Thank you for creating such a wonderful focuser. I am using the old myfocuserpro wirth the A4998 drivers.
Because I need two motors for a special application at once (alltogehter there will be three focusers) I am creating a board with two A4998 drivers and am digging myself into the firmware. I am a newbie, so a steep learning curce is expected.
The thing I need to know: did you program the INDI-dirver? This might be my biggest problem...
Cheers,
Bastelhannes
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The INDI driver was created by Alan as noted in the INDI driver files.
I recently took over the maintenace and updates of this under INDI and posted and update of the driver,.
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Hi Robert,
Is it possible to run two focusers for two scopes using the same instance of INDI? I have one astrobox and two scopes with two MyFocuserPro2 controllers. I notice that when I connect my latest controller to my astrobox that it has the same motor direction and max steps from when I set it up originally with my first build. What I'm confused about is I thought it pulled that info from the EEPROM.
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Is it possible to run two focusers for two scopes using the same instance of INDI?
Not sure. I personally don't use INDI.
jasim would be the best peron to ask the "general question" related to how drivers behave in INDI
In general, each driver (whether INDI or ASCOM etc) has an option: So what I am now talking about is what happens
Each driver has a choice: Send some data when connection is made, to configure the focuser,
OR
just get the data/settings from the controller when a connection is made.
I tired to make this process a little easier with the Windows app - bear with me - using profiles and send on connect. So a user could define a profile for a particular scope/focuser and the app would then "configure" the scope/focuser when a connection is made.
Of course I mention in the video that the best choice is to send nothing, that way the focuser settings are unchanged and you can start exactly where you left off previously.
Now back to the other question.
I notice that when I connect my latest controller to my astrobox that it has the same motor direction and max steps from when I set it up originally with my first build. What I'm confused about is I thought it pulled that info from the EEPROM.
As I said, you have a choice in ASCOM etc to do that. If you select send nothing then that is what happens. Nothing is sent. The controllers eeprom settings are used.
When the controller boots up, it reads the saved settings from EEPROM. So it self configures, based on those saved settings.
When a client connects, the driver can opt to "send settings" when a connection is made. If that is the case, then those settings in the controller are changed/overwritten first. After 30s they are then saved by the controller into EEPROM.
If the app/driver does not send any new values on connection, and just asks for the settings, then those settings in the controller are returned to the driver/app, which then updates it own settings to match those from the controller.
the ascom driver, windows app, linux app all work like that.
for INDi my understanding from the driver code is that the driver remebers and saves settings, so that when you start the INDI driver, some settings get filled in (like step mode, step size etc, BUT, when a connection is made, the settings are retrieved from the controller and updates the INDI driver settings to match. and the INDI driver saves those settings in a profile which is then used when the driver restarts.
If there is anyone out there which have a better understanding of the INDI driver, please speak up. I am by no means an expert in INDI. Alan wrote the current INDI driver, and I provided the most recent update to the driver.
regards
Robert
Regards
Robert
Last edit: brownrb 2022-02-08
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Thanks Robert. This makes perfect sense and what I thought I had understood to be the case. I thought this happened the first time I ever used my second focuser, but I then put that scope away for a bit and worked with just my refractor for wider field needs. I have sense update to the latest Kstars and INDI so this might be a factor, but I wouldn't think so since the driver hasn't changed. I know someone created 2 additional drivers for ZWO since all the cameras use the same driver this way, they could use multiple ZWO cameras on one rig without conflict. That of course is a different use case.
Regards,
Lonnie
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Ok, I need to try to talk to Jasim on this as I just performed a test and set my settings using the Windows app and when I connected the focuser to my INDI server it changed the settings such as Max steps to what I had set for my other controller. I assume that Jasim is in the INDI forum?
Thanks,
Lonnie
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
Ok, I need to try to talk to Jasim on this as I just performed a test and set my settings using the Windows app and when I connected the focuser to my INDI server it changed the settings such as Max steps to what I had set for my other controller. I assume that Jasim is in the INDI forum?
Hi Robert,
Thank you for creating such a wonderful focuser. I am using the old myfocuserpro wirth the A4998 drivers.
Because I need two motors for a special application at once (alltogehter there will be three focusers) I am creating a board with two A4998 drivers and am digging myself into the firmware. I am a newbie, so a steep learning curce is expected.
The thing I need to know: did you program the INDI-dirver? This might be my biggest problem...
Cheers,
Bastelhannes
The INDI driver was created by Alan as noted in the INDI driver files.
I recently took over the maintenace and updates of this under INDI and posted and update of the driver,.
Hi Robert,
Is it possible to run two focusers for two scopes using the same instance of INDI? I have one astrobox and two scopes with two MyFocuserPro2 controllers. I notice that when I connect my latest controller to my astrobox that it has the same motor direction and max steps from when I set it up originally with my first build. What I'm confused about is I thought it pulled that info from the EEPROM.
Hi Lonnie
Is it possible to run two focusers for two scopes using the same instance of INDI?
Not sure. I personally don't use INDI.
jasim would be the best peron to ask the "general question" related to how drivers behave in INDI
In general, each driver (whether INDI or ASCOM etc) has an option: So what I am now talking about is what happens
Each driver has a choice: Send some data when connection is made, to configure the focuser,
OR
just get the data/settings from the controller when a connection is made.
I tired to make this process a little easier with the Windows app - bear with me - using profiles and send on connect. So a user could define a profile for a particular scope/focuser and the app would then "configure" the scope/focuser when a connection is made.
Of course I mention in the video that the best choice is to send nothing, that way the focuser settings are unchanged and you can start exactly where you left off previously.
Now back to the other question.
I notice that when I connect my latest controller to my astrobox that it has the same motor direction and max steps from when I set it up originally with my first build. What I'm confused about is I thought it pulled that info from the EEPROM.
As I said, you have a choice in ASCOM etc to do that. If you select send nothing then that is what happens. Nothing is sent. The controllers eeprom settings are used.
When the controller boots up, it reads the saved settings from EEPROM. So it self configures, based on those saved settings.
When a client connects, the driver can opt to "send settings" when a connection is made. If that is the case, then those settings in the controller are changed/overwritten first. After 30s they are then saved by the controller into EEPROM.
If the app/driver does not send any new values on connection, and just asks for the settings, then those settings in the controller are returned to the driver/app, which then updates it own settings to match those from the controller.
the ascom driver, windows app, linux app all work like that.
for INDi my understanding from the driver code is that the driver remebers and saves settings, so that when you start the INDI driver, some settings get filled in (like step mode, step size etc, BUT, when a connection is made, the settings are retrieved from the controller and updates the INDI driver settings to match. and the INDI driver saves those settings in a profile which is then used when the driver restarts.
If there is anyone out there which have a better understanding of the INDI driver, please speak up. I am by no means an expert in INDI. Alan wrote the current INDI driver, and I provided the most recent update to the driver.
regards
Robert
Regards
Robert
Last edit: brownrb 2022-02-08
Thanks Robert. This makes perfect sense and what I thought I had understood to be the case. I thought this happened the first time I ever used my second focuser, but I then put that scope away for a bit and worked with just my refractor for wider field needs. I have sense update to the latest Kstars and INDI so this might be a factor, but I wouldn't think so since the driver hasn't changed. I know someone created 2 additional drivers for ZWO since all the cameras use the same driver this way, they could use multiple ZWO cameras on one rig without conflict. That of course is a different use case.
Regards,
Lonnie
Ok, I need to try to talk to Jasim on this as I just performed a test and set my settings using the Windows app and when I connected the focuser to my INDI server it changed the settings such as Max steps to what I had set for my other controller. I assume that Jasim is in the INDI forum?
Thanks,
Lonnie
Yes, that is where he will be
Ok, I need to try to talk to Jasim on this as I just performed a test and set my settings using the Windows app and when I connected the focuser to my INDI server it changed the settings such as Max steps to what I had set for my other controller. I assume that Jasim is in the INDI forum?
Thanks,
Lonnie
Multiple motors
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