Yes, finally i understand the step size calculations. Only just recently got the SharpSky Focuser and couldn't get the V-curve at all. Thank you and keep the videos coming, great job :)
Just to let you know, I finally got round to setting this up on my SharpSky focuser and I got a perfect "V" the first time (200 steps for the SharpSky Pro on my setup). Thanks again.... Now to work out how to get the Meridian Flip to work while i sleep :/
Oh my God! I've been waiting for this video for such a long time and I'm glad you finally got the chance to make it mate. As usual, super informative, superb layout of the contents and made the complete process sound like it can be all done within no time. I can't wait to try this out now. Really good work mate.
Thanks Ahmed, that's really appreciated. It is quite difficult to get a balance of just enough information to enable people to get to grips with the process, but not too much that it seems too difficult to even try. Glad it seems this is just enough. I will be posting part 2 tomorrow which just shows how the process works during a sequence etc.
If I can understand it, anyone can. Your videos are not only full of information but also very easy to follow. You will have to consider me as your biggest fan of work. You simply have a knack for explaining difficult topics with such ease and that’s a true trait of a professional. Can not wait for part 2 of this.
Hi Jaspal. No probleem at all, hopefully you find it useful. I'm not sure what a donate button is. I don't actually do these videos for income, I just wanted to try to fill what I see was a hole in a difficult subject. When I started out I wanted to see videos explaining things in relatively short and simple videos but really struggled to find them, so felt that I wanted to try to help people by providing what I found was missing.
Thank you so much for this tutorial (part 2 as well). This has solved my focus issues I had been having and you helped my understand what it all means too! Thank you!!
Just fantastic... thanks for working this... I know a lot of effort went into it... but seriously - WELL MADE!!! I'd like to follow up with a question please: what about backlash - I notice that that I do NOT get the same results when I move the exact same position - I presume it is because of backlash - so how is that taken into account? thanks.
Thanks for the info. One question you said that the bin and exposure time should be the same in both the filter setup and the frame and focus module setup. I see with the Lum filter your using 6 sec. in both areas. In your, Narrowband filters you use 21 sec. are you leave the frame and focus module still art 6 sec. what should I set my exposure time in the frame and focus module 6 sec or 21 sec? or should I set all my filters to the same exposure time?
Hi. The auto-focus time and frame and focus times can be different. To get a good auto-focus you want well exposed stars, so you will need this to be a value which obtains this for each filter. My NB filters are only 3nm, so my times here are higher. However, for frame and focus you only need enough exposure tome for a plate solve to work, so may not need this to be as high. It's worth experimenting to see what works well for you as they do not need to be the same.
Hope you are doing images. I am about to get a new camera this year. I used your last time your video to se up my camera but I can not read the H.F is it 53 or 93 thank you
This is a amazing. Couple of questions. Do you find your initial best focus position via trial and error or something scientific? I’m also shooting at the moment with a DSLR, and can’t get my hfr values anywhere close to 1. Is that generally because Astro cams are better for sharper stars? Sorry about the noob question
Do not go by his HFR - it is highly dependent on multiple factors including telescope and sensor and seeing... just get it as low as possible and go from there... I have a C11 Edge and I am happy to get it in the high 2's - best case scenario.
Thanks for your good work. I`ve learned a lot from your videos, especially about how to get focus. I have an Tak Epsilon 180ED, with an Moonlite fokuser and a Moravian G3 16200 camera. I wonder if you have any idea how my parameters should be in the section where you calculate the step size for the focuser?
Hi. Thanks for you kind comment, really glad the videos are helping. Unfortunately there really is no way to tell what they settings will be as each set up will be different. I think the Moonlite on the Epsilon has quite a short travel and it is quite high resolution so I suspect you will see a reasonably high step count, but honestly couldn't be sure. If you focus with a mask or by manually moving to get the lowest HFR reading you can, note the step count at that point, then move the focuser out until your HFR is 3-5 times your original HFR reading this will help you calculate your step size. I would say start with 7 data points, and only change this if you find the need to. Sorry I can't be of more help.
Hi my in focus hfr value 1.18 then I move the focuser till hfr value 4.5 then deduct the focus position value with in focus position value then I multiply with 2 and then divided by data point the value igot 225 .i enter this value in step size…first time I got v curve but next auto focusing time it says cannot find focus point and failed to do autofocus…please let me know what I’m doing wrong… My equipments Esprit 100ed apo Sesto senso focuser Zwo asi071 mc pro My settings for auto focus Exposure time 10 Bin 2x2 Data point 9 Step size 225 Auto close delay 10 Minimum star diameter 6 Crop autofocus 20% checked.
Hi Srinivasa. I would say you're not too far away. I have 275 step and 9 points using my Sesotsenso with the Feathertouch. The only setting I have different is the image crop, which I don't do. I would say try running the sequence again and even check your numbers as the Sestosenso runs on the fine focus shaft so can have quite high step counts. Also just double check that everything is nice and tight (be careful not to over tighten the small grub screws and they have been known to strip).
@@simplifiedastro2092 hi one more doubt i was taken picture with sgp and next day I try to plate solve but platesolve keep on spiral searching...nothing solved...but same night I took same object with APT that I open in sgp and plate solve perfect...why sgp not plate solving its native image?
@@tasrini72 I tend to do a blind solve if it is the first one of the evening. I too have had issues with PS2 solving from cold. After the initial blind solve I have no further issues.
Hello! There I’m still trying to figure out the calculation and how to set The step value... I have a moonlite focuser 2.5 for a refractor with a 4.5 draw tube explore Scientific 102mm .8x Field flattener/ reducer And a Zwo 1600mm pro.. I don’t know even where to begin :/ If anyone has any tips for me please let me know thank you very much
Hi Llamar. The actual equipment is largely irrelevant. Provided you have the correct spacing between you FF/FR and you camera sensor (very often 55mm, but you don't say what one you have) then all you need to do is start by getting your image in focus. I recommend doing this using a Bahtinov mask or similar manual means. Once you are in focus, you can then run through the routine shown in the video of noting your HFD value, and then moving your focuser until your HFD value is 4-6 times this amount. The routine is exactly the same for Moonlite as any other focuser, assuming it is a stepper motor and not the DC motor type (these don't use steps so this routine won't work with them). Hope this helps.
Essential viewing for anyone wishing to automate an auto focus routine with SGP. Thanks for taking the time to share!
Yes, finally i understand the step size calculations. Only just recently got the SharpSky Focuser and couldn't get the V-curve at all. Thank you and keep the videos coming, great job :)
Thank you, Duncan. That's really great news and hopefully you can get the best out of the Sharpsky unit, it is very good.
Just to let you know, I finally got round to setting this up on my SharpSky focuser and I got a perfect "V" the first time (200 steps for the SharpSky Pro on my setup). Thanks again.... Now to work out how to get the Meridian Flip to work while i sleep :/
That's great news, Duncan, and thanks for the feedback. Watch this space, meridian flip video is coming up very soon (this week).
This has been an extremely helpful, Especially since i'm new to SGP and have been having a hard time with my Focus
This was just brilliant. Completely helped me set up my NiteCrawler. It just works. Thanks so much! Simon
Thanks Simon, really glad it helped.
Thank you for taking the time to do this, very helpful and looking forward to trying this out this evening.
Glad it was helpful!
Oh my God! I've been waiting for this video for such a long time and I'm glad you finally got the chance to make it mate. As usual, super informative, superb layout of the contents and made the complete process sound like it can be all done within no time. I can't wait to try this out now. Really good work mate.
Thanks Ahmed, that's really appreciated. It is quite difficult to get a balance of just enough information to enable people to get to grips with the process, but not too much that it seems too difficult to even try. Glad it seems this is just enough.
I will be posting part 2 tomorrow which just shows how the process works during a sequence etc.
If I can understand it, anyone can. Your videos are not only full of information but also very easy to follow. You will have to consider me as your biggest fan of work. You simply have a knack for explaining difficult topics with such ease and that’s a true trait of a professional. Can not wait for part 2 of this.
Wicked thanks very much :) where’s your donate button.
Thanks mate, that's really encouraging.
Hi Jaspal. No probleem at all, hopefully you find it useful.
I'm not sure what a donate button is. I don't actually do these videos for income, I just wanted to try to fill what I see was a hole in a difficult subject. When I started out I wanted to see videos explaining things in relatively short and simple videos but really struggled to find them, so felt that I wanted to try to help people by providing what I found was missing.
Excellent video, I followed it setting up my focuser and got perfect V curves and focus from the first time I used it.
This is an excellent video on how to setup the autofocus tool in SGP. Thank you for posting!
Hi Wanda. Thank you, really appreciate the feedback and glad you think the video is useful.
Thank you so much for this tutorial (part 2 as well). This has solved my focus issues I had been having and you helped my understand what it all means too! Thank you!!
Just fantastic... thanks for working this... I know a lot of effort went into it... but seriously - WELL MADE!!! I'd like to follow up with a question please: what about backlash - I notice that that I do NOT get the same results when I move the exact same position - I presume it is because of backlash - so how is that taken into account? thanks.
Should PHD2 be running in the background when determining the HFR and focuser steps? Thanks for this very informative tutorial.
Hi Dionisio. No, ideally you will want to pause your guiding during out-focus for best results as the corrections can affect the HFR values.
Thanks for the info. One question you said that the bin and exposure time should be the same in both the filter setup and the frame and focus module setup. I see with the Lum filter your using 6 sec. in both areas. In your, Narrowband filters you use 21 sec. are you leave the frame and focus module still art 6 sec. what should I set my exposure time in the frame and focus module 6 sec or 21 sec? or should I set all my filters to the same exposure time?
Hi. The auto-focus time and frame and focus times can be different. To get a good auto-focus you want well exposed stars, so you will need this to be a value which obtains this for each filter. My NB filters are only 3nm, so my times here are higher. However, for frame and focus you only need enough exposure tome for a plate solve to work, so may not need this to be as high. It's worth experimenting to see what works well for you as they do not need to be the same.
Thanks for posting this. I just set up my Pegasus FocusCube and this was quite helpful.
Thanks!
Thanks Mike, glad is was of some help 👍🏻
Hope you are doing images. I am about to get a new camera this year. I used your last time your video to se up my camera but I can not read the H.F is it 53 or 93 thank you
Hi, I am curious why you need to minus one with your data points from nine to right? Didn't quite get that.
Hi Chris. I don't know exactly why this is necessary, but it is needed to satisfy the algorithm used to calculate the step size.
@@simplifiedastro2092 oh, ok, so that is in a formula...Thanks for replying
Thank you for a very informative video. It helped a lot and easy to understand.
Thank you so much for guiding me through this. Great teacher 👍
This is a amazing. Couple of questions.
Do you find your initial best focus position via trial and error or something scientific?
I’m also shooting at the moment with a DSLR, and can’t get my hfr values anywhere close to 1. Is that generally because Astro cams are better for sharper stars?
Sorry about the noob question
Do not go by his HFR - it is highly dependent on multiple factors including telescope and sensor and seeing... just get it as low as possible and go from there... I have a C11 Edge and I am happy to get it in the high 2's - best case scenario.
Thanks for your good work. I`ve learned a lot from your videos, especially about how to get focus. I have an Tak Epsilon 180ED, with an Moonlite fokuser and a Moravian G3 16200 camera. I wonder if you have any idea how my parameters should be in the section where you calculate the step size for the focuser?
Hi. Thanks for you kind comment, really glad the videos are helping.
Unfortunately there really is no way to tell what they settings will be as each set up will be different. I think the Moonlite on the Epsilon has quite a short travel and it is quite high resolution so I suspect you will see a reasonably high step count, but honestly couldn't be sure.
If you focus with a mask or by manually moving to get the lowest HFR reading you can, note the step count at that point, then move the focuser out until your HFR is 3-5 times your original HFR reading this will help you calculate your step size.
I would say start with 7 data points, and only change this if you find the need to.
Sorry I can't be of more help.
Thanks again, I`ll try with 7 datapoints and see how it developes tonight. The focus is essential for a reasonable result :)
This was really great...thanks!
Thanks, Chris. Really glad you found it useful.
Hi my in focus hfr value 1.18 then I move the focuser till hfr value 4.5 then deduct the focus position value with in focus position value then I multiply with 2 and then divided by data point the value igot 225 .i enter this value in step size…first time I got v curve but next auto focusing time it says cannot find focus point and failed to do autofocus…please let me know what I’m doing wrong…
My equipments
Esprit 100ed apo
Sesto senso focuser
Zwo asi071 mc pro
My settings for auto focus
Exposure time 10
Bin 2x2
Data point 9
Step size 225
Auto close delay 10
Minimum star diameter 6
Crop autofocus 20% checked.
Hi Srinivasa. I would say you're not too far away. I have 275 step and 9 points using my Sesotsenso with the Feathertouch. The only setting I have different is the image crop, which I don't do.
I would say try running the sequence again and even check your numbers as the Sestosenso runs on the fine focus shaft so can have quite high step counts. Also just double check that everything is nice and tight (be careful not to over tighten the small grub screws and they have been known to strip).
@@simplifiedastro2092 Thank you so much...I will try next imaging session.
@@simplifiedastro2092 hi one more doubt i was taken picture with sgp and next day I try to plate solve but platesolve keep on spiral searching...nothing solved...but same night I took same object with APT that I open in sgp and plate solve perfect...why sgp not plate solving its native image?
@@tasrini72 I tend to do a blind solve if it is the first one of the evening. I too have had issues with PS2 solving from cold. After the initial blind solve I have no further issues.
thanks for showing this very helpfull
Hello! There I’m still trying to figure out the calculation and how to set The step value...
I have a moonlite focuser 2.5 for a refractor with a 4.5 draw tube
explore Scientific 102mm
.8x Field flattener/ reducer
And a Zwo 1600mm pro..
I don’t know even where to begin :/
If anyone has any tips for me please let me know thank you very much
Hi Llamar. The actual equipment is largely irrelevant. Provided you have the correct spacing between you FF/FR and you camera sensor (very often 55mm, but you don't say what one you have) then all you need to do is start by getting your image in focus. I recommend doing this using a Bahtinov mask or similar manual means.
Once you are in focus, you can then run through the routine shown in the video of noting your HFD value, and then moving your focuser until your HFD value is 4-6 times this amount.
The routine is exactly the same for Moonlite as any other focuser, assuming it is a stepper motor and not the DC motor type (these don't use steps so this routine won't work with them).
Hope this helps.
Simplified Astro awesome thank you I will try it out
very good video, i appreciate thanks a lot
Thanks - really useful!
Wow thanks man
Thank you