FocusMax and Telescope control?

[Mark Wielgosz]

Hi,

Just a trivial question:

When using Aquirestar you have to specify what protocol to use to control the telescope in the Telescope Tab under setup.
I have always used "The Sky Controlled Telescope", since using ACP, should I be using the "ACP Hub Telescope" control mechanism instead.

Lately I have been getting a VBscript error when ACP tries to invoke FocusMax during an imaging run. ACP shuts down the script and all is left is the Telescope tab from Focusmax with no values in the boxes. I have to shut down FocusMax using Task Manager before being able to restart FocusMax.

So I am wondering if this may be the cause.
I have never had this problem before but I am wondering if anyone else has experienced this problem.

Below is the log extract from ACP:

15:23:35 Do periodic auto-focus...
15:23:35 [flip check: Tn=660s HAc=15024s GW=T HAz=15680s DWz=T WF=no]
15:23:36 (stopping the autoguider)
15:23:36 **Script Error (Tracking has been stopped)**
15:23:37 Source: Microsoft VBScript runtime error
15:23:37 Message: ActiveX component can't create object: 'FocusMax.FocusControl' at line 1434 column 33.
ACP console log closed 25-Apr-2012 15:23:38 UTC

Cheers
Mark

[Dick Berg]

Hi Mark,

I believe it's typical to connect FocusMax to the ACP Telescope Hub (ASCOM). Mine is done that way. Whether that's what your problem is is harder to say.

The telescope should have only one "direct" connection to it, and that's usually ACP making that connection. All other connections are then made to the ACP Telescope Hub, which handles commands to the telescope/data from the telescope from multiple applications, such as FocusMax or planetarium programs. I guess you have ACP directly connected to theSky. By the way, you do not need to have MaxIm connected to anything.

The code line mentioned in the error message refers to the AcquireImages.js script. You'll see it is calling the autofocus routine. But the actual error occurs in the AutoFocus() function in AcquireSupport.wsc. A few lines down from the start of the Function is a statement trying to make the connection to FocusMax that says:

Set FMx = CreateObject("FocusMax.FocusControl")

And that's what failed. That would fail if FocusMax were not running, for example, but there could be other things going on. I would certainly try connecting FocusMax to the ACP hub as the first step to figuring this out.

Good luck, Mark.

[Mark Wielgosz]

Thanks Dick,

Last night I made sure that FM was connected to the ACP Telescope Hub.
I also started FM before doing an imaging run, that way ACP just kept FM open through out the whole session.

The imaging session completed without a hitch.

I'm happy to do this, but like I said, I have never had to have FM running prior to starting an imaging run.
FM was always successfully opened by ACP and shut down when focus was completed.

I will monitor the situation and see if I can get it to happen in a particular instance.

Cheers
mark

[Dick Berg]

FocusMax also will start up and shut down for me, too, but lately I have been leaving it running. There's probably some peculiar timing thing that interferes with creating that object. If FMx is not running, obviously it can't be used. Another reason I leave FMx running is that I got tired of having numerous FocusMax logs pile up in the folder.

I hope your solution works for you permanently.

[Bob Denny]

I have seen lots of reports of the "can't create object" ... it is an error within the "constructor" code for the FocusMax.FocusControl object. It appears to be timing related. If you hand-start FocusMax at the beginning of the night, the problem won't occur.