Using more than one PC with SiTech? OT (2024)

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Using more than one PC with SiTech? OT

herrerojuan@videotron.ca

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#11404

Hehehe...

In the old days I used one laptop for the ST4 tracker. One PC for Mel's stepper controller. And a third PC for the rest.

Now I use a single quad core PC with two monitors. The thing is so powerful at multitasking I swear I could control two observatories!

But the limit is the USB and the fact that our cameras don't have memory buffers. They must download the image in one uninterrupted string. And the bigger the camera the bigger the problem.

Since my cameras are very modest. I can run everything on the same PC. But I've heard that you can start running into problems with 8 mega pix cameras.

It will be interesting to see how the new Sitech II controller with USB will play into the equation since tic management can be relatively com intensive.

Juan

toggle quoted messageShow quoted text

--- In SiTechservo@..., Andrew Aurigema <eosraptor@...> wrote:

Andy,
I run two copies of the Sitech driver ------ one for each controller and on
each laptop.
Laptop #1 has a dedicated controller that runs the RA and DEC and has input
from a ST402 guider. I have two RF hand pads also. The #1 laptop runs only
THESky for navigation and MAXIM for imaging the auto guider and talks to the
#1 controller via Com 1. A typical run is to put the telescope on a target
and look at the #1 laptop that is imaging with the auto guider. Once I have
a target I engage auto guide and the #1 laptop is an self controlled loop.
That way imaging from the big Apogee camera does not screw it up. It stays
on target till it is shut down.
While the auto guider is tracking and such the #2 laptop and #2 controller
and Apogee U9000 camera are in auto-focus mode and getting ready to image.
I can download the Apogee and not have to worry about loosing the guide star
like when the auto guider and imager were on the same computer. 15 seconds
is a long time for MAXIM to not see a download for an auto guider. With two
separate systems, the Apogee can download all it needs to and the other
computer stays tracking all night. It was the only way I could stay on
target. MAXIM goes into hyper-drive to the upper left when it looses its
guide star. Stupid response but that is what it does. So I have to never
let the long downloads interfere with the guiding.
My mount is pretty bad and cant track 15 seconds without help. So I have a
tracking computer that has its own guider and an imaging computer that has
its own imager. It really does work out well.
Drew
---------------------------------------------
On Tue, Sep 28, 2010 at 3:18 PM, Andy Saulietis <iss1@...>wrote:
Hi guys,
Does your two computer setup allow the Apogee camera control (Maxim?) to
record the mount RA and DEC in the Fits header? Can you run the PXP Script
in SiTech (with mount on one PC and the CCD on the other)? If so, how?
Basically, this repeats my question.
I dedicate a laptop to navigation and autoguiding only. It runs THESky 6
and a copy of MAXIM DL that sends commands to the Sitech controller. That
runs the drives only. I have my *second controller* on a separate laptop
along with my big Apogee camera. The second controller runs the focuser
and
the camera does my main imaging. I have the drive control laptop computer
and imaging laptop under remote control ( Windows Remote Desktop ) so i
can
run both laptops from inside the house. It gets cold in Florida in the
winter time you know.

Not quite what I was wanting to do..this setup needs 2 controllers. I'm
using
two also, but the second one just does focusing on 2 cameras.
I'll probably just end up having the guide camera on the same PC as
Si-tech,
with focusing on the 2nd controller also. The other PC will just run the
cameras,
one on DL4.1 (IMG1300), the other on DL5 (STL11000CM). The guide camera
(on order) is the Orion monochrome imager with a 15 x 22mm chip, allowing
the
guiding to be done strap-down using a 4.25" f12 refractor.
Thoughts?
Andy S

eosraptor1

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#11410

Juan,

That is exactly the problem I ran into 3 years ago. The Apogee U-9000 camera is a 12 megapixle camera and takes about 12 seconds to download over USB 2.0. There is no way around this. Once the download starts in Maxim DL if shuts down all the other camera downloads. It has been a long time since I tried running multiple copies of MAX on the same machine but I seem to remember that even doing that did not allow the guider to download during a camera dump. So for 12 or 15 seconds my autoguider got no data. And for reasons known only to the programmers at Cyanogen they decided to curse that thing. When the guider looses a star the software goes full blast to the upper left corner of the box looking for it. It cant just hang out where it was and hope the cloud clears and the guide star re-appears. Nope, it has to put the scope into run away mode. Chuck tells me that PHD is a better guider option but he is just to busy with all that retirement stuff to come visit his bud and show me how to hook up that new program.

So I went with separate computers and laptops are the best option for nightime in soggy Florida. They stay the warmest and that means dry.

Drew

ps.............. i had an ST-4 / ST-6 combo. Could that have been only 10 years ago.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

toggle quoted messageShow quoted text

On Tue, Sep 28, 2010 at 6:30 PM, Juan <herrerojuan@...> wrote:

Hehehe...
In the old days I used one laptop for the ST4 tracker. One PC for Mel's stepper controller. And a third PC for the rest.
Now I use a single quad core PC with two monitors. The thing is so powerful at multitasking I swear I could control two observatories!
But the limit is the USB and the fact that our cameras don't have memory buffers. They must download the image in one uninterrupted string. And the bigger the camera the bigger the problem.
Since my cameras are very modest. I can run everything on the same PC. But I've heard that you can start running into problems with 8 mega pix cameras.
It will be interesting to see how the new Sitech II controller with USB will play into the equation since tic management can be relatively com intensive.
Juan
--- In SiTechservo@..., Andrew Aurigema wrote:
>
> Andy,
>
> I run two copies of the Sitech driver ------ one for each controller and on
> each laptop.
>
> Laptop #1 has a dedicated controller that runs the RA and DEC and has input
> from a ST402 guider. I have two RF hand pads also. The #1 laptop runs only
> THESky for navigation and MAXIM for imaging the auto guider and talks to the
> #1 controller via Com 1. A typical run is to put the telescope on a target
> and look at the #1 laptop that is imaging with the auto guider. Once I have
> a target I engage auto guide and the #1 laptop is an self controlled loop.
> That way imaging from the big Apogee camera does not screw it up. It stays
> on target till it is shut down.
>
> While the auto guider is tracking and such the #2 laptop and #2 controller
> and Apogee U9000 camera are in auto-focus mode and getting ready to image.
> I can download the Apogee and not have to worry about loosing the guide star
> like when the auto guider and imager were on the same computer. 15 seconds
> is a long time for MAXIM to not see a download for an auto guider. With two
> separate systems, the Apogee can download all it needs to and the other
> computer stays tracking all night. It was the only way I could stay on
> target. MAXIM goes into hyper-drive to the upper left when it looses its
> guide star. Stupid response but that is what it does. So I have to never
> let the long downloads interfere with the guiding.
>
> My mount is pretty bad and cant track 15 seconds without help. So I have a
> tracking computer that has its own guider and an imaging computer that has
> its own imager. It really does work out well.
>
> Drew
>
> ---------------------------------------------
>
> On Tue, Sep 28, 2010 at 3:18 PM, Andy Saulietis wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > Hi guys,
> >
> > Does your two computer setup allow the Apogee camera control (Maxim?) to
> > record the mount RA and DEC in the Fits header? Can you run the PXP Script
> > in SiTech (with mount on one PC and the CCD on the other)? If so, how?
> >
> >
> > Basically, this repeats my question.
> >
> >
> > > I dedicate a laptop to navigation and autoguiding only. It runs THESky 6
> > > and a copy of MAXIM DL that sends commands to the Sitech controller. That
> > > runs the drives only. I have my *second controller* on a separate laptop
> > > along with my big Apogee camera. The second controller runs the focuser
> > and
> > > the camera does my main imaging. I have the drive control laptop computer
> > > and imaging laptop under remote control ( Windows Remote Desktop ) so i
> > can
> > > run both laptops from inside the house. It gets cold in Florida in the
> > > winter time you know.
> >
> >
> > Not quite what I was wanting to do..this setup needs 2 controllers. I'm
> > using
> > two also, but the second one just does focusing on 2 cameras.
> >
> > I'll probably just end up having the guide camera on the same PC as
> > Si-tech,
> > with focusing on the 2nd controller also. The other PC will just run the
> > cameras,
> > one on DL4.1 (IMG1300), the other on DL5 (STL11000CM). The guide camera
> > (on order) is the Orion monochrome imager with a 15 x 22mm chip, allowing
> > the
> > guiding to be done strap-down using a 4.25" f12 refractor.
> >
> > Thoughts?
> >
> > Andy S
> >
> >
> >
>

Chuck

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#11413

Ouch!!!!!!!!! I am wounded!!!!!! J

OK, I am back from my 7 week long odyssey around the country……

Is your system up and running? If yes, lets talk about when Ican make mojo on it……..

-c- (in VERY soggy Florida South of Drew)

From: SiTechservo@...[mailto:SiTechservo@...] On Behalf Of Andrew Aurigema

Chuck tells me that PHD is a better guideroption but he is just to busy with all that retirement stuff to come visit hisbud and show me how to hook up that new program.

eosraptor1

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#11414

Chuck,

Good to hear you back. it is gona be very soggy till the weekend. Yes my system is up ...... sort of. it was fine 18 months ago when last it was turned on. Should be fine still. I got 6 projects on the table lined up for upgrades. When you gona be free to play ????

You can see the glass that will be for your 42" mirror while you are at my place.

Drew ( about 30 miles north of -c- ) in very soggy FLA

---------------------------------------------

On Wed, Sep 29, 2010 at 10:03 AM, Chuck Shaw <candcshaw@...> wrote:

toggle quoted messageShow quoted text

Ouch!!!!!!!!! I am wounded!!!!!! J
OK, I am back from my 7 week long odyssey around the country……
Is your system up and running? If yes, lets talk about when Ican make mojo on it……..
-c- (in VERY soggy Florida South of Drew)
From: SiTechservo@...[mailto:SiTechservo@...] On Behalf Of Andrew Aurigema
Chuck tells me that PHD is a better guideroption but he is just to busy with all that retirement stuff to come visit hisbud and show me how to hook up that new program.

__._,_

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Using more than one PC with SiTech? OT (2024)

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