Release notes for 2.9.1

This is a feature release of AstroDMx Capture which introduces several new functions and optimisations.

Release notes for AstroDMx Capture v2.9.1

Version 2.9.1 of AstroDMx Capture is a feature release which introduces several new functions together with various improvements and optimisations for existing functionality. For a definitive list, please see the changelog.

ToupTek Derived Cameras

  • Altair
  • OmegonPro
  • Orion StarshootG
  • Risingcam
  • OGMA
  • Mallincam (Linux and macOS only)
  • Bresser (Linux and macOS only)

The entire native implementation for ToupTek Derived cameras has been completely rewritten and several new controls have been added. The new implementation should yield faster frame rates for short exposure work as well as improved stability. The new controls are as follows:

  • Low Noise Mode: This mode is switched on by default. Turning this control off will, in many cases, significantly increase the frame rates as the expense of adding a little noise to the image data.
  • High Full-Well: This mode is off by default, if switched on, it should increase the dynamic range of the camera.
  • Taillights: This control will turn on of off the camera’s tell-tail lights.

NOTE: The controls detailed above will only show if they are supported by the camera in use and can be found under the “Controls: Camera” control group.

Two additional ToupTek derived cameras, Mallincam and Bresser, have been implemented natively on Linux and macOS. These cameras should work under Windows but will have to fallback to the ToupTek driver.

INDI

INDI Cameras

The INDI camera implementation has had a number of improvements and bug fixes that should make using INDI cameras easier. On previous versions of AstroDMx Capture, most of the camera’s controls (excluding thermal and exposure controls) were located on the left-had side under “Controls: Camera (Non-Native)“.

As of 2.9.1, many of the usual controls, such as Gain and Offset can now be found on the right-hand side (just as they would be if connecting natively) but this is dependent upon the driver being used. Specifically, this has been tested with ToupTek and SVBONY cameras.

If the driver being used does not supported this functionality, then the camera controls will be found on the left-hand side as usual.

INDI Mounts

There have been improvements to the mount nudge functionality. Previous versions of AstroDMx allowed the mount to be nudged North, East, South and West. This version introduces nudge buttons that allow the mount to be nudged North-East, North-West, South-East and South West.

In addition to the nudge functionality, there is a new mount sync function. This function can be found under the “Controls: Mount” control group. The idea behind this function is to improve GOTO accuracy when it is not possible to plate solve. Once the Sync function has been activated, the application will take the current pointing position and the object’s position and workout the difference between the two. This difference is then be applied to additional GOTOs which should compensate for alignment error and produce more accurate slews.

INDI Configurator

The INDI Configurator has been completely rewritten. This in preparation of the upcoming INDIGO implementation.

Other Changes

Camera Exposure Settings

It is now possible to enter exposure settings with floating point precision. For example, the user can now enter 3.25ms (for 3250 milliseconds), 1.5s (for 1 and a half seconds) or 1.2m (for 1 minute and 12 seconds). Indeed, any combination of these values can be entered, unless requesting exposures in microsecond units.

User Interface

Several versions ago, AstroDMx Capture introduced a busy indicator to show the user that something is happening that could potentially take some time to complete. Unfortunately, this indicator could get in the way of other controls. The busy indicator in this version is shown near the bottom of the application window to reduce the possibility of this happening again.

Removed Functionality (Linux Build)

AstroDMx Capture’s lineage comes from Linux and right from the outset, it had a special AVI output format specifically optimised for Registax 5 and 6 running under Wine. As Registax usage as waned over the years, this functionality has been removed.

General

For more information about this release, please see the changelog. The new version (2.9.1) can be found on the main downloads page.