Sgp and multiple cameras

Sequence Generator
1

Any way to use SGP for main as well as guide camera to enable cooling for both?
Could someone point me to a thread on this if it exists?

2

You could connect the guide camera to SGP but SGP doesn’t guide so it wouldn’t do you much good…although we could turn on the cooler :slight_smile:

Jared

3

Hi Jared, actually that’s exactly the reason I ask so that I could cool the guide camera . I use PHD2 for guiding with no provision to cool.

4

Depending on how the driver is implemented…you could connect to SGP, enable cooling and then disconnect the camera. Then connect it in PHD2. BUT it’s highly likely that when you disconnect from SGP that the ASCOM driver will turn off the camera cooler. Still worth a shot.

Jared

5

Thanks Jared, I’ll give it a go…

6

If that doesn’t work you could ask @Andy to consider adding that support to PHD2. Or ask your camera mfg to add the ability to set the tec in their ASCOM or native driver settings page. Or you could write a Façade Ascom Camera Driver that allows you to pick another ASCOM camera and then proxies all calls through the façade.

Jared

7

Thanks for that Jared. I don’t believe I have the ability to modify or write Ascom interface code. I have had conversations with Andy and I could discuss the issue with him. I am using an SBIG camera for autoguiding and I do have an option prior to SGP shutdown to maintain camera temperature after shutdown. I will have to check whether the camera temperature remains stable at that point.

Tom

8

What SBIG are you using? Does it connect through your main camera?

Thanks,
Jared

9

I had been using an old ST-402ME with filters for imaging. I recently
purchased an asi 1600 MM. The 402 is doing tracking for now till I
update to maybe an asi 174 or similar.

10

PHD2 can control the cooling for some camera models, but unfortunately not for SBIG at the moment. We would need to update PHD2 to add that functionality – there’s actually an open feature request for it already in our issue tracker, #687.

You may also want to read this post in the PHD2 forum regarding cooling for guide cameras.

1 Like
11

Appreciate it Andy. I have guided my system without cooling, just wondered if there were provisions in SGP. No biggie…

Tom