ASIAIR v2.2.1 has been released!: Page 5

ASIAIR v2.2.1 has been released!

Andrix

minimoto71 Yesterday i was in the same situation, the update is not available both for macOS and iPhone.
Today is available for both devices

w7ay

Andrix Yesterday i was in the same situation, the update is not available both for macOS and iPhone.

The iOS/iPadOS v2.2.2 Beta that I was testing earlier (apparently not available in general) was Build 4. The current Beta (shown in your screenshot) only appeared in the past 24 hours, and is now Build 6. The firmware has also changed between these two Beta builds, not just the iOS app itself. These TestFlights also work on macos that has the "M" series processors.

I think ZWO has been pushing early Betas (like the v2.2.2 Build 4) to serious Beta testers in some list that they maintain (e.g., people have been on the look out for new bugs -- it is possible that it is the list of people listed in the "ASIAIR Dream Partners" window in the ASIAIR "About" window).

The "public beta" (such as v2.2.2 Build 6) may just be intended for non-testers who only wanted bug fixes from a previous version.

Speaking of the ASIAIR "About" window, I just noticed that there is now a "Reset Firmware" function in there to revert to the original factory firmware, instead of having to hold the reset button for more than 5 seconds. Really should be in the main ASIAIR Settings page.

Chen

Kevin_A

w7ay i used to dither 2px every 3 exposures and last night it was 2px ever 5 exposures.
My images looked fine but I did also notice when I goto that page the camera and target rectangles jitter around a bit at first when the page opens. I never noticed that before.

Nothing to do with it but after looking around, I hit the compass icon at the upper right as I have never used it nor know what it is for but I clicked on it and the screen image looks like you are looking at the stars during an earthquake…. Jittery nonsense. Weird stuff!

I have today updated asiair beta to 2.2.2 but am going to BC so no time to check it out.
Thanks.
Kevin

protostar

protostar testing the new beta tonight, seems like the framing is fixed at first so will see if it drifts or how it does on the meridian flip

Andrix

w7ay Got it. Thanks Chen.

w7ay

@"Kevin_A"

OK, looks like confirmed Dither bug.

I took a look at last night's data (guided with FMA180 -- 180mm focal length, ASI678MM and Astronomik ProPlanet 645 IR-pass filter [near IR guiding with 200nm passband from 650nm to 850nm]), and plate solved the first 20 subframes. Image scale is 2.29" per pixel.

The max dither distance was set to 5 guide plate pixels, with a dither interval of 3 subframes.

The 5 pixel distance should limit the dither circle (and thus subframe offsets) to about 5*2.29" = 11.45 arc seconds.

This is what the plate solves gave (ordinate is arc seconds) as declination offsets from the original target declination.

The largest interframe dither is about 20 arc seconds (from -10 arc seconds to -30 arc seconds, between subframe 7 and subframe 8), or about the equivalent of 9 pixels -- greater than the 5 pixel limit that I had set. Who knows what the plate scale really is (probably much worse than the factor of 2.5x that I saw above), since the above is just a small measured sample. On top of that, just from these 20 subframes, the offset from the beginning target is over 30 arc seconds (13 pixels), again, already way larger than than the 11.45" dither circle that I have set.

The error will of course appear even more exaggerated when seen at the main camera, where the focal length is much longer.

Chen

magore

I have noticed several problems/bugs with 2.2.1
For this report I am attempting planetary imaging of Saturn and Jupiter. I will outline my equipment, problems observed and solutions that ZWO could implement to fix them.

My hardware configuration for this report LX200 F10 8" classic EMC OTA mounted on an AM5 mount ASIAIR+. ASI676mc planetary camera set to high gain, ASI178mm guider, EAF focuser. UV/IR filter. I live under bright Bortel 8/9 sky's.

Side note: to attempt planetary imaging you must use a minimum of F10 for image scale and must use long exposures to detect enough stars for asisir plate solve to function. I am using the largest pixel count planetary specific camera (2um pixels) ZWO makes. These details are important when considering my conclusions later below.

Here are my observations
1 - PA randomly fails with not enough stars after first rotation because exposure is artificially/unreasonably limited to 10 seconds and bin2. Recall you must use at least F10 for planetary imaging so longer exposures are an absolute must.

2 - plate solve with a bright planet like Saturn in the field always fails even with a large enough number of stars visible. I don't think plate solve is rejecting saturated regions and or not exposing long enough. If I move anywhere at all off target I can solve manually with longer exposures at bin 3. Asisir should reject saturated objects.

3 - autofocus also fails with a bright object in field because it's not rejecting saturated objects and attempts to use the brightest and likely saturated object.
Rejecting all saturated objects would fix this and a host of other issues.

Problem
The combination of these errors makes automated high resolution planetary imaging impossible to do.
Even the biggest camera ZWO makes would fail like the asi676mc because they would need a Barlow to scale to upto the optimal pixel scale.

Solutions
Allow longer plate solve exposures and higher bin settings
Reject saturated objects for plate solve and autofocus..
Increase the resolution of the astronomy.net plate solve database to better support F10 or higher focal length telescopes. These longer focal lengths are an absolute must for for planetary imaging

Thanks
PS I do like my asisir and related cameras - hope you find these bug reports helpful

85HvOvTJ

After several months of rain two days ago I was able to connect my equipment. I had just received my ASI2600 MM that had a bug that did not recognize the USB ports.
Since it did not have auto upload disabled, it was updated to version 2.2.1.
Two days ago, with v 2.2.1 installed, everything was perfect, which was obvious since 100% of my equipment is from ZWO. However yesterday a nightmare began. The EFW 7x2 stopped working, leaving a filter in the middle of the sensor. Since there is no specific firmware for the EFW, I tried several cables without success. Asi Air recognizes the EFW and appears as connected but without any filter selected. When I tell it to put one in, the wheel doesn't move.
While the ASI2600 MM lost the USB ports again and began to disconnect every 5 minutes. The guidance with ASI174 mm mini was correct, but the photos appeared displaced with respect to the initial one (Ditherng bug). On the other hand, the Autorun function does not work, staying in IDLE all the time. The same thing happens with the PLAN function, which starts well, frames the image well, but when it starts with the guidance, it stops. On the other hand, when trying to take the photos manually, using the image goto option, it didn't work either.
My question is which version should I use? The previous one or the 2.2.2 beta.
They are going to update this version soon, in a few days, or I will directly uninstall it and go back to the previous one.
Thank you so much.

Kevin_A

85HvOvTJ use the beta. V2.2.1 is buggy.

Nolomar

Prismokay Something's going on, my ASIAIR is broken since an update attempt. We're not the only ones, something's going on....

Prismokay

Nolomar I'm in contact with ZWO support. I believe this is firmware related. What is your ASIair model?

Nolomar

Prismokay
ASIAIR PLUS 32Gb.
ZWO technical support connected to my ASIAIR remotely to try to fix the problem. A few hours later, they simply sent me an email saying that the repair had not been possible and that ‘best regards’...

I explained to them that it all started when I tried to upgrade to 2.2.0, until then I had never had any problem.
The equipment was purchased in June 2022, warranty out of time for two miserable months, but they didn't care...

I sincerely believe that they have done something wrong, if you look at the 2.2.0 has disappeared from the ZWO website, even from the list of older firmwares ... ZWO deleting by cleaning the scene of the crime?
Very, very strange....

Ramabraham

Newbie here 🙂 i have an am3 and a sony a7iii i'm planning to get the asiair mini is it compatible with a7iii? Thanks all

Corsair

Ramabraham according the product page for the ASIAIR Mini it looks like the A7III is supported (scroll down the page to get to the list).

https://www.zwoastro.com/product/asiair-mini/

Just make sure you set it up correctly following this guide
https://www.yuque.com/zwopkb/asiair/lf7nd44fruq3vukh

Additionally, if you experience problems on version 2.2.1 of the app/firmware (the version of the App on your device needs to match the version of the firmware on the ASIAIR), then it is advised to either:

Install the beta 2.2.2 app/firmware. See here: https://bbs.zwoastro.com/d/18983-asiair-v222-public-beta-released; or
If you're on Android then downgrade to a previous version. See here: https://bbs.zwoastro.com/d/18885-how-to-downgraderollback-asiair-app-firmware-with-android

Either way, make sure you go to the appropriate app on your device (Play Store for Android OR App Store for iOS/iPadOS) and turn off auto update of the ASIAIR App.

Ramabraham

Corsair Thank you buddy, i ordered the asiair mini do you think i need a snap cable? I think i have one for my shutter release thay i can use

wvreeven

Nolomar That really sucks! Shame on ZWO for messing up badly!!!

Corsair

Ramabraham By snap cable I'm assuming you mean shutter release cable? If so - I think you do need it (not 100% sure, though).

Tayfun

Hello, I had something on my mind for a long time. I wanted to write about it this morning when I experienced it again. I went out to the field to shoot Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS. I started my preparations to shoot automatically. I was thinking of taking 50-60 frames with 30-second exposures. When I said start, it started the autofocus feature, which is a very useful feature, and of course, it was not successful because it was very close to daylight. The result was disappointing. I have two things I want from you. To be able to turn off the autofocus feature when it is close to the horizon and sunrise and to return to the first autofocus setting. I know that software work is very difficult. But I am sure it will be useful for many astrophotographers. I could not pay attention to the new version because of time constraints. But if this feature has come, I apologize for my request if I have not seen it.

Prismokay

I have officially tried everything to ressurect my 256GB. This is completely firmware related. I wish I had the ability to wipe the ASIair system so that I could get a fresh-start on 2.2.2, but I don't have that option.

Nolomar

Prismokay
I am convinced of this.
There are several customers who have had their ASIAIR semi-blocked after an update.
The most painful thing is to see how ZWO, a brand I had always trusted, washes its hands. But it will have consequences. To start with, I have already called my supplier to cancel the AM5 I had ordered. I think I will finally get the Wave 150i. I will gradually disassociate myself from ZWO.
I don't want to have to be praying every time you update to have more objects in skymaps for example...

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Corsair

Prismokay make sure to submit a support ticket. Might need to RMA the unit.
https://support.astronomy-imaging-camera.com/

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