iOS TestFlight ASIAIR v1.6

w7ay

ASIAIR Beta v1.6 has been released to the iOS TestFlight program (at least in the West Coast USA).

Among the "New Features" is an "experimental Multi-Star guiding."

If you are a novice, either to astrophotography or to ASIAIR, I do not recommend downloading the beta. If/when you run into a problem, you will have even less help than you have with the non-beta versions. Just give it a couple of weeks for the masochists to try it first -- but at least you will know what is coming soon.

In case you need to revert back to the non-Beta app, be sure to have a back up your microSD card before installing the Beta into iOS, since the beta app will overwrite the existing v1.5.3 (or earlier) firmware. The iOS beta can always be removed, and re-installing the original v1.5.3 -- but the microSD firmware cannot otherwise be reverted.

Among "optimizations," the beta listed "Fix lower meridian transit bug."

There is nothing about fixing no-60º-move bug for some mounts, other than the usual "Fix some bugs" under "Optimizations."

Have at it, boys and girls. It is going to be cloudy for another couple of days yet for me, but as usual, I will try to test some of it on my mount simulator.

Chen

JeffMorgan

How interesting!

Any other reveals on the new Beta?

kvastronomer

Could you post the full list of new features/optimizations/bugs? (screenshot will do) Thanks

w7ay

Did a quick install test to see what GUI items have changed...

Firmware updating has improved. Like most OS, they have finally separated "Firmware Transfer" and "Firmware Install" with separate progress wheels.

As usual, they must have added a new mount type, so the initial connect screen no longer shows your prefered mount -- be sure to reselect your mount. (They are using a menu item index instead of a meny item name, which would have identified your original mount.)

Some stuff has moved to a "Guide Stability Settings" in Guide Settings. I think a couple of new options now appear in Stability and Settle Time. And there is now a Timeout field (a "forget about settling within stability limits and continue imaging anyway" time to accommodate cheap mounts).

The Focus...PA...Preview... AutoRun...Live...Video menu now has a Plan item. But tapping on its hamburger menu did nothing; so I have no idea what it is.

I have not yet found any way to invoke multi-star autoguiding yet. Perhaps it is turned on by default?

I do notice that when I introduce more stars into the FOV (you can do all sorts of things with a simulator :-), a 0.5 second exposure gives a FPS rate of only 1 FPS. But if I display fewer stars (same as lowering
guide camera gain), the FPS goes back to 2. So perhaps it is doing multi-star guiding, but cannot keep up with the 2 FPS fame rate when there are many stars.

When I do more extensive testing than this quick look, I will introduce periodic error and noise. The Total RMS error of 0.09" that you see is typical of what the simulator (and very premium mounts) is capable of (notice no guide pulses). It is when you introduce periodic error and noise that ASIAIR 1.5.3 severely underperforms the full PHD2.

For now, even a guide star intensity of 71 does not drop out. But this is with very good Signal To Noise ratio.

I can also introduce image noise when I test more extensively later. With a clean output (an ASI174mm-mini pointed at an iPad screen that operates as a SideCar display for my Mac), the only error is due to quantization on the Mac screen (which is minimized by using anti-aliasing in MacOS graphics) and quantization error in the ASI174.

(The star field above is centered on Alpheratz, by the way, with stars drawn by the simulator from the Hipparcos HYG 3 catalog -- so up to about 9th magnitude stars).

Chen

jrrjrr

Is this 1.6 beta a TestFlight update to the 1.5.3 betas, or is a new invite needed?

w7ay

jrrjrr

No idea. I just saw an iOS notification from TestFlight when I got up this morning.

That said, a little birdy told me by email a night ago that a public beta is coming out this week. So I was watching out for it. I think this is the public beta. Keep in mind that Apple staggers their app updates for different parts of the country and world; but usually completes within 24 hours -- the same might be true with TestFlight (I retired more than 15 years ago, so I have no idea how Apple operates today).

Chen

w7ay

By the way, ASIAIR Betas do not include update logs. The only information is in the TestFlight page that describes what a beta tester is supposed to focus on:

The "soft restart" is in the popup menu when you click on the red power icon at the top right corner of the ASIAIR Settings window. There is now a "Restart" button in that popup (similar to MacOS "Restart/Shutdown").

This can actually be useful for me because right now, my telescope's eero mesh router is in the same waterproof box as my ASIAIR, and powered from a common 12V supply that is indoors. When I reboot the ASIAIR by toggling the power supply, that also reboots the router (takes forever to boot and properly join the mesh). With this new function, I should be able to reboot the ASIAIR without affecting the router.

Chen

w7ay

Oh, this might make some people happy; the new iOS app now uses a dark background for the startup screens.

Chen

w7ay

Aha! Found the Multi-star switch. It is in the "About" screen (the icon that looks like a big ellipsis). In Experimental Feature. The extra information in there says this:

So, the way to go back to single star is to pick your own guide star or turn the switch off. Wonder what it does after an auto meridian flip :-)

Chen

Skylab1

w7ay what is a plan mode?

Skylab1

I am in SoCal but I haven't see update yet, I guess I have to wait some more, dame.,

w7ay

Skylab1 I am in SoCal but I haven't see update yet

At least you have dry skies. I am in the "Pacific Northwest Rain Forest." It is even predicted to dip just below freezing tonight at my elevation (900 ft).

Chen

w7ay

Skylab1 what is a plan mode?

No clue. The "hamburger" menu icon (same one that is seen when you choose AutoRun) seems to be disabled.

The hamburger icon is so nicknamed on the web for an icon with three horizontal parallel lines. In the ASIAIR, the horizontal lines are accompanied by a dot (like Morse code for "A" with an extra long dash.)

Chen

Kring

I am gonna guess plan mode is multi-target sequences. They hinted at it coming this release

Skylab1

Kring did you get the update yet?

Kring

Skylab1 not yet! Guessing I will tomorrow

w7ay

In the Experimental Feature window, there is also a switch for a "New Plate Solving Algorithm," described as "More accurate star detection under a faint environment."

I didn't see this in my All Sky Camera (constructed from an old unused original ASIAIR (Raspberry Pi 3), an unused ASI178MC camera and a Cs mount lens), but it popped up after I downloaded the v1.6 Beta to my regular version 2 (Raspberry Pi 4) ASIAIR.

Chen

Skylab1

do you need to have 1.5.3 beta installed in order to get 1.6 beta? I switched to the regular 1.5.3 after it was released, so I don't have beta install anymore.

w7ay

Skylab1 do you need to have 1.5.3 beta installed in order to get 1.6 beta?

Don't think so; TestFlight does not know what version of the regular ASIAIR app you are running.

Who knows, perhaps I am on a not-quite-public-beta list (I didn't sign up for it, but who knows).

I was told just two nights ago that the public beta is coming this week (from all the way to the top of the company). So even if I am on a non-public list, a real public beta should appear soon for everybody.

Chen

Skylab1

w7ay on 1.5.3 during calibration after the north step, south step does not return to the guide star, once and while a nuge south will come on but is still does not return to the guide stars. When I run the full version of phd2 on the laptop I don’t have this problem, why is that?

w7ay

Skylab1 on 1.5.3 during calibration after the north step, south step does not return to the guide star, once and while a nuge south will come on but is still does not return to the guide stars. When I run the full version of phd2 on the laptop I don’t have this problem, why is that?

Works fine for both my RST-135 (virtually no backlash from the strain wave gears) and my mount simulator (no backlash). If it is only in North-South, check for excessive backlash of your Declination axis.

Chen

Skylab1

w7ay thanks for the info, I can wait to give this a try

Skylab1

w7ay you must be on a very special list because no update as yet on test flight for everyone else. 😄