Version History

V1.70 - February 26, 2007 - Build 147

• Fixed tracking box bug in Acquire Data.

V1.70 - February 18, 2007 - Build 146

• Mounts.Def now is saved and opened from MyDocuments.

V1.70 - February 14, 2007 - Build 145

• Added support for Windows Vista.
• Default directory is now \\My Documents\CCDWare\PEMPro.
• Updated StarTrailViewer to show red cross at first click on a star trail.
• Fixed bug in initial star selection logic when Acquiring Data.
• Fixed exception that happened sometimes when no star is found when starting an Acquire Data.
• Reset 60-day trial (another trial can be run even if run previously).

V1.60 - December 23, 2006 - Build 142

• Updated ASCOM files included with the Installation.
• Removed checkboxes from Analyze window. These were sometimes caused crashes (“CalcAnaXYSlopes: error calculating slopes n=… Points = .. Pos = ").
• After writing Gemini curve to the mount PEMPro now sets bit 3 (val=8 ->PEC Data Available) after setting bit 5 (32).

V1.60 - December 16, 2006 - Build 141

• Update starting RA/Dec in Calibration Wizard when user clicks next in Step 1.

V1.60 - December 5, 2006 - Build 140

• Add PEC Status Byte Editor for Gemini Level 4.

V1.60 - November 24, 2006 - Build 139

• Add LX200R 16" Mount type, which has 350 teeth in its worm wheel.

V1.60 - November 3, 2006 - Build 138

• Add newer ASCOM drivers in a separate directory for access without an internet connection.

V1.60 - September 17, 2006 - Build 137

• Further improvements to auto-find fundamentals logic.
• Further enhanced command set for upcoming video camera app.

V1.60 - September 4, 2006 - Build 136

• Fixed check for LX200GPS V4.0 and V4.1, which broke in Build 135.
• ASCOM CanSetTracking call was misspelled so telescope tracking might not get started.
• Enhanced command set for upcoming video camera app.

V1.60 - September 2, 2006 - Build 135

• Improved selection of an initial star when acquiring data.
• Add check to allow Meade V4.2 firmware for LX200GPS and LX200R.
• Add support for upcoming dedicated video camera application.

V1.60 - July 26, 2006 - Build 132

• Removed bias level when displaying graphs in Refine tab.
• Fixed the error message that reads: “CalcAnaXYSlopes: error calculating slopes n=… Points = .. Pos = ".
• Added a "Remove Drift" button to the AstroPhysics Tab. This allows drift to be removed from a PEC curve created with a conventional autoguider.
• Fixed a bug in the AstroPhysics PEC file reader that occurred if a non-zero drift was present on the curve.

V1.60 - July 10, 2006 - Build 131

• Fixed an exception that occurs when trying to create a PE Curve with less than one worm period of data and with Autofind fundamentals turned on.

V1.60 - July 9, 2006 - Build 130

• When acquiring data always sub-frame to an even pixel boundary.
• Added 40% tolerance to star movement before recentering sub-frame.
• Minor updates to documentation.
• Fixed exception that can occur after stopping Acquire Data.

V1.60 - June 4, 2006 - Build 129

• Added an option to disable the auto-finding of mount fundamentals when creating a PE Curve.
• If available add Sidereal Time to log file for future refraction compensation.

V1.60 - June 3, 2006 - Build 128

• Fixed a bug that possibly was causing a crash in the Create PE Dialog.
• Fixed unnecessary re-centering in the Calibration Wizard. Also made re-centering work under all conditions.
• Always use fundamentals 1-5.

V1.60 - May 30, 2006 - Build 127

• Put ability to insert delay in writes between commands written to Gemini L4. This will eliminate errors that are sometimes seen with some USB to serial port converters.
• Fixed bug in Analyze's harmonic frequency search algorithm.

V1.60 - May 27, 2006 - Build 126

• Before connecting now check two of the Meade ASCOM settings that could cause problems: AutoSetTime (should be 0) and AutoUnpark (should be 1 to enable tracking). A dialog box now comes up to ask the user to change these settings or continue.

V1.60 - May 20, 2006 - Build 125

• Restored LX-200GPS PECUnit to .28 based on some real-scope testing.
• Data should no longer be inverted when directly uploading to LX-200GPS and RCX400.
• Made table in mount configuration window sizable.
• Add Fundamentals to mount configuration table and to the parameters that can be edited.
• New Feature: Fundamental frequencies are now auto-calculated when Create PE Curve is pressed.

V1.60 - May 15, 2006 - Build 123

• Added automatic check for updates feature (can be disable by the user).
• Fixed typos in the Menu's documentation.
• Guide rate was not being used after it was changed in the settings dialog.
• When Use Load Existing Curve is loaded now the Image scale is properly displayed on the Program Mount tab, and the graph updated.
• Changed LX-200GPS PECUnit from .28 to .56 based on a user curve overcorrecting the mount.

V1.60 - May 12, 2006 - Build 122

• Added extra dialog information that will display in case an error occurs.
• Remove delays when uploading/downloading to Gemini mounts. Requires the latest beta Gemini driver (4.2.20 or later).
• Restore directory after opening a Gemini native file. This was causing the mount list to become lost because the mounts.def file could not be opened.
• Check and allow new LX200GPS version 4.1b.

V1.60 - May 12, 2006 - Build 121

• Added Menu item to directly load an existing curve (*.ppc) instead of the two step process of loading it into the Refine tab and pressing "Use Curve". Also, if you are in the AP Raw PE, Celestron, Gemini L4, LX200, or RCX400 tab, a raw curve will be automatically created for that mount.
• Change how Phase Adjust effects the curve in the Celestron mount. A positive value now shifts the curve right instead of left.

V1.60 - May 8, 2006 - Build 120

• Fixed problem in Step 4 of Calibration Wizard. If Relay X or Relay Y is selected, the PEC curve may be inverted.
• Fixed potential listview problem with Celestron mounts.
• Display and update PEC state in main form to reflect the state last set with the Meade Handbox tool.
• Change font size in help file.

V1.60 - May 6, 2006 - Build 119

• Celestron beta bug fixes.
• Astro-Physics GTOCP3 - "From Created Curve" now uses "Movement Direction" to invert curve as needed.

V1.60 - April 30, 2006 - Builds 115-118

• Added full support for Celestron PEC. This includes automatic PEC index synchronization, the ability to read the PEC table from the mount, write a PEC table to the mount, build an optimized and drift-corrected PEC curve and upload it in seconds, easy and precise phase adjustment, perform initial Celestron Seek Index function, turn PEC On/Off, read/write Celestron PECTool format files, and a set of PEC modification capabilities (shift PEC, Invert PEC, Smooth PEC, Fix Drift in PEC, Scale PEC, and Clear PEC).
• Fixed bug preventing Astro-Physics GTOCP2 users from connecting.
• Add delays between native commands issued to the Gemini controller so that the buffers do not overflow.
• Paramount 1100S mounts now have the option for "2 worm period" PEC curves.
• Pressing OK in Edit Frequency Fundamentals did not immediately update the list of fundamentals.

V1.60 - April 21, 2006 - Beta Build 114

• Add retries to commands for Gemini Level 4.

V1.60 - April 20, 2006 - Beta Build 113

• Fix Sync Index for LX-200 classic.

V1.60 - April 14, 2006 - Release Build 111

• Fixes residual in PEC Sum sent to AP GTOCP3 mounts.

V1.60 - April 12, 2006 - Build 109

• Fixes problem with StarTrailViewer not starting, which was introduced in Build 106.
• Fixes occasional problem with saving the Log and Images directory.

V1.60 - April 11, 2006 - Build 106

• Fixes "Wizardworks DLL not found" error message that can occur.

V1.60 - April 8, 2006 - Release - Build 105

• Add links to ASCOM Standards home page and ASCOM Icon.
• Add Menu item to edit ASCOM driver settings.
• Fixed bug in Calibration Wizard where "Back" and "Finish" buttons do not display.

V1.60 - April 7, 2006 - Build 104

• Warn user if an incompatible version of Wizardworks.dll is still installed. The old version will cause a program exception if the Mount Wizard or Setup/Calibration Wizard is used. The solution is to uninstall all versions of PEMPro and PEMPro Beta from Add/Remove Programs and reinstall the latest version.
• Allow the Edit fundamentals dialog to be resizable.

V1.60 - April 5, 2006 - Build 103

• Calibration Wizard: Fixed bug where no error is generated if the logs and images folder is deleted without resetting to a new path.
• Fixed Camera De-Rotation - was derotating the wrong way.

V1.60 - April 3, 2006 - Build 102

• New 60-day trial mechanism does not require an email key!
• Updated Documentation.
• Added Firmware revision to AP GTOCP3 page.
• Fixed minor bug in the RMS calculation.
• Disable Scale button in AP Page until a curve is loaded.

V1.50 - March 28, 2006 - Builds 98-101

• Updated AP GTOCP3 page to be similar to the Gemini and RCX400 features. Added a new mount type intended for other mounts that use the AP GTOCP3 controller.
• Improved performance of uploads and downloads to the AP GTOCP3 controller.
• Add AP Mach1GTO to list of mounts.
• Added automatic Paramount PEC Index Synchronization.
• On connect to Paramount if mount has not been homed the option to home it is given.
• Allow curve to be scaled by a negative number in the Refine, AP Raw PE, and LX200GPS/RCX400 tabs.
• Fixed a graphing/data corruption when "Adjust X for X Drift" or "Adjust Y for Y Drift" is checked on the Acquire Data tab.
• Added checking for certain minimum versions of ASCOM drivers before they are used.

V1.50 - March 14, 2006 - Build 97

• Fixed: LX200GPS telescope type was not being recognized in Mounts.def at startup.
• Fixed: ASCOM driver was cleared if user cancels the ASCOM chooser.
• Fixed: Gemini Level 4 direction was inverted.
• Fixed: LX200GPS patched versions are now recognized.

V1.50 - February 27, 2006 - Build 96

• Use declination, if present, when importing CCDSoft log files.
• Allow graphs to resize in main window and create PE curve dialog.
• Fixed bug in High accuracy Synch for Southern Hemisphere LX200GPS, RCX400.
• Added fundamental=2 to Paramount mounts after seeing a PE curve of one with this fundamental.

V1.50 - February 19, 2006 - Build 95

• Added display of RMS and Max error values of Gemini Curve compared to actual.
• Added LX200GPS/R, and RCX-400 dedicated focusing buttons to hand box.
• Fixed conversion exception that can happen in the Meade hand box window if PEC is off.
• Display RMS of periodic error on graphs.
• Improved display of labels in Frequency Spectrum graphs

V1.50 - January 23, 2006 - Builds 88-94

• Completed Gemini Level 4 support functionality.
• Updated Paramount GT-1100S resolution to be 0.18 arc-sec/seg
• Display filename, when one is loaded, in title bar of mount specific tabs.
• Display total PEC at top of graphs.
• Meade Hand box - Add dedicated focus buttons.
• Added Frequency Spectrum graph in units of seconds.

V1.50 - January 6, 2006 - Build 87

• Direct read/write of Meade CSV files in Refine tab.
• Direct read/write of Paramount PEC files in refine tab (Paramount curves can now be refined).
• Fixed bug in curve interpolation routine.

V1.50 - January 1, 2006 - Builds 85-86

• Fixed Write scaling when writing directly to RCX-400.
• Fixed Writing to Meade CSV file in Northern Hemisphere.
• Fix PEC shifting when writing/reading LX200GPS/RCX400 CSV files.
• Gemini L4 changes raw read/writes in alpha release state.

V1.50 - December 29, 2005 - Build 84

• Add High-Accuracy PEC Index Synch for LX-200GPS/RCX400
• Make display updates to Meade Hand box more efficient
• In the Meade Hand box utility add a checkbox to enable/disable RA/Dec queries to the mount, which are time consuming.

V1.50 - December 27, 2005 - Build 83

• Change Meade Hand Box buttons to N/S/E/W and make them move the scope at the current slew rate.
• Add RA, Dec, and Hour Angle to the Meade Hand Box.

V1.50 - December 26, 2005 - Builds 78-82

• AstroArt - fixed bug in PulseGuide function.
• Fixed a bug in the Connect Scope button that would hang PEMPro if no mount is connected when connecting through the ASCOM driver.
• When starting an Acquire Data PEMPro now automatically tries to get the star's current declination and right ascension.
• LX200GPS - brought back direct PEC table support for 3.0i and earlier firmware. PEMPro will now detect and display the firmware version of the mount when you connect to the mount.
• Added "Factory PEC" checkbox for LX-200GPS and RCX-400. When checked factory PEC data is displayed.
• When writing to LX-200GPS and RCX-400 mounts the PEC data can now be written to either the Normal or Factory PEC table.
• Added Southern Hemisphere check box in the Settings Page for use by all mounts. Removed the redundant S Hemisphere checkbox from LX-200GPS/RCX-400 pages.
• Paramount PEC data is now reversed if Southern Hemisphere checkbox is checked.
• Added Reverse curve button to Refine Curves page.
• Added new Hand box LX-200GPS and RCX-400 hand box remote control. You can press buttons remotely and see what is on the display of the hand controller).
• New buttons to turn On/Off PEC, Synchronize the PEC index (no need to match indices and press a button at the right moment anymore!) , and display the current RA index.

V1.50 - November 26, 2005 - Maintenance Build 77

• AstroArt - removed explicit wait for camera exposure to finish.
• Fixed Start/Stop buttons not enabled in calibration wizard
• Software Bisque changed CCDSoft tracking log file format slightly so now PEMPro does not get an error when reading that format.

V1.50 - November 20, 2005 - Beta Build 76

• Added AstroArt support (beta)
• Fixed read/write to RCX400/LX200GPS CSV files.
• RCX400 direct read/write to mount.
• LX200GPS read/write to 4.0i firmware.
• LX200GPS will now read/write CSV files.
• To prevent accidental closure and losing mount synchronization PEMPro will now confirm exit if scope or camera is still connected.
• LX200GPS initialization values updated in the Mount Select dialog.
• Fixed bug which would not not the Simulator program a PEC curve.
• Added new check for updates feature.

V1.50 - October 31, 2005 - Release Build 72

• Updated to work with new LX200GPS firmware
• Fixes for RCX400
• After each step of the Calibration Wizard the star is re centered.

V1.50 - September 15, 2005 - Beta Build 68

• Changed the way the RCX400 file data is written.
• Fixed "angle averaging" bug in StarTrailViewer.
• Reverse default of RCX-400 PEC table when writing to file and reading it back.
• When in the LX-200 tab the vertical axis of the graph now always displays "Arc-Seconds".
• Settings Summary "Movement Direction" now controls if LX200 and RCX400 data is inverted when pulled into its tab with the "From Created PE Curve" button.

V1.50 - September 10, 2005 - Beta Build 67

• Added option when Acquiring Data to change the default filename and the ability to add comments before and afterwards.
• Fixed some bugs in the RCX400 and LX200 GPS controls and workflow.
• Added a southern hemisphere checkbox for RCX400/LX200GPS
• Reorganized controls and added new controls to modify RCX400/LX200 GPS PEC Curves.

 V1.50 - August 27, 2005 - Beta Build 65

• Added support for RCX-400
• Added LX-200 GPS Sync Wizard to allow direct uploads to the LX-200 GPS.
• Added shortcut commands for most of the menu commands
• Added ability to trim bad data points off the end of an acquire data non-destructively in the analyze view.
• Start/Stop tracking for LX-200 GPS now works in Calibration Wizard. This is a work around to ASCOM driver, which does not support this feature.
• Pressing the <CTRL> key at startup will force PEMPro to open in its default position (short cut to resetting startup position in the PEMPro reset tool).
• Improved Mount Wizard with better parameters and sets up a default ASCOM driver for most scopes.
• Fixed bug in Paramount Invert Curve.
• Fixed bug in the Sync feature.
• Added external tool to write directly to LX200 16's PEC table.
• Fixed several bugs in the experimental LX200GPS sync feature.
• Fixed miscellaneous other problems reported by users.

V1.50 - June 21, 2005 - Beta Build 58

• PEMPro now saves FITS files with the MaximDocument.SaveFile method. This allows Maxim users to leave FITS compression enabled.
• Declination is now passed to the StarTrailViewer to make the correct calculation of image scale at non-zero declinations.
• In the Calibration wizard the star trail angles are compared to the scope movement angle in step 3. If there is more than 10 degrees difference then PEMPro warns you that the wrong axis may be selected.
• Any selection in the Edit Fundamentals dialog will no longer be hidden if focus is lost from that dialog.
• Movement direction properly displays in Settings Summary dialog.
• A new wait dialog displays when exposing the CCD for the initial star when Acquiring Data.
• The Sync Index control displays immediately (without connecting) if a Paramount is selected.
• "PPC" file is now also created when creating a raw Paramount file.
• Fixed mouse X-position(time) and labeling of minutes in the Refine curves tab.
• Help File: fixed spelling errors, added help for the PEMPro Reset Tool and the PEC Simulator.

 V1.50 - June 11, 2005 - Beta Build 57

• Fixed Installer bug where StarTrailViewer COM object does not get registered sometimes.
• Fixed problem with Help starting.
• Updated Help with some missing information.

 V1.50 – June 7, 2005 - Beta Build 56

• New Mount Wizard
• New Setup/Calibration Wizard with StarTrailViewer
• New Settings summary dialog
• PEMPro can de-rotate acquired data from the camera which can be at any arbitrary angle. This also serves the purpose of improving the accuracy of the data.
• PEMPro can acquire data using a star at any declination
• Worm fundamentals changeable by mount type
• New Frequency Spectrum of Worm fundamentals shows you where the errors are coming from.
• New Worm Period Calculator.
• New popup messages lead you through the programming process.
• PEC Simulator now included for rainy night testing.
• Added Menu option to Disconnect camera on exit
• You can now specify a maximum star brightness for initial star chosen.
• Individual consecutive pairs of worm cycles can be viewed to discover drift characteristics.
• Added Menus to provide alternate access to features.
• New Settings Summary Dialog
• Added support for direct creation of Paramount files from CCDSoft tracking logs.
• Create PE curve dialog now opens with same axis as main graph.
• Added direct read/write PEC support to LX200 GPS
• Added direct read/write PEC Support to LX200 16 Classic
• Paramount Wizard makes use of CCDSoft logs (same as PrecisionPEC uses)
• Paramount Synchronization feature
• Direct creation of Paramount PEC files for upload to the mount.

V1.19 – February 17, 2005

• Fixed bug with Rev Checkbox for some mounts.
• Add a bit of tolerance for worm period differences when using Refine Curves.
• Restore main form screen position when loaded.
• Miscellaneous other changes.

 V1.17 – January 15, 2005

• Fixed non-working RA+ button and Rev check box.
• Allow calibrate of Maxim Full frame image.

 V1.16 – December 31 2004 (Private Build)

• Took out dialog in Move function which can cause multiple popup dialogs if a camera error occurs.
• Changed Pulse Timer to display only one error then stop.
• Changed default save directory for all dialogs to the current logs directory.
• Trial is now 30 days.
• Can now connect Paramount ME’s through TheSky5/TheSky6.
• For ASCOM drivers, connect to the scope first then test if PulseGuide() is supported. Some scopes, such as the Celestron CGE require a connection first to determine if PulseGuide is supported.
• Can now connect to ASCOM driver even if PulseGuide() function is not supported.
• Fixed bug in Refine Curves processing… curves were not adjusted for phase.
• Refine– Added a new Create Curve option: “Average Curve 1 and 2”
• Added menu option to not disconnect from scope when the Disconnect Scope button is pressed.

 V1.15 – December 13 2004

• PEMPro will should now run on international versions of Windows
• Display descriptive text of exact error when PEMPro has an error reading a FITS file.
• PEMPro no longer disconnects CCDSoft when disconnecting the camera.
• Removed use of DirectGuide with Paramount ME.
• Changed worm period of Paramount ME to 149.6 seconds.
• PEMPro can now load and analyze CCDSoft Tracking Report files.
• Added AP400/600 GTO mounts.
• Added MI250 mount.
• Added tool tips to Mount Selection dialog to show valid ranges.

 V1.10 – December 5 2004

• Implemented the 14-day full-feature trial logic.
• CCDSoft move via relays now works.
• CCDSoft will move via Direct Guide if Paramount ME is selected and move via
  Autoguider is selected.
• Made dialog slightly less tall so will fit on monitors with large system text
  fonts.
• AP GTOCP3 PE data now displays in correct direction (graph was reversed left to right)
• Refine curve scale factor now works.
• Added additional parameters to the playback file.
• Pulse Phase default set to -2000 milliseconds
• If "Different East/West Settings" is not checked, any changed East value is
  automatically copied to the corresponding West value.
• Added various Losmandy G-11 mount types: Gemini, Skywalker, and plain G-11.

 V1.02 – November 8 2004

• Fixed auto sizing of dialogs when Windows default font is not “normal size”.

V1.01 – November 7 2004

• Fixed problem where registration keys that contain a ":" would not work.

V1.00 – November 6 2004

• Initially release at Advanced Imaging Conference in San Jose.