Hi,
Here's a question for one of the ASCOM guys.
I have a commercial telescope mount controller for which the ASCOM driver includes a mandatory feature for GEM users. It forces the mount to either stop tracking or auto-flip when the mount has tracked beyong the Meridian by a given amount. You can choose either option but not disable the feature.
Yes it prevents a GEM mounted scope crash into the pier. But my pier is unconventional & a collision is mechanically\physically impossible.
If like me you image using client software such as SGP, then obviously the last thing you want is for the tracking to stop or the mount to flip mid image outside the control of the sequencing software. Therefore I'm forced to use SGP's meridian flip feature with timing geared to suit.
Because my pier design means there's no possibilty of any collision for my refractor I would like to track past the meridian and go 'weights up' until I potentially run out of sky, thus avoiding the inevitable wasted time required for a meridian flip, re-centering, plate solving etc.
If you're taking 30min subs in the UK then every wasted imaging minute counts.
The driver developer seems reluctant to make this feature optional & give the end user the choice.
I thought in the 'spirit' of all things ASCOM then the client was king & to dictate such mandatory behaviour would at least be considered presumptious? Is anyone able to point me in the direction of any official ASCOM literature explaning what is required of an ASCOM developer, what should be forbidden & what might be frowned uopn?
Many thanks