Script Mod: After start main exposure, then stop/start auto guider- is that possible?

[Steven Mohr]

Hello Bob and everyone,

I'm in the trial stage of ACP/Scheduler and I'm close to seeing the program work, but I'm about half way through my trial. I've posted already that I have an unusual bug with my camera/ao that leads to a loss of guide star following the start of the main imager sub exposure [its that faded guide star fault]. The auto guider sub exposure calculator works correctly, but following the start of the main imager, the guider function is paused for 4-5 seconds, and when it restarts, guide star is registered as faded - but I can see it dead centered. At this stage, if I manually stop-start the autoguider in the maxim interface, the guiding starts and works correctly!

Some are thinking this is a fault associated to a "timeout" fault of the STXL+AOL, but I am not sure about that.

My question is: is it possible to add code somewhere in the ACP scripts to automate this stop-start of the guider after the main imager has started - with say a 6 second delay after the commencement of the main sub exposure?

I have so basic script writing skills it would make people laugh, so I'm even happy to pay for the script edit if that was the case.

Thank you for reading.

Steve

[Bob Denny]

Steven -- It stresses me out that you tried ACP only to hit the wall with a device. I've lost customers to broken devices before and as you can imagine it's painful for me.

is it possible to add code somewhere in the ACP scripts to automate this stop-start of the guider after the main imager has started - with say a 6 second delay after the commencement of the main sub exposure?

Mainly look at my post Policy for Working Around Device Errors, Quirks, and Limitations. Beyond that the guider often exhibits transients during startup, and that's why ACP monitors it during startup until the errors fall below a user-set threshold. This would be a "feature" (read: hack) strictly for the AOX's bug where it quits when the main exposure starts. The problem needs to be solved by SBIG for all of the reasons I give in the referenced post. I have survived this long by refusing to be in the business of providing software victories over hardware.

Unfortunately your problem isn't unusual, nor is it apparently widespread. Since last July 5-6 people have reported it and they are CCDAP and ACP customers. Progress has been made (see AO-X gives guide star fade in Maxim DL), but it is still a problem. Your thread AO Loses star as soon as main exposure starts as well as one I found on the SBIG list AOX star fade (this person has it with CCD Autopilot) cover this, as well as it being discussed within several other threads here and on the MaxIm list, some of which I closed to help me keep my sanity and collect recent info (you, Geoff Stone, and Wes Grimes) in one place.

If it means I lose your business.. all I can ask is that, once they do fix it, you'll come back and look again.

[Steven Mohr]

Hello Bob,

Fair enough, and thanks for the time to write.

I'll keep watching the SBIG forum, and hope they can finally fix this.

thank you,

Steve