Telescope Reviews: Synced scopes software ?

That is all you need. The programs (scopes) can either talk to each other using the com (Component Object Model) or read and write the values to an accessible file. TheSky and MaxIm Dl both have knowledge of where the scope's are pointed once the software is successfully connected to the scope. In some cases (scope dependent) you don't even need a hand controller connected. Here is a Sky example that reads the scope's position. This could be the master scope (or it could be read from a file as a target position by each scope):

'Get and show the current telescope ra, dec
objTele.GetRaDec()
Msg = "Ra,Dec =" + CStr(objTele.dRa) + "," + CStr(objTele.dDec)

Below is the routine that sends the ra & dec to the scope. Each scope would execute this routine and a plate solve script, then write the complete flag to the file. Agian the scripts would wait until all the scopes had written their "pointing complete" flag before executing the imaging. Pretty straight forward.

'Goto a particular ra and dec
Call objTele.GotoRaDec(2.0,3.0,"Home")
MsgBox("GotoComplete")

It can also be done from the camera control software once the scope is connected such as CCDSoft scripting. I already do scope control from within CCDSoft.

MaxIm DL commands are a bit different but the same applies, even more so since camera & scope control are fully integrated in MaxIm.

In my case I am still using CCDSoft because all of the CCDSoft functions are not available in the TSX camera plug-in yet.

If the target was a star (or bright object) you could even have all the scopes center on that star. This would be useful for performing a "sync" if you didn't have a pointing model running. I use this script within CCDSoft. It turns the cross-hairs on, then takes a 1 second exposure and then centers the scope on the brightest object in the frame. It does this 3 times. I use this routine to quickly align my guide and imaging scopes (no plate solves). I just set the repeat value (i) to some really large value then turn the alignment screws on my guide scope. The imaging scope will continuously recenter itself as long as the routine is running.

Option Explicit
rem Center Imager.vbs
Sub CenterIt
Dim Cam
Dim i
dim WshShell
set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
WshShell.AppActivate "CCDSoft"

WshShell.SendKeys "6"

Set Cam = CreateObject("CCDSoft.Camera")

Cam.ExposureTime=1.0

for i=1 to 3
Cam.TakeImage
Cam.CenterBrightestObject
Next

Cam.TakeImage
End Sub

CenterIt

Edited by JAT Observatory (02/10/13 09:10 PM)