Sample two sequence script

This is a dragscript I have been using and refining for a couple of months. I have a fairly basic setup, no dome, no environmental monitors etc, just a mount on a pier which is set up each night.

The purpose of the script is to capture data on two targets in a night, waiting for astronomical dark before starting with a plate solve and sync, then waiting for a target altitude requirement to be met before starting the first sequence. The camera is cooled to 0 degrees to start with and cooling to operating temp is managed in the sequences.

On error (Typically failed guiding due to cloud) it will park the mount and retry after ten minutes, with 15 iterations before failing out. If that happens in the first sequence it moves on to the second, if the second sequence fails or of both sequences have completed successfully it parks the mount until 20 minutes before dawn and shoots dawn sky flats before parking, warming the camera and disconnecting the setup.

I am sure I will refine it further but this has worked well for several months.

1   - 	Start: Events At Start are ENABLE
2   - 	Script
3   - 		Block: Error counters
4   - 			Remark: Creates connection and sequence error counters with an initial value of 0
5   - 			Counter: Connect error counter - Init Value = 0
6   - 			Counter: Image sequence error counter - Init Value = 0
7   - 		Block: Connect block
8   - 			DO IF SETUP DISCONNECTED
9   - 				Remark: Connects setup if not alrady connected - Cools camera to 0 - Waits for astro dark
10  - 				Connect Setup with Timeout: TimeOut : 90[s]
11  - 					IF OK
12  - 						Update Counter: Connect error counter - Set to 0
13  - 						Cooling Down: 0[°C] - Sync Cooling - Use Voyager Ramp Mode Cooling down0[°C]
14  - 						Wait Astronomical Night: Data from connected Setup - Offset (Before) 00:00:00 [hh:mm:ss]
15  - 						Goto Block: Block - Unpark - Sync - Stop
16  - 					IF TIMEOUT
17  - 						Update Counter: Connect error counter - Offset by 1
18  - 						DO IF COUNTER VALUE: Connect error counter is Lower than 3
19  - 							Goto Block: Connect block
20  - 						DO IF COUNTER VALUE: Connect error counter is Greater or Equal to 3
21  - 							Parking
22  - 							Disconnect Setup
23  - 							Update Counter: Connect error counter - Set to 0
24  - 							Send Email:  - Connection error - Park attempted. - 
25  - 			DO IF SETUP CONNECTED
26  - 				Cooling Down: 0[°C] - Sync Cooling - Use Voyager Ramp Mode Cooling down0[°C]
27  - 				Wait Astronomical Night: Data from connected Setup - Offset (Before) 00:00:00 [hh:mm:ss]
28  - 				Goto Block: Block - Unpark - Sync - Stop
29  - 		Block: Block - Unpark - Sync - Stop
30  - 			Remark: Unparks mount - seeks home (ioptron sync event to home) plate solve and sync near zenith 
31  - 			Unparking
32  - 			Homing
33  - 			Goto Near Zenith
34  - 				IF OK
35  - 					Plate Solving with Mount Sync
36  - 						IF TIMEOUT
37  - 							Stop Tracking
38  - 							Send Email:  - Error on Goto near zenith - stopped - 
39  - 							Goto End
40  - 						IF OK
41  - 							Goto Block: Wait block
42  - 				IF ERROR
43  - 					Stop Tracking
44  - 					Send Email:  -  - 
45  - 					Goto End
46  - 		Block: Wait block
47  - 			Remark: Waits for target altitide to meet thresdhold - target alt must be populated correctly
48  - 			Parking
49  - 			Wait Altitude:  >= 30 [°] - ( RA 03 36 02.219 - DEC -25 39 52.33 ) - Timeout 00:00:00 [hh:mm:ss]
50  - 		Block: Sequence 1
51  - 			Remark: Starts tracking - runs sequence - sequence to be selected. On error, parks for ten minutes and retries. 15 retries before parking going to sequence 2. End condition required to set time for sequence 2 start
52  - 			Unparking
53  - 			Start Tracking
54  - 			Sequence: Start Immediately - End 23:10:00 [hh:mm:ss] - C:\Users\Toph\Documents\Voyager\ConfigSequence\NGC1398 and robins egg.s2q
55  - 				IF OK
56  - 					Parking
57  - 					Send Email:  - Sequence 1 ended OK - 
58  - 					Goto Block: Sequence 2
59  - 				IF ERROR
60  - 					Update Counter: Image sequence error counter - Offset by 1
61  - 					Parking
62  - 					DO IF COUNTER VALUE: Image sequence error counter is Lower than 15
63  - 						Wait Time: 00:10:00 [hh:mm:ss] Interval
64  - 						Goto Block: Sequence 1
65  - 					DO IF COUNTER VALUE: Image sequence error counter is Greater or Equal to 15
66  - 						Parking
67  - 						Update Counter: Image sequence error counter - Set to 0
68  - 						Goto Block: Sequence 2
69  - 		Block: Sequence 2
70  - 			Remark: Sequence 2 starts on end or error our of sequence 1 and ends with astro night. Goes to sky flat block on end
71  - 			Unparking
72  - 			Start Tracking
73  - 			Sequence: Start Immediately - End Astronomical Night - C:\Users\Toph\Documents\Voyager\ConfigSequence\m42 2600.s2q
74  - 				IF OK
75  - 					Parking
76  - 					Send Email:  - Sequence 2 ended OK - 
77  - 					Goto Block: Flats
78  - 				IF ERROR
79  - 					Update Counter: Image sequence error counter - Offset by 1
80  - 					Parking
81  - 					DO IF COUNTER VALUE: Image sequence error counter is Lower than 15
82  - 						Wait Time: 00:10:00 [hh:mm:ss] Interval
83  - 						Goto Block: Sequence 2
84  - 					DO IF COUNTER VALUE: Image sequence error counter is Greater or Equal to 15
85  - 						Parking
86  - 						Update Counter: Image sequence error counter - Set to 0
87  - 						Goto Block: Flats
88  - 		Block: Flats
89  - 			Remark: Waits for dawn minus 20 minutes and shoots sky flats
90  - 			Wait Dawn: Data from connected Setup - Offset (Before) 00:20:00 [hh:mm:ss]
91  - 			Unparking
92  - 			Flat: C:\Users\Toph\Documents\Voyager\ConfigSequence\Flats.s2f
93  - 			Goto Block: Goodnight block
94  - 		Block: Goodnight block
95  - 			Remark: End of night shutdown
96  - 			Parking
97  - 			Warmup: Sync
98  - 			Disconnect Setup
99  - 			Send Email:  - Night done successfully - Parked and war ... - 
100 - 			Goto End
101 - 	End
102 - 	Events
2 Likes

Thanks for sharing Paul

All the best
Leonardo