Solved StarGo Windows Admin Mode Requirement

The StarGo User Manual clearly states:

"It is mandatory that StarGO applications as well all other ASCOM client applications are launched with the “Administrator” privileges under Windows environment. If this requirement is not applied the simultaneous communication among the applications and the StarGO hardware and software are not guaranteed."

On my M-Zero, I use CdC for slewing, SharpCap for plate-solving, PHD2 for auto-guiding, and SGP of course for capturing. I have a few questions regarding the aforementioned warning in the user manual if I may:

1. ASCOM.AvalonStarGo.Net driver is incapable to accept more than one connections from ASCOM client applications, is that correct?


2. When running CdC in admin mode, the app complains "Do not run Cartes du Ciel as administrator!" in its window title bar, is it really ok to run the app in admin mode? I see in the StarGo User manual, page 35, figure 3.4.e, CdC in the picture showed same message in its title bar.


3. After having started CdC in admin mode, and connected CdC to M-Zero via the AvalonStarGo.Net ASCOM driver, when I started SharpCap and have it connected to the mount via the same ASCOM driver, SharpCap reported the following error: "Error Connecting to ASCOM Mount: Mount failed to connect without reporting an error."


4. I have also seen in the past, when PHD2 tried to execute a dither per request from SGP, it never got a response back from the ASCOM.AvalonStarGo.Net driver, according to the PHD2 log.

Below is solution that has allowed me to run CdC, SharpCap, PHD2 and SGP concurrently, all communicating to each other and my M-Zero without any issues:

1. Run the StarGo Goto Control System app, sync home position, then quit the app until next time I reboot or power on the computer.


2. Run the Optec ASCOM Server app and have CdC, SharpCap, PHD2 and SGP communicate to the AvalonStarGo.Net ASCOM driver via the Optec ASCOM Server hub application. Run CdC, SharpCap, PHD2 and SGP in non-admin mode.

This way, I can connect mount in CdC and have it slewed to my target in the sky, SharpCap plate-solves and syncs the true coordinate back to the mount. The new position in the sky gets updated in CdC instantaneously. PHD2 has performed auto-guiding, and executing dither from SGP without any issues in this setup.

Hi Cyprian,
I own a M-zero and a M-uno (the last placed inside a Merlino Observatory: www.avogadro-observatory.com ) and use the same software you use. I never had the problems you mention.
I tried to replicate the issues you had without any success. This is what I get:

1 - ASCOM.AvalonStarGo.Net is presently connected simultaneously to 5 applications: StarGO, CdC, SGP, PHD2 and SharpCap. I can perform all telescope operations allowed by the single applications without any limitation. Therefore I can confirm that ASCOM.Avalon.StarGo.NET is capable to manage at least five client application without issue.

2 - I ran all the mentioned applications in Administrator mode. I did not get any complain from them including CdC. The picture you refer to is so small that I'm not capable to read what is written in the title bar. I believe that picture is so small because it was intended only to show the new feature of StarGo consisting in the new small telescope controller.

3 - In my case SharpCap connected to the mount without any problem. After connection I was capable to move the telescope and also to simulate the spiral search (I'm sorry but in this days we, in Italy, cannot leave home due to the Covid-19 virus restrictions and therefore I cannot verify the correctness of the operations under the stars. In any case the telescope moved without any difficulty. No error has been reported by SharpCap.However I cannot understand why you are using SharpCap for plate solving when SGP may do that without difficulty with the advantage of the possibility to perform it inside sequences.

4 - I used a lot in the past the Dither feature of PHD via SGP and never had problems. The only thing I noted was a small retard of PHD to return inside the SGP limits for before taking the next pictures. But this is certainly not due to Avalon Ascom driver malfunctions. In any case every time the dither function worked well.


I never need nor tried the two "strange" solutions you have tested. I never had the need to depart from what is written in the manual. In addition I don't have and don't know the Optec ASCOM Server app and therefore I don't have any opinion on that.
What I want to suggest you is to check all cabling (the few issues I had in the past where due to cabling problems) and to uninstall and reinstall all software applications including the Ascom environment with the last version of the software. The versions I used in the tests performed are the following:
ASCOM : Ver 6.4 SP1
StarGO: Ver 6.3.14 - Firmware Ver. 6.2.0
CdC: Ver 4.1-svn-3672
SGP: Ver 3.1.0.457
PHD2: Ver 2.6.7
SharpCap 3.2.6248

Please let me know if you have success with my suggestions.

Mauro

Hello Mauro,

Thank you for your reply.

May I ask what Windows version you are using for your setup? I'm using Windows 10 Pro 1909. Other than CdC on mine is 4.2.1, I think software versions on the rest are very similar to yours.

No, I'm pretty sure this has nothing to do with cabling, as I have seen this conflict on two Windows 10 Pro PCs I built for the mount. Currently I'm running on a Eagle 3 Pro downgraded from Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC to Windows 10 Pro 1909. I wonder if this has anything to do with OS environment and .Net Framework installed. I noticed even Optec ASCOM server would behave differently on Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC vs. Windows 10 Pro.

Cyprian

Regarding using SharpCap instead of SGP for plate solving, since I use SharpCap to get my electrical focuser to reach initial focus, thought I would plate solve and sync mount in SharpCap, then slew to my target. Having seen the target I want is at the right angle of rotation in my camera view, I would then pass control to SGP to take care of the rest. I tend to shoot only one target at a time and I don't have a electrical rotator, hence I plate solve in SharpCap instead of SGP in the sequence for now.

Cyprian

I downloaded latest StarGo and ASCOM and was able to replicate what you said on another PC with fresh Windows 10 Pro 1909 installation. So, on my Eagle 3 Pro, I first uninstall and reinstall ASCOM, no effect. I then uninstall and reinstall StarGO, and the whole thing started working as you described. Thanks.