I would like to request that some form of tilt or collimation information is added to Focus output window. I know it will slow down processing but as SGP is already doing star analysis I thought it might not be so much extra work to add a selectable option; a real time display would be a great boon when resolving issues.
Some suggestions:
a) use the star shapes to identify tilt
b) display the four corners and center as part of a magnified display
c) use defocused stars to identify collimation issues.
I’ve not noticed anyone asking for this feature before but apologies for the repeat if they have. In my opinion it would be a really useful feature.
Unfortunately I don’t believe this falls in line with SGP’s prime directive. Which is “Do one thing exceptionally well”. Unfortunately I think this is a little too far off of the data acquisition path.
CCD Inspector is great, I used it with my RC back in the day.
Fair enough. Not all of have CCD Inspector CCD inspector though. For those that have fast optical systems it’s a constant thorn (for me anyway) of not getting quick enough feedback when making adjustments. I just just think of collimation as an essential like focussing that needs to happen less frequently.
Invest in a cheapy webcam with a compatible 1.25" eyepiece adapter and use Metaguide. You point at a star, get it in focus, Metaguide shows you the collimation and since it displays 30+ FPS, you get instant feedback.
Throw in to the mix an artificial star using the Hubble Optics Artificial star flash light and you can collimate without concerns with seeing conditions.
I’m sorry but that only helps collimate the optics, it does not help when adjusting the orthogonality of the imaging plane to that of the optics.
I still think this is a worthwhile addition, especially when some of the work has already been done vis-à-vis fwhm calculations of stars on the focus screen.
Yes I could use CCD Inspector but that costs more than the whole of SGPRO, admittedly it does a whole lot but for me that’s a whole lot more than is necessary. I for one would be willing to pay some extra for an add-on or feature unlock.
Felopaul’s Maxpilote, for instance, includes such facilities so I don’t think is so far off topic.
With new cameras like the ASI-1600, the latest beta version of MetaGuide lets you use the camera in video mode and click on stars all around the field to study their shapes. This has the advantage that you are both collimating and optimizing the overall field - with the same camera you are using for deep sky imaging. And it is much more sensitive to small adjustments since it reduces the impact of seeing.
This is a completely new situation made possible by fairly large format, cooled cmos cameras that have video/DirectShow drivers.
With SGP all you have to do is first start by connecting the ASI to MetaGuide to do the collimation and alignment - and then switch to SGP and connect it there for imaging.
I agree it shouldn’t be a priority to put something like this in SGP since it is an application by itself.
Even without MG or other tools - I find that using perhaps 2s exposures in a continuous loop - combined with pan/zoom - lets you study stars in the center and corner as you make collimation adjustments. It isn’t as responsive as MG with video - but it works pretty well.
Well you said it yourself, those other programs cost a lot more than SGP. The price of SGP is very low for what you get and yes, they could put more features into it, they would ultimately come to the conclusion that they are not charging enough money. I’d rather they keep in lean and let others develop tools that are needed.
Frank, I do have an ASI1600 and it does open a whole new world of opportunities such as this. I also have metaguide so that’s an interesting option. One thing I do find useful is to look in all four corners zoomed in at the same time as the centre - that’s one of the things I’d like to see included in SGP. That might also help for focusing fast scopes like mine.
mpfjr, yes it’s a great program at a very reasonable price and in some respects I agree with not bloating things too much, however, I feel this is something that could be added to the focus window (as simple as a few buttons) and shouldn’t be too ambitious i.e. light weight.
Thanks Jared, much appreciated. Even the zoomed centre and corner windows option as I mentioned on the focus window be a great addition for me (to use if and when the clouds clear).
Please also consider that it’s not just about the difficulty of implementation, but also about our ability to support it. Adding collimation tools, while neat is not always an easy user task to conduct. Many of those difficulties and missteps end up on the forum and require us digging thorough logs. This is great for stabilizing and finding bugs, but time consuming for general support.
We don’t like to say “No”, but we do need to consider this aspect of features. As @Jared mentioned, we do periodically go through this part of the forum and present stuff to assess its popularity and general usefulness.
A LITTLE SIDE TOPIC. Using CCD inspector (I keep looking in the docs no help). How do I make it work with SGP for real time collimation? I shoulc click “save to disk” on frame and focus I suspect. Then do I auto open CCD inspector to the frame and focus dir? The later never seems to open a new file?
I’d rather they keep in lean and let others develop tools that are needed.