AutoFocus.vbs Locks Up ACP

[Mark Williams]

Can anyone suggest some help??

I’m struggling to get the AutoFocus script to work in ACP with FocusMax. I can usually get the AcquireStar feature of FM to work when I invoke it from the FocusMax GUI, but when I run the AutoFocus script from ACP everything locks up with FocusMax giving an error:

“An action cannot be completed because a component (STOP) is not responding...”

(BTW “STOP” is the emergency stop GUI for the RCOS Professional series controller.)

The only remedy is to Crtl-Alt-Del out of everything and restart.

Here are the relevant logs from ACP and FM when this happens

ACP Autofocus Log

ACP console log opened 01-Nov-2008 00:49:38 UTC
This is ACP version 5.1 (build 3, Maintenance release 5.1)
Licensed to Mark R Williams
00:49:39 Initializing AcquireSupport V5.1.7
00:49:40 Weather safe, server is WeatherWatcher Server
00:49:40 Telescope is ACP->RCOS Professional Series Alt Az, driver V2
00:49:40 Dome is ASCOM Proxy for Observa-Dome Dome Controller Library
00:49:40 Imager is Apogee USB/Net
00:49:40 Calculated unbinned plate scales (arcsec/pix): H = 0.38 V = 0.38
00:49:40 Calculated f

Corresponding FM Log

19:49:40 FocusMax Version 3.4.14
19:49:40 System is Apogee Alta U16M
19:49:41 RCOS TCC is connected
19:49:41 RCOS TCC is an Absolute Focuser
19:49:41 MaxIm DL/CCD V 5. 2. 0 is the Imaging Software
19:49:41 PinPoint is connected
19:49:41 NOVAS-COM Vector Astrometry Engine is connected
19:49:43
19:52:39 Acquire Star not completed

My system is FM (v3.4.14) connected via the ACP Telescope hub which in turn is connected to the RCOS Professional Series Controller. ACP is v5.1 with all current hotfixes. I’m running MaximDL v 5.02 also connected to the ACP Telescope Hub. Operating system is WinXP sp2.

In ACP Preferences "Enable Autofocus" and "Use FM AquireStar" are checked. Adaptive autofocus is off.

Many thanks,

Mark Williams

[Dick Berg]

Hi Mark,

I'm sure I don't have the answer, but a couple things occur to me.

1. Does this happens *every single time* you try to run FMx through ACP? This is with the Use FM Acquire Star checked - one thing you can try is to uncheck this box. What this means is that ACP does the star selection rather than letting FocusMax do that. The end result (if it were successful each way!) would be a correctly focused telescope. If this works with FMx AcquireStar unchecked, then the problem is likely in your setup of AcquireStar parameters.

2. The connection -- usually the connection to the focuser is direct. You didn't say. In my case, with the Optec TCF-S, I have a USB cable running from the computer to the focuser. Maybe the RCOS doesn't work this way. My FMx focuser chooser choice is "Optec TCF". There's also a FocusMax telescope chooser on a different tab. That connects with the ACP Hub, but the focuser chooser should not connect to the ACP hub. So are you missing this connection somehow?

3. What do you mean by "usually get the AcquireStar feature of FM to work when I invoke it from the FocusMax GUI"? It should always work, not just usually. If it's dicey, then go to 1. above.

10-16

[Mark Williams]

Dick, many thanks for the suggestions.

1.) I haven't been able to get ACP to run an autofocus at all. I've tried unchecking the Use FM Acquire Star....same result...locks up.

2.) The focusser--a RCOS TCC--is connected directly to the server via a serial cable. FM is set up to connect directly to the focusser, not to the ACP Hub, while the FM telescope panel is linked to the ACP Hub. I think this is the right setup.

3.) I can "usually" get AcquireStar to work directly means that in about 8 times in 10 it works fine when initiated from the FM GUI. Occasionally I get the same behavior as when it is initiated from ACP. But I can't reproduce the behavior reliably. So figure?

Thanks,

Mark

[Bob Denny]

#3 is the key. The presence of ACP in the mix is exacerbating whatever problem is there.

By the way, I know of many setups using the RC Focuser with FMx and ACP. You do not need to have RCOS TCC software running, by the way. Also, start up FMx and leave it running when using it with ACP.

Turn off AcquireStar in ACP for starters.

I assume "lock up" means that ACP, which has called FocusMax, which has called the RC Focuser, are all unresponsive... The system itself isn't "locked up" right? The mouse still moves, you can start and stop other programs...

[Mark Williams]

Bob,

Thanks, sorry for the delayed response but I've been in London on business.

"Lock up" means ACP/Maxim/FM all non-responsive. Operating system still works.

I'll try the suggestions and revert.

Regards,

Mark

[Mark Williams]

After some time abroad, I'm back trying to fix this issue with autofocussing.

I've tried the suggestions for unchecking the Use AcquireStar box in the ACP preferences and started FocusMax manually and left it running.

I get the same behavior....AcquireStar runs fine manually (everytime I tried it tonight...about 10 times), but every attempt to focus with ACP autofocus script fails and locks up ACP and FM, requiring a ctrl-alt-del to recover.

I'm basically at my wits end on this, I can't effectively use ACP for unattended operation if autofocus won't work.

Any ideas on additional diagnostics or things to try?

Many thanks......Mark

[Bob Denny]

Once again, try temporarily turning off AcquireStar (an ACP selection, Preferences/AutoFocus tab). This will cause the ACP AutoFocus script to use its own focus star selection. My reason for asking is to try to isolate the problem. "locked up requiring alt-ctrl-del" is not something I have ever experienced with ACP/FM. I have had to kill FM on occasion with the task manager.

Right now I cazn't guess what's going on because I don't have that experience, and I can't see your system (for example, is there a hidden popup error box somewhere?). Let me know what you find, and I'll do my best to guess at what's happening.

[Mark Williams]

Bob, thanks. Here are some more details....

1.) I have turned off the AcquireStar selection in the preferences menu. Actually tried it both ways several times with same lock up.

2.) As far as I know there are no hidden pop ups....can't see anything on the screen or in windows task manager.

3.) When ACP is locked up and I scroll the mouse over the FM GUIs I get an hourglass. When I click on the FM GUI I get a popup announcing that “An action cannot be completed because a component (STOP) is not responding...” and giving a choice to retry or open the offending component. Neither option seems to do anything. (BTW “STOP” is the emergency stop GUI for the RCOS Professional series controller.) I cannot close FM except using task manager (that's what I meant by crlt-alt-del).

4.) Closing FM doesn't seem to free up ACP.

5.) Meanwhile, ACP is unresponsive although the little icon in the lower left hand corner is spinning indicating an active script. Mouse clicks do nothing, either in ACP or the RCOS GUIs. The dome controller times-out (having not had a response from the computer) and closes the dome automatically. Again, only escape mechanism for ACP seems to be via task manager and complete restart.

6.) FM logs sometimes record errors. Here's the last part of log of a long run with a number of successful manual starts of AquireStar, but here's what was recorded when I tried to invoke Autofocus.vbs from ACP (I've attached the full log)

19:49:08 System: Apogee Alta U16M
19:49:08 ** Beginning Focus run **
19:49:08 LS: -0.055651 RS: 0.055650 PID: 16.82 NFHFD: 10
19:49:09 Move direction: Out
19:49:09 Temperature = 55.5
19:52:04 FocusMax Error -2147023170: Automation error
The remote procedure call failed.
frmMain sub CmdExpose

7.) Usually however, the FM log just stops, like this run which was a single try at invoking Autofocus.vbs after restarting ACP.

20:17:09 FocusMax Version 3.4.14
20:17:09 System is Apogee Alta U16M
20:17:10 RCOS TCC is connected
20:17:10 RCOS TCC is an Absolute Focuser
20:17:10 MaxIm DL/CCD V 5. 2. 0 is the Imaging Software
20:17:11 PinPoint is connected
20:17:11 NOVAS-COM Vector Astrometry Engine is connected
20:17:15 Telescope ACP->RCOS Professional Series Alt Az is connected
20:19:08
20:19:08 System: Apogee Alta U16M

I hope some of this is useful information!

Thanks again,

Mark

[Dick Berg]

Hi Mark,

I guess it's not surprising that if an RPC fails, the software (if not properly written to handle this error) would go off into the ether, leaving the applications stranded. RPC must in fact be running on your Windows machine - otherwise something bad would have happened long before you got to this point.

Here's a link to a recent thread about the RCOS TCC driver, which you may already have seen:
http://forums.dc3.com/showthread.php...=TCC#post17291


When you're running FMx and RCOS TCC (and MaxIm - you're taking pictures after all) and running the AcquireStar process in FMx that works, is it true that ACP is
a) not running at all (you haven't started it)
b} running, but you don't invoke FMx?

In this working situation, how is FMx connected to the telescope? to the Focuser? i.e. which ASCOM choices did you select?

When you're then running ACP and asking through it (Autofocus.vbs) to do a focus, What ASCOM choice have you got the telescope connected through? Directly to the telescope or through the FocusMax Hub? (I'm anticipating your answer to the first question above.)

There are two paths to connect to the telescope (actually three if you include MaxIm) - using FocusMax or using ACP. Only one can be the real connection. The others have to be through the "hubs." I'm sure you have this right, but I'm just thinking out loud.

Did a temperature of 55 degrees seem reasonable for you at the time? (My focuser temperature reads out in degree Celsius - I hope yours doesn't !)

Are you using the latest version of FocusMax? click:
http://download.dc3.com/FocusMax-3.4.14-Update.zip to get the latest replacement .exe file if you need it.

Strange, too, that the script ran a couple minutes before failing (or is that when you pulled the plug?)

[Mark Williams]

Dick, thanks for taking the time for such a careful response. Here point by point:


1.) .....RPC must in fact be running on your Windows machine - otherwise something bad would have happened long before you got to this point.

Yes the controller software is running on the same WinXP machine as ACP.

2.) Here's a link to a recent thread about the RCOS TCC driver....

I've been running on v 1.5.17 (what came w/the unit). Latest version is 1.5.23. I've upgraded today. It would be great if that's all the cause of the problem....we'll see tonight.

3.) When you're running FMx and RCOS TCC ....and running the AcquireStar process in FMx that works, is it true that ACP is
a) not running at all (you haven't started it)
b} running, but you don't invoke FMx?

Not sure I quite understand question, but when AcquireStar works manually: FMx is runnning, ACP is running, RPC is running (started by ACP), RCOS TCC is running, MaxIm is running. I simply initiate AcqStr from the FMx GUI

3.) In this working situation, how is FMx connected to the telescope? to the Focuser? i.e. which ASCOM choices did you select?

FMx telescope is connected to ACP telescope hub and FMx focuser to the RCOS TCC. ACP telescope is connected to the RPC. Eg: FMx telescope -> ACP Telescope hub -> RPC and FMx focuser -> RCOS TCC.

4.) When you're then running ACP and asking through it (Autofocus.vbs) to do a focus, What ASCOM choice have you got the telescope connected through? Directly to the telescope or through the FocusMax Hub? (I'm anticipating your answer to the first question above.)

Same as above: FMx telescope -> ACP Telescope Hub -> RPC. Also FMx focuser -> RCOS TCC, Maxim -> ACP Telescope Hub. Only ACP connects to the scope...I don't use FMx hub at all.


5.) Did a temperature of 55 degrees seem reasonable for you at the time?

Yes RCOS TCC reports in deg F.

6.) Are you using the latest version of FocusMax?

I think so V 3.4.14 uploaded a few weeks ago (after a fix to accomodate Maxim 5).


7.) Strange, too, that the script ran a couple minutes before failing (or is that when you pulled the plug?)

The script starts running, then FMx hangs and logging ends at that point. Normally I pull the plug a few minutes later when it's clearly stuck.

Any suggestions?

Thanks again.....Mark