From: "gaffney.mark" <markgaffney@mac.com>

Date: February 10, 2008 3:00:34 PM MST

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Re: Focusing

--- In Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com, "Joe Breault" <joebreault@...> wrote:

Dear Mark, Alan and Milton,

Thanks for your help and advice.

Re: solar washout: that is a great idea Alan, thanks for the tip. I'll 

try it. Glad that screen focusing works well.

Milton, any chance that future editions of the Astro IIDC can access 

auto focus hardware using the FWHM/HFD or sharpness indicator in a 

feedback loop to achieve onging critical focus? I sae that starlight (I 

have a 3.5" FT on my scope) came out with a motorized add on 

(http://www.starlightinstruments.com/digital-FTS.html) that can control 

the focuser through an ASCOM compliant software interface. Mark 

mentioned that ASCOM is PC based, though I run parallels within my 

macbook for windows programs - not sure how that would interface with 

Astro IIDC in OSX. ASCOM had a 2008 announcement they would develop 

drivers for mac (http://forums.dc3.com/showthread.php?t=2729) which 

might make this type of plug in for Astro IIDC easier.

Thanks again to all for your helpful insights

Joe

Hi Joe, I downloaded Ascom 5 using Internet Explorer in Windows XP running on Virtual 

PC for Mac, although I haven`t put it to use yet as I can`t afford the Moonlite focuser etc. 

presently. I realise that sounds a convoluted method!The idea was to run a separate 

window in XP for the focuser and have that up on screen simultaneously with Astro IIDC. 

Hope you`re able to access it using your "parallels".