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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Oakville, Canada
    Posts
    27

    Default FocusMax Error 9: [moved]

    Hello everyone, I finally was able to install the ascom driver for my QHY8 camera. I am hoping that this will eliminate my nightly freeze-ups. But before I can test the system I need to get focusmax to do an acquire star routine. I can do the the pin point expose and solve no problem. But when I get to the Acquire the star test, I get an error. "FocusMax Error 9: Subscript out of range frmMain sub CmdExpose

    I am not sure whats up, so I thought I better give up tonight and start fresh tomorrow. I have highlighted in red areas of the script that I don't understand, and would appreciate suggestions. The entire focusmax script follows:

    00:19:19 ** Take image & PinPoint plate solve **
    00:19:19 Catalog: GSC-1.1
    00:19:19 Binning = 1
    00:19:19 Taking 5 sec pointing exposure
    00:19:28 Could not calibrate image - check MaxIm Set Calibration window
    00:19:28 1916 catalog stars found
    00:19:30 739 plate image stars found
    00:19:36 ** Plate solved **
    00:19:36 Roll ang.= 0.133304 Plate scale = -2.35V 2.35H
    00:19:36 Plate(J2000) RA : 04:11:16.8 Dec: -06 48' 23.5"
    00:19:37 Plate(Topo) RA : 04:11:48.2 Dec: -06 46' 45.5"
    00:19:37 ** Plate solve test was successful **
    00:19:44
    00:19:44 ** Starting Acquire Star Sequence **
    00:19:44 Catalog: GSC-1.1
    00:19:44 Binning = 1
    00:19:44 Taking 5 sec pointing exposure
    00:19:53 Could not calibrate image - check MaxIm Set Calibration window
    00:19:53 1917 catalog stars found
    00:19:55 806 plate image stars found
    00:20:00 ** Plate solved **
    00:20:00 Roll ang.= 0.125186 Plate scale = -2.35V 2.35H
    00:20:00 Plate(J2000) RA : 04:11:16.9 Dec: -06 48' 23.5"
    00:20:00 Plate(Topo) RA : 04:11:48.3 Dec: -06 46' 45.5"
    00:20:00 Current pointing: RA 04:11:48.3 Dec -06 46' 45.5"
    00:20:00
    00:20:00 ** Getting catalog stars between mag 3 & 6 **
    00:20:00
    00:20:00 Field search = 2.0 x 2.0 (degrees)
    00:20:00 2 potential target stars found
    00:20:00 Current target stars = 2
    00:20:00
    00:20:00 Field search = 4.0 x 4.0 (degrees)
    00:20:00 3 potential target stars found
    00:20:00 Current target stars = 2
    00:20:00
    00:20:00 Field search = 6.0 x 6.0 (degrees)
    00:20:01 6 potential target stars found
    00:20:01 Target stars = 3
    00:20:01 Identified target stars:
    00:20:01 Star 1 mag 5.90 RA:04:17:50.7 Dec:-06 26' 46.4" Sep: 1.54 Alt:71.49
    00:20:01 Star 2 mag 5.69 RA:04:34:26.1 Dec:-06 43' 00.1" Sep: 5.62 Alt:69.6
    00:20:01 Star 3 mag 5.19 RA:04:34:42.7 Dec:-08 12' 33.5" Sep: 5.85 Alt:70.74
    00:20:01
    00:20:01 Using 5.90 mag star at RA 04:17:50.7 Dec -06 26' 46.4" Alt: 71.49
    00:20:01 Slewing 1.5362 degrees to target star
    00:20:13 No star centering desired
    00:20:13
    00:20:13 System: Nov 29th
    00:20:13 ** Beginning Focus run **
    00:20:13 LS: -0.009665 RS: 0.009651 PID: 160.52 NFHFD: 10
    00:20:13 Move direction: Out
    00:20:13 Filter number = 0
    00:20:13 Current position = 32000
    00:20:13 Focus Start: 29850
    00:20:23 Exposure Aborted
    00:20:23 MaxIm DL 5 Error 65535: Image Not Available
    Module modComponents Sub GetCCDImage
    00:20:23 FocusMax Error 9: Subscript out of range
    frmMain sub CmdExpose
    00:20:23 Moving to previous focus position of 32000
    00:20:33 Focus not achieved with star 1 of 3 - trying next target star
    00:20:33
    00:20:33 Using 5.69 mag star at RA 04:34:26.1 Dec -06 43' 00.1" Alt: 69.6
    00:20:33 Slewing 4.1291 degrees to target star
    00:20:45 No star centering desired
    00:20:45
    00:20:45 System: Nov 29th
    00:20:45 ** Beginning Focus run **
    00:20:45 LS: -0.009665 RS: 0.009651 PID: 160.52 NFHFD: 10
    00:20:45 Move direction: Out
    00:20:45 Filter number = 0
    00:20:45 Current position = 32000
    00:20:45 Focus Start: 29850
    00:20:55 Exposure Aborted
    00:20:55 MaxIm DL 5 Error 65535: Image Not Available
    Module modComponents Sub GetCCDImage
    00:20:55 FocusMax Error 9: Subscript out of range
    frmMain sub CmdExpose
    00:20:55 Moving to previous focus position of 32000
    00:21:05 Focus not achieved with star 2 of 3 - trying next target star
    00:21:05
    00:21:05 Using 5.19 mag star at RA 04:34:42.7 Dec -08 12' 33.5" Alt: 70.74
    00:21:05 Slewing 1.4942 degrees to target star
    00:21:17 No star centering desired
    00:21:17
    00:21:17 System: Nov 29th
    00:21:17 ** Beginning Focus run **
    00:21:17 LS: -0.009665 RS: 0.009651 PID: 160.52 NFHFD: 10
    00:21:17 Move direction: Out
    00:21:17 Filter number = 0
    00:21:17 Current position = 32000
    00:21:17 Focus Start: 29850
    00:21:27 Exposure Aborted
    00:21:27 MaxIm DL 5 Error 65535: Image Not Available
    Module modComponents Sub GetCCDImage
    00:21:27 FocusMax Error 9: Subscript out of range
    frmMain sub CmdExpose
    00:21:27 Moving to previous focus position of 32000
    00:21:36 Focus not achieved with star 3 of 3 - trying next target star
    00:21:36 Could not focus the telescope using 3 target stars!
    00:21:36 Performing return slew of 5.8545 degrees
    00:21:36 Slewing to: 04:11:48.3 Dec: -06 46' 45.5"
    00:21:49 Acquire Star not completed

    Any ideas would be appreciated

    Andy
    Atacama Andy

    C14 Hyperstar
    QHY8
    Paramount Me
    12' Clamshell
    San Pedro
    Atacama Desert Chile
    Seeing .48 a/sec

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Strongsville, OH
    Posts
    1,548

    Default

    Andy, before most of your red comments, you'll see "exposure aborted." Most of the errors after that are caused by MaxIm not taking an exposure. Now, why MaxIm isn't taking an exposure, I don't know - perhaps something with the camera?

    Are you sure you need to use AcquireStar versus using ACP's focus routine?

    Jim

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Oakville, Canada
    Posts
    27

    Default

    Hi Jim, I did notice the line as well, yet it did take a picture and I could see it on the screen. I thought I had to use the acquire star routine. How do I set up ACP focus routine? I am very confused here is a cut and paste from the ACP manua step 6l:

    Using the FocusMax-included documentation, configure and test FocusMax for your focuser and MaxIm DL. Do not go any further until you can click the AcquireStar button and achieve a successful hands-off autofocus with AcquireStar!

    Is there a different way of making this work?


    Andy
    Atacama Andy

    C14 Hyperstar
    QHY8
    Paramount Me
    12' Clamshell
    San Pedro
    Atacama Desert Chile
    Seeing .48 a/sec

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Strongsville, OH
    Posts
    1,548

    Default

    Andy,

    Well...have you gotten FocusMax to work at all? Did you run the first light routine? That's the first step. Follow the FM docs to do that.

    Assuming you've gotten that done, try not using AcquireStar at all. Just center a star manually, then hit "focus" on FM. If that works, FM will work with ACP. Getting AcquireStar to work requires getting a lot more stuff setup correctly. Let's leave that for later, once everything else is working.

    Where are you with respect to getting ACP to work? Have you gotten the telescope and camera connected and running? Assuming you've been able to do that, will ACP slew to a target and plate-solve ok? If that's working, try running the "AutoFocus.vbs" script manually. If everything above is working, this should also work. And....you're on your way!

    I hope this helps.

    Jim

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Oakville, Canada
    Posts
    27

    Default

    Hi Jim, I had FM running perfectly for about two weeks, with all of the bells and whistles working? I changed drivers and now I can only plate solve. I will attempt your suggestions tonight and report back. Thanks for taking the time with me.

    Andy
    Atacama Andy

    C14 Hyperstar
    QHY8
    Paramount Me
    12' Clamshell
    San Pedro
    Atacama Desert Chile
    Seeing .48 a/sec

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Virgil, NY
    Posts
    6,052

    Default

    Hi Andy,

    I'll get into this conversation later this evening and try to help you, too. Busy right now, though.
    Dick
    www.VirgilObservatory.us
    Pier-mounted Meade 12-inch SCT "classic"
    Optec TCF-S focuser
    SBIG CFW-8A and ST7-XME
    H-alpha, BVRI, RGB & Clear filters
    FOV ~15’ x 10’



  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Virgil, NY
    Posts
    6,052

    Default

    All,

    Just to fill in the details...

    I had some quality TeamViewer time with Andy over the weekend. We decided that the problem was indeed a camera driver issue, although I'm not sure where the issue was specifically situated. The error message:
    00:20:23 FocusMax Error 9: Subscript out of range
    frmMain sub CmdExpose
    is typical of a filter identification problem (out of order, missing one among the list, too many...), but Andy's camera has no filters, and there's no FilterInfo.txt file. MaxIm's "Expose" method takes three parameters: the duration, a flag for "light" or "dark" and an optional integer for filter position (0 in this case). Following MaxIm's scripting guidelines, FocusMax would execute CmdExpose with the right parameters, and MaxIm would fail to take the picture on a subscript error.

    We tried FocusMax and MaxIm alone (sans ACP), and after slewing to the focus star, FMx would not even take the initial "finding" full-frame exposure. (This problem was repeatable, even running AutoFocus.vbs within the ACP environment.) So that says to me there's an issue with the driver. We even tried an earlier verison for FocusMax.exe, to no avail.

    After several installations and reinstallations of the camera driver (there are actually several to choose from from this company), Andy reported that the camera worked, and FocusMax worked as it was supposed to, and ACP's AutoFocus.vbs worked as well.

    So we cross our fingers and hope we actually solved the problem.

    Andy,

    Regarding the "calibration" message at the start of your log, it's trying to do a calibration on the pointing exposure without MaxIm's having the right files available. One way to fix it is to do the following:

    1) in MaxIm's Camera Control/Setup window, open the Options for Camera 1 and uncheck "autodark Subframe Extraction" if it is checked.

    2) in the Camera Control/Expose window, open the Options and check "No Calibration." (I don't think this matters, in fact, because calibration of images is controlled by ACP and not MaxIm.)

    See if that doesn't get rid of the notice about failing calibration.
    Dick
    www.VirgilObservatory.us
    Pier-mounted Meade 12-inch SCT "classic"
    Optec TCF-S focuser
    SBIG CFW-8A and ST7-XME
    H-alpha, BVRI, RGB & Clear filters
    FOV ~15’ x 10’



 

 

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