live session. I can't think of why this fails the way you describe, and I cannot reproduce the problem with a standard filter wheel (the simulator) and your names and flat plan. Let me know when we might be able to do this. Also the FLI driver looks possibly very old (2008) and 1.2.3.0 looks suspicious. Are you running the latest drivers?

[Stephane Basa]

In fact, I use the Maxim plugin, relatively old indeed, available here: https://www.flicamera.com/software/index.html

Maybe that's where the problem comes from and I'll go back to Gary and Greg from FLI first. Depending on their answer, we'll do our live session (I'm trying to save your time). Is-it okay for you?

[Stephane Basa]

Bob,

Gary just confirmed that I should use the ASCOM driver, not the dll associated with Maxim. So I installed all this and I will test it when the sky is clear. All that remains is to wait a good weather.

Stéphane

[Stephane Basa]

A quick message to tell you that it works perfectly with the ASCOM driver (so we have to forget about the FLI plugin for Maxim). So everything is fine!

[Bob Denny]

OK Excellent, thank you for letting us know!

[Bob Denny]

OK, thanks! I await the results. You can actually test this any time as long as you can allow the scope to move. The problem happens even before it tries to take the first image.

[Stephane Basa]

Very good idea: the telescope is in a dome and I can test this even in case of bad weather. I will do it tomorrow in any case.