Inventory w/ Side of Clouds

Time/Date

20230130T1730-2230

People

Onkar, Roy, later Gabriel

Spaces Occupied

PHYS 401, 433C, Dome

Goals

1. Inventory

2. Serendipitous stargazing

   1. Test two-instances of SharpCap?

3. Decide on second dome camera location

Log

1. Starting Up Scope

   1. Control Computer(CC): Started DFM TCS, ASCOM Dome Control Panel, TheSky6

   2. Front Panel: Enabled MTR Driver Chassis, Drives

   3. DC: Opened Blue Iris

   4. CC: Dome Control > Connect; Then Open

   5. CC: TCS > Telescope > Initialization > Apply Windows Date & Time; Sync

   6. CC: TS6 > Telescope > Link > Establish

2. Cameras

   1. Collected Deep-Sky camera from shelves with adpaters

   2. Planetary camera was still on-axis 

   3. Connected Deep-Sky Camera to Finderscope; powered; connected to Icron extender with long USB-3.0/B

   4. Connected Planetary Camera to On-Axis port; connected to LBD1 

   5. DC: SharpCap > Cameras > ZWO ASI 2600MM Pro (Deep-Sky)

      1. Finderscope camera is working

   6. DC: SharpCap > Cameras > ZWO ASI 178MM (Planetary)

      1. On-Axis camera is working

3. Bandwidth Test

   1. Opened two instances of SharpCap

   2. Set exposure time to 100ms for both, got nominal frame rates for both cameras; no frame dropping

   3. Changed the Planetary CMOS to also run through Icron extender with long USB-3.0/B

   4. Started dropping frames through SharpCap

   5. Switched back to original setup with Planetary CMOS through LBD1

   6. Issue with SharpCap:

      1. SharpCap went through phase where it only detected the planetary CMOS

      2. Eventually fixed issue by repeatedly power-cycling Deep-Sky camera and reseating data cable

4. Looks clear

   1. Enabled AutoDoming

   2. Slewed to Mars

   3. lul Forgot mirror doors and dome

      1. Opened those via ASCOM and TCS, respectively

   4. Turns out: not clear

5. Closing up

   1. Slewed telescope to zenith

   2. Disconnected from TS6

   3. Slewing to Zenith

      1. Telescope > Movement > Offset/Zenith Tab, Apply Zenith Position & Slew

      2. Didn't work 

      3. Nothing happened. Scope was clearly off-zenith

      4. Opened TS6 and reconnected to scope, then asked to slew to Zenith – this worked.

      5. NOT SURE WHY.

   4. Closed Mirror doors via TCS

6. Removed both cameras from scope and stored on shelves

7. Began inventory-ing?

ToDo

1. Spec-out new long USB 3.1 - B, at least the longest

Notes

1. Slewing to zenith thru TCS didn't work as expected (at all)

2. AutoDome: Danced +- 7 degrees off of telescope azimuth

Weather

Open

Data

None. Cloudy.