Trying to work the AO-L work with st2000xm

Discussion in 'Guiding and Adaptive Optics - StarChaser and AO' started by Joshua Bunn, Dec 4, 2017.

  1. Joshua Bunn

    Joshua Bunn Standard User

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    Hello all, my first post here :) Hopefully someone can help.

    I'm wanting to image with the stl11k and guide with AO-L which is driven by an st2000xm guide camera. I'm essentially trying to do what others have done with the STL11k, RGH and MOAG setup, except I'm using an IF ONAG and st2000xm instead of the MOAG and RGH...

    My settup is: PW CDK 12.5 -> Moonlite NiteCrawler focuser -> SBIG AOL -> IF ONAG -> Imaging chip stl11k at one port and the st2000xm at the other port.

    I use TSX Pro exclusively and can calibrate the AO-L with the st2000xm imaging chip (this is the chip I want to use to guide on, not the small internal guide chip), while also connected to the stl11k imaging camera.

    So, does anyone know if this can be done??

    Thankyou, Joshua.
     
  2. Doug

    Doug Staff Member

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    Probably will work, though we have no way of testing it. Have you actually tried it?
     
  3. Colin Haig

    Colin Haig Staff Member

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    Doug, Tom House and I lent him a hand sorting out the configuration. It is a bit unusual (AO-L is controlled by ST2000XM), but I think it has a shot at working. Joshua is a clever guy.
     
  4. Joshua Bunn

    Joshua Bunn Standard User

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    Thanks Colin and Doud... I have tried it and I can control the AO-L with the st2000 to calibrate the AO-L and exercise it... but when it comes to guiding with it, the AO controls in TSX Pro are not there like they have been with other setups. Also, I choose my guide star and start guiding but the guide box that comds up either displays no star or just an unusual display of pixels... definitely not normal.

    Maybe there is other software i could try that might run it? How about Maxim dl?

    Regards, Josh
     
  5. Colin Haig

    Colin Haig Staff Member

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    Josh, I use MaxIm, but havent tried anything like your amazing config.
     
  6. Joshua Bunn

    Joshua Bunn Standard User

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    I find it interesting how so far no one has told me that it wont work, and that you need the RGH to control the AO-L... because that is what I thought based on what I had heard years ago. So it's good to hear that people are not saying that I need to control the AO-L with the RGH or it wont work.
     
  7. Joshua Bunn

    Joshua Bunn Standard User

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    Thanks Colin, does MaxIm have a trial period?
     
  8. Colin Haig

    Colin Haig Staff Member

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    Go here:
    http://diffractionlimited.com/product/maxim-dl/
    And you'd see if you scroll down a bit, there is a "DEMO" tab. Click that.

    My understanding is that the new 6.15 release is coming soon, so you might want to hold off requesting the demo version for a few days, until the latest-greatest is out.
     
  9. Doug

    Doug Staff Member

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    The guide camera has to be an SBIG camera. It also has to have an I2C port. As far as I know that is the only requirement. (The RGH qualifies because it's operated by a camera with an I2C port.)
     
  10. Joshua Bunn

    Joshua Bunn Standard User

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    Okay, thanks Doug. Well the st2000 qualifies then
     
  11. Joshua Bunn

    Joshua Bunn Standard User

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    Thankyou Colin. I may try that to see if my config would work with it.
     
  12. Doug

    Doug Staff Member

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    Only caveat: I haven't personally tested an AO-L with an ST-2000. I can only say it is likely to work.
     
  13. Joshua Bunn

    Joshua Bunn Standard User

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    No worries, i guess i could try it out stand alone without using the stl11k... just soley use the st2000, I'll do that. Thankyou. Are the stl series of cameras the only ones that the AO-L was designed to work with as the imaging camera, I hope i make sense.
     
  14. Doug

    Doug Staff Member

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    Yes the AO-L was intended for the STL series. The AO-L, AO-7, and AO-8 have very similar control protocols, though there are very some minor differences in things like the homing behavior. That's why the caveat.
     
  15. Joshua Bunn

    Joshua Bunn Standard User

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    Thankyou Doug.
     
  16. Joshua Bunn

    Joshua Bunn Standard User

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    I did some googling and downloaded a SBIG product catalogue, i found this page in the catalogue, I have attached it to this post. It appears the st series is compatible with the AO-L. good news.

    Just a question, on the attached file without pictures, it says the aol can be used on ST and STL series cameras. Then I'm not really folowing what is meant after that, starting on the 4th line... is it saying that if you want to use a AO with either camera series, then you have to use the RGH??
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Dec 5, 2017
  17. Doug

    Doug Staff Member

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    No it's just saying you have to use an RGH if you want to use an off-axis guider.

    Sounds like you're good to go.
     
  18. Joshua Bunn

    Joshua Bunn Standard User

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    Thanks Doug... I'm going to keep trying tonight.
     
  19. Joshua Bunn

    Joshua Bunn Standard User

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    It appears this configuration will not work.

    To quote from the thread at software bisque "when using an SBIG camera with AO, the dual detector SBIG camera connected to the AO device must be used as the Imaging camera and the Autoguider camera. There cannot be another camera in the mix (the SBIG STL-11000 in this case)".

    The thread can be viewed here: http://www.bisque.com/sc/forums/p/32295/165333.aspx#165333

    Looks like I'm going to get a RGH for the guiding camera.

    Regards, Joshua
     
  20. Doug

    Doug Staff Member

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    That's a Software Bisque limitation of some kind. It is not an inherent limitation of the SBIG drivers (or of MaxIm DL for that matter).
     

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