Autofocus has stopped working

[PIRATE]

Hi all,

Autofocus has bizarelly decided to stop working.
I've attached the logs from FocusMax from the last night it was working (20120822) and the log seen the next day (20120823). All other logs from then onwards match and seem to suggest that the issue may be pinpoint related.

FocusMax does work when I run it manually but not when ACP interracts with it.

Any ideas?

Cheers,
Richard

[Bob Denny]

Something has happened to the PinPoint installation. You'll have to ask what the meaning of this sequence is on the FocusMax forum (Yahoo FmaxUG)

02:21:43 PinPoint error modPinPoint sub ppSetup
02:21:43 Catalog = 3
02:21:43 Catalog path = C:\GSC11
02:21:43 Minimum brightness = 200
02:21:43 Sigma above mean = 4
02:21:43 Catalog min mag = -2
02:21:43 Catalog max mag = 20
02:21:43 Max solve time = 60
02:21:43 Catalog expansion = 0.300000011920929
02:21:43 Min star size = 2
02:21:43 Exclusion border = 4
02:21:43 Min match stars = 0
02:21:43 Could not setup PinPoint

Try running Visual PinPoint? Does that work?

[PIRATE]

Hi Bob,

Thanks, I'm now waiting to join the yahoo group.

The problem only seems to occur when ACP calls FocusMax.
If I run it manually then all works as normal.

I've just performed a test plate solve (first time using visual pinpoint) and it spits out results that seem correct.
Plate solving during images also works.

Cheers,
Richard

[Bob Denny]

Then look at the PinPoint settings in FocusMax. It is clearly failing to plate solve:

Before:
21:35:42 Binning = 1
21:35:42 Taking 3 sec pointing exposure
21:36:00 69 catalog stars found
21:36:04 452 plate image stars found
21:36:05 ** Plate solved **
21:36:05 Roll ang.= 65.905944 Plate scale = 0.12V 0.08H
21:36:05 Plate(J2000) RA : 20:21:02.9 Dec: 51° 43' 54.2"
21:36:05 Plate(Topo) RA : 20:21:23.5 Dec: 51° 46' 31.8"
21:36:05 Current pointing: RA 20:21:23.5 Dec 51° 46' 31.8"

After:
02:21:27 Binning = 1
02:21:27 Taking 3 sec pointing exposure
02:21:43
02:21:43 PinPoint error modPinPoint sub ppSetup
[... dump of apparently correct PinPoint settings...]
02:21:43 Could not setup PinPoint
02:21:43 Acquire Star not completed


I just don't know the true meaning of "PinPoint error modPinPoint sub ppSetup" - A report of the actual error message and source of the error would be most helpful.

[Bob Denny]

OK, I just got off the phone with Steve Brady, who called for my experiences giving an AIC workshop. He's giving one for FocusMax this year. After we talked about that, I asked him about this. He didn't know except that "it couldn't connect to PinPoint". I asked what "connect" meant, and he explained "create an instance of PinPoint". Well we know that PinPoint can be created, as Visual PinPoint and ACP (both of which use that engine) can do it according to your tests, so it is there and registered for use. Something about having AcquireStar started by script command is different compared to starting it via the button on the FocusMax window. I have no way to know as FocusMax is not my software.

Post on FMaxUG and perhaps they can help. Steve is not an admin, he does not approve memberships (he told me while we were talking). At the moment I'm unable to give you more info.

[PIRATE]

Hi Bob,

Thanks for the help. I finally got to the bottom of the problem; somehow the plate scale settings in FocusMax being reported to pinpoint went haywire and resulted in the error.

To quote Steve Brady on the FocusMax group:

The error message relates to parameters that are required for PinPoint. I looked
through the code and matching up with the parameters written to the log -
please verify that you have the correct plate scale (arc-sec/pixel) on the
AcqaurieStar PinPoint tab.

For future reference here is a link to the topic on the FocusMax group:
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/FMaxUG/message/8308

Cheers,
Richard

[Bob Denny]

A change in focal length (adding a focal reducer) or pixel size (imager change) could have done it.