The setup page has most of the basic settings.
Connect Scope: This will connect to the scope. Typically you will not need to connect to the scope until you are ready for playback but it is good to try testing that you can connect before spending time acquiring PE data.
IMPORTANT: To connect to your scope you must have the ASCOM 4.1 platform (or later), TheSky5 or TheSky6 installed. Also, you cannot connect to the scope/mount if you have checked the option to use an ASCOM driver in the Configure Scopes/Mounts dialog but didn't without an ASCOM driver defined. If a driver is not defined the Connect Scope button will be disabled. Typically you will not need to connect to the scope until you are ready for playback but it is good to try connecting before spending time acquiring PE data. |
Configure Scopes/Mounts: Press this to manually configure your mount settings. Alternatively you can use the Mount Wizard in the Wizards menu.
Connect Camera: This will connect to your CCD Camera through the CCD Control application that you are using.
IMPORTANT: If you are having problems connecting to the camera
Use Autoguider Port : If you are using CCDSoft V5 or MaximDL Version 4 or later and your camera and mount have auto-guider ports you don’t absolutely need to use the ASCOM driver for the scope if you check this option. If you use this option with CCDSoft V5 you should calibrate your autoguider at 0 degrees declination before acquiring data and programming the PE of your mount. Please be sure that you are using the latest version of CCDSoft V5 by checking http://www.bisque.com/hotfixes
Southern Hemisphere: It is important to check this box if you are located in the Southern Hemisphere. Some mounts require different information when they are located in the Southern Hemisphere.
Worm Period: This is the scope/mount’s worm period in seconds. This usually will be set in the Configure Scopes/Mounts dialog but if you change it here it will be remembered and associated with the currently selected scope.
You can press the calculator icon to the right of the worm period to bring up the Worm Period Calculator. You only will need to use the Worm Period calculator if your mount does not have a built-in definition or you don't know the exact worm period of your mount. To use the calculator enter the number of teeth in your mount's worm gear. If you don't know the number of teeth ask the manufacturer or, if that is not possible, email pempro@ccdware.com to see if we can find out.
Minimum Star Brightness: The minimum allowed brightness of the star selected for tracking Periodic Error. If no star is found with its brightest pixel at least this bright then PEMPro will not continue. Typically 5000 is a good minimum.
Maximum Star Brightness: The maximum allowed brightness of the star selected for tracking Periodic Error. It is good to select a brightness at or below that of the saturation level of your CCD camera.
Log and Image Dir: You can either type a directory path or press the button with “…” to the right of the text box to navigate to a directory to use, creating the directory if needed. The directory will be created if it does not exist.
IMPORTANT: A directory path is required for proper operation to save data during processing.
PEMPro can upload PEC data directly to some mounts. You should use the procedure below if your mount is one of these types:
Celestron CGE, CPC, and Nextstar Mounts
