Here is an interesting script for calibrating the QHY174GPS camera. It can be found in the Sharpcap forum.
https://forums.sharpcap.co.uk/viewtopic....0&start=10
https://forums.sharpcap.co.uk/viewtopic....0&start=10
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Title: QHY174M-GPS calibration StartPos and EndPos
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05-03-2023, 12:48
Hello,
I wrote an update of my script of the LED calibration.
It is compatible for the future 4.1 version.
I will release it as soon as the SharpCap version 4.1 will be released.
In the meantime, I have an idea to write a script that could help the capture of the film with SharpCap during the occultation.
All my past occultation observations were done manually ... I wrote on a paper the name, number, date, star, ... and then later in front of the computer I set SharpCap with the information. I will try to simplify it.
Here some of my ideas for a workflow ...
- modify the SODIS report template, so that more information from OccultWatcher is inserted in the report.
- from OccultWatcher, generate the report for the event.
- in SharpCap script, load the report with the event information.
- set SharpCap parameters (target name, coordinates, time, ...).
- with QHY174-GPS connected, the script can show the remaining time until the event.
- the start of the film can be set and the film start automatically.
So if you have some ideas for the script ... please share your mind here :-)
Here a question for the developers ... in the template, each line begin with "#" symbol ... It is normally the symbol for a comment line in program code (Python, ...) how can I insert a line that will be ignored by the SODIS webpage ?
For example by doubling the first character ? "'##"
Other question to the developers ...
In the template some line have all upper case other lower case ... "event" is lower, "DATE" is upper ... is here some meaning for that ?
Concerning my first question ... each line with an information has ":", the line without ":" seems to be a title or information.
Regards,
Jean-Francois
I wrote an update of my script of the LED calibration.
It is compatible for the future 4.1 version.
I will release it as soon as the SharpCap version 4.1 will be released.
In the meantime, I have an idea to write a script that could help the capture of the film with SharpCap during the occultation.
All my past occultation observations were done manually ... I wrote on a paper the name, number, date, star, ... and then later in front of the computer I set SharpCap with the information. I will try to simplify it.
Here some of my ideas for a workflow ...
- modify the SODIS report template, so that more information from OccultWatcher is inserted in the report.
- from OccultWatcher, generate the report for the event.
- in SharpCap script, load the report with the event information.
- set SharpCap parameters (target name, coordinates, time, ...).
- with QHY174-GPS connected, the script can show the remaining time until the event.
- the start of the film can be set and the film start automatically.
So if you have some ideas for the script ... please share your mind here :-)
Here a question for the developers ... in the template, each line begin with "#" symbol ... It is normally the symbol for a comment line in program code (Python, ...) how can I insert a line that will be ignored by the SODIS webpage ?
For example by doubling the first character ? "'##"
Other question to the developers ...
In the template some line have all upper case other lower case ... "event" is lower, "DATE" is upper ... is here some meaning for that ?
Concerning my first question ... each line with an information has ":", the line without ":" seems to be a title or information.
Regards,
Jean-Francois
06-03-2023, 19:05
Hello Jean-Francois,
the report file is filled in by the Occultwatcher (star, asteroid, date, time). The position and other information should be pre-filled if it does not change. We cannot make big changes to the form as this would cause problems.
The description of the report form can be found in the Observer Manual.
It would be very good if your script could write the start and end time of the recording in the report file (accurate to the second). Perhaps a second script could write the measurement data from AOTA/PyOTE into the report file, then it would hardly be necessary to enter anything manually.
Unfortunately, most errors are caused by manual input in the online form.
Sven
the report file is filled in by the Occultwatcher (star, asteroid, date, time). The position and other information should be pre-filled if it does not change. We cannot make big changes to the form as this would cause problems.
The description of the report form can be found in the Observer Manual.
It would be very good if your script could write the start and end time of the recording in the report file (accurate to the second). Perhaps a second script could write the measurement data from AOTA/PyOTE into the report file, then it would hardly be necessary to enter anything manually.
Unfortunately, most errors are caused by manual input in the online form.
Sven
06-03-2023, 20:28
Hello Sven,
OK.
In the OWCloud forum, Christian mentioned the DVTI software.
It is fast the same I try to program for SharpCap.
Concerning the report template ... do you see this ?
https://dvticam.com/static/report_templa..._sodis.txt
It is more change as I plane to do :-)
My idea is ...
- before the event, in OccultWatcher, export a preliminary report (from SODIS template)
- in SharpCap, import the preliminary report (use some information ... star coordinates, ...)
- at the end of the capture of the film, SharpCap write some information in the preliminary report (film begin/end, temperature, ...)
- in OccultWatcher ... nothing to do ... the information of the event is already in the report.
The only small problem is ... in OccultWatcher it is not possible to generate a preliminary report before the event time !
The Add-in of DVTI allows the automatic transfer to the DVTI software directly before an event ... but it means that OccultWatcher and the DVTI software must be running on the same computer at the same time (that is not necessary for all the case). Other problem ... I have a QHY174GPS camera ... and it works only with SharpCap.
For the report template ... I remark that the information after ":" is used in the SODIS website. The line without ":" are ignored (or at least does not generate an error). So a "SharpCap" template can have more lines at the end, so long no ":" character is used.
Regards,
Jean-Francois
OK.
In the OWCloud forum, Christian mentioned the DVTI software.
It is fast the same I try to program for SharpCap.
Concerning the report template ... do you see this ?
https://dvticam.com/static/report_templa..._sodis.txt
It is more change as I plane to do :-)
My idea is ...
- before the event, in OccultWatcher, export a preliminary report (from SODIS template)
- in SharpCap, import the preliminary report (use some information ... star coordinates, ...)
- at the end of the capture of the film, SharpCap write some information in the preliminary report (film begin/end, temperature, ...)
- in OccultWatcher ... nothing to do ... the information of the event is already in the report.
The only small problem is ... in OccultWatcher it is not possible to generate a preliminary report before the event time !
The Add-in of DVTI allows the automatic transfer to the DVTI software directly before an event ... but it means that OccultWatcher and the DVTI software must be running on the same computer at the same time (that is not necessary for all the case). Other problem ... I have a QHY174GPS camera ... and it works only with SharpCap.
For the report template ... I remark that the information after ":" is used in the SODIS website. The line without ":" are ignored (or at least does not generate an error). So a "SharpCap" template can have more lines at the end, so long no ":" character is used.
Regards,
Jean-Francois
08-03-2023, 14:58
Hello Jean-Francois,
You can find the current report form here:
https://forum.iota-es.de/showthread.php?tid=1
This should be saved in the report directory of the OW. The report can then be written with the OW. Then you could use Sharpcap to write the start/end time, exposure time and, if necessary, the coordinates into this file. The software of the DVTI camera writes the SODIS report file, this has nothing to do with the QHY174, etc.
The report file is deliberately kept small because the data about the event can be viewed quickly with OW/OWC or Occult.
Sven
You can find the current report form here:
https://forum.iota-es.de/showthread.php?tid=1
This should be saved in the report directory of the OW. The report can then be written with the OW. Then you could use Sharpcap to write the start/end time, exposure time and, if necessary, the coordinates into this file. The software of the DVTI camera writes the SODIS report file, this has nothing to do with the QHY174, etc.
The report file is deliberately kept small because the data about the event can be viewed quickly with OW/OWC or Occult.
Sven
08-03-2023, 15:40
(08-03-2023, 14:58 )astfu Wrote: Hello Jean-Francois,
You can find the current report form here:
https://forum.iota-es.de/showthread.php?tid=1
This should be saved in the report directory of the OW. The report can then be written with the OW. Then you could use Sharpcap to write the start/end time, exposure time and, if necessary, the coordinates into this file. The software of the DVTI camera writes the SODIS report file, this has nothing to do with the QHY174, etc.
The report file is deliberately kept small because the data about the event can be viewed quickly with OW/OWC or Occult.
Sven
Hi,
I tested a DVTI (not identical to today's models) for about 1 year, currently I don't have one. Their SW has also evolved. I brought this into play because, if I understand J-F correctly: the DVTI can automatically record an event that was previously named to it from the OW (there is a OccultWatcher.DvtiCamControl.dll in the path). So you have an OW plugin and a corresponding function in DVTI cam control. That's what I was referring to, so they already have something that J-F wants to programme for the QHY - maybe you can learn something from that, at least regarding OW. I'm attaching a few pictures of how it looks with a future OW event and with my still installed, outdated SW and without a camera.
Christian
08-03-2023, 22:55
Hello Sven and Christian,
I download 2 days ago the DVTI software. I started it without connection to a camera (I have no DVTI camera).
I installed the OccultWatcher.DvtiCamControl.dll in OW directory and I "transfer" the event data directly from OW in the DVTI software. That works fine ... it is possible to transfer several events ... DVTI sort the events.
But several problems ...
- I have no DVTI camera
- the direct link works only if OW + DVTI software are running at the same time on the same computer
(that is for me not possible ... the telescope and camera are connected to my EAGLE2 and I connect with remote (Ethernet cable) from a laptop. No computer is connected to the internet.)
- with OW today ... it is possible to generate a report from the template ... but only *after* the event time.
I try to have the information in SharpCap *before* the event for the observation :-)
Concerning the SODIS template ... it is possible to have more text at the end ... the lines are ignored as long as no ":" is used. I tested it. The problem is ... it is useless now, while the report can not be generated before the event.
I contact Hristo and I will try to understand the OW add-in (that can take a long time).
My idea is to modify a little bit one available add-in so that the report is generated before the event (or ... Hristo modify the actual add-in so that the report can be generated before the event too :-) ... with additional information ... star coordinates, ...)
And then, this report can be used in SharpCap for setting some parameters (star coordinates for a GOTO, ...) and at the end of the video capture (it works if the capture is started from a script) SharpCap can write some additional information in the report (begin/end of the capture, telescope, camera, temperature and other information). After that ... finally the report can be used for upload in the SODIS database.
Good night,
Jean-Francois
I download 2 days ago the DVTI software. I started it without connection to a camera (I have no DVTI camera).
I installed the OccultWatcher.DvtiCamControl.dll in OW directory and I "transfer" the event data directly from OW in the DVTI software. That works fine ... it is possible to transfer several events ... DVTI sort the events.
But several problems ...
- I have no DVTI camera
- the direct link works only if OW + DVTI software are running at the same time on the same computer
(that is for me not possible ... the telescope and camera are connected to my EAGLE2 and I connect with remote (Ethernet cable) from a laptop. No computer is connected to the internet.)
- with OW today ... it is possible to generate a report from the template ... but only *after* the event time.
I try to have the information in SharpCap *before* the event for the observation :-)
Concerning the SODIS template ... it is possible to have more text at the end ... the lines are ignored as long as no ":" is used. I tested it. The problem is ... it is useless now, while the report can not be generated before the event.
I contact Hristo and I will try to understand the OW add-in (that can take a long time).
My idea is to modify a little bit one available add-in so that the report is generated before the event (or ... Hristo modify the actual add-in so that the report can be generated before the event too :-) ... with additional information ... star coordinates, ...)
And then, this report can be used in SharpCap for setting some parameters (star coordinates for a GOTO, ...) and at the end of the video capture (it works if the capture is started from a script) SharpCap can write some additional information in the report (begin/end of the capture, telescope, camera, temperature and other information). After that ... finally the report can be used for upload in the SODIS database.
Good night,
Jean-Francois
09-03-2023, 16:49
Hello to all
Some information that may help Jean-François' goal
Occultwatcher allows you to get all the information about the event in a simple way: Just right click on the event and select "Additional Event Details". The information is obtained in the form of a .csv file.
The information about the recording parameters is available in the "Capture_00001.CameraSettings.txt" file in the SharpCap capture directory.
As I record my videos in FITS, the start and end time stamp of the recording can be obtained in the Header of the first and last FITS file.
Except for information such as: occultation result, sky condition, temperature, seeing, ... which can only be filled in later, all this information is collected in spreadsheets and processed with an underlying basic program (I use LibreOffice). This has allowed me for several years now to generate my Euraster and now SODIS reports automatically without having to make manual entries with the associated risks of errors.
I did not want to go further in the automation as Jean-François envisages (anyway my hardware does not allow me to do so). I am content to start my recordings at the desired time with a small Python program running under SharpCap.
Pierre
Some information that may help Jean-François' goal
Occultwatcher allows you to get all the information about the event in a simple way: Just right click on the event and select "Additional Event Details". The information is obtained in the form of a .csv file.
The information about the recording parameters is available in the "Capture_00001.CameraSettings.txt" file in the SharpCap capture directory.
As I record my videos in FITS, the start and end time stamp of the recording can be obtained in the Header of the first and last FITS file.
Except for information such as: occultation result, sky condition, temperature, seeing, ... which can only be filled in later, all this information is collected in spreadsheets and processed with an underlying basic program (I use LibreOffice). This has allowed me for several years now to generate my Euraster and now SODIS reports automatically without having to make manual entries with the associated risks of errors.
I did not want to go further in the automation as Jean-François envisages (anyway my hardware does not allow me to do so). I am content to start my recordings at the desired time with a small Python program running under SharpCap.
Pierre
09-03-2023, 18:30
Hello Pierre,
Thanks for the comments.
I used the "CameraSettings.txt" in a different script (for sun observation with a spectrometer "SHG" with the Sol'Ex).
For the additional event details ... I know ... but, you need to repeat 3 or 4 times the copy/paste in a text file for saving the details of the start, the asteroid and the event. After that you need to search the information and then copy in the SODIS template.
My idea is to have only 1 click for transfer of the needed data to SharpCap.
In the SharpCap script, I plane to have an input field (for opening the event details from OccultWatcher already saved in the SODIS template) and then to have some free fields for some additional input. The script window will have one button for starting the script (manually or with a delay before the event time) ... and at the end of the capture (manual or automatic), the script will save the last information from the film (begin/end of the capture, camera details if wanted ...). All this with the SODIS template ... so that at the end, it is only necessary to fill positive or negative and the result of Occult processing.
I will not write the script in "one" day ... it will have several iteration ... and a lot of try-and-error.
Regards,
Jean-Francois
Thanks for the comments.
I used the "CameraSettings.txt" in a different script (for sun observation with a spectrometer "SHG" with the Sol'Ex).
For the additional event details ... I know ... but, you need to repeat 3 or 4 times the copy/paste in a text file for saving the details of the start, the asteroid and the event. After that you need to search the information and then copy in the SODIS template.
My idea is to have only 1 click for transfer of the needed data to SharpCap.
In the SharpCap script, I plane to have an input field (for opening the event details from OccultWatcher already saved in the SODIS template) and then to have some free fields for some additional input. The script window will have one button for starting the script (manually or with a delay before the event time) ... and at the end of the capture (manual or automatic), the script will save the last information from the film (begin/end of the capture, camera details if wanted ...). All this with the SODIS template ... so that at the end, it is only necessary to fill positive or negative and the result of Occult processing.
I will not write the script in "one" day ... it will have several iteration ... and a lot of try-and-error.
Regards,
Jean-Francois
24-05-2023, 20:32
Hello,
It is time to release my SharpCap script and my Addin for OccultWatcher.
Unfortunately, I have no "real" occultation event during the very short period with clear sky in the past 4 weeks.
I tested a lot my script inside. Only on rare occasion outside.
Several conditions are necessary:
- update OccultWatcher with the last version 5.2.0 (if not already done automatically)
- download the last beta version 4.1 of SharpCap (my script work only with the version 4.1.10652.0 or later)
- I guess that you need the ASCOM 6.5 or above (I'm not 100% sure for that)
Unzip the ZIP somewhere on your computer.
Open the PDF document ... and start to read it.
For the use ... you can connect SharpCap with the ASCOM Telescope Simulator and you can use the Sky-Simulator for testing the GOTO and PlateSolve functions.
The script can work with any telescope that can be connected to SharpCap. I tested with my EQ8 with SynScan and GSS. And I tested with my old Meade LXD75 mount.
The script is written for the QHY-174 GPS camera, but it should be possible to use it with any other camera (clear that the GPS function will not work).
If you have no EAGLE computer, then you can modify the line 81 to "EAGLE = False", that will speed up the start of the script.
Best regards,
Jean-Francois
Occultation_Addin_SharpCap_script_part-1.zip (Size: 779.7 KB / Downloads: 2)
Occultation_Addin_SharpCap_script_part-2.zip (Size: 992.73 KB / Downloads: 2)
It is time to release my SharpCap script and my Addin for OccultWatcher.
Unfortunately, I have no "real" occultation event during the very short period with clear sky in the past 4 weeks.
I tested a lot my script inside. Only on rare occasion outside.
Several conditions are necessary:
- update OccultWatcher with the last version 5.2.0 (if not already done automatically)
- download the last beta version 4.1 of SharpCap (my script work only with the version 4.1.10652.0 or later)
- I guess that you need the ASCOM 6.5 or above (I'm not 100% sure for that)
Unzip the ZIP somewhere on your computer.
Open the PDF document ... and start to read it.
For the use ... you can connect SharpCap with the ASCOM Telescope Simulator and you can use the Sky-Simulator for testing the GOTO and PlateSolve functions.
The script can work with any telescope that can be connected to SharpCap. I tested with my EQ8 with SynScan and GSS. And I tested with my old Meade LXD75 mount.
The script is written for the QHY-174 GPS camera, but it should be possible to use it with any other camera (clear that the GPS function will not work).
If you have no EAGLE computer, then you can modify the line 81 to "EAGLE = False", that will speed up the start of the script.
Best regards,
Jean-Francois
Occultation_Addin_SharpCap_script_part-1.zip (Size: 779.7 KB / Downloads: 2)
Occultation_Addin_SharpCap_script_part-2.zip (Size: 992.73 KB / Downloads: 2)
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