Fix ASCOM driver to connect to more than 2 ZWO cameras

PyH1GmJt

Today I can only connect 2 ZWO branded cameras through ASCOM - that is a choice by ZWO engineering. So for any system with 3 cameras (astro, guider and finder scope) I have to buy the third camera from another brand.

Applications that use 3 cameras are for example CCDCiel. They do not work with ZWO native drivers, because they are designed to stick to the ASCOM standard. https://www.ap-i.net/ccdciel/en/start

Request: update the ZWO ASCOM driver to support more than 2 cameras (3 would be nice). And then I can buy 3 ZWO cameras.

thanks

Tech@ZWO

Currently, ASCOM only supports connecting up to two cameras at a time. Could you elaborate on your usage scenario? The main camera for general shooting can also perform location recognition, without the need for an additional finder scope.

2S436OIV

Hi,

In spectroscopy, for example, we need 3 different cameras at the same time :

a "scientific" camera to record spectra (ASI585MM-P, for instance)
a "guiding" camera to autoguide the mount (ASI220MM Mini)
a "finding" camera to check the field of view, with plate solving.
It's difficult to use the guiding camera to do plate solving because the FOV is really small and the slit of the spectrograph can distort the result.

As the ASCOM driver does not manage 3 cameras, some spectroscopists have to order cameras from other brands.
I think that adding a 3rd instance of a camera in the ASCOM driver is not impossible ; the SDK is able to manage as cameras as you want. This is the case with the INDI driver under Linux. A few competitors are ASCOM drivers able to manage 3 cameras or more.

Vincent

Tech@ZWO

Sorry Currently ASCOM only supports connecting up to two cameras at a time.For the plate solving you mentioned, you can consider using a main camera or a guide camera with a larger FOV. We will submit your requirements to the guide R&D team.

PyH1GmJt

Just to clarify - the ZWO version of the ASCOM driver supports only 2 cameras. Its no a limitation by ASCOM, but a decision by ZWO. Other camera suppliers have 3 camera connectivity with ASCOM drivers. The ZWO team can straightforwardly add 3 camera connectivity to the ZWO ASCOM camera driver in its next update.

Tech@ZWO

PyH1GmJt I have been record your requet to our R&D team