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PHD2 and Dithering

Rodd

By Rodd
in Discussions - Software

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Rodd

Rodd

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I am finding that dithering every sub in a 200-300 20-30 sec sub run to be time demanding.  It nearly doubles the time necessary for acquisition.  In Maxim there is no way to dither every 10 subs.  Is there a way to do this in PHD 2?  Or, if dithering and guiding are unrelated, can SGP dither every 10 subs, or some such number.  In that case I can use SGP to capture and dither and PHD 2 to guide.  Either way--Maxim can't do it.  I suppose if the dither is controlled by PHD2--I could capture with maxim and use PHD2 to guide.  That would be the simplest at this point.

A related question--I have all the drivers necessary and everything works with Maxim.  Do you think I would need anything in addition to what I have if I want to switch to SGP and PHD2?  I do have the software but have not used it.

Thanks,

Rodd

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Rodd

Rodd

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Just now, ChrisEll said:

Guiding and imaging+dithering are unrelated, so the imaging software tells PHD2 when to dither.

So Maxim is out then as it can't dither every 10 subs or whatever.  So can SGP o that?

Rodd

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Rodd

Rodd

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1 minute ago, coatesg said:

Yep - it can.

Do you think I can just start using it?  Or will I need additional downloads (drivers, patches etc).  Right now everything works with Maxim.

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Rodd

Rodd

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4 minutes ago, Dr_Ju_ju said:

As long as you have all the Ascom and specific camera drivers etc., installed, there should be no issues (it works for me :hello2:)

So what works for Maxim will work for SGP--nothing additional?  Setting up maxim is an adventure in itself.  The one thing I question is the Lodestar 2 is powered through the ASI 1600--there is no separate connection to computer.  In Maxim I choose camera 1 for imaging and camera 2 for guiding.  Does SGP have the same type of thing?  Also--will a separate software package be able to run camera 2 while SGP is running Camera 1.  The same question holds for using Maxim and PHD2--can that work when camera 2 is powered by camera 1.

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Dr_Ju_ju

Dr_Ju_ju

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I power & drive my asi120mm & asi fw, through the asi 1600 running power & a single usb 3 connection, which in turn connects to a USB 3 hub, which also have connections to the mount & focuser control, see attached...

So as long as your PC can see all your hardware, it shouldn't matter whether you control it using Maxim or SGPro....

IMG_2018_04_26_0492.JPG

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Rodd

Rodd

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18 minutes ago, spillage said:

Have a look here.

Talk about loading down the apple cart wow.  I would be interested in the Bhatinov grabber though.  I use a B-mask to good effect, based on my eye.  Is the software assisted B-mask easier?  

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coatesg

coatesg

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21 minutes ago, Rodd said:

I had a look at PHD 2 and I don't see an option for dithering every 10 subs--or what ever.  How is this controlled?

It's controlled by SGP - SGP signals to PHD2 that it should dither (else PHD doesn't know when to do it - it has to do it between exposures!!).

It's in the autoguiding section in SGP from memory....

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Rodd

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12 minutes ago, coatesg said:

It's controlled by SGP - SGP signals to PHD2 that it should dither (else PHD doesn't know when to do it - it has to do it between exposures!!).

It's in the autoguiding section in SGP from memory....

That's where I am looking and there is no command to dither for a number of exposures--just the normal delays while there is settling--either time based or distance from center based.  

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coatesg

coatesg

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12 hours ago, Rodd said:

Mine does not have the Every--Frames selection--when they incorporate this feature?  

Came out in 2.5.2 beta from the looks: http://forum.mainsequencesoftware.com/t/dithering-phd2-every-x-pictures/625/33

It is global, but it does work - just think a bit about your sequence of images, and the number of frames you'll take - if you have dither after 5, and you do RRR-GGG-BBB-RRR-GGG-BBB- etc it'll do:

R,R,R,G,G,dither,G,B,B,B,R,dither,R,R,G,G,G,dither,etc. 

Here, you might want to do dither after 9 for example. With long exposures, dithering after 2 works well for me (I might have a stack of 20-30 images), but then I tend to do one filter at a time.

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Rodd

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35 minutes ago, coatesg said:

Came out in 2.5.2 beta from the looks: http://forum.mainsequencesoftware.com/t/dithering-phd2-every-x-pictures/625/33

It is global, but it does work - just think a bit about your sequence of images, and the number of frames you'll take - if you have dither after 5, and you do RRR-GGG-BBB-RRR-GGG-BBB- etc it'll do:

R,R,R,G,G,dither,G,B,B,B,R,dither,R,R,G,G,G,dither,etc. 

Here, you might want to do dither after 9 for example. With long exposures, dithering after 2 works well for me (I might have a stack of 20-30 images), but then I tend to do one filter at a time.

I don't have that version.   For long exposures I dither after every sub--that's ok--its when the exposures are short that its a problem.  With 10 min exposures, adding a minute for a dither delay is only adding 1/10 the time (with CCD I have bigger pixels and my guide sensor has almost the same size pixels so I have to dither more aggressively--hence I use 70 sec delay.  But when the exposures are 30 sec, adding 15 sec after every sub adds 50% more time (with Cmos I can dither less aggressively because my guide sensor has pixels much larger than the ASI 1600, so my dither delay is set very low--hence 15 sec delay).

I stick with one filter until I am done as well--that's because my STT 8300 had a tendency to jam when the filter wheel was rotated, so I was hesitant to turn it.  The ASI 1600 filter wheel is nice though--with a bi-directional turning.  Silent too.  I might give the multi filter run a try....its supposed to be better, especially in bad skies.

Rodd

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Rodd

Rodd

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8 minutes ago, coatesg said:

Assuming you have a V2/3 license, I'm pretty sure you just grab the latest version and upgrade....

I bought SGP a couple years ago when I was first starting out.  Not sure I have the rights.

Rodd

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