Wiki
Clone wikiMeadeAutostar497 / Release History
Future additions
- Switch driver for reticule, 12v panel, exhaust fan, dew heater (RTX400)
Next version (tbc)
- TBC
[Version 1.3.9 10-June-2023] (https://bitbucket.org/cjdskunkworks/meadeautostar497/downloads/Meade.net.Setup.1.3.9.482.msi)
- Added extra values to GW translation. Also added extra log message that includes the hour angle when calculating the destination side of pier.
- Upgraded focuser maxstep to 30000 from 7000
- Old Autostar firmware is inconsistent in it's support for setting Target RA/DEC. So, I've added a failsafe that if one version fails, the driver will try the other mode before giving up.
- Added support for LX200GPS with 4G0m firmware loaded.
Version 1.3.7 27-September-2022
- Some audiostar firmwares return the product Audiostar. Adding support for this as a synonym of Autostar.
- Upgraded requirements to need Ascom 6.6.0 and .net framework 4.8 or higher.
- Added support for allowing pulse guiding for AltAz telescope using older guiding method.
- Added long enter and long goto commands.
- Added support for RCX400 using newer pulse guiding commands. Refactored the connect set to be a little less cluttered.
- Added support for setting the guide rate on the RCX400
- Added code to allow pulseguide commands to be sent to telescopes with StarPatch installed.
- Added the tracelogger to the calls that send the actual serial commands.
- Modified the SideOfPier code so that it reports properly. Confirmed with an LX75.
- Support for parking the LX200 Classic
- Support for Unparking the LX200 Classic
- Support for running the supported autostars at serial speeds other than 9600 bps.
- Added support for the Focal Length, Aperture Area, and Diameter properties in setup.
- Added support for returning IsGuiding value whilst pulse guiding in progress.
- Modified the implementation of side of pier support detection.
- Added extra checking to ensure that a slew cannot be started whilst a slew is in progress.
- Overridden the alignment status ToString to help with logging
- Added logging to MoxingAxis call to see if a telescope axis is moving
- Upgraded the tracking rate detection, now detects solar, lunar and sidereal better than before.
- Added check to ensure that telescope is in Polar Mode when attempting to PulseGuide.
- CanPulseGuide returns false when scope is in AltAz mode.
- new PulseGuide limit of 10000 has been removed, longer pulse guides will continue to use the new guiding method when available.
Version: 1.3.3 18-October-2021
- Fixed bug - when calling SlewToCoordinatesAsync a deadlock situation occured.
Version: 1.3.2 26-September-2021
- Added left, right as sysonyms of back and forward for the handbox commands also added scrollup and scrolldown handbox commands as well.
- Fixed bug in driver where tracking rate it always returned as lunar, even when it's supposed to be sidereal
-
Added more logging around the tracking rates.
-
Corrected the Command logged messages to use the correct info.
-
Corrected the expected result of the GT command.
-
Added check to make sure that the tracking rate cannot be set for an LX200.
-
Added check to ensure that the Lunar Tracking rate cannot be selected on the LX200 Classic.
-
Preserve SideOfPier, Target{RA,DEC}, SlewSettleTime, Move axis across connections
-
Added support for the GW Command. Removed the implementation of Tracking Set as this does not do anything in the code. Set Can Set Tracking to false. Get tracking always returns true is the GW command is not supported.
-
Move SideOfPier, TargetRA/DEC properties to SharedResourcesWrapper
-
Add SlewSettleTime and IsLongFormat to SharedResources interface
-
Also ensure that digit precision is set during initialisation
-
Make further properties multi-client and thread-safe
-
Move MovingPrimary, MovingSecondary, EarliestNonSlewingTime to SharedResources, make all new properties thread-safe (atomic) operations.
-
SideOfPier also supports German EQ
-
Implemented TrackingRate via GT
-
Support Set Tracking when GW is supported
- Added extra logging for CommandBlind, CommandBool, and CommandString.
- Implemented SideOfPier and DestinationSideOfPier (created by https://bitbucket.org/sebastian-godelet/)
- Made sure that CommandString, CommandBool and CommandBlind work as expected, complete with Raw and non raw support. (Implementation is the same as one of the LX200 drivers.)
- Reinstated the Real Alt Az methods for the LX200GPS. Changes how the parked behaviour is implemented, so that it doesn't need to make as many calls.
- Fixed the defect when one instance of the driver gets parked, the info is shared to the other instances.
- Made sure that the telescope doesn't think it's parked for the first Telescope to connect.
- Full control over the serial port settings. (Allows people with other scopes to adjust settings as needed, default still works for most people)
- Bypass the inital Autostar dialogs for LX200GPS and set the date and time.
- Bypass the initial Autostar dialogs for Autostar 497 and AudioStar And set the date and time. (will still need to align as normal)
- Code checked to abort commands that should not happen when the scope is parked.
- Parked behaviour
- No Coordinates: will raise an exception when the scope is parked.
- Last Good Position: will return the scopes last known RA and Dec
- Report coordinates as: will return the Alt Az as set by you in the settings. Note: This is converted to RA and Dec internally in the driver.
- Fixed issue with the date format of the command used to set the date and time of the scope on inital connection for the LX-200GPS (and when unparking the scope as well) The date format was 12 hours, when it should have been 24 hour.
- The unpark command now reports True for LX200-GPS, but false for Autostar based scopes.
- Changed Major version number to 1, as I now consider this driver to be fully working.
- Implemented the SlewSettleTime property.
- Fixed bug in LX-200 Classic IsSlewing detection (bug introduced in 0.7.13)
- Modified the pulse guiding command to better detect if the telescope is slewing
- Added support for telescope hitting the mount (for older telescopes only)
- Added post connect test to check that the serial port is operating correctly.
- Added backlash compensation to the focuser
- Added reverse direction support for the focuser
- Added ability to unpark telescope (LX200-GPS only)
- Refactored the backlash compensation so that less move commands are issued.
- Adding support for enabling the Rts and Dtr signals on the serial port, this allows the driver to connect to Meade LS 8 telescopes. (Don't turn it on for others as it's the #505 cable does not use those connections)
- Added support for setting the site elevation, it's saved to the profile rather than the scope.
- Low precision enhancements that will benefit LX200 Classic owners
- Adding new setting to allow people to override the driver and decide on the guiding technique themselves.
- Added and error message to the trace log when the com port is failing and looping back data
- Driver now throws an exception if a PulseGuide is initiated whilst the telescope is slewing or already moving in the same axis.
- Driver now returns false to Telescope.Slewing when a pulse guiding action is taking place.
- Added unit test for getting site count
- Set global com visible to false and only exposed the classes that need to be.
- Added try catch to the default constructor to show the details of an error if something goes wrong.
- Fixed double.parse error caused by cultureInfo.
- Added extra # in front of every command as recommended by Meade.
- Code inspections
- Duplicate reconcile
- Code upgraded to use .net 4.5
- Added log message for when a pulse guide move is completed that will show the difference.
- .net 4.5 is not being recognised as installed, so trying a different variable.
- Modified how the old guiding method is implmented - it's now much simplified and uses the same move axis commands as normal slewing, which is what it does under the hood anyway.
- Modified how the RA detection is done, and changed the message logs
- RA position report on connect to trigger for ALL connects.
- Modified the LX200 Classic connections, so that if a :GVP is returned when :GVP# is sent, it assumes an error. A timeout will be assumed to be an LX200 Classic.
- Started working on unit testing for the sharedresources class.
- Changed the code to detect any exception when trying to run a :GVP after the initial connect.
- Upgraded the Profile code to be contained inside a wrapper and started adding unit tests to cover.
- Experimental support for LX-200 EMC
- Code tidyup
- Adding version number to the settings dialog
- Added feature where setup dialog controls are disabled when the telescope or focuser is attached
- Modified the whole solution to use Any CPU, and changed the installer to use the /register /unregister commands
- ASCOM Profile for Meade Generic removed on uninstall, but not on upgrade (the not on upgrade part is experimental)
- fixed typo in new secondary connection log message (added the missing closing bracket)
- Added the MIT License to the installer
- Please note, this is not a required update.
- Added log message when connecting a telescope to show when the first connection adjustments are made or skipped
version 0.7.4 (was built, but never released)
- Telescope settings for long format, Guide speed and slewing precision are set only when the first device connects, subsequent connections now skip that step.
- Fixed issue where the setup dialog someone appears behind the active application.
- Adding unit testing to the focuser implementation
- Adding site count custom action to return the number of sites supported by the driver
- Adding configuration option to allow selection of the telescope slewing precision method. Defaulted to "Unchanged" which will not set the precision on connection
- Added support for the :Mg...# pulse guiding commands for the LX200GPS
- Added custom action site to allow selection of the site in the Autostar.
- reading and writing of guide rate implemented on supported telescopes (caveate: Unable to read the guide rate. After connection driver based value written to telescope.)
- Builds are now processed via continuous integration.
- Site no longer set to site 1 on connect. (Custom action available to do this manually)
- Fixed defect when setting site latitude to a negative value. (Southern hemisphere)
- Unit test coverage for Telescope class (Ensures regression consistency between versions)
- setup files will extracted from a continuous integration environment rather than build from developer machine. (this will help to ensure that the regression libraries are executed)
- Fixed defect when trying to slew to targets with a negative declination.
- Added custom command "handbox" in preperation for a virtual handbox application.
- Added check to ensure that ASCOM Platform 6.4 SP 1 or higher is installed.
- Modified how the focuser commands are sent.
- Changed the requirement from .net.4.7.1 down to 4.0 should be more compatible with older computers.
- Addedd support for "handbox" action ready for the virtual handbox application that will be developed.
- Telescope Driver
- Focuser Driver
- Multiple client connection support (no need for POTH hub)
- Tested against conform for ITelescopeV3 and IFoccuser
Updated