Automated Robofocus and Nebulosity

[Earl]

As far as i can see Nebulosity does not support automated focusing between frames.

Has anyone found a work around or do i need to switch imaging software?

[perfrej]

The best bet for going into any kind of automation and safe remote operation (in my order, best at the top):

- ACP+ACP Scheduler

- CCD Autopilot

- Sequence generator pro

ACP has a totally autonomous conceptual model that can span a year or more of operation without intervention. CCD Autopilot is totally autonomous for one night and can be set to continue where it left off the night before. SGP has a simple but flexible mode of operation but can, in my view, not be fully relied upon.

ACP and ACP Scheduler has automatic prioritization of objects and will split the work into one-hour segments. At the end of each segment (called a plan) it will reevaluate and decide what is best done next. Factors such as moon avoid, altitude constraints and meridian preference are factored in. It has a web interface for entering targets and schedules, and it is the software of choice by most remote observatories. Expensive...

CCD AP is really the best alternative for one-nighters and I have tried it extensively on my balcony setup.

SGP I have not tried, but I have read the manual from top to bottom and decided that it lacks too  much in too many areas to be used reliably. I would choose CCD AP over it for scenarios which do not require fully autonomous operation spanning long periods of time. I am not saying it is useless, but it will not do what I want it to do, especially in the focusing arena.

ACP and CCD AP both use FocusMax for focusing (CCD AP can use Maxim's and CCDSoft's as well) - the best solution available for reliable focusing. They also use PinPoint for plate solving, which is miles more accurate than Elbrus which is what SGP uses.

Nebulosity is very nice and can be scripted quite well. It does not, as you noted, do focusing so it cannot be used for anything where you do not sit by the computer all night. I like to sleep at night, a preference that has driven my automation beyond the usual limits

All the best,

Per

[Earl]

Thanks for your input Per

[Zakalwe]

I'm currently experimenting with SGPro, and it certainly looks comprehensive. I've not tried it in anger yet, so cannot comment on the auto-focus routine. If it could integrate Focusmax then that would be a good solution. The developers seem very responsive, so it might be worth suggesting this to them?

Per, you can use PinPoint with SGPro.

http://mainsequencesoftware.com/Content/SGPHelp/SequenceGeneratorPro.html?SettingupPinpoint.html

You can also set up a local Astronomy.net server for blind solving failover, or as the primary plate-solving solution.

[Steve 1962]

I'm also running a trial of SGPro. It's the second time I've trialed it because the first time I couldn't get it to work with Elbrus plate solving. This time I've set up a local Astrometry.net server to use as the primary blind solver.

The other night, it successfully:

Plate solved a "target" image, (taking about 14 seconds)

Slewed to, and centred the scope on the "target" image location, 

Auto-focused,

Acquired 5 x 45 min frames including dithering PHD and auto-focusing between frames,

Did an automatic meridian flip, re-centred and auto-focussed afterwards including flipping the PHD calibration data (it actually guided better after the flip than before (!?)).

...all without input from me during the process (other than set up at the start of course)

All in all, I think it's excellent and may well buy it at the end of the trial - I think it's a good deal at $99.

[Zakalwe]

From reading up about it (I haven't used it yet on a "live" run) Elbrus needs to have the pixel scale accurate. I uploaded a file to Astronomy.net and used the pixel scale from there (to 2 decimal places). I then fed SGPro with a variety of FITS sub-exposures and it successfully plate solved them. I needed to change the scale if the image was binned, but apart from that it seemed to work fine.

[Martin-Devon]

I use CCD Commander, similar set-up and price as SGP. I've been automating my imaging runs for the last 6 weeks, and CCD Commander has worked superbly. The programming is very easy, it integrates seamlessly with ASCOM, Maxim and FocuMax. Plate solving (via PinPoint in Maxim) is very fast & reliable and most nights I automate the refocussing 2-3 times each hour (often on a mag 4 star in an adjacent field for narrowband filters), takes just 2 minutes and it's worth it just to ensure spot-on focus all night. CCD Commander takes care of automated guiding via Maxim, and this incorporates start/stopping the guiding when slews, meridian flips and focusing are needed. 

[perfrej]

I think Elbrus may be good enough for target centering, but if you want to model your mount by means of it you will have some accuracy problems. In terms of accuracy, Pinpoint is king. It is also reasonably insensitive to image scale and totally insensitive to rotation.

SGP definitely has quite a bit of merit and may well evolve into a great solution. The price is attractive at $99. CCD Autopilot is $95 for basic version and $295 for professional version, so a bit more pricey. The SGP autofocus routine, by the way, takes a vcurve every time and cannot recover focus if you start your session without focusing with something else, so a focusMax integration would be beneficial.

/per

[Zakalwe]

I use CCD Commander, similar set-up and price as SGP. I've been automating my imaging runs for the last 6 weeks, and CCD Commander has worked superbly. The programming is very easy, it integrates seamlessly with ASCOM, Maxim and FocuMax. Plate solving (via PinPoint in Maxim) is very fast & reliable and most nights I automate the refocussing 2-3 times each hour (often on a mag 4 star in an adjacent field for narrowband filters), takes just 2 minutes and it's worth it just to ensure spot-on focus all night. CCD Commander takes care of automated guiding via Maxim, and this incorporates start/stopping the guiding when slews, meridian flips and focusing are needed. 

Thanks for the post...very interesting.

If I read this correctly then you need Maxim and PinPoint to work with CCDCommander?  If so, then that'd certainly bump up the costs.

I'm attracted to SGPro as it seems to integrate well with PHD (for guiding) and EQMOD (for mount control). The FoC Elbrus (or astronomy.net) adds plate-solving, so the initial outlay is very reasonable.

As an aside, I have used AstroTortilla for plate-solving with hit-and-miss success.  When it works, it works very well, but I find it flaky. Sometimes it just locks up and has to be closed via Task Manager. I can't seem to see why, as no settings were altered night-to-night.

[Zakalwe]

SGP definitely has quite a bit of merit and may well evolve into a great solution. The price is attractive at $99. CCD Autopilot is $95 for basic version and $295 for professional version, so a bit more pricey. The SGP autofocus routine, by the way, takes a vcurve every time and cannot recover focus if you start your session without focusing with something else, so a focusMax integration would be beneficial.

I saw that in the notes about SGPro. For me, it's not a major hassle as the rig isn't touched from night-to-night, so the focus point doesn't need to move much. Or have I misunderstood it?

[Barry-Wilson]

I use SGPro with PinPoint and it works seamlessly and I have to agree with Per that it is very accurate and quick.  I used Elbrus previously and it worked about 90% of the time and with the blind fail over to Astronomy.net gave a good solution for a free plate solver.

The newest beta release of SGPro has a more tolerant autofocus routine, allowing the v-curve routine to continue if a v isn't reached within the set number of focus points.  Dome/roof control/flat box control has been a feature for a while now and the beta version is also trialling an email monitoring system to link into the GNS app for smart phones.  It is not a robotic suite, as Per states, but it is a developing application that brings 'garden' automation.  I've not used or trialled the other programs above so I'm afraid I can't give you an objective view.

Barry

[ChrisLX200]

SGPro is good for those who want to work 'remotely' - i.e., from a warm room but still with access to the rig as necessary, it isn't for fully automated image capture with the scope located in a remote observatory. The features it does offer work very well, and a sight easier than doing everything manually. Focus works well for me in HFR mode and I briefy played with FocusMax acting as a server but couldn't get it to work without MaximDL (whilst I have a very old version of that program I never paid for any further updates from >10yrs ago). As far as I know FocusMax requires some part of the MaximDL suite to function - tell me if I'm wrong and I might look at it again. I record the absolute focuser position following autofocus runs and the temperature at which it was done, I can get very close focus just by using goto on the focuser. This always provides a good starting point. I don't use the filter offsets nor the automatic temperature adjustment, I just have it set to run another autofocus routine if the temperature varies by 1degC, and following each filter change.

Plate solving in SGPro is fast and accurate using Elbrus provided you have the image scale exact, and I also have a local Astometry.net installation as fall-back solver (very rare it gets used). I don't see much need to model my mount any more accurately than it is because the solver puts the target where I want it with a slew and center operation.

ChrisH

[Earl]

Im going to give it a run when im all setup. I have a good friend coming over to install the robofocus as my im not confident in my left hand been up to the task at present and dont want to go butchering my fsq!

I dont need full aotomation, but SGPro does tick the boxes i need i think, so well worth a try, once its all settled ill look into the plate solving, I didi look at astro tortilla a while ago and did get that working.

As long as I can slide the roof off and go ill be ok.

[perfrej]

I like the term 'garden automation' and consider it hereby coined.

/p

[Barry-Wilson]

Or 'balcony automation'! 

Barry

[perfrej]

Haha! Well, that's my best discipline!