Latest ASCOM Drivers for the RCX400?

[jimcottle]

Friends,
  I am having trouble locating the latest ASCOM drivers for the RCX series telescopes. Certain pages on the web refer to a version as late as 4.2.6 but all I can find is a YAHOO groups posting version at 4.1.0.12. Since I am having some interface issues, I would like to make sure I am "playing with a full deck" so to speak. Why isn't there an official "golden" version of the RCX400 ASCOM driver out there? If you notice, on the ASCOM. ORG site, you cannot even find the one that is posted on yahoo!!
  Thanks in advance for any help or pointers.
Jim Cottle, PhD
San Francisco

[Night Watchman]

Jim,
I agree with the need for a stable driver for the RCX that will work with software other than Autostar.  The current ASCOM attempt is on their website (posted Jan 6, 2007) but I have found it to be buggy.  All of the expected features are there but it has issues with my software - TheSky6.  I hope that Meade will someday write a universal driver themselves instead of relying on a third party volunteer organization to do the work.  I might be using the Meade AutoStar Suite today, if it supported astro-cameras other than the Meade brand.  We can only hope that in the future, we RCX owners will have more choices in our software & hardware configurations.
Jim

[jimcottle]

Jim,
  Thank you for your reply. Everyone has a slightly different setup, and the ASCOM open architecture definitions make it easier for everyone. I think the ASCOM driver condition is an important indication of the quality of a professional piece of equipment (as well as an indication of the SIZE of its particular user group, I suppose). I too have found the ASCOM driver buggy, particularly when trying to use it with MAXIM DL and the DSI Pro 2 camera. Obviously, I am not only going to use Meade equipment always on my RCX400.
   My real confusion came when I discovered that  Bruce Gary's website, written on September 12, 2006 refers to Ajai Sehgal's version 4.2.6 (a beta) of the ASCOM driver for the RCX400. Unfortunately, I cannot find anything like this when doing a search of the WEB thorugh Google, etc. The ASCOM Yahoo group is the only place I can find an ASCOM driver. The version there is 4.1.12. This anomaly creates some confusion, because the last driver release is numbered earlier than the beta number.
  I understand that Ajai may be still working on this, but have no way to contact him directly to verify.
Jim Cottle
San Francisco

[jimcottle]

Friends,
   I didn't mean to cause any confusion. The posted driver on the Yahoo Group site is 4.2.12, not as I previously stated. Revision numbers therefore work out. Sorry for the confusion.
Jim Cottle,
San Francisco

[RonDePrez]

The latest driver is version 5.0.1 and may be found at:

http://ascom-standards.org/Downloads/ScopeDrivers.htm

[autostaretx]

There are actually (at least) three ASCOM drivers appropriate for the RCX400.

One is Ajai Segal's "beta" drivers, written with the "assistance" of Meade
(they loaned him an RCX400, and provided some access to the firmware authors).
The most current version of that is 4.2.12  , and is available as the file
"MeadeRCXSetupV4212RC2.exe" from the ASCOM-Talk Yahoo group's Files area
(not the ASCOM 5.01 download page cited by Ron).  There is also a copy (along
with the 4.2.6 beta 6 edition) in the Files area of the RCX400 Yahoo group.
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/RCX400/

Ajai stopped working on the driver when he encountered RCX firmware issues
involving the precise control of the focuser.  Meade has not released RCX firmware
updates to correct them, so it's in limbo.

The site Ron pointed to is where you can get the current -released- (vs beta)
version of the LX200GPS driver, which works perfectly well with the RCX400.
You will not have access to the numerical millimeter level of control of the focus
mechanism, but for all other scope control operations, the LX200GPS driver is
the way to go.

What i'm not sure about is where the 5.01 ASCOM driver falls into relationship with
the development stream of the LX200GPS driver.  The "released" LX200GPS driver
under the v4.1 era of ASCOM was roughly v4.1.12 (yes, the "12" is confusable with
the RCX's "12").  But Jon Brewster continuously upgraded the LX200GPS driver,
and it was at v4.1.28 ... available in the JonBrewster folder in the ASCOM-Talk
Yahoo group's Files area.  I -think- that he would have used that as the basis for
the v5.0.1 version at the Official ASCOM download site(s) cited by Ron:
http://ascom-standards.org/Downloads/ScopeDrivers.htm

For the most "bug-free" experience, use the LX200GPS driver.
If you wish to have remote control of the dew heater, etc, experiment with Ajai's
RCX-specific driver... but it does have raw edges.

have fun
--dick

[davidleejenkins]

I have downloaded the latest ASCOM driver.  Although I can connect to my KWIQ Guider (QHY5), I cannot connect my 12" RCX400 to the PHD Guiding software.  I have 2 connections: the guide camera is connected to my laptop using a USB cable (works great) and the guide camera is also connected to the Autoguider port on the OTA.  When I try to connect to the scope, I get an error.  Should I be using a serial connection (RS232) instead?  Please help.

--Dave

[davidleejenkins]

Never mind.  I figured it out.  I forgot to plug in the USB connector to the scope.   

[nico]

Hello

 

I have a Meade RCX 400 telescope

And I have a starlight lodestar auto guider CCD camera

If I want to use the auto guider port it is not working

Do you have a schedule of the auto guider port

And is there some thing how I can test the auto guider port

or can you tell me with cable you use

Thank you

 

Nico