ServoCAT ASCOM Driver Help File

This ServoCAT ReadMe file covers what is needed to run the ASCOM ServoCAT Driver v4.4.4 under the supporting framework of ASCOM Platform v6. The ASCOM ServoCAT Driver v4.4.4 has been written to the ASCOM v2 Telescope Specification. The ASCOM v2 Telescope Specification replaces the earlier v1 specification, and is used by newer ASCOM telescope drivers. ASCOM Platform versions higher than v4.1 no longer include telescope drivers, so telescope drivers now need to be installed by stand-alone installers. ServoCAT ASCOM 4.4.4 Setup.exe is a stand-alone installer for this telescope driver with ASCOM Platform v5 and higher.

1) The driver is aware that the ArgoNavis uses the J2000 coordinate reference frame, and if asked, can report this to the planetarium software. If the planetarium software asks the driver for the coordinate reference frame, it may be possible to avoid errors due to miss-matched coordinate corrections.

2) The driver can report Sidereal time to the planetarium software, if the user has properly set their longitude in the driver setup screen. When the driver reports Sidereal time, it is based on the computer clock and the user specified longitude. Sidereal time is not derived from the ArgoNavis, so settings for date and location in the ArgoNavis do not affect the driver.

It is up to the planetarium software to take advantage of this information provided by the driver. Typically, the user must tell the planetarium software their site elevation, latitude and longitude. If you suspect problems with Sidereal time you should check your planetarium software settings first, then verify that your location value is correct on the driver setup screen.

4) The driver supports Windows language settings that use a comma as decimal symbol and a period as digit grouping symbol.

5) The diver supports expanded setup values for site location, mount type and optics. For more information on setup values please see ServoCAT Driver.htm, which you can access by way of the help button on the driver setup screen.

6) Position polling is throttled to no more than twice per second to reduce loading on the serial port and command processing.

7) The driver can Sync between the planetarium software and the ServoCAT, allowing screen cursor position to be matched to what you see in the eyepiece.

8) Version 4.4.4 of this driver fixes issues with a handpad initiated spiral search, latency in position refresh, detection of GoTo completion, and detection of GoTo request that exceeds slew limits that were found in v4.4.3 of this driver.

The Astronomy Common Object Model (ASCOM) is an interface used by low-level telescope "driver" components. ASCOM also supports low-level drivers for focusers, cameras, filter wheels, rotators and dome control. More details can be found at ASCOM-Standards.org and here Wikipedia entry. General questions about ASCOM may be covered in this Yahoo newsgroup ASCOM-Talk, however, specific questions related to a given driver should first be referred to the author of that driver.

Platform versions earlier than v6 are no longer officially available from the ASCOM web site and are not officially supported by ASCOM support volunteers. Earlier Platform versions may be available from un-official sources. Platform versions 5.x and newer rely on .NET support files. Operating Systems (OS) levels offer different compatibility with various .NET releases. Here is a brief summary of the relationship between platform version and OS version: Platform v4.x works with OS prior to Windows 2000, and may work with newer OS versions. Platform v5.x works with Windows 2000, and may work with some newer OS. Platform v6.x works with Windows XP, Vista, and 7 in both 32 and 64bit modes. Please note that driver version numbers do not necessarily correlate with Platform version numbers.

Since many planetarium software programs now support ASCOM, they also support the ASCOM ServoCAT driver. A variety of commercial, shareware and free programs are available. If you are looking for such a program, you might want to consider Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts), written by Patrick Chevalley, available free from: http://www.ap-i.net/skychart/index.php

Planetarium software initiated GoTo requires ArgoNavis firmware v0.6.12 or higher. To check your ArgoNavis, go to Mode Status, and rotate the dial knob to see Status Version, Version=0.6.12 If you are flashing the ArgoNavis to update the firmware, please follow the instructions carefully to avoid damaging the ArgoNavis. Please contact Gary Myers for details on how to perform a safe firmware upgrade.

One new step is needed with the ArgoNavis. You must select Mode Catalog, From Planetarium. This setting will allow the planetarium software to request that the GoTo operation be performed by the ServoCAT and ArgoNavis hardware.

The planetarium software typically connects to the ServoCAT serial port (on the left side of the ServoCAT controller). Use the cable labeled "ServoCAT Serial Adapter" to connect to the 9-pin serial port on your computer. A wireless serial connection is recommended to eliminate the need for a cable running from the computer to the ServoCAT. Another option is to mount your laptop computer so that it is directly attached to the scope. A final option is to use a hand-held computer that is mounted on the scope or connected by a wireless link.

Newer ServoCATs come with USB ports, rather than Serial ports. Please follow the ServoCAT documents included with your hardware for instructions on how to connect cables to these newer units.

The ASCOM driver is not compatible with hand-held computers because they run Palm, PocketPC or other operating systems. I am told that one or more planetarium programs for Palm do have native support for the ServoCAT. I understand that at least one software has native support for ServoCAT on iPod/iPad/iPhone. TheSky Pocket Edition, which runs on the PocketPC operating system, may only support via the Sky Commander setting, (currently missing the GoTo command). You will need to use the latest HotFix to get correct telescope cursor position on screen for TheSky Pocket Edition. A telescope cursor on screen is a telescope location indicator, which usually takes the form of a cross-hair. I tested TheSky Pocket Edition v1.10.011, and the on- screen telescope cursor does work correctly, while the GoTo command is not yet supported. A few years ago, the makers of TheSky Pocket Edition indicated that they were adding the GoTo command for ServoCAT.

Although the ServoCAT command set is based on commands used by the original Sky Commander, your ServoCAT can use additional commands to support GoTo and other features. If you select Sky Commander protocol in your planetarium software, you may lack support for GoTos and only see a telescope cursor on screen. A telescope cursor on screen will indicate where the telescope is pointing, and the pointer should reflect the fact that the scope is tracking. The ASCOM ServoCAT driver provides for the full command set used by the ServoCAT, including the GoTo command.

I have heard that newer Sky Commander units now support GoTos initiated from planetarium software. If so, then the ASCOM ServoCAT driver will work with this hardware combination. You want to select ServoCAT for telescope control with this combination, if the planetarium software setting for Sky Commander does not offer all the features you expect.

1) Download the ASCOM Platform from http://ascom-standards.org. At present, the current version of ASCOM for Windows XP or higher is Platform v6. Download and install ASCOMPlatform6.exe. Platform versions earlier than v6 are no longer officially available from the ASCOM web site and are not officially supported by ASCOM support volunteers. See What is ASCOM? for details. Earlier Platform versions may be available from un-official sources.

The Stand-alone ASCOM ServoCAT driver installation v4.4.4 driver will check for and require Platform version 5.x or higher during the install process. If you have an earlier Platform version that is appropriate for your OS level, I may be able to offer help installing this driver. My help with earlier Platform versions will be handled on a case-by-case basis. If you have Platform v4.1, you may be limited to running the older driver v4.2.2, which is distributed as part of Platform v4.1. I do not know if it is possible to run a newer driver version under Platform v4.1.

2) The second step is to install the planetarium software of your choice that supports ASCOM. Please see the Software section above, for some free software options that support ASCOM.

This Stand-Alone installer is required for all platform versions higher than v4.1. Since most people will have downloaded and installed Platform v6, your next step is run "ServoCAT ASCOM v4.4.4 Setup.exe" to install the ServoCAT ASCOM driver.

The install process will place ServoCAT.dll and ServoCAT htm document files in the default install location, which is:
\Program Files\Common Files\ASCOM\Telescope.

5) OK, hopefully we got to this step after installing the appropriate ASCOM Platform and the ServoCAT ASCOM v4.4.4 driver is now installed. The next step is to start up your planetarium software and select ASCOM under telescope type or telescope interface.

8) Select Properties and verify your serial port choice is correct. At this time you enter your site location, optics characteristics and mount type. More information is available by clicking the help button, which will bring up ServoCAT Driver.htm. The driver help file should be located in the same directory with ServoCAT.dll, which is usually \Program Files\Common Files\ASCOM\Telescope. View Driver Help File When you are done with the settings, click the OK button. For more information on some of these settings, see the following section "What if GoTos are not as accurate as I would like?"

9) Turn on your ServoCAT and align your scope using your normal stand-alone procedure. Once your ServoCAT is aligned, set your ArgoNavis (firmware v0.6.12 or higher) to Mode Catalog, From Planetarium. Next, go to your planetarium software and select "Telescope Connect" or "Establish Link". Once the connection is established to your ServoCAT your telescope position should see showing on your computer screen as a telescope cursor or cross-hair. You should now be able to command the ServoCAT to GoTo objects by selecting them from your computer planetarium software.

IMPORTANT

Remember to select "Disconnect" or "Terminate Link" in your planetarium software prior to exiting your planetarium software, or you will probably cause your serial port connection to hang. If the serial port connection hangs, your computer system may become unresponsive.

I have seen situations, when using a USB to serial adapter, where the telescope connection can only be established once per software session, and subsequent attempts may require that you restart your planetarium software.

As future versions of this driver are released, it will only be necessary to run a new stand-alone installer to copy the new version of the driver to the appropriate location.

This version of the ASCOM driver for ServoCAT has been successfully tested in TheSky v5.00.108 as well as Cartes du Ciel (Sky Chart) v2.75, v2.75.1 and v3.2 Native support for ServoCAT has been implemented for TheSky v.6 if you are running v6.0.0.65 or higher. I believe that TheSky X also includes native support for ServoCAT. You can also use the ASCOM driver for ServoCAT in TheSky v.6. As I indicated earlier, any software that correctly supports ASCOM should work just fine with the v4.4.4 driver for ServoCAT.

If you wish to use ASCOM with TheSky v5 or v6, please be sure you have followed the proper steps to install the ASCOM version of TeleAPI.dll in the appropriate directory. See The ASCOM download area for plugins and use "TheSky™ ASCOM Telescope (TeleAPI) Plug-In for TheSky 5/6 (5.0.4)". Similar plugins are available for TheSky X as well as software from other vendors

Your GoTos will be no more accurate when initiated from planetarium software than they are when started from the ServoCAT hand pad. A careful initial alignment and use of correct setup values in the ArgoNavis and ServoCAT are always critical for accurate GoTos. Any additional aligns or syncs that alter what you see in the eyepiece must be done using the ArgoNavis, since planetarium software based aligns and syncs are not communicated back to the ArgoNavis.

As noted above in Section 6) (where driver features are listed), this v4.4.4 driver supports Sync internal to the driver. You can click on Sync in your planetarium software and the ServoCAT position displayed on screen will move to the Sync point. This should make it possible to have the object you have centered in the eyepiece agree with your on-screen telescope cursor position.

There are a few issues that might make planetarium software GoTos appear to be less accurate than those initiated by the ServoCAT hand pad. The ArgoNavis sends and receives coordinates in the J2000 reference frame. Planetarium software can correct these coordinates for precession to the current day as well as performing adjustments for nutation, aberration and refraction. The net result of all of these corrections is that the coordinates get transformed into what may be called the local topocentric reference frame, sometimes called JNow.

Some planetarium software convert to local topocentric coordinates before sending to the telescope (or ASCOM ServoCAT driver). TheSky planetarium software may be one example of software that converts to local topocentric coordinates. This discrepancy in coordinate systems (often called Epoch of Date) can contribute to on-screen representations that do not match what you are seeing in the eyepiece. This can also be the source of frustrating discrepancies in scope movement when executing very short slews, as is sometimes the case when using a software based hand pad to move your scope.

If the planetarium software chooses to ask, this v4.4.4 driver can inform the planetarium software that it uses J2000 coordinate reference frame. If your planetarium software is correcting for refraction, you may want to turn it off to match the coordinates that the ArgoNavis is sending and receiving. Turning refraction correction on or off in the ArgoNavis may change what you see in the eyepiece, but it will not change the coordinates that are received or sent. Refraction correction is likely to be the biggest of all four types of correction, so it will have the largest influence a disagreement between what you see in the eyepiece and what you see on-screen. Refraction correction will have the biggest effect on objects that are low in elevation and closer to the horizon, where atmospheric refraction is greater because you are looking through more air.

The net result of double corrections for coordinate systems and refraction may be that the GoTo is slightly less accurate, or that the on-screen representation shows the telescope slightly off center from the object, even when the object is centered in the eyepiece. First search out and confirm your planetarium software settings related to coordinate system, precession, nutation, and refraction and confirm that they are set correctly. Be sure to try the driver-based Sync capabilities outlined earlier to see this will help in this situation.

Extensive trouble shooting tips are beyond the scope of this basic ReadMe file, but I can offer a few suggestions:

- You suspect a problem with ASCOM -- Try selecting the Telescope Simulator in place of ServoCAT in the ASCOM chooser. This will allow you to use a simulated telescope, and confirm that all of the basic pieces and software connections between ASCOM and your planetarium software is working correctly. Note that the Telescope Simulator offers functionality beyond that of the ServoCAT driver, so its capabilities will not be an exact match to your ServoCAT. Using the Telescope Simulator can be a great way to explore the capabilities of your planetarium software, and gain confidence in how to use it to suit your needs. You can do this with the Telescope Simulator without wasting precious dark sky time!

- You are seeing an error message during the install or connect steps -- The first thing to do is to write down the full error message, including the header label of the error message box. Next, you may be able to do a web search on that error message to see what others have done to fix the error. With Windows Vista or 7 it may prove useful to run the software using Administrator rights or use XP compatibility mode. Sometimes this is only necessary the first time the software is invoked, and subsequent software runs can use lower privilege levels.

- COM port is in use -- Microsoft ActiveSync is used to communicate with WinCE/Pocket PC devices. Microsoft ActiveSync is known to tie up the COM port, so if you are using it you might want to locate and download the utility called Kill ActiveSync, which will prevent ActiveSync from loading at boot time. Alternatively, you can run task manager, and stop the process called WCESCOMM.EXE. Also check to be sure you are using the correct COM port.

- You are unable to connect to the COM port -- USB to Serial adapters are notorious for causing this type of problem. It is not uncommon for an adapter to work with one piece of software, but not another. This happens because software can access the serial port functions in a variety of ways. Cheap USB to Serial adapters should be avoided. One brand that seems to work well for many people is the adapter offered by Keyspan. It can cost more than others, but can be obtained at discounted price from some vendors. It comes with good diagnostics, and will always use the same COM port number, regardless of the USB port that is used. Be aware that most USB to Serial adapters will assign a new COM port number every time they are plugged into a different USB port. This can cause you to run out of COM port numbers, and you will have to take steps to delete the un-used port designations to free up a lower COM port number. With these adapters, ALWAYS use the same physical USB port. Some people seem to have good results with adapters that use the FIDI chip set. A miss-wired or defective cable will also cause connection failures. You may wish to check Tom Hilton's helpful tips on Checking and setting Com Ports and Show allocated COM Ports

- You think your connection is good, but you still can not get the planetarium software to connect -- You may want to add an intermediate software piece between your planetarium software and the ServoCAT driver. Just like the Telescope Simulator mentioned above, the Plain Old Telescope Handpad (POTH) comes with the ASCOM Platform. Start up POTH (Start menu, Programs, ASCOM Platform, Scope-Dome Hubs, POTH) then use the POTH Setup button, Choose Scope to start the ASCOM chooser and select ServoCAT. Next, start up your planetarium software and use the ASCOM chooser to connect to POTH. POTH acts as a Hub, so it is possible to connect multiple pieces of software to POTH and the same time that POTH is connected to the telescope (ServoCAT) driver. With POTH in the mix, several software pieces can talk to your ServoCAT at the same time. POTH has an option to display traffic, so you can see what types of requests are coming from your planetarium software. You can also set POTH to the Telescope Simulator if you want to test how things can work together. Other techniques are available for logging serial port traffic, details available on request.

This driver is based on a variety of ASCOM source code authors and developers. Robert B. Denny wrote the original driver template and Douglas George modified it for Sky Commander so that the telescope position would be displayed on the planetarium software screen. I also used portions of code from two other drivers to enable the ServoCAT GoTo command: the AstroOptik driver, developed by Robert B. Denny, and the SS2K driver, developed by Arne Danielsen. I used portions of code from the Celestron driver by Chris Rowland to help bring the driver up to the v2 Telescope Specification as well as many other later improvements. I found the ASCOM Conform tool, written by Peter Simpson to be very valuable way to evaluate the revised ServoCAT driver. I would like to thank all of these people for sharing their source code, tools and knowledge, to help make this project successful.

I would also like to thank Gary Myers of StellarCAT, and Gary Kopff of Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd., for their encouragement to develop and extend this driver.

The ASCOM driver for ServoCAT, developed by Peter Eschman

IMPORTANT