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Pages: 1 Bill W. Carpal Tunnel Reged: 10/09/05 Loc: Western PA, USA Maxim/Moonlite Temp Compensation       #5318855 - 07/15/12 12:54 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I currently own Maxim 5 with a Moonlite focuser with the high resolution encoders on. I was wondering how I enable the temp compensation and make it work well. I know you enable it by the check box. But, I'm unsure how to do the temp slopes or if Maxim builds them on it's own. I haven't found much info on how Maxim does temp. compensation. Thanks! -Bill Post Extras:       Mike Wiles scholastic sledgehammer Reged: 02/04/09 Loc: Goodyear, AZ Re: Maxim/Moonlite Temp Compensation [Re: Bill W.]       #5318920 - 07/15/12 01:57 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Bill, I have this same combination myself, but haven't yet tried to enable the temperature compensation - though it's on my list of things to do. There's a good reason I haven't gotten to it - the night time temperature drop in Arizona this time of year is usually very slight. Temperatures hover around "Beelzebub's fireplace" during the day before cooling down to "slow roast" at night. My understanding though is that temperature compensation has to be handled by FocusMax, not by MaximDL. If I recall, temperature compensation is calibrated in FocusMax the first time and is then managed by FocusMax when used in the future. I haven't really found Maxim's focusing to be of any real use because our focusers are not absolute position focusers. Next time out I plan to setup Maxim to tweak the focus for filter offsets, but I haven't gotten around to setting up and testing that yet. Mike Post Extras:       Bill W. Carpal Tunnel Reged: 10/09/05 Loc: Western PA, USA Re: Maxim/Moonlite Temp Compensation [Re: Mike Wiles]       #5318929 - 07/15/12 02:05 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hmm.. I thought the Moonlite w/high resolution encoders is a absolute position focuser. -Bill Post Extras:       Mike Wiles scholastic sledgehammer Reged: 02/04/09 Loc: Goodyear, AZ Re: Maxim/Moonlite Temp Compensation [Re: Bill W.]       #5319082 - 07/15/12 04:21 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Quote: Hmm.. I thought the Moonlite w/high resolution encoders is a absolute position focuser. To my understanding, in order to be an absolute position focuser each "spot" in the focuser's travel has its own encoder tic that is reported back to the driver. On my focuser for instance - it reports that it's at 19800 right now. If I manually disengage the clutch and rack the focuser in for an inch or so and then engage the clutch again - the driver still reports that it is at 19800. If I then focus, it'll focus again and focus correctly (using FocusMax) - but the new position will not be anywhere close to the old focus number of 19800. So to my understanding that makes it a relative position focuser. Currently, I focus entirely using FocusMax connected directly to the Moonlite driver. Now that I have the filter wheel and seven filters which will have slightly different focus points, my intent is to: 1 - Using FocusMax I'll determine the focus offsets for each filter and enter them into MaximDL as offsets in the filter wheel setup. 2 - From that point forward, I'll connect both FocusMax and MaximDL to the focuser by using the FocusMax Focuser Hub instead of the Moonlite driver - this will allow both applications to access the focuser. 3 - When I need to focus the telescope, I'll focus using FocusMax and the luminance filter. 4 - When I switch filters during a sequence, MaximDL will send the appropriate offset to the focuser without having to involve FocusMax. 5 - At some point this fall/winter, I'll look at incorporating temperature compensation into the mix.....just haven't gotten around to it yet. Of course, I could be all wrong (that's half the fun!). I attempted to create a V curve using MaximDL when I first got the focuser and was underwhelmed by the experience. FocusMax is so fast and dead accurate that I've never really gone back to investigate. Do you have the focuser working via Maxim's interface? If so, how'd you do it? Perhaps it's worth another look for me. Mike Post Extras:       Bill W. Carpal Tunnel Reged: 10/09/05 Loc: Western PA, USA Re: Maxim/Moonlite Temp Compensation [Re: Mike Wiles]       #5319180 - 07/15/12 05:47 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Yes, I have the focus routine in Maxim working. But, it's not automated. It seems to like about a 5th magnitude star. I'm mainly asking about temp compensation because I do want to go a little bit more automated in the near future. I have FocusMax on my system and haven't tried it yet. I am also planning to incorporate offsets. Thanks! -Bill Post Extras:       gavinm Carpal Tunnel Reged: 08/26/05 Loc: Auckland New Zealand Re: Maxim/Moonlite Temp Compensation [Re: Bill W.]       #5319583 - 07/15/12 11:01 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I use FocusMax through Maxim (ie not Maxim to focus). Fully automated setup for temperature compensation. Post Extras:       Bill W. Carpal Tunnel Reged: 10/09/05 Loc: Western PA, USA Re: Maxim/Moonlite Temp Compensation [Re: gavinm]       #5319599 - 07/15/12 11:10 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I'll try it out the next time imaging. Thanks guys! -Bill Post Extras:       Pages: 1

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