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

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

Ekos Optical Trains

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Replied by Tracy Perry on topic Ekos Optical Trains


Apparently there is a bug in the system. If you set your telescope FL correctly in telescope definition area, then in the optical train add the focal reducer, it dose not "do the math" and give the correct focal length. You have to set the focal length WITH the reducer factored in the telescope definition field. In my case, instead of setting 710mm and a reducer of 0.8 and getting around 586mm, I have to set the telescope at 568mm. Jasem is aware of the issue and there should be a fix pushed out in a few weeks to the new version.
Last edit: 1 year 4 months ago by Tracy Perry.
1 year 4 months ago #87986

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Replied by hamish barker on topic Ekos Optical Trains

Apparently DATE-OBS field is not being populated in fits files. I've heard this from another spectroscopist.

I have been using indi/kstars/ekos for several years for astro spectroscopy, where the platesolving camera via flip mirror is separate to the spectro camera which is never platesolving as it only sees the slit spectroscopy images through the spectrograph.

Not including DATE-OBS is a total deal breaker as the isis spectroscopic reduction software commonly used by amateur spectroscopist needs it.

Is there a particular reason why the new optical trains system does not populate this field of the fits header? When using indi for actual science not just pretty pictures, the actual observation date and time are essential information.
1 year 3 months ago #89256

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Replied by Jasem Mutlaq on topic Ekos Optical Trains

I'm seeing DATE-OBS in a regular capture. How to reproduce your issue?
1 year 3 months ago #89261

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Replied by Magnus Larsson on topic Ekos Optical Trains

Hi!

I'm also doing spectroscopy. My main camera does not do any plate solving. And I do not get DATE-OBS in the fits headers. At least I did not last night. Below is a header.

Magnus

SIMPLE = T / file does conform to FITS standard
BITPIX = 16 / number of bits per data pixel
NAXIS = 2 / number of data axes
NAXIS1 = 1391 / length of data axis 1
NAXIS2 = 1039 / length of data axis 2
EXTEND = T / FITS dataset may contain extensions
COMMENT FITS (Flexible Image Transport System) format is defined in 'Astronomy
COMMENT and Astrophysics', volume 376, page 359; bibcode: 2001A&A...376..359H
BZERO = 32768 / offset data range to that of unsigned short
BSCALE = 1 / default scaling factor
ROWORDER= 'TOP-DOWN' / Row Order
INSTRUME= 'Atik 314L' / CCD Name
TELESCOP= 'Celestron NexStar' / Telescope name
OBSERVER= 'Unknown ' / Observer name
OBJECT = 'HD208501' / Object name
EXPTIME = 4.500000E+01 / Total Exposure Time (s)
CCD-TEMP= -1.502E+01 / CCD Temperature (Celsius)
PIXSIZE1= 6.450000E+00 / Pixel Size 1 (microns)
PIXSIZE2= 6.450000E+00 / Pixel Size 2 (microns)
XBINNING= 1 / Binning factor in width
YBINNING= 1 / Binning factor in height
XPIXSZ = 6.450000E+00 / X binned pixel size in microns
YPIXSZ = 6.450000E+00 / Y binned pixel size in microns
FRAME = 'Light ' / Frame Type
IMAGETYP= 'Light Frame' / Frame Type
FOCALLEN= 0.000E+00 / Focal Length (mm)
APTDIA = 0.000E+00 / Telescope diameter (mm)
FOCUSPOS= 735 / Focus position in steps
FOCUSTEM= 2.000E+01 / Focuser temperature in degrees C
END
1 year 3 months ago #89262

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Replied by Robert Miller on topic Ekos Optical Trains

Hamish and Magnus: Could you please post your optical trains? Jasem will likely have a better take on the data than I.
I have some spectroscopy files from my latest observing sessions in November and the DATE-OBS field is present. I don't understand the connection between plate solving and the appearance of the observation date, or how a spectrometer affects whether the field is present. INDI/Ekos isn't aware of a spectrometer.

Something I did notice: in my FITS header there is always a "Comment Generated by INDI"
FWIW, i did not see a similar line in the header from Magnus.

Bob
1 year 3 months ago #89265

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Replied by Magnus Larsson on topic Ekos Optical Trains

Hi!

I've been talking to Jasem and it seems he has fixed the issue - though I'm still not clear what it is all about.

The point about plate solving was/is my hypothesis that since optical trains are separate, maybe the main camera train is not "aware" of the plate solving data. Which again is odd since that is related to mount, not camera. So just an attempt to make sense of it all.

I'll post my optical trains later.

Magnus
1 year 3 months ago #89266

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Replied by James on topic Ekos Optical Trains

Hi!
I have noticed that a recent update has caused my Ekos to become very confused with optical trains. The multiplier for reducer factor was randomly set to 0, causing my platesolving to fail with an infinite fov error. I could not set the factor to anything besides 0 until I deleted and remade the train, and that train was not editable without inducing the same bug. This is the most recent version that is in the Manjaro repositories (I'll grab exact version # when I get home) Has anyone else experienced this?
I also notice that the scheduler has begun making a very loud, unmutable alarm noise whenever the schedule is stopped. Owchh
11 months 1 week ago #92250

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Hi,

I installed version 3.6.4 for OSX and when I try to add an optical train ('+' button) Kstars closes without any message.

I tried to delete userdb.sqlite file, but this didn't change anything.

Any advice is welcome.

Ferran
10 months 2 weeks ago #92758

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Forget my last message. I needed to delete userdb.sqlite.backup also, and now it works.
10 months 2 weeks ago #92760

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Replied by T-Studio on topic Ekos Optical Trains

github.com/indilib/indi/issues/1899


I touched on the Git problem earlier, but it seems that the newly added optical train affects the connection between the server and the driver.

The driver can be started and connected, but if there is a problem with operation, connect from CCDCiel and it will work normally.

Drivers that can connect to and interact with CCDCiel now work properly. (Use the optical train equivalent connection function implemented on the CCDCiel side instead of Ekos)

Drivers that can't be selected in the optical train, (indiuno-SimpleSwicher in my case), seem to be unable to connect in the control panel even though the driver starts.

Drivers who can't select the optical train are likely to have similar troubles.
Last edit: 10 months 1 week ago by T-Studio.
10 months 1 week ago #92902

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Now that optical trains are A Thing, it seems like they'd be useful to put in the FITS header. I think they'd also be useful as a filename placeholder, so that if you have different trains you don't end up scribbling a bunch of differently composed images under Pictures/M27/Light/LXtreme ... and only later do you realize that some of those were taken at one focal length and some were taken at another. Totally didn't happen to me... (whistles innocently)

Putting the mount type in the header as the TELESCOP doesn't make much sense to me, since it's not the thing focusing the electromagnetic radiation on to the detector. If you went from a 60mm refractor on an HEQ-5 to a 120mm refractor on the same HEQ-5 I think you'd expect to see that somewhere in the FITS header.

I'm scribbling together some python scripts to sort and fix these things, but I thought I'd mention it here too.
The following user(s) said Thank You: John
8 months 2 days ago #94191

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The focal length always appears in my FITS headers. Of course, if we change focal lengths while keeping the same mount, it's up to us to make the change in the train specifications. Another option is to have a unique Ekos name for each focal length that uses the same mount.

This obviously doesn't solve the file name problem. However, if you have a bunch of files and you're not sure of the FL for each one,
grep -l 1.55 *.fits > 155files
will put the name of every FITS file that has 155 as its focal length into a file named 155files. Note that the internal FL storage in a FITS file is in exponential format, e.g., 1.55E+02
8 months 2 days ago #94201

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