Autoguiding Experimentation

Time/Date

20230127T1726-

People

Roy, Connor, Gabriel

Spaces Occupied

PHYS 401, 433C, Dome, Roof

Goals

1. Find missing ZTF/M42 data from 20230126

2. Setup GoogleDrive Sync

3. Take Flat, Dark, and Bias frames

4. Test configuring PHD2on the Control Computer and use it via the finderscope

Log

1. Turned DC on (Why does this turn off?)

2. 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

3. Cameras

   1. Collected Deep-Sky camera and planetary camera from shelves with adpaters

   2. Connected Deep-Sky Camera to Finderscope; powered (still on?); connected to Icron extender with long USB-3.0/B

   3. Connected Deep-Sky Camera to On-Axis port; connected to Icron extender with shorter USB-3.0/B

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

      1. Finderscope camera is working

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

      1. On-Axis camera is working

4. Enabled Auto-Doming

   1. CC: Enabled Dome Control > "Slave Dome to Scope"

   2. Front Panel: Enabled AutoDome and Dome Track Switch

5. DATA FINDING

   1. GON Captures are in "D:\SharpCap Captures\2023-01-26\Capture\20_49_30"

   2. ZTF Captures are in "D:\SharpCap Captures\2023-01-26\Capture\21_32_14" 

6. DATA SYNCING

   1. Downloaded and installed Google Drive Setup from https://www.google.com/drive/download/

   2. Installed on Director user profile

   3. Used Roy's credentials to log in

   4. Setup Sync between " "D:\SharpCap Captures\" and "UMBC Observatory > Observations > Spring2022 > SharpCap Captures"

7. SharpCap File Save Settings

   1. Toward top-right of the SharpCap window, there is "Capture Profiles"

   2. You can load, save, manage different save profiles, specifying file type and some other fields.

   3. ALSO. On the bottom-right of the SharpCap window, there is a Scope Controls frame with a notes section. This populates a Notes field in the save profile, it's not clear where this ends up – doesn't seem like it gets to the FITS header ...

8. Open Mirror Doors

   1. CC: TCS > Telescope > Misc > "Switches/Mirror door"s tab

   2. We confirmed that all four mirror doors opened correctly

9. Weirdness with Lower Dome Shutter

   1. We noticed that the lower shutter didn't open all the way from 2.d.

   2. Fix: Asked them to open again, and the lower shutter opened all the way

10. Downloaded/Installed PHD2 on Control Computer

11. Needed Connection from Finderscope Cam to Control Computer

    1. Disconnected Finderscope Cam from Data Computer

    2. Attempted to use Finderscope cam with LBD2 and Control Computer; No result, but it worked fine with Data Computer

12. Installed ASI Camera Drivers on Control Computer

    1. Still no success connecting cameras to Control Computer

13. Tried connecting Finderscope Cam to Control Computer using front panel USB ports with LBD1 with no success

14. Connected Finderscope Cam to Control Computer front panel with the USB Extender Box

    1. Successfully connected Planetary Cam with LBD1 to Data Computer

15. Continued working with PHD2

    1. Camera Selected: "ZWO ASI Camera"

    2. Telescope Focal Length entered: 952 mm 

    3. Put corkboard sheet thing over Finderscope to build dark library in PHD2

    4. Took dark library with "Min Exposure Time" set to 1.0 s, "Max Exposure Time" set to 6.0 s, and "Frames to take for each exposure time" set to 5. The bubble for "Create entirely new dark library" was also selected

    5. Uncovered Finderscope

16. Stopped with PHD2 to try MaxIm DL

    1. CMOS not listed in Camera menu

17. Installed ZWO drivers for ASCOM and ASCOM Platform on Control Computer

18. Went back into MaxIm DL and connected the camera

    1. Navigated to the Expose Tab of Camera Control

    2. Took a dark frame (Covering the Finderscope with the corkboard sheet again)

    3. MaxIm DL couln't connect to mount with the drivers

19. Went back AGAIN to PHD2

    1. Got everything connected and got images on-screen, but couldn't guide because the software crashed early on

    2. Couldn't replicate what allowed us to get it working in the first place (software not working as expected)

20. Decided it was best to stop for the night and do more research before trying again

21. Stowed telescope at Zenith

22. Closed mirror doors

23. Closed dome shutters

24. Put away cameras

25. Disengaged switches on front panel

Note: For thermalizing the dome, the hatch must be closed. The hatch being open seems to heat up the dome according to Gabriel's small thermometer. Reported weather temperature outside was 0C while inside the dome the temperature only got down to 6C with the hatch closed. When we opened the hatch the temp went up to 10.5C. The thermometer was positioned on the telescope pedestal.

ToDo

1. Configure DC to remain on

2. Permanently allow BlueIris to run

3. Need extension cord to allow box fan to pull from roof access door

4. Need to buy another long USB-3.0/B cable @Onkar Rekhi / @Gabriel Koletsi , spec one of these out and post to "To Buy" discord channel

Notes

1. Finderscope camera port was not powered off

2. Finderscope Deep-Sky Camera image suffers from vignetting

Weather

Data

If using the telescope cameras, record the local and any remote location of collected data.