Core Software Update 5.0.0.1 March 8th 2019

[CraigG]

Anyone downloaded and used the new package including the "Dusk" software?
-Craig

[Noah4x4]

Yes, at least in daylight test.

The significant improvement for me is that the revised Atik ASCOM Driver now enquires what specific camera. If you respond Atik Horizon it invites you to select Low, Medium or High Gain presets, just like in Infinity. Previously, despite the Horizon being CMOS I had been unable to alter Gain in Sequence Generator Pro. Now it works fine (and I love SG Pro autofocus and its darks in the fly).

As regards, using the driver with SharpCap, there seems to be some residual issue. It now errors when connecting to camera with a message 'unable to connect to a server' (whose server is a mystery to me). I have reported to both Atik and SharpCap Support. Suggest users of SharpCap wait a few days whilst this is resolved.

As regards Dusk, it looks very interesting to me as it appears to support my Microtouch MKIT20-WL auto-focuser.  However,,  whilst I played with a few of its features, cloud has beaten me as regards any proper test. It has the simplicity of Infinity, but if it delivers more advanced features it could be superb. However, I suggest don't rush to download it until next week. I gather that an unexpected  'bug' affecting the OSC version of  the Horizon was found late today, but it should be fixed in a day or so. 

[CraigG]

Excellent report! Sounds promising on several fronts. I'm particularly interested in whether it will improve the interface with SharpCap. Thanks for the heads up on a possible bug with the Horizon OSC..I was planning on holding off a download anyway as I'm waiting for better weather to fully test my Horizon after a recent repair and didn't need another complication!

Keep us posted as you can and thanks!
-Craig

[Lobotom]

Also tested Dusk (with ATIK 16200)

I have found many issues (over 20 show stoppers) and application crashed frequently. I have contacted support and provided detailed error reports. ATIK team is working on these issues. Hopefully DUSK will become usable in a while.

Currently DUSK is (for me) far away from being usable and stable for daily use.

CS

[Noah4x4]

Excellent report! Sounds promising on several fronts. I'm particularly interested in whether it will improve the interface with SharpCap. Thanks for the heads up on a possible bug with the Horizon OSC..I was planning on holding off a download anyway as I'm waiting for better weather to fully test my Horizon after a recent repair and didn't need another complication!

Keep us posted as you can and thanks!
-Craig

Hi Craig,

I had the previous Atik ASCOM driver working fine with Sharpcap but with no control over my Horizon's Gain etc. However, I now do have such control in SG Pro with the new driver.

The new SharpCap issue I have encountered with the latest ASCOM driver is that the camera simply would not connect and the software  was reporting a failure to connect with some server.  I have just woken this morning and (stupid me) realised I was not connected to the Internet as  I deliberately run that NUC in isolation from the wider world and had its wireless adapter connected to my Celestron SkyPortal external WiFi accessory (hence not to Internet). However, why Sharpcap even wanted to connect to the Internet is a mystery to me. Unfortunately, I won't be able to restest until tomorrow morning and will report then. It could simply be that Sharpcap needs to (once only) download something to enable this. Will investigate further....

[Noah4x4]

Now downloaded 5.0.0.3 and wish I hadn't. Spent an hour setting up wedge and polar alignment, managed to guillotine a power cable in the process; but fortunately I had another. But now I can't get my camera to work properly in Infinity or SG Pro.

[CraigG]

Oh man, sorry you're going through this. Any feedback from Support?

[Noah4x4]

I spoke to them Friday and I know they are working as fast as they can on this issue which is Horizon OSC specific. The problem is occuring with the core software download that includes Dusk. I think I can delete that, reinstall using the Core Software only (top option on the page)  and revert to the previous ASCOM drivers. I will attempt this today.

Feedback from the developer of Sharpcap has identified where the problem lies using the Sharpcap log and I have forwarded that to Atik Support.  The original problem was the driver wasn't adding Gain support to third party APPs like SG Pro/Sharpcap and for Dusk. This is only necessary for the Horizon. They fixed that, but it looks as if the driver isn't identifying if it is the mono or OSC version. Then oddly, the camera then keeps disconnecting and I noticed '"can't finder server" error messages (whatever they mean). I am sure Atik Support is on the case.

[Noah4x4]

Good news I think Craig...

I don't know what is happening with the 'Core software with Dusk', which I deleted today!

However, I have reverted to the 'Core Software without dusk' (the top download option). Now (albeit only in daytime test) the camera is working properly in Infinity and SG Pro (which it did before, but with no Gain options in SG Pro) and...….it even appears to be working in Sharpcap!

In the first two you can set Gain as Low, Medium or High via Atik Camera settings. In SG Pro the ASCOM driver asks you to select camera and I chose Atik Horizon 29; Color: Gain = Low.

In SharpCap, I think we probably need to prior set Gain in Infinity and the camera will remember in SharpCap.

SharpCap now scans for cameras and gives me these options
Atik Camera
Atik Camera 2
Atik Cameras
Atik Cameras2

The plural (italics) is the two options that I had before. Select those and it now doesn't work with the Horizon OSC. I guess this is for CCDs. However select Atik Camera singular and that now works, and it now defaults to RAW16 under color where it previously offered only Mono (and where the Dusk version was erroring as it couldn't find camera etc).

It could be that this is now working in SharpCap because I had prior set Camera = Horizon 29/color/low in SG Pro in the ASCOM Driver and it is being remembered. Maybe you can try with the none Dusk version of Core Software Craig and see what happens? I will await to hear from others before downloading Dusk.

[CraigG]

That is good news Noah! Yeah, I experienced the same Mono only camera selection...along with other issues...while trying to set up SharpCap over the winter and haven't touched it since. I don't use SG but your suggested gain setting in Infinity sounds like a great reason to revisit SharpCap. Still waiting for good weather here to fully test my recently repaired Horizon before I download anything new but your report is encouraging! Are you waiting for any more feedback from Atik at this point?
Thanks for the great info!
-Craig

[Noah4x4]

Hi Craig,

Robin (Sharpcap developer) has advised me that I must have two seperate Atik ASCOM drivers installed as I am seeing four options (two singular, two plural, see my previous post) in Sharpcap. I do recall that when I deleted the "core software with Dusk" to revert to the older version it did say that not every component could be deleted. I guess that includes drivers. Because Sharpcap searches for all camera drivers (Atik, ZWO etc), it finds both. My guess is one for CCD and another for CMOS.

I fear I might have missed a setting when I reported that I still cannot change Gain in Sharpcap albeit the Color or Mono issue is fixed. Robin reckons that if it works in SG Pro settings, if I press <show> under camera options it should appear in Sharpcap. I will try that tomorrow, but had missed it.

I have not heard from Atik about the similar driver issues with Dusk, but I guess they are struggling like the rest of us to get some clear skies to finally test the updated drivers. But I think they have done a great job in resolving this very promptly.  But I am nervous to revert to Dusk given I have SG Pro and Sharpcap working.

[Noah4x4]

New "Core software with Dusk" was made available on Friday. I guess this includes the ASCOM Driver fix needed in Dusk, SG Pro etc, but I don't know if it as yet works with SharpCap, but Atik and Sharpcap developers were in conversation.

Unfortunately, the British weather this weekend has not been suitable to test this and it's not looking good for another few days. Craig, as you are not subject to UK weather, maybe you could try it?

[CraigG]

Well, the weather looks promising for Michigan but unfortunately I will be away from the "observatory" until the end of the week. I'll attempt a download in the meantime while holding my breath!
-Craig

[Noah4x4]

CraigG... I have tried today...

Downloaded 'Core Software with Dusk' (version 5.0.0.4). Got camera connected in SG Pro, could set Gain etc, but the camera bluntly refused to connect in Atik's own Infinity software. Hence this later (with Dusk) version still has bugs. It almost worked in Sharpcap, but crashed at the end of the sequence. Quite evidently, Infinity, SG Pro and SharpCap all perform differently with this ASCOM Driver and Atik has still not resolved this with the Dusk. Hence, that's still work in progress.

So,  I again reverted to the previous (August 2018) 4.2.2.9 version  (without Dusk) Core Software. The camera now works fine with Infinity. Then, using settings in <Equipment Profile> I was now able to get SG Pro working. I could even set Gain and Colour camera. I have not tested at night, but in this older version Infinity and SG Pro appear to work fine.  Alternatively, it could be that my flirting with 5.0.0.4 at least loaded the correct ASCOM Driver. But I think there is a solution for Infinity and SG Pro. I just need a clear night to test properly.

In the version 4.2.2.9 Sharp Cap recognised the camera was connected, but I had to selected 'Atik Camera' (not Atik Cameras). This rather promisingly then offered RAW16 as regards colour or Mono (so it had auto detected it was an Horizon OSC). I still could not set Gain in SharpCap, but I guess I can leave it set in Infinity and then switch to Sharpcap.

Clearly , there is still some work in progress, but it looks as though Atik is very close to a resolution in all software options. But you need to hold onto version 4.2.2.9 for Infinity as at today. My guess is that this will be wholly resolved in a day or so as I know Atik Support is in conversation with Sharpcap.


 

[Noah4x4]

Tried again tonight.

Only Core Software version 4.2.2.9 will support Infinity software. But 4.2.2.9 won't properly support other third party suites.

5.0.0.4 won't run Infinity.

But 5.0.0.4 will run SG Pro - and even SharpCap will show some life. But neither are bug free yet as regards the setting of all parameters. I can set Gain in SGP but not in SharpCap. I can set colour in SharpCap (but Mono is not an option), but not in SGP.

The problem seems to be that some software auto-detects which camera when others need to be specifically told which camera. Then they somehow all seem to get confused between Mono or Colour and CMOS and CCD.

I have fed my more detailed findings back to Atik Support whom I know are working on this problem. But for the moment, Horizon OSC owners are probably best persevering with the regular options of Infinity and Artemis Capture (as I gather Dusk has some bugs).