Staff Assigned: Adam Robichaud AO-8A

Discussion in 'Guiding and Adaptive Optics - StarChaser and AO' started by Galaxyhunter, Mar 20, 2021.

  1. Galaxyhunter

    Galaxyhunter Cyanogen Customer

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    I have an AO-8 on my that I switch back & forth between my ST2000 / ST10. When I click Calibrate AO, it crates a nice size box on the display screen. The results are that it guide incredible. I was hoping for that with my new one.

    I have a AO-8A on a SC2 / STC-7. When I calibrate that, it really doesn't hardly move ( see video ).
    What do I look for, or is this the way the new AO units work?

    hawkeye-observatory.com/CN/SBIG/AO-8A.avi

    This is a 27mb file.

    Thank You Gentlemen.
     
  2. Galaxyhunter

    Galaxyhunter Cyanogen Customer

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    This afternoon, I remove the camera from the scope. Started Maxim, Went to the AO control window & clicked Setup. From there I unclicked the Y axis & then clicked Exercise. I looked into the focuser tube & I could see That the lens was moving. I then switched the checkmarks for the X & Y, then redid the test. I could see that this axis was also moving. I don't know where else to look.
     
  3. Colin Haig

    Colin Haig Staff Member

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    The AO-8 and AO-8A are mechanically very similar, but the optical setup between the old camera's internal guide sensor and the new guiders are different.
    That will have a bit of impact, however I'll ask my colleague @Brian Brown to have a look - I personally expected much more movement (several pixels eg more than 5, less than 20) in each direction.
    Am wondering if there is something incorrect on your AO Setup tab. Perhaps you could provide a screen shot (PrtSc and paste into MS Paint)
     
  4. Galaxyhunter

    Galaxyhunter Cyanogen Customer

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    I will get a screen shot. I didn't change any parameters, just using the default settings. This (AO-8A) is so different from my older unit as far as calibrating. I didn't know if it's a software calibrating routine that has changed or if this is just a settings issue. I mainly used my ST200 on the Maxim 4.60 platform, and when it did it's calibration, I did a Four Corners type. This Maxim version (6.26?) appears to do a single axis at a time.

    Edited to upload screen shots.
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Mar 22, 2021
  5. Colin Haig

    Colin Haig Staff Member

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    Colleagues need to look into this a bit further. Not forgotten, just delay.
     
  6. Galaxyhunter

    Galaxyhunter Cyanogen Customer

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    Not a problem, It's been cloudy. I have my ST2000 / AO-8 on the scope right now waiting for a sucker hole so I can video that calibrating routine to compare. With the ST2000, or ST10 / AO-8, when I was Asteroid hunting,
    I could stay on a guide star for hours & never have any pixel shift.
     
  7. Galaxyhunter

    Galaxyhunter Cyanogen Customer

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    I have a link for two calibrations. Both are ST2000 + AO-8, Windows 10 Pro x64. The first one was run on Maxim 4.60. The second was on Maxim 6.28. This is the same computer that I used for original calibration.
    Two different Maxim versions gave me basically the same ( positive ) results that I have been getting for years. The only difference I see is a different guider ( SC-2 ) & the drivers to run the AO-8A that is attached to it.

    hawkeye-observatory.com/CN/SBIG/Maxim4-60.avi
    hawkeye-observatory.com/CN/SBIG/Maxim6-26.avi

    Thanks Gentlemen, Carl.
     
  8. Brian Brown

    Brian Brown Standard User

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    Hello,

    Looking at the screen shot it appears that the Deflection % for the AO is set to 50%. This means that while calibrating the AO will only move 50% of it's total possible motion on each axis. Try Setting the value to 100%. and let me know if this resolves the issue.

    Thanks,

    Brian.
     
  9. Galaxyhunter

    Galaxyhunter Cyanogen Customer

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    Okay, I'm attacking this again. Trying to get my STC7 / SC2 / AO-8A to work together. Last March I got so frustrated that I didn't touch it all Summer. So I bought a third computer to use to try to get it all to work. The main problem is the AO8's lack of calibration. I bench tested the camera & guider with the new computer & it seems to be operational. I did an exercise routine on the AO8 and it looks like a nice range of motion. ( see video clip). Hopefully that range of motion translate into a good calibration. So I just need a clear night so I can test it out again.
     
  10. Brian Brown

    Brian Brown Standard User

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    Hi Carl,

    In the past month or so I've been working on improving the AO's behavior, particularly the DLImaging plugin's AO Control logic. I have here a beta plugin containing those changes so you can hopefully hit the ground running. Hopefully, the weather clears up soon!

    Brian
     

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  11. Galaxyhunter

    Galaxyhunter Cyanogen Customer

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    So there is / was an issue with the AO-8? One of the last tests last March was that I took my ST2000/AO8 & ran it on MaxinDL4.6xx ( the version I always used) & it ran as normal. I then ran it on MaxinDL 6.28 & it ran normal, so that tells me the 6.28 software is fine as far as driving the ST2000/AO8.

    I removed the ST2000 and installed the STC-7 camera & running it with version 6.28, the Camera / SC2 guider worked, but the AO8 would not calibrate (see video clip from first post).
     
  12. Brian Brown

    Brian Brown Standard User

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    There were some issues found in 6.29 causing some users to experience issues with axis reversal that has been addressed in the plugin I provided and those same fixes will be in the next release
     
  13. Doug

    Doug Staff Member

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    Yes we are testing the 6.30 release right now. Should be soon.
     
  14. Galaxyhunter

    Galaxyhunter Cyanogen Customer

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    Okay, I did have a small sucker hole last night that gave me enough time to test the new computer w/ AO-8a.
    Same results. So what do I do with "testmode_fix" files?
     
  15. Galaxyhunter

    Galaxyhunter Cyanogen Customer

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    Is there a utility that can copy / transfer the info in the settings menu from an existing version into a new version??? That's one of the pains of installing new / upgraded versions,
     
  16. Doug

    Doug Staff Member

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  17. Galaxyhunter

    Galaxyhunter Cyanogen Customer

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    1 question & 1 request
    Question, For the STC7 camera setup with SC2 & AO8, I set the AO for sensor two . Then for the SC2 camera, I have the AO set to off - correct?

    Request, Is there a way to add an option (check box) so someone can keep (pin)the AO window on top. The camera control window stays on top. When the screen stretch window is active - it stays in top.
    In past versions 4.xx & I believe 5.xx, the AO window stayed on top. I realize some people might like the auto-minimizing effect, but for me, it's irritating always having to go to the task bar to retrieve it.
     
  18. Doug

    Doug Staff Member

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    Bill likes this.
  19. Galaxyhunter

    Galaxyhunter Cyanogen Customer

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    Thank you Doug.
     
  20. Galaxyhunter

    Galaxyhunter Cyanogen Customer

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    Okay, I placed the beta file ( CCDPlugDLImaging.dll ) into the folder as described ion to readme file after I added a .bak to the original file. I start Maxim v6.26 and it dumps right out (no start). I tried it twice with same results.
    I then made a dll backup folder and moved the original dll file into it. Twice more, Maxim didn't start. I then moved the beta file into the backup folder & the original file into its original location & then Maxim started right up.
     

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