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ASTROMECHANICS ASCOM Device Assembly And Software Using Manual

Canon lens controller, simple solution for external focus & iris drive

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ASTROMECHANICS
astromechanics.org
ASCOM Canon Lens Controller
Simple solution for external focus & iris drive
Device assembly and software using manual
This manual is related to ASCOM platform based usage
APR/2019

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Summary of Contents for ASTROMECHANICS ASCOM

  • Page 1 ASTROMECHANICS astromechanics.org ASCOM Canon Lens Controller Simple solution for external focus & iris drive Device assembly and software using manual This manual is related to ASCOM platform based usage APR/2019...
  • Page 2 (ASI1600MM for example) with filter wheel. 17 mm  (ASCOM Canon Lens Controller) + 20 mm (ZWO EFW) + 6.5 mm (ZWO cooled camera) = 43.5 mm; 26.5 mm adapter is suitable for color camera (ASI294MC for example). 26.5 mm (ASCOM Canon ...
  • Page 3 Drawing of 17 mm base adapter Drawing of the standard spacer (9.5 mm)
  • Page 4 44 – 20 – 17 = 7 mm. We can make this spacer especially for you. ASCOM Canon Lens Controller  Mount ASCOM Lens Controller on your camera. Achieve a secure fit, the connection should be tough and have no backlash.
  • Page 5 Note: When testing the ASCOM Lens Controller, first connect it directly to your computer. Then you can test it with various USB hubs. Keep in mind that connecting both connectors to unpowered (passive) USB hub doesn’t make sense because it is powered from a single computer port. Moreover, several connected devices can share the power supplied.
  • Page 6  Microsoft Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10;  ASCOM Platform V6.x. or higher. Install the software from downloaded package. Before installing the ASCOM driver you must install a special driver for communicating with ASCOM Lens Controller (FT232RL chip). The device uses a standard and popular FT232RL chip for USB connection instead of a cheap CH340G in old version.
  • Page 7 STEP 3: Driver usage After installation is completed open your focusing software (Maxim DL, FocusMax, etc.) and choose the driver using standard ASCOM controls and dialog windows. Maxim DL based example is shown below. Observatory control window ASCOM Focuser Chooser window...
  • Page 8 Choose ASCOM CanonEF Lens Driver and click Properties. Driver setup dialog window You need to configure several parameters in this window:  COM Port Number - virtual port created by operating system for the connected device (COM8 for example). You can find port number in the Windows Device Manager.
  • Page 9 This can be done by editing lens.txt. Click on the highlighted link. Fast link to lens.txt Append new entry to the end of this file: specify lens name and enumerate all aperture values of your lens according the simple pattern. Be careful, syntax is important! Lens description in lens.txt Note: For zoom lenses with a different range of aperture values at different focus values (Canon EF-S...
  • Page 10  Select the aperture value you want to use. List of available aperture values Click Connect button to start the driver. Starting the driver...
  • Page 11 Now you can use the driver for manual and auto focus procedures. Test the driver in manual mode, check focus movements and aperture control. Focus tab Note: All focus positions are relative. The driver will return 5000 after power up (USB connection) regardless of the real focus position.