Absurd Hypothetical Questions: What if

Voyager
1

I’ve tested voyager in real life with sequence and dragscripts in the last 2 nights.
\o/ This is an amazing software.

Interestingly there were some clouds into play !
Which demonstrate the already very good resilience of Voyager to adversity.

As “Werner Vogels” (CTO on Amazon) said “Everything fails all the time”.
I know that Voyager is built with the “design for failure” paradigm in mind.
I’ve searched in the documentation but could not find answers to a couple of cases.

So, you will find here my Absurd Hypothetical Questions :wink:

What if:

  1. My guiding of a 600s exposure loose it’s track

Is it possible to abort just the current exposure and continu normal sequence opération ?
Is there a way to abort the current exposure and do this automatically from sequence based on actual guiding deviation (abnormal peak in guiding, pass a specified threshold of a value in px or arcsec) ?

  1. Plate solving in sequence (from a dragscript) is simply impossible because there is clouds passing by

If there is no stars in the exposure for plate solve, there is no chance to solve. Is there a way to automate a pause before the next itération ? (like between 5/15 minutes, giving time for the sky to clear)
(without AAG).

  1. In the middle of the night something goes wrong, or i did not update one parameter before launching dragscript; subsequently dragscript is looping somewhere and try to recover. It need some manual adjustment in the dragscript.

Is there a way to pause a dragscript ? For correcting reload and resume the current dragscript.

  1. I want to pause the sequence after the current action

Is there a way to force the pause of sequence after the current action ?
Is there any documentation on the processing of the normal pause injection (when it would be done) ?

  1. My mount doesn’t clear the rollroof when it’s not parked

If the roof is open, and the mount is not parked; I would like to prevent any action on the roof (On the fly, Sequence or Dragscript) ?

We generally already have some safety mesure in place, but it would be as convient as the inverse option which prevent goto if roof is closed.

2

  1. yes just press stop guiding or use watchdog. There are a lot of watchdog and automation to manage this, try to search on wiki for guiding wathcdog.

  2. voyager continue to try solving and repoint for many times … usually can try for hours

  3. no, you can mdify during running and stop and reload the dragscript and choos the block where restart and options for all the sequence for startup. If yoy want to modify sequence not already running you can do without stopping dragscript, chang change the sequence and save from sequence editor

  4. You can pause only the sequence action, the other you can stop dragscript and restart from the same block

  5. Just check the flag in setting to dosen’t allow goto if roof is closed if Voyager can read roof status, But if you have roof that mean to have mount parked in a strange way better to use hardware management of goto (removing powering if roof is closed) you cannot trust an automation program

Usually all this change to dragscript isnt needed … you can use the same dragscript for your activities just changing the targets or save as the dragscript and modify

All the best
LO

3

Thank you for your reply, Leo.

  1. My guiding of a 600s exposure loose it’s track

That’s perfectly clear. I’ve now found the watchdog
Yesterday, i’ve tested your method to abort the current exposure. Stopping the guiding works like a charm

As i understand it, it kill the current exposure, does not dowload it, and continu the sequence…
The underlying question is about the exposure index increment.
Is this exposure abort generate hole in the sequence indexing ?

  1. Plate solving in sequence (from a dragscript) is simply impossible because there is clouds passing by

Solve is originated from multiple usecase. Pointing a target or pointing a focus star.
I understand the loop to repoint the target. But it concern me approaching the meridian and this raise the what if question 6

If this solve fail on pointing a focus star (more than 3 times)…
Is the sequence skip the focus and continu shooting after a return to the target without precise pointing ?
Or it will just loop to a precise pointing back to the target ?

  1. In the middle of the night something goes wrong

Ok, i understand, i cannot fine tune or correct a running dragscript.
If i pause the sequence, it also pause the dragscript.
I can correct sequence but not dragscript.
On resume, voyager is also resuming the dragscript !!!

resume

I assume that the dragscript reload the edited sequence !
I suspect that the dragscript is resuming with the normal behavior without any override ?
But when i’ve done that i was surprise to not see the green execution arrow on the dragscript step.

step
step691×97 39.5 KB

  1. I want to pause the sequence after the current action

Your answer is little bit off, so i will rephrase my question

If i ask for a sequence pause, voyager schedule it for future execution

For a better exemple, if i order a pause on a focus star action; i see the scheduling occurs after a return to target and more unexpectedly after that the guiding was started !!!

Is there any documentation on the processing of the normal pause injection (when it would be done) ?

  1. My mount doesn’t clear the rollroof when it’s not parked

The flag to “doesn’t allow goto if roof is closed” is already check !
But if the mount is tracking (open roof), an operator using “On the fly” could by mistake order the closing of the roof without any warning :flushed:
I m not talking about “opening”, but “closing” procedures

Our mount is parked in the strange way: AstroPhysics “Park 1” option :wink:

Sure we will have hardware (talon and magnetic switch on the mount) to prevent accident.

But i was expecting a defacto parking of the mount before closing of the roof, if the flag “doesn’t allow goto if roof is closed” was checked in configuration

New on television :crazy_face:

  1. Sequence is looping when approaching the meridian

The sequence manage meridian flip
If i was in a loop of solving failure, the mount roughly aligned on target.
Did the sequence manage the meridian flip on time limits ?

Regards,
Stay safe in italy :mask:

HoxCa

4

Dear Hoxca,

you are welcome.

  1. if you check the redo flag restart for 3 times the shot
  2. return with precise point if fail have an emergency goto fast back
  3. yes. The sequence will be loaded at first running. if a sequence is not running will be loaded from disk when is the time to execute. The current running node have a green arrow or a hourglass if is suspend
  4. only the sequence can be paused. not other block
  5. if an operator click on the fly command the command will be done. You can stay with the roof locked in other way and doing manteinance. Voyager cannot decide for you. No parking without you request, will be no sense things
  6. Sequence cannot looping … VOyager was done to not have this kind of problem. If application is in hangup for some out of this world problem just the limit can help you, set it up.

Dear hoxca, if you dont feel safe please try the other automation. I’m sure the others work really better than Voyager. We doesnt force you to use something with all this doubt.

All the best
LO

7

“Dear hoxca, if you dont feel safe please try the other automation. I’m sure the others work really better than Voyager. We doesnt force you to use something with all this doubt.”

??? I already read this sentence from you, and could not really understand it !

I just try to understand better the logic of your baby “Voyager”, Leo.

I’m not doubting in anyway, and my question should not be treated as embarrassing.
I’m an open minded person; and i’m confident that Voyager can do a great job :slight_smile:

And i like to invest time and effort on your software.

--------------------------------

  1. Is this exposure abort generate hole in the sequence indexing ?

Software always came with a degree of complexity, and the programmers are the bests experts to give shortcut answer.
But, i could answer this myself (testing with the simulator).

  1. Plate solving in sequence (from a dragscript) is simply impossible because there is clouds passing by

In your first reply, you tell me:
“voyager continue to try solving and repoint for many times … usually can try for hours”
( What i’ve mispelled a sequence looping action, my bad :frowning: )

this time i’ve
“return with precise point if fail have an emergency goto fast back”

Could you clarify “emergency got fast back”
Is this raise an “Emergency Exit” ?

  1. / 4. In the middle of the night something goes wrong

Ok, i think that i maybe done something wrong. I will test again

• Launch dragscript - who launch sequence
• Pause sequence
• Edit the sequence parameters and save
• Resume sequence
• Test if the green arrow came again
• Test if the parameter changed in the sequence is effective on the resumed dragscript

  1. My mount doesn’t clear the rollroof when it’s not parked

I can live with that !

Even, if i don’t understand really the logic behind this flag who is providing checking only opening.

I think that i miss something.
For me, this was a simple safety mesure option
More than one safety is always better when it’s dangerous !
It seems not.
I just want to prevent to behead our mount !

I now know that i have to be carrefull in the talon integration process.
Thank you for your help

  1. Sequence is looping on solve when approaching the meridian

I don’t expect any code infinite loop from your robust software (you may have misunderstood my question)
So i added the “solve”.
What i understand from your answer is:

In whatever situation (action retry) voyager sequence is running
If it’s running it will do the meridian flip ! (which is fantastic)

according to the " Force Meridian Flip Procedure with Exposure Abort After Meridian Crossing" timing… in worst case ! :+1:

I’m right ?

–
Your addicted User :innocent:
HoxCa

8

Hoxca we are really pragmatic, this is not a sentence … you never receive from us a marketing kind of reply on your request. We are not open source to disclose all kind of information on how Voyager work in public, repeat … if you dont feel safe or answer is not enough for you just ask support or go with other suite or automation.

  1. No, i already said to you
  2. Voyager can continue for hours if cloud passing , if all covered from cloud persistent fail after some try and use blind, depends on kind of action if sequence will be closed immediatly or not. Focus isn’t one that abort the sequence … just a simple goto will be done to th target to continue sequence . In anycase the meridian is checked before each actions run. Emergency exit is another thing …like for wiki emergency exit and suspend are over the sequence and running immediatly.
  3. /4 if is in sequence change the sequence if not running, if running stop the dragscript and modify. You can modify dragscript before stop, then stop and restart from the point you need to loose the shortest time
  4. goto will not be done if the roof is closed, if Voyager cannot read status of roof cannot stop the goto. Use a power cut when the roof is closed if you want to be sure at 100% that all work or use Viking and inout sensor in dragscript before init operations
  5. use limit in mount if you dont trust system in Voyager that manage the meridian. Force meridian Flip … is for stop the actual shot if long more than the time you choosed. without if you do 100 minute of exposure voyager will wait for 100 minute before do flip. Again use limiti if you dont trust it

Topic is closed, please refer to the wiki for more info.
Or using support, we’ll try to answer you if the question have sense.

All the best
LO