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

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

ASI294 problem with INDI driver

  • Posts: 245
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Hi All

I started a new thread because I am now a step further.
I cannot take good Darks using the Indi driver via Ekos. They show no randomness and do not display the amp glow. We noticed a checkerboard pattern, this doesn't look random, all the "lanes" have the same value, and the black pixels exactly half of that.
Maybe its a setting (I am using the defaults) but I cannot get it right.

So I decided to install APT and use ASCOM to connect. The Darks I get via APT are exactly as I would expect. I can clearly see the amp glow and star burst pattern.

Any idea's why the INDI driver behaves so differently from the Ascom?

The image on the left is from Indi, the one on the right from a different capture program.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Craig
Last edit: 4 years 4 months ago by Rishi Garrod.
4 years 4 months ago #45323
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Are you using the same offset value? I noticed that my ASI178MC has a dark current compensation "feature" that over compensates for dark current and the default offset value was too low and clips to black and was helped by raising offset. This seems common for Sony sensors (at least IMX178 and IMX183 seem to have it) so it might affect 294 as well. It's easy to notice if very short bias frames have higher mean ADU values than longer darks. I had discussion with ZWO about this at bbs.astronomy-imaging-camera.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=8426
4 years 4 months ago #45326

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I have been using the default (for Indi) offset value of 8 for all my frames.
I am also using the unity level of gain (120).
I am not using any bias frames but Flat Darks. My flats are 4 seconds to avoid short exposures.

The Indi driver does have some settings I don't completely understand.
Default the Format is set to 8 bits with RGB, 16 bit and Luma as options. If I set it to 16 bit my darks immediately look much better. I would have expected 16 bit to be the default unless I was trying to get a high FPS?
4 years 4 months ago #45327

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As usual it turned out to be user error.

Out of the box the driver has the format set to 8 bit (which is I assume to improve the frame rate for lucky imaging).
Once I set it to 16 bit my darks looked normal.
4 years 4 months ago #45335

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As usual it turned out to be user error.

Out of the box the driver has the format set to 8 bit (which is I assume to improve the frame rate for lucky imaging).
Once I set it to 16 bit my darks looked normal.
4 years 4 months ago #45336

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Also, it looks like you had not set the FITS viewer to debayer the image. Only the Red channel is shown then, that's why you are missing 3/4 of the pixels. Did you check the actual saved FITS file in PixInsight or FITS liberator?
4 years 4 months ago #45362

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I have been viewing the images from within PI. They were not yet debayered.
I though PI displayed images as gray scale until they are debayered?

Is that the tram line effect I am seeing? Only the red pixels.
4 years 4 months ago #45367

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