Welcome back! I made a previous request that we be able to load sequences that we have previously made into new sequences so that we can mix and match targets we’ve already created.
Also, from a DSLR user point of view, would it be possible to enable an AV option when creating flats? It works well to set your ISO and then let the camera determine the exposure time.
A third request, although more of a convenience and less of a priority, would be to add in the display time for horizon/meridian limits. We have the countdown to these limits but an actual clock time based on the countdown and system time would be helpful particularly when setting power shutdown times and entering targets. Perhaps an option that could be enabled/disabled as real estate is a precious commodity?
This is true if you select a profile. It will run the routine with that profile’s gear and then assign the results of the run to that profile (a new sequence is required to do this).
I think just selecting “Current Sequence” from the list instead of a profile will get you what you want… no new sequences or gear disconnects required.
I will leave this thread open until Friday evening. At that point, I will close it up, consolidate it into a poll and see how things fall out…
At that point, we will make and publish a list of 2.5.X / 2.6.0 features and enhancements (keeping in mind that user requested stuff, while extremely important to us, must be balanced with internal, non-functional stuff we need to do as well… a healthy mix of both is required here).
I quote from the thread “Error on Centering has grown significantly”. On Jun 29 Jared said:
"We will likely add an option at some point in the unknown future to allow you to specify what “sync” translates to
•Sync Mount
•Update offset
•Do nothing "
This or some variation of it is a very important feature. The reasons for this feature have been discussed to death on other threads. Doing a sync with center does not always work depending on the mount. The recent thread on TSX being an example. There are other threads where users have tested incremental centering and even provided example code. These tests demonstrated that centering can be done without a sync at least for some mounts.
I have a request I’d like to be considered if you all don’t mind…
If you look at the App ‘Astro Photography Tool’ (which I used before SGP), it has what it calls a darkness clock on the interface. Double clicking it puts up a box, based on the users coordinates on the earth, it shows pretty much the real time Sunset/sunrise, and all the relevant twilight times we would all be interested in. SGP could have a optional module for the interface which shows a graphical representation of this which could also have options in SGP’s ‘Options’ for starting and stopping an imaging session based on it’s status etc One really handy thing here is it shows when the moon rises too.
Hello
I’m using SGPro since about two months and want to say that you created a most useful and clever application!!
I’m not yet as proficient to request new features (too many cloudy nights ;- ) but there is one thing I would like to see:
Please unlock the fixed size of the sequence window. It would be very convenient if one could see all the events at a glance.
Welcome back Ken. Thanks for SGP and your dedication to it.
Max, I believe you can make a new target after all your Light frame events (or simply add flats to an existing target) and in the first flat event’s options, choose the pre event Park scope. You can also set the post event option in your last light event to park scope and then move to the next event or target for flats.
I second the park and take flats routine and would like to see “flat park position.”
Or for that matter, if SGP could…say in the equipment profiles store a Park Position and a Flat Park Position as Alt Az coordinates or land object coordinates and allow the user to set it in SGP with the mount connected (like it is now) but be able to adjust it finely by using the actual coordinate numbers.
The park in event options for the flat box really confused me for a long time.
A simple check box for do flats at the park position in the equipment profile and in control panel would be cleaner. ( Agree, ideally this could be at specific Alt and AZ if your flat box position was different for your park position).
It does not have to be part of a wizard. You are correct. We can do flats at any time now.
– Syncless centering
– Autofocus small improvements:
– Improve performance @1x1 bin
– region selection for focusing
– Star detection in corner cases like FOV with globular clusters.
How about an addition to focusing… A wizard that could somehow help determine filter offsets? Maybe it could do focus runs back and forth between Lum and another filter a few times to determine an average offset.
This sort of set up function seems to me not to belong in the core SGP product but be in some sort of secondary application used to set up the system.
Come to think of it a lot of things are really configuration and set up and could be done separately. It could be done independently but would need some sort of access into the SGP functionality.
I’m always keen to avoid putting more complexity into the core application, maybe this is they way to go to help with a lot of set up functionality that new users in particular have.
Things like:
Set up of auto focus, setting optimum step size and backlash parameters.
As suggested here, determining focus offsets.
Something to estimate focus temperature offsets, or say that there isn’t any obvious correlation.
Determining and setting plate solve parameters.
Assessing centring accuracy and setting the limits appropriately.
Some sort of configuration setup application could reduce the number of basic setup questions that come it.
I’m not suggesting how this is done, other than in the broadest way, but defining problems that users need solutions for. This is, I believe, a better way to approach things from the user’s perspective rather than defining what the solution should be. Sorting out what the solution is is the developer’s job.
I agree. It saves time and bugs in the core app and lets SGP really focus on imaging and automation. Given the wide variety of equipment, I feel like SGP already does good at maximizing imaging time for most of us.
Problem is a wizard or program still needs the capability to take a few images and perform analysis. SGP core has this already, so if someone has the know-how to tap in to that and build an SGP equipment profile configuring tool, that would be awesome.
This could include in addition to what has already been said for focusing, an image download timer, prompting to enter gain and read noise values to get the best metadata possible on your images, a temperature compensation trainer that is modal etc…
Could the standard Temperature Compensation Trainer made to be not modal (ie. you can use it in the background while SGP does other things)??? I would have liked to use it, but don’t want to waste valuable imaging time waiting for a 5 degree temp drop inside that training session.
I think that separated equipment list and equipment profile would be good.
For example if you have multiple cameras and multiple scopes, you need to repeat entering same information for each profile.
If I have a list of cameras and scopes, I can just choose them from the equipment list for each profile.
With consideration to those doing scientific imaging, I support the feature request for starting and stopping targets based on altitude. Photometry is usually performed at altitudes greater than 30 degrees as this limits the airmass to 2 atmospheres. Therefore, each night a separate program has to be used to calculate when the target hits the 30 degree mark to stop imaging. In my opinion, this added feature to stop at a certain altitude will greatly enhance the capability of SGP.
Another request I wish to put forward is to assign colors tags for other filters other than RGB. In photometry, BVRI and griz filters are commonly used. Hence, say if V is automatically assigned a green color (same as G), it will be easier to discern what type of filters are being used. I see no problem with the sharing of the same colour such as B in RGB and BVRI as usually those doing imaging rarely opt for a photometric filters in the same filter wheel and vice versa.
My adds would be:
Support for dual rigs,
Ability to start if conditions are good. For those clear spells late/early, sgp could be connected and ready, then if the weather permits the green light is given to start.
An idea would be to be able to insert an horizon description. That would be usefull when you have a big tree on the right, and a building blocking the way on the left
Definitely a nice to have, especially when you want to stay on top of the Beta stream!
there are also the following:
Ability to re-center every X hour and/or every X frames
when using a red plexiglass panel on top of the laptop screen (this only really working option), the red color becomes similar to “white”, I noted this on the red line drawn on the autofocus Vcurve. A night mode (red plexiglass mode?) would be great to eliminate this.
