Connecting RoboFocus to CCD Soft

For those of you who have the SBIG CCD cameras and also have CCD Soft as your imaging program along with your favorite motorized focuser, you most likely have connected the focuser drivers using the pull-down menu from the Setup tab in CCD Soft without any problems. But if you happen to be one of the lucky ones that have the very nice RoboFocus focuser, you no doubt have had issues with error messages occurring with trying to connect the focuser through CCD Soft even though there is a selection for this focuser in the pull-down menu.

After much researching and looking at Software Bisque’s website blogs, I see that Matthew Bisque has already addressed this with a work-around. The problem is the Windows programs and how it actually connects various dynamic link libraries (.dll’s) in its registry. Unfortunately users like me run into some frustrations trying to get something to work properly when you encounter these wonderful little error dialog boxes!

Now we all know how we don’t like tampering around with the windows registry. I found a quick and dirty way to make windows connect to the right .dll file.

First of all it is imperative to visit “ascom-standards.org” and on that web page, download the latest drivers into your computer.

To Connect Robofocus to CCD Soft:

Go to Start, click Search, All Files & Folders

Type in libfli.dll and click search. It may well take a little time but invariably the results will be multiple versions of this file.

If you have one that comes up in the C:Program Files Common FilesSystem 

If it’s older than the one that’s in the ASCOM database (2/13/2005) or later, rename it as libfliOLD.dll. (You can see the date on the search machine screen all the way to the right.)

Copy “the libfli.dll” from the ASCOM database which is located in:

C:Program Files Common FilesASCOMFocuser into the  

C:Program Files Common FilesSystem.

Now open up CCD Soft. Go to the Camera Setup, Choose RoboFocus and click the settings to point to the COM Port that you have RoboFocus set up in. Click ok.

Now Connect. PRESTO it will work!!!

Have Fun!!!