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INDI Library v2.0.6 is Released (02 Feb 2024)

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

Ekos Autofocus

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Replied by Todd Boland on topic Ekos Autofocus

Wow, I sure do not regret asking this. There is so much information packed into the replies. For the record, I'm using the default settings. I only tweaked the settle value.

I plan to set up again tonight and try the advice offered. Thanks Hy and Doug.

I will also start a temperature vs position log. I can see how this would help seed the focus. This is a brand new RASA 8 from OPT so I suspect it doesn't suffer from the focus issues from the first batch.

I hope my gratitude shows through. I genuinely appreciate your replies.
3 years 7 months ago #58453

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Replied by Sonny Cavazos on topic Ekos Autofocus

I have a moonlite focuser and I use a backlash of 75 or so. I think you are seeing a lot of backlash on the focuser, my nitecrawler works like the nice graphs HY posted.

On my moonlite, I also tightened the two set screws as my focus drawtube was a little lose.

But after backlash setting, my focus works a lot better.

I also make sure I focus with a camera offset of 0 as it helps in my case.

Thanks.
Last edit: 3 years 7 months ago by Sonny Cavazos.
3 years 7 months ago #58454

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Replied by Jim on topic Ekos Autofocus

I have a moonlite focuser, though on a refractor, not on a RASA. I have noticed that IF the focus is far off to start with or for some reason the algorithm steps too far beyond focus, then it gets lost and the graph levels off. That is, on the focus-in side of the V, if it goes beyond the high point on the left side of the V, it won't return, and no matter how large the stars get out of focus, it senses them as being about the same FWHM after that. I have only had this happen a couple times, it gets to the step limit, aborts, resets, and then works the next time. If you did not already, try to focus manually until it looks good, then start the routine to see if this makes a difference.

My settings are:
linear
SEP
2% tolerance
full field
20%/70%
initial step 40
multiplier 4
3 years 7 months ago #58456

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Replied by Hy Murveit on topic Ekos Autofocus

Jim,

If you want, send me some images (e.g. attach a link to a drive folder) for a series of full-field images of out-of-focus to in focus, in regular steps (e.g. at the step-size you're using), where it starts from well beyond the point where you say the HFR measurements "flatten out" so that the Linear Focus algorithm can't deal with them. I can look and see if there's something to be done.

Linear focus itself is totally reliant on the HFR measurements, so if the measurements are bad, there's not much Linear Focus can do.

The HFR is computed by the SEP library, and it's likely that that software was not developed to deal with way out-of-focus images, but rather measure HFRs for relatively in-focus stars.

Hy
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3 years 7 months ago #58476

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Replied by Jerry Black on topic Ekos Autofocus

[EDIT] I've tried to make the image visible and included a log file

I don't want to hijack this topic too much, but I'm certainly not able to use my Pegasus FocusCube with the parameters I have tried so far.

The last attempt used these: Full Field, Annulus 20-80%, Settle 2 sec, SEP, Linear, 5% Tolerance, Average over 1 frame, Kernel Size 5, Sigma 1.5, Initial Step size 200, Max Travel 10000, Backlash 15, Settle 1.5 sec, Out Step Multiplier 1.5.

The previous manual Bhatinov Mask focus gave a value of 62940 which is near the minimum observed for focus point #6 in the graph below.



I'm using a Triad Ultra Quad Filter with a Skywatcher Esprit 120 mm with a Nikon Z7 camera. It seems at the extreme focus points which show low HFR values, that what were single stars are being captured as multiple smaller points of light (i.e. smaller better focused stars than the larger out of focus star that should be reporting a higher value).

Any suggestions would be much appreciated. :)

The focus begins at 2020-08-20T21:43:01.151 ADT

File Attachment:

File Name: log_21-27-38.txt
File Size:2,409 KB
Last edit: 3 years 7 months ago by Jerry Black. Reason: Attempting to make the attachment visible and include a log.
3 years 7 months ago #58481
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Replied by Hy Murveit on topic Ekos Autofocus

Jerry,

Can't see your picture (it says "You do not have permissions to access this page.").
Why not just attach it to the forum post?

I guess the questions to ask are:
- Are you starting autofocus reasonably close to an in-focus setting?
- Is your step size appropriate?
If you step size is too small, you just get noise on the measurements.
If your step size is too large, Linear could be going too far out when it starts its focus sweep.
Feel free to point me to a log, if you have verbose focus logging on.

Hy
3 years 7 months ago #58482

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Replied by Joshua R on topic Ekos Autofocus

Hi,

Is there a HFD value at which to say now we are in focus?
3 years 7 months ago #58485

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Replied by Giles on topic Ekos Autofocus

No, it is subjective, your lenses will only achieve so much focus and the value will be different depending on your equipment and the image you are trying to focus.

You should just look for being at the bottom of a smooth curve for a particular set of equipment and image target.
3 years 7 months ago #58488

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Replied by Joshua R on topic Ekos Autofocus

thanx
3 years 7 months ago #58491

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Replied by Jerry Black on topic Ekos Autofocus

OHK, I've tried to make the image in my previous message #58481 visible and attached a log file. Here is the attached log file for reference...

File Attachment:

File Name: log_21-27-...8-21.txt
File Size:2,409 KB
Last edit: 3 years 7 months ago by Jerry Black.
3 years 7 months ago #58502
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Replied by Giles on topic Ekos Autofocus


Looking at your screenshot I might hazard a guess that the star detection is picking up somethings that are not actually stars. Hard to say what, might want to manually focus, then take some light, bias, and dark frames, combine them and just take a look for bad pixels, dust fragments etc...
3 years 7 months ago #58504

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Replied by Doug S on topic Ekos Autofocus

@astrodd: Regarding "I will also start a temperature vs position log"

FYI, if you have a focuser or weather temperature sensor (e.g. PPB), regularly use autofocus, and your Kstars is current, then the focus/temp log is created for you already (just enable it). See this post:
www.indilib.org/forum/general/7106-autof...r-and-hfr.html#55073
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Last edit: 3 years 7 months ago by Doug S.
3 years 7 months ago #58512

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