two autoslews at the same time? (ascom nightmare)

[prefetch]

i'm having trouble, and i'm hoping someone has been down this path before that can help me out.

 

i am trying to run the following software systems together:

 

TheSkyX

Sequence9

Autoslew

MaximDL

 

i believe i am supposed to be able to this with POTH.  here's the problem.  if i start POTH and connect to Astrooptik Telescope, it automatically starts Autoslew.  this is fine.

 

but then if i start Sequence9, then it also automatically starts MaximDL (which is fine) and Autoslew!  so then i have two instances of Autoslew running, which is bad.

 

here is recipe #1:

 

POTH -> connect Astrooptik

Autoslew (automatically starts)

TheSkyX -> connect TeleAPI/Astrooptik

Sequence -> connect 

Autoslew (automatically starts)

MaximDL (automatically starts)

 

so, two instances of Autoslew.  no good.

 

 

here is recipe #2:

 

Sequence -> connect

Autoslew (automatically starts)

MaximDL (automatically starts)

TheSkyX -> connect TeleAPI/Astrooptik 

Autoslew (automatically starts)

 

so, two instances of Autoslew.  no good.

 

i've also tried TheSkyX -> connect TeleAPI/Generic Hub, but this doesn't seem to work either.  it just starts up another instance of Autoslew.

 

so, how do i run all my programs at the same time and get them talking to each other?  has anyone else been successful at this?  or is it simply not possible to run sequence and TheSkyX simultaneously?

[Jay]

Not quite sure what you're doing but had similar problems when running Autoslew and Sequence as an administrator. When stopped doing that all problems disappeared...

P.S. I have the same programs than you do plus some extra 

[prefetch]

weird.  all the documentation for theskyx tells me i need to run as administrator - and i'm not sure if i'm running autoslew and sequence as administrator, but i'll check on that.

 

jay - could you tell me what order you start your programs in?  also, are you running windows 8?

[si6pack]

May be I can jump in here...

my recipe:

Start AS

Start Maxim and in parallel start TSX

Important:

In Maxim observatory control select "TheSky controlled Telescope" (install the necessary ascom driver first - latest version 5.12)

In Maxim CCD setup select your desired CDD and FW

In TSX telescope control connect via "ascom mount" and choose "astrooptik server telescope"

In TSX camera add on select "Maxim controlled ccd" for camera and the appropriate driver for your FW

In MaximDL connect to the ccd and fw, then to TSX (click the cionnect buttons)

This should connect to and trigger tracking in TSX telescope control

In TSX connect to ccd and fw

Then start sequence - before you connect, make sure that all settings are correct (i.e. path for plate solving, ccd, dome etc)!

Hit connect in Seq

Done

 

Hope this helps...

christian

[si6pack]

by the way before I forget: I encountered an error message when I for the first time tried to connect to TSX via "thesky controlled telescope" of MaximDL - solution: run TSX once in admin mode, then close down and run normally - error is gone...

best,

christian

[Jay]

Hi

 

I know the documentation tells you to use the administrator mode (Autoslew and Sequence) but I've never been able to make it work well that way in my windows 7 ...and have really tried. 

 

I usually let MaxPilote to handle everything because I use it for running the whole show. Check it out sometime, it's free and IMO better than Autopilot5 (I also have).

 

Anyway have had some problems lately with FocusMax and Maxim (don't really know why probably some weird Windows updates again?) , so I'll open the system semi manually at the moment....

 

1) Autoslew

2) Maxim which connects automatically to telescope (POTH hub-Astrooptik)), focuser controller (Seletek) and turns on my camera (SBIG)

3) FocusMax and SkyX (Ascom POTH to telescope)

4) Sequence 

 

Like this everything runs smoothly and no problems.

I have reported those issues when running Autoslew/Sequence with "administrator mode" and some other people have experienced similar problems but the manual still recommends using it. Maybe ASA will finally put a warning or something into the manual. 

 

P.S. not quite sure if I'm running the SkyX in administrator mode or not but don't think it matters. It's the Autoslew and Sequence that start acting funny when using administrator mode. 

Edited March 26, 2014 by Jay

[prefetch]

ugh.

 

thanks jay and christian - but i'm still struggling through this.

 

i reinstalled ascom 6.1 and now maxim DL won't connect to POTH Hub (it gives an error that it can't create the COM object) and TheSkyX starts up a second instance of Autoslew.

 

i wish i could wipe everything clean and start over.  this is such a nightmare.  i guess it's fortunate that it's raining outside right now, and so i'm not missing the sky.. 

 

christian, i went ahead and purchased the Pro version of TheSkyX because i'm going to try your method of connecting Maxim and TSX.  it's downloading right now (slowly - it's 1.3GB!)

 

but i'm curious about when you say "In TSX telescope control connect via "ascom mount" and choose "astrooptik server telescope" in my system, if i choose ASCOM in the "Choose Mount" dialog, it shows only "Telescope Driver" under the ASCOM menu option.  and if i select "Telescope Driver" it produces an error saying that it could not find the driver.

 

i've been using the TeleAPI "mount" instead - but of course, i still end up with two instances of Autoslew.  perhaps i should update TheSkyX to the latest daily build and maybe the ASCOM mount will work.

[si6pack]

hi prefetch,

 

before you can connect to TSX via Maxim you need to download the following ASCOM driver:

TheSky Controlled Telescope (Paramount, etc., 5.2.12) for TheSky X and TheSky 5/6

from http://ascom-standards.org/Downloads/ScopeDrivers.htm

 

After installing this driver, Maxim will offer "TheSky controlled telescope" (TSCT) in the observatory telescope setup. Arrange the properties as needed (i.e. you have to tell the driver which Sky-version you are using etc.)

After selecting TSCT you select in the "choose" dialogue box "AstroOptikServerTelescope"

If you never before ran TSX in admin mode connecting to TSCT via Maxim will lead to an error msg

To avoid this, start TSX in admin mode, and shut down again

Next time you either start TSX normally and connect thereafter from Maxin to TSX, or you just connect from Maxim - this will trigger TSX to start and connect to the telescope (for both cases make sure that in TSX-telescope setup "ASCOM Mount" and "AstroOptikServerTelescope" is selected...)

I made the above instructions by heart while being on the job...hopefully they are more or less correct and detailed...

Pls keep me posted...

christian

[prefetch]

thanks guys.  i went ahead and wiped everything and did a fresh reinstall of windows 8!

 

i will carefully reinstall all the software packages and make a log of everything i do, and then i will post the results here tonight (in about 8 hours or so.)

[prefetch]

success!!!  

 

the key was upgrading TheSkyX to the latest daily build.

 

before i had only upgraded to the most recent official release (from 2012.)

 

but towards the end of 2013 it looks like they fixed a lot of the ASCOM support problems they previously had.  

 

so basically the drop down menu from TSX now lists "Ascom->ASCOM Mount" whereas before, this options only was "Ascom->Telescope Driver" which didn't work - and previous to that there was some kind of strange TeleAPI driver which didn't work either.

 

so, thanks everyone for your support and advice.

 

now could anyone do something about the rain please?  

[RamaSpaceShip]

Hi Prefetch,

 

 

now could anyone do something about the rain please?

 

You can. From Salt Lake City, go south! I heard that there are some dry areas not that far away in Utah.  

 

You can also ask some native american great wizard to do the appropriate dance.

 

 

Best regards.

 

Bernard