From: "Milton Aupperle" <milton@outcastsoft.com>

Date: February 13, 2008 12:02:47 PM MST

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Focus Info

Hi Folks;

Since the topic of focus hardware has been raised, a few points of

interest for all of us.

Darryl Robertson's Equinox 6 (E6) application

http://www.microprojects.ca/equinox6.html

and Equinox Image (EI) application

http://www.microprojects.ca/equinoximage.html

support several autofocus hardware products (see the links for

details). Both can be used manually for controlling the focuser motor

via the control panel. However for autofocus control, EI only supports

SBig cameras and E6 supports "web" cameras like most IIDC cameras that

Astro IIDC utilizes.

So if you want to use auto focus hardware on a star with your IIDC

camera, then E6 is what you should be looking at and buying.

I have also posted an image showing what on screen HFD/FWHM focus aid

looks like in Astro IIDC 4 at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Astro_IIDC/files/Other/FWHMHFD2.jpg 

The image shows the current and one second average FWHM / HFD values

with focus indicator circles when manually focussing on Arcturus under

turbulent skies at 2000 mm focal lengths. The lighter circle shows

where the last average value were, giving you an idea whether this

change makes it FWHM / HFD better or worse. If the fainter circle is

inside the brighter one then your moving out of focus and if it's

outside the brighter circle then your moving in towards focus. You

should be able to easily discern the values and circles at at least 10

feet away from the computer and even further if you use binoculars or

an old finder scope on a tripod for remote access (hint hint Mark G.).

Hope that helps..

Milton Aupperle