RetroCam Software (Version 2 - Retired)

Location of this document: http://instrumentation.obs.carnegiescience.edu/Software/RetroCam/retrocam2.html

Version History

v2.1.3 (2014-01-21)

Removed the coordinate check (and correction move) after a telescope offset (dither).

Thanks to Mark Phillips for beeing my "hands" during the software update.

v2.1.2 (2013-11-22)

Query the telescope focus and cassegrain rotator angle from the new TCS.

v2.1.1 (2013-10-15)

Disabled the querying of the old TCS (DOS/MACS) for the cassegrain position to permit a smooth transition to the new TCS (Linux) in November.

v2.1 (2013-04-26)

Updated the TCS interface to use either the new (Linux) TCS or the old (DOS/MACS) TCS.

Note: Please select ON/new unless there is a problem with the new TCS.

Important Note: The TO must use "F5" to start the guiding when dithering with RetroCam. (was "F3", 2013-02-21, CCB)

Note: There is a known bug in the Win98 software (array server) that sometimes causes stray characters beeing added to the object name in the FITS header. Since I don't maintain the Win98 software there is nothing I (Christoph) can do about it.

v2.0 (2011-07-27)

Moved RetroCam to the duPont telescope (from Swope).

v1.0 (2005-09-06)

Installed RetroCam at the Swope telescope.

Screen Shots

All components should be online.
Please enter your name in the Observer edit window.
After pressing OK the RetroCam-Control window will be opened (see below).

RetroCam-Control

Options->DataPath

Sets the data path in a dialog box.

Note: The path (directory) has to be created on the Linux computer (csp4) first and must be read/write enabled:

cd /data

mkdir mydir

chmod a+rw mydir

Modules->TeleGUI

Opens the TelescopeControl window (see below)

Modules->Display

Opens the data Display window (above right)

Display

Magnifier (top right)

Can be moved by holding down the left mouse button, or with the cursor keys (up/down/left/right arrows).

Radius

Sets the radius for the aperture statistics (MinMax, AvDev below).

Pixel

The current cursor pixel coordinate (center of the aperture and magnifier) and pixel value at the cursor position.

MinMax

Minimum and maxium pixel value within the aperture.

AvDev

Average and standard deviation within the aperture.

Center

Transfers the offset from the current magnifier coordiates to the center of the array to the S(dx),S(dy) windows on the TeleGUI. The position (object) in the magnifier may be centered by pressing the 0,0 button in the TeleGUI window.

Telscope Control (TeleGUI)

File->Skymap

Opens the SkyMap window

File->Airmass

Opens the Airmass window

File->Objec tList

Opens the Object List window

Get

Reads the telscope coordinates (alpha, delta, equinox) and focus from the TCS (telescope control system).

Note: It is recommended to press the Get button before starting a macro to ensure proper telescope pointing. This also updates the focus value that is written to the FITS header.

Send

Sends the coordinates in the Alpha and Delta windows to the TCS.

NE,N,NW,E,W,SE,S,SW

Moves the offsets from the dx and dy windows.

0,0

Moves the negative offset from the S(dx),S(dy) windows.

Zero

Resets the offset-sums in the S(dx),S(dy) windows to zero.

SkyMap

Parameters->Clear Savepos

Clears all previously imaged positions (green squares) from the map.

Airmass

Object List

File->Load

Opens a file selector and loads an object list (c:\RetroCam\Objects).

The object lists a ASCII files, formatted as one object per line; each data field is seprarated by a '|' (pipe) character:

Name | 10:50:10.0 | -12:00:15.0 | 2000.0 | Comment

File->Save

Saves the current object list to disk.

Note: After editing/adding objects the list is not automatically saved.

PreView

Sets the coordinates in the TeleGUI and Airmass window to the selected object (coordinates are not sent to the TCS).

Edit

Opens a dialog box that allows to edit the selected object.

Add

Opens an empty dialog box that will create a new object. If the coordinates (alpha, delta, equinox) are left empty they will default to the current TeleGUI coordinates.

Remove

Deletes the selected object from the list.

SendTo

Sends the coordinates of the selected object to the TCS. If the equinox of the list object is different from the equinox of the TeleGUI (TCS), then the coordinates are precessed to the TCS equinox before they are sent.