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

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

Dubious drift graphics

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Let me bring up something that I always was curious about. I regularly use the Ekos internal guider (for years already I should add) and generally am very happy with it. Usually I run my guide camera (ASI294MC) in 2x2 bin mode. Recently I noticed that Ekos doesn't remember/store this setting anymore. After re-starting Ekos this field is always set to 1x1 and occasionally I start guiding without setting it to bin 2x2 first. In bin1x1 mode I wonder why all of a sudden guiding performs so badly, only to realize that binning again has been reverted to 1x1. Once I set it to 2x2, guiding performs normally again.

My problem with it is this: In 1x1 bin mode the guide star's aberration (as shown in the drift graph) is exactly 2x of what it is in 2x2 bin mode. Since the drift graph shows aberration measured in arc seconds (as opposed to pixels) this should not be the case. The aberration in arc seconds should be independent from the camera's bin mode. I susepect that something is going wrong and the aberration shown is not correct. Does anybody else experience the same?
3 years 11 months ago #51440

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Replied by Hy Murveit on topic Dubious drift graphics

Alfred,

Funny you bring this up (binning not being remembered by EKOS). I had just mentioned this very same thing to Jasem as well, as I had just moved over to the internal guider. He encouraged me to fix (the storing of the binning in the guide tab) and helped me with how.
I plan on sending him a fix in the next few says, though haven't started yet.
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3 years 11 months ago #51492

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Replied by Alfred on topic Dubious drift graphics

Hy,

it looks like we're stumbling upon the same issues recently. I utterly regret that I can't code and instead have to rely on work of other fine people like you. Half a year ago sterne-jaeger fixed some other parameter fields that had not been saved, too. indilib.org/forum/ekos/5612-solved-param...not-saved.html#42674 Thanks for looking into it!
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3 years 11 months ago #51496

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Replied by Hy Murveit on topic Dubious drift graphics

Sorry, I guess I was totally confused about the guider binning thing.

The control on the guide tab just adjusts the Indi driver's binning value, so, though you can't save the value in the guider tab, you can just set the value in the Indi control panel,
under the guide camera's image settings, and then save that Indi configuration (the usual way in the guide camera's Indi option tab) and then it will be restored that way whenever you start up.

This approach works fine with the current software.
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3 years 11 months ago #51501

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Replied by Alfred on topic Dubious drift graphics


Thank you very much for the explanation, Hy. You're right, I can save the bin settings in Indi. I'll set this to 2x2, problem solved. However, the GENERAL problem is the inconsistency in how parameters are treated by Ekos. Some are saved, others are not. Just as an example, if you change the Exp: setting (the one right next to the bin: setting that is not being saved in Ekos) from 1 to 5, it IS being saved and remains at 5 after re-start even though the corresponding Exp: setting in Indi is still set to 1! And then there is the Gain: setting in the CCD Tab that isn't displayed at all (shows "--" regardless of what gain value is stored in Indi) unless it is actively changed by the user. I find this behaviour confusing.

The average user (a newcomer for sure) doesn't see why some settings can be saved in Indi only although it is present in Ekos (and looks like it was going to be saved like many others actually are). Even I find this confusing at times (as you can see here) despite the fact that I use this software for years already. One never knows (or at least can't see) which parameters are stored in Ekos and which are not.
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Last edit: 3 years 11 months ago by Alfred.
3 years 11 months ago #51516

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Replied by Jose Corazon on topic Dubious drift graphics

While we're at it, I had figured out how to save the binning in the guide module, but I am still at a loss how to save the default exposure time in the focus module. That exposure time will always default back to 0.5 s and when you forget changing that, it will not result in a satisfactory autofocus run when using a narrowband filter.
Can that also be set so it remembers the last preferred exposure time? 0.5 s is too short for most purposes, 2s at least makes more sense.
Thanks for thinking about it.
Jo
3 years 11 months ago #51526

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Replied by Hy Murveit on topic Dubious drift graphics

Jo, If I'm not mistaken, I think you can save the exposure times for different filters in the filter settings control that pops up from a button near the top of the capture tab, and it's also accessible on the filter tab, just to the right of the filter menu. The 2nd column is exposure time in seconds.
Hy
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3 years 11 months ago #51528

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Replied by Jose Corazon on topic Dubious drift graphics


Thanks Hy!
Yes, I know that option and it works fine for a monochrome camera with a filter wheel. No problem there and I have the times set accordingly. But I do not see that option when I am using a one shot color camera, like the ASI1600MC or the ASI183MC. In those cases the filter settings option is greyed out and I cannot change the default 0.5s value. I forgot to mention that I was referring to narrowband filters when using a color camera. That also and most commonly applies to filters like the Optolong L-eNhance or a Tri-Band or Quad-Band filter, which are commonly used with OSC cameras and without a filter wheel. It would probably also apply if someone uses a manual filter wheel or a filter drawer with a mono camera, but I have not tried that out. I think the ability to change the default exposure time is dependent upon an electronic filter wheel being attached. Am I correct there?
Jo

Last edit: 3 years 11 months ago by Jose Corazon.
3 years 11 months ago #51529
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Replied by Jasem Mutlaq on topic Dubious drift graphics

I can confirm this issue (0.5 seconds), will work on a fix.

EDIT: Fixed in GIT.
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Last edit: 3 years 11 months ago by Jasem Mutlaq.
3 years 11 months ago #51544

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Replied by Jose Corazon on topic Dubious drift graphics

Installed and looks like it is now remembering and restoring the last used exposure time.

Thanks Jasem!
3 years 11 months ago #51569

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Replied by Barry Carney on topic Dubious drift graphics

Did you figure out the inconsistency of the aberations when changing binning? I tried changing from 1x1 to 2x2 last night and my guiding apparently improved tremendously but I'm wondering if the scaling is not changing automatically when binning is changed?
RPi 4B (4gb) running Stellarmate OS
Skywatcher Quattro 250 with f4 coma corrector
Skywatcher Evostar 80ED with 0.85 reducer/flattener
Skywatcher AZ-EQ6,
ASI1600MM Pro with ZWO 8x1.25" EFW,
Guide scope 50x190mm, Guide camera ASI290MM
ZWO EAF focuser
3 years 10 months ago #53175

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Replied by Jose Corazon on topic Dubious drift graphics

No, and I agree with you, it makes no sense. It should definitely not improve.
I have another problem, though, inasmuch as guide pulses in DEC aggravate the deviation, they do not fix it. If I switch off DEC guiding, I am far better off, so poor alignment is not the problem.
Any thoughts, let me know.
Jo
3 years 10 months ago #53182

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