4.0.0

Important - Must Read

This major version release is a breaking change from earlier releases.

This is primarily because the bundled firmware, also a major version update, has protocol changes that may break backward compatibility.
Over time we expect applications to update to support the new firmware version.
We believe that NINA and INDI have already done this and of course this release brings the ASCOM driver into line.
This ASCOM driver was tested with firmware V4.0.0 and they are released as a matched pair.
The firmware images are installed along with the driver and they must be used to re-flash the NexDome hardware using the built-in firmware updater.

NOTE: Firmware 4.0.0 is a breaking change and will cause all firmware settings to revert to factory defaults.

Prerequisites

• Windows 10 (Windows 7/8 may work but is not supported and has not been tested)
• .NET Framework 4.8 (this should be automatically installed if necessary)
• ASCOM Platform 4.6 Service Pack 1 (should be installed automatically if necessary)
• NexDome Firmware 4.0.0. Once the driver installation is complete, the firmware will be available in the firmware update screen incorporated into the driver setup dialog.

Diagnostic Logging

This software gathers diagnostic data and posts it to our logging service in the cloud, where we may further analyse problems and perform statistical analysis.

By default, the log data posted contains your machine name and Windows login name (so we can correlate errors to specific installations). By downloading and installing this software, you are consenting to our use of that information for diagnostic purposes only. Log data is kept for up to 90 days and then permanently deleted and will not be shared outside of Tigra Astronomy. This feature is enabled by default and is considered mandatory in pre-release builds as a condition of early access.

For a full description of the diagnostic logging, including instructions on how to configure or disable it, please refer to the wiki page at https://github.com/nexdome/ASCOM/wiki/Logging-and-Privacy

New Features

The main changes in this release are:

• Includes Firmware 4.0.0
  • Adds low battery detection logic
  • Adds commands for configuring low battery detection
  • Adds notifications about the low battery status
  • Adds the ability to autonomously auto-close the shutter when low battery is detected.
  • Please see the FAQ for information on upgrading the firmware, and details of the firmware protocol.
• Modified the rotator firmware to maintain holding torque after motion stops. This is to avoid gradual loss of pointing accuracy over time (nexdome/Firmware#35). Thanks to Christopher Duffey @cduffey for helping to develop and test this fix.
• Used a more sensible default of approximately 0.5 degrees for dead-zone..
• ASCOM Driver
  • Setup screen updated to include controls to configure the auto-close feature
  • Improved status display with 'battery low' annunciator
  • Introduced a new logging engine that allows us to collect detailed log data directly into a cloud server. This is controlled via the NLog.config file.
• Incorporates Sync-to-Azimuth support (PR #32 contributed by @ghilios)

Installation

1. Download and run the installer as usual. This will overwrite the previous version.
2. Upgrade both rotator and shutter units to the alpha firmware build included with this release. The previous firmware version is also included in case you need to roll back.

Note on Updating the Firmware

We have had several instances where the shutter firmware has been installed on the rotator and then the user has contacted us to report that "nothing works". Please remember that both units must be upgraded seperately, using a USB cable connected directly to the unit with the appropriate firmware image. The shutter firmware cannot be updated via the rotator, you must plug in a separate USB cable to update the firmware. You can remove the cable once the update has completed.

We suggest only connecting one unit at a time, so that there is no confusion about which serial port should be used. Suggested sequence:

1. Open the firmware update screen
2. Select the Rotator firmware image and the COM port that corresponds to the rotator.
3. Perform the firmware upgrade.
4. Power off the rotator and disconnect the USB cable.
5. Quit out of the firmware update screen completely.
6. Attach a USB cable to the shutter controller and power it on if not already on.
7. Open the firmware update screen
8. Select the shutter firmware image and the COM port associated with the shutter.
9. Perform the firmware update.
10. Remove the USB cable and power off the shutter.
11. Reconnect the USB cable to the rotator and power it on.
12. Wait about 30 seconds and power on the shutter.

After a minute or two, the system should be fully functional.

Note: don't be alarmed if you see the firmware updater using different COM ports than the ones you selected - this is a normal (if slightly odd) Arduino behavior.

4.0.0-beta.50

Important - Must Read

This release is a beta-quality pre-release that is not production quality. It should be feature-complete but could contains bugs and may crash. Please only install this software if you are willing to test it, expect to find issues and report them here on GitHub. We do not recommend using the observatory unattended with pre-release versions.

NOTE: Firmware 4.0.0 is a breaking change and will cause all firmware settings to revert to factory defaults.

Prerequisites

• Windows 10 (Windows 7/8 may work but is not supported and has not been tested)
• .NET Framework 4.8 (this should be automatically installed if necessary)
• ASCOM Platform 4.6 Service Pack 1 (should be installed automatically if necessary)
• NexDome Firmware 4.0.0. Once the driver installation is complete, the firmware will be available in the firmware update screen incorporated into the driver setup dialog.

Diagnostic Logging

This software gathers diagnostic data and posts it to our logging service in the cloud, where we may further analyse problems and perform statistical analysis. By default, the log data posted contains your machine name and Windows login name (so we can correlate errors to specific installations). By downloading and installing this software, you are consenting to our use of that information for diagnostic purposes only. Log data is kept for up to 90 days and then permanently deleted and will not be shared with any third party. This feature is enabled by default and is considered mandatory in pre-release builds as a condition of early access.

Logging is performed very efficiently and you should not notice any effect. Log data that cannot be sent within a reasonable time is simply discarded and should not impact performance. If you prefer not to allow the software to send log data to our logging service for any reason, you may disable this feature by editing the NLog.config file in the program directory end following the instructions there. You can disable all logging by deleting the NLog.config file. However, we ask that you do not do this for pre-release builds as the express purpose of such builds is to allow us to diagnose any problems. We will not offer support for any installations where the logging configuration has been modified.

New Features

The main changes in this release are:

• Includes Firmware 4.0.0
  • Adds low battery detection logic
  • Adds commands for configuring low battery detection
  • Adds notifications about the low battery status
  • Adds the ability to autonomously auto-close the shutter when low battery is detected.
  • Please see the FAQ for information on upgrading the firmware, and details of the firmware protocol.
• Modified the rotator firmware to maintain holding torque after motion stops. This is to avoid gradual loss of pointing accuracy over time (nexdome/Firmware#35). Thanks to Christopher Duffey @cduffey for helping to develop and test this fix.
• Used a more sensible default of approximately 0.5 degrees for dead-zone..
• ASCOM Driver
  • Setup screen updated to include controls to configure the auto-close feature
  • Improved status display with 'battery low' annunciator
  • Introduced a new logging engine that allows us to collect detailed log data directly into a cloud server. This is controlled via the NLog.config file.
• Incorporates Sync-to-Azimuth support (PR #32 contributed by @ghilios)

Installation

1. Download and run the installer as usual. This will overwrite the previous version.
2. Upgrade both rotator and shutter units to the alpha firmware build included with this release. The previous firmware version is also included in case you need to roll back.

Note on Updating the Firmware

We have had several instances where the shutter firmware has been installed on the rotator and then the user has contacted us to report that "nothing works". Please remember that both units must be upgraded seperately, using a USB cable connected directly to the unit with the appropriate firmware image. The shutter firmware cannot be updated via the rotator, you must plug in a separate USB cable to update the firmware. You can remove the cable once the update has completed.

We suggest only connecting one unit at a time, so that there is no confusion about which serial port should be used. Suggested sequence:

1. Open the firmware update screen
2. Select the Rotator firmware image and the COM port that corresponds to the rotator.
3. Perform the firmware upgrade.
4. Power off the rotator and disconnect the USB cable.
5. Quit out of the firmware update screen completely.
6. Attach a USB cable to the shutter controller and power it on if not already on.
7. Open the firmware update screen
8. Select the shutter firmware image and the COM port associated with the shutter.
9. Perform the firmware update.
10. Remove the USB cable and power off the shutter.
11. Reconnect the USB cable to the rotator and power it on.
12. Wait about 30 seconds and power on the shutter.

After a minute or two, the system should be fully functional.

Note: don't be alarmed if you see the firmware updater using different COM ports than the ones you selected - this is a normal (if slightly odd) Arduino behavior.

3.2.0-alpha-18 Auto-Close on Low Battery

Important - Must Read

This release is an alpha-quality pre-release that is not production quality. It most likely contains bugs and may crash. Please only install this software if you are willing to test it, expect to find issues and report them here on GitHub. Do not use the observatory unattended with this release.

This software gathers diagnostic data and posts it to our logging service in the cloud, where we may further analyze problems and perform statistical analysis. By default, the log data posted contains your machine name and Windows login name (so we can correlate errors to specific installations). By downloading and installing this software, you are consenting to our use of that information for diagnostic purposes only. Log data is kept for up to 90 days and then permanently deleted and will not be shared with any third party. This feature is enabled by default in pre-release builds.

Logging is performed very efficiently and as long as you have reasonable Internet bandwidth, you should not notice any effect. Log data that cannot be sent within a reasonable time is simply discarded and should not impact performance. If you prefer not to allow the software to send log data to our logging service for any reason, you may disable this feature by editing the NLog.config file in the program directory end following the instructions there. You can disable all logging by deleting the NLog.config file. However, we ask that you do not do this for pre-release builds as the express purpose of such builds is to allow us to diagnose any problems.

New Features

The main changes in this release are:

• Includes Firmware 3.4.0-alpha
  • Adds low battery detection logic
  • Adds commands for configuring low battery detection
  • Adds notifications about the low battery status
  • Adds the ability to autonomously auto-close the shutter when low battery is detected.
  • Please see the FAQ for information on upgrading the firmware, and details of the firmware protocol.
• ASCOM Driver
  • Setup screen updated to include controls to configure the auto-close feature
  • Improved status display with 'battery low' annunciator
  • Introduced a new logging engine that allows us to collect detailed log data directly into a cloud server. This is controlled via the NLog.config file.

Installation

1. Download and run the installer as usual. This will overwrite the previous version.
2. Upgrade both rotator and shutter units to the alpha firmware build included with this release. The previous firmware version is also included in case you need to roll back.

Note on Updating the Firmware

We have had several instances where the shutter firmware has been installed on the rotator and then the user has contacted us to report that "nothing works". Please remember that both units must be upgraded seperately, using a USB cable connected directly to the unit with the appropriate firmware image. The shutter firmware cannot be updated via the rotator, you must plug in a separate USB cable to update the firmware. You can remove the cable once the update has completed.

We suggest only connecting one unit at a time, so that there is no confusion about which serial port should be used. Suggested sequence:

1. Open the firmware update screen
2. Select the Rotator firmware image and the COM port that corresponds to the rotator.
3. Perform the firmware upgrade.
4. Power off the rotator and disconnect the USB cable.
5. Quit out of the firmware update screen completely.
6. Attach a USB cable to the shutter controller and power it on if not already on.
7. Open the firmware update screen
8. Select the shutter firmware image and the COM port associated with the shutter.
9. Perform the firmware update.
10. Remove the USB cable and power off the shutter.
11. Reconnect the USB cable to the rotator and power it on.
12. Wait about 30 seconds and power on the shutter.

After a minute or two, the system should be full functional.

Note: don't be alarmed if you see the firmware updater using different COM ports than the ones you selected - this is a normal (if slightly odd) Arduino behavior.

Release 3.1.0

ASCOM driver 3.1.0 incorporating firmware 3.3.0.

• #14 Support High Precision Slewing for firmware 3.2.0 and later
  • Use new @GSR firmware command if the detected firmware version supports it, otherwise fall back to using @GAR
  • Allow Park and Home Sensor positions to be specified in 0.1 degree increments in the setup dialog and in saved settings
  • Update the status display to show azimuth and shutter position to 1 decimal place
• #8 Firmware updater is now a single-file executable based on .NET Core 3.0
• #4 Remove XBeeFactoryReset firmware image as it should no longer be needed and users tend to use these things without knowing why or what they are doing
• #3 Status window gets "lost" - added an option to always keep the window on the visible display area
• Used updated annunciator controls from new NuGet package TA.WinForms.Controls
• Correctly initialize the shutter motor speed and ramp time on connect
• Cosmetic improvements to various displays
• #19 improvements to serial comms to prevent some shutter disconnections

3.1.0-beta.0

Public beta 0 of ASCOM driver 3.1.0 incorporating firmware 3.2.0.

• #14 Support High Precision Slewing for firmware 3.2.0 and later
  • Use new @GSR firmware command if the detected firmware version supports it, otherwise fall back to using @GAR
  • Allow Park and Home Sensor positions to be specified in 0.1 degree increments in the setup dialog and in saved settings
  • Update the status display to show azimuth and shutter position to 1 decimal place
• #8 Firmware updater is now a single-file executable based on .NET Core 3.0
• #4 Remove XBeeFactoryReset firmware image as it should no longer be needed and users tend to use these things without knowing why or what they are doing
• #3 Status window gets "lost" - added an option to always keep the window on the visible display area
• Used updated annunciator controls from new NuGet package TA.WinForms.Controls
• Correctly initialize the shutter motor speed and ramp time on connect
• Cosmetic improvements to various displays