Page 6 ascom driver and thirdparty software if you wish to use the fcusb with thirdparty focus software, a free ascom driver for the fcusb is available for. This architecture applies to both windowscom and crossplatform alpaca technologies. Diy telescope remote and autofocus project for astrophotograhy with nebulosity. Arduino ascom focuser mark2 diy astronomer stargazers. Buzzer can be connected to indicate some user interactions, so there is no need to pay attention on any blinking leds. Do you sometimes get frustrated trying to fine tune your focus because the video image jiggles every time you touch the focuser. Performing the setup will configure the driver to the focuser travel limits, the step resolution and direction. The shoestring astronomy store focus motor control products. Ascom is a manytomany and languageindependent architecture, supported by most astronomy devices which connect to windows and now linux and macos computers. Newtonian telescope how to find focus dslr astrophotography. Focus simulation is also accomplished by connecting the camera simulator to an ascom focus driver.
So i need to motorise my focuser so that i can focus remotely. The evolution of technology in astronomy requires a system which will. It comes with a handpad for manual electronic focusing and with an ascom driver for computer assisted focusing, see documentation for compliant. Focuser lock to prevent accidental change of focus. Astroberrydiy provides indi drivers for raspberry pi devices such us. Homemade diy focuser for telescope with computer control. Do it yourself telescope focuser with an ascom driver.
Arduino firmware and ascom driver can be found at the bottom of the page. I have been using a robofocus focus controller for many years now to control a robofocus geared stepper motor on my various imaging telescopes. My focuser ascom problem is i believe sgp is sending a signal to my focuser to auto focus every frame. This driver has the ability to create several drivers giving the ability to control multiple focusers on the same system. Windows, mac and linux usb drivers, ascom drivers, latest firmware and camera control and processing software for all zwo devices. I already have the ascom platform and celestron driver installed in order to control the scope from apt but im not sure what i need to allow apt to talk to the arduino using ascom. I had to decide on the format of the messages sent tofrom the nano by the driver but apart from that most of the work in the driver is already done for you in the template. The sketch is a modified version of the one i wrote for the mk1 device with the code for the switch and rotary encoder removed. Technical innovations robofocus a world leader in manufacturing observatory domes, dome automation equipment, and remote control devices for astronomers including robofocus. Arduino ascom focuser mark2 diy astronomer stargazers lounge. I have control panel set to focus on start and on filter change.
This was built using visual studio 2010 and you will need the ascom platform 6. The diagram below shows how ascom differs from traditional astronomy instrument control architectures. Focusaaf2 a simple winforms client application to drive the focuser. I dont really want to have to write a new ascom driver if one exists i can use and i normally program using java. Diy ascom focus driver download if you could do an idiots guide for getting an arduino talking to ascom it would be greatly appreciated. Platform 6 returns to a single installer for the whole platform, removing the need to install an update on top of the core platform and introduces a number of device interface changes to bring consistency to the information available.
Hello let me introduce my opensource project of ascom. Feathertouch ascom driver needs ascom platform see link below. Focus fast, reliable and accurate your telescope using a stepper or dc motor and our controller. Same features, more powerful motor outputs, in a very compact size. Ascom and arduino diy astronomer stargazers lounge. For pcs running an earlier os than windows 10, the focus motor connection to the driver does not occur automatically. This is a simplified version of the arduino focuser, no rotary encoder. I havent tried building it with any of the free express versions of vs. Camera lens belt drive stepper focus system for computer controlled auto focus, motorize your camera lens or helical focused telescope with our 0. It contains an overview of the closedloop focusing system absolute ascom driver and digital indicator required, images and model numbers. Installation instructions, ascom 6 sp1, focusmax 3. Software ascom focuser driverfocuser firmware firmware and ascom driver have been updated.
Ascom robofocus focuser driver platform 6 returns to a single installer for the whole platform, removing the need to install an update on top of the core platform and introduces a number of device interface changes to bring consistency to the information available. A popular diy ascom focuser with more than 91,000 downloads. Diy ascom focus driver i have been using a robofocus focus controller for many years now to control a robofocus geared stepper motor on my various imaging telescopes. I had to decide on the format of the messages sent tofrom the. Links to the project are at the bottom of this page. Uses ds1820 temperature sensor for temperature focus compensation and rotary encoder for manual focus change.
Orion shoestring usb focus motor control interface orion. The simplestever arduino focus controller atm, optics. Therefore i had to write an ascom driver to sit between the arduino and the application software i needed to use. View the instruction manual for this product download 3264bit compatible drivers updated for windows 10 and earlier. Ascom driver setup the purpose of the setup is to configure the driver software to your specific focuser installation. I have added additional code so the nano can interface with the ascom driver. It interfaces to the computer via usb and comes with an ascom driver. Focus fast, reliable and accurate your telescope by using the focuscube 2 the evolution of technology in astronomy requires a system which will assist the focusing of the telescope with great accuracy. You can use the ascom moonlite focuser driver to control the motor. After the software installations are completed, the next step is to perform the ascom driver setup. An ascom switch emulating driver is also available for script control in acp or other programs with ascom scripting. If you are interested in purchasing a ready built controller please contact the author. Pegasus astro dual motor focus driver driver for the pegasus astro dual motor focus controller. I plan to document the driver, sketch and circuit diagram in due course.
The pcfc ascom driver provides a setup window that allows you to set the motor speed and pwm frequency as described above. Starlight instruments when only the best focusers will do. Thirdparty software that supports the ascom focuser standard will also work with the fcusb using the fcusb ascom driver not guaranteed to work for all systems. Download same drivers but without ascom for users who already have ascom installed. The ascom component in backyardeos is mainly used to controlled motorized ascom compliant focusers. Windows users will still need to download the fli software installation kit above for device driver installation. A notch in the drive belt for the rack on the bottom of the focus tube also helps prevent slipping, but only when engaged, if the motor is over this position it still slips occasionally. Focusmax help 11 143 if you followed the above steps successfully you have now. This is an updated robofocus control program with a builtin ascom driver. A stepper motor telescope focus controller diy based on arduino nanouno. They use similar commands and one ascom driver works with all. A stepper motor telescope focus controller diy based on. Software windows application or fully compliant ascom driver create using stripboard layout or using pcb design tested with indi moonlite driver under ubuntu and ekos tested on macbook with thesky and moonlite driver manual or full automated remote control eg focusmax ascom driver tested with focusmax, nebulosity 4. Section 4 ascom driver installation guide and hardware notes.
It takes the unknown out of focusing, and is easy to re focus between filters, or refocus several times during a long exposure run as the world cools down. This is an arduino based motor focuser with ascom driver on the pc side. Dual motor focus brings a decade of experience in astrophotography and telescope focusing concepts. Dslr driver for canon an nikon i started this project to integrate ascom. Fully ascom compliant driver and windows application support. Two separate focusers can be supported provided each driver has a unique ascom id and a gamepad button can be used to select the active focuser. Ascom absolute focuser developed using arduino nano board and visual studio 2008 for ascom driver. Ascom driver tutorial for arduino astronomy hardware using. For pcs running windows 10 os, the focus motor ascom driver should find and connect to the focus motor when it is plugged into a usb port on the pc.
The fov can be set to match any imaging chip by changing the cdc fov and the camera simulator image size. Fast optics and modern camera devices require automatic focusing in every small period of time as temperature can affect focal length and modify the. Software instructions operation moonlite offers both non ascom software programs and a universal ascom driver to operate all moonlite focusers and controllers. Installs a combined control program and driver for the technical innovations robofocus focuser. Fully ascom compliant driver and windows application support tested and works with focusmax, apt, nebulosity, scopefocus multiple hardware build options, easydriver, uln2003, drv8825, l293d, l298n, raps128, st6128, a4988 and other driver boards. For instructions on installing, setting up and using your feathertouch ascom driver, download this user manual. I found adding an electric focus motor that attaches to the shaft of a focuser knob and connects to a hand held control provides me with vibrationfree focusing without the need to actually touch the telescope at all. Alternatively you can use two free contacts on a computer usb or lan controlled relay switch 500ma. It connects to an external digital temperature probe, 0. Please follow these steps to connect the focus motor and ascom driver. It is identical to the fcusb in all respects except for its usb identifier.
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