This section contains information about changes to Cyanogen Imaging ® MaxIm DL.
Version 6.50 (Release 2024-04-12)
Band Reduction: New feature designed to mitigate line noise
seen on many CMOS cameras.
GSENSE Calibration: New feature designed to mitigate residual
fixed-pattern noise on GSENSE4040 sensors, which is not completely removed
by normal image calibration.
Set Calibration: Added support for applying GSENSE Calibration
automatically to all raw calibration frames and light frames. Added support
for automatically applying Band Reduction following calibration.
DL Imaging Driver: Now adds NSUBEXP to the FITS header; this
records the number of subexposures used in StackPro readout mode. Ensured
all camera settings are persistent. Fixed various minor issues
and enhanced logging.
Photometry: Fixed minor graphing glitch.
Observatory Control: Fixed a bug where older telescopes may fail to
connect properly.
Miscellaneous: Fixed a bug where cyclical log files were being overwritten.
Fixed a bug where autosave sequence failed to save to network drives.
Fixed a bug in Sample C# Plugin that prevented registration for COM interop
in Release mode.
Version 6.40 (Release 2023-07-10)
AO Drivers: Improved star detection algorithms. Fixed automatic star detection bug in SBIG w/AO driver. Bug fixes in SBIG AO Legacy driver. Added settling delay after mount calibration moves. Improved logging.
Image Calibration: Improved bad pixel map handling.
Camera Control: Fixed issue with simultaneous X-Y guide corrections. Cleaned up unnecessary logging messages.
DL Imaging Driver: Added safeguards against "No Image Requested" error. Fixed issue with Overscan setting persistence.
Observatory Control: Fixed race condition on connecting Telescope driver, which could result in unnecessary prompt for mount type. Fixed Safety Monitor polling rate error. Added Safety Monitor logging. Improved Auto Shutdown camera cooler status detection. Fixed issue with Auto Shutdown incorrectly impacting cooler setpoint. Fixed problem with Auto Shutdown not reliably detecting TEC warmup completion. Fixed issue with Safety Monitor driver selection display. Other minor bug fixes.
Maestro: Minor bug fixes.
Version 6.30 (Release 2022-08-24)
Stack: Tree view now shows group types.
Observatory Control: Added ASCOM SafetyMonitor support and improved ASCOM ObservingConditions support, including changes to Setup tab and Weather tab. Changed Boltwood setup to Boltwood II setup to reduce potential confusion as it is no longer used for Boltwood III. Added manual Expose button to Auto Exposure function. Fixed issue with camera readout mode selection for auto exposures.
SBIG DL Imaging: Settings screen now automatically shows the values for the currently selected camera when opened. Cooler status now displays upon connecting to the camera even if the Coolers On button has not been pressed. Fixed persistence issue with AC4040 LED setting. Fixed a bug that could result in an incorrect AO bump being applied. Fixed a cabliration issue that could cause the next exposure to take place before the AO tilt completed. Log now shows the reason for rejecting a guide star. Improved AO start detection algorithm. Improved HFD algorithm speed. Improved logging. Fixed minor issues with Aluma AC readout mod. Added support for Aluma AC4040BSI.
SBIG w/AO and SBIG w/AO Legacy: Fixed a bug that could result in an incorrect bump being applied. Improved calibration error behavior. Guider images are now auto-dark calibrated for locate and calibrate functions. Fixed issue with autodark in Legacy AO. The star detection algorithm has been improved. A user-adjustable SNR-based detection threshold control has been added. Ensured AO works in MaxIm LT product level.
ASCOM Cameras: Improved setup dialog logic. Fixed user interface glitch with Offset control when not offset is supported by driver.
Camera Control: Fixed bug in Auto Tricolor. Fixed a problem with Autosave Path. Fixed a bug that could potentially lock the filter wheel selector if the number of slots changes due to switching equipment. Improved handling of BAYERPAT FITS keyword.
Maestro: Added button to launch local clients. Client/Server information windows can now be minimized.
PinPoint: Fixed missing USNO-A2.0 catalog support. Ensured latest PinPoint component is installed.
Log Window: Added more logging for Maestro, DL Imaging, Configurations, and SBIG w/AO. Fixed DST timestamp issue. Improved description for some error conditions.
Version 6.29 (Release 2021-10-25)
SBIG Cameras: Improvements to DL Imaging AO control, including fixing an issue with drive calibration. Added heatsink temperature reporting for SBIG DL Imaging cameras. Improved throughput on DL Imaging cameras. Added SBIG camera serial number to FITS header.
PinPoint: Fixed a problem that reduced the reliability of All Sky Solve. Prevent erroneous catalog magnitude limit entry that could exclude all stars. Improved handling of Stack command Astrometric mode when PinPoint is not preconfigured.
Observatory: Fixed problem where Expose After Slew did not reliably wait for dome rotation. Ensured Auto Exposure delay after slew is persisted. Fix problem with Davis Weather Station timestamps. Added more logging messages. Fixed problem with growing autofocus subframes. Improved handling of focuser step size value for FITS header. Fixed problem with Auto Slew Refinement triggering too often if Exposure after Slew was enabled. Fixed a problem with arming Auto Shutdown automatically on program start. Fixed a problem with Auto Shutdown intermittently not properly checking cooler temperature during warm-up.
Maestro: Program title bar now shows the current Configuration name, to make it easier to identify which MaxIm DL window is which.
Log Window: User can now annotate the log via right-click menu. Cosmetic fix to Log Window. Additional information added to top of log files.
Camera Control: Added automatic recovery from erroneous Autosave path. Prevented user from double-clicking disconnect. Fixed a problem with TDI exposure time calculation.
Miscellaneous: Added command line option for loading configurations. Fixed a memory low message. Improved some Photometry command status messages. Fixed a crash in Blend Narrowband Images. Added IMX455 mode to Convert Color.
Version 6.28 (Release 2021-08-20)
General: All components have been upgraded to Visual Studio V14.2 runtime.
SBIG DL Imaging: Added support for StarChaser P3. Dither controls for AO have been relocated to Sequence Setup dialog. Added additional readout mode support for Aluma AC2020. Plug-in initialization has been sped up when not using network cameras. Fixed a bug where AO tracking would fail after a filter wheel change. Fixed a bug with connecting to dual-wheel setups. Fixed a crash when configuring uninitialized dual-wheel setups. Added a DLAPI version display to plugin's advanced setup dialog.
SBIG w/AO: Dither controls for AO have been relocated to Sequence Setup dialog. AO calibration functions have an improved star location algorithm. Fixed a bug where guide star was being evaluated while the shutter was closed.
SBIG w/AO Legacy: AO support for older legacy cameras (ST-7 series, STL series) has been moved to a new "SBIG w/AO Leg" (Legacy is abbreviated to fit the drop list control) driver; this has been done to better support architecture changes between the hardware generations. Customers using older SBIG cameras such as the ST-7 series and STL series will need to switch to the Legacy driver.
Dual Filter Wheels: It is now possible to use two ASCOM filter wheels in the Dual Wheels driver. Previously this would only work if one of the wheels was non-ASCOM.
ASCOM Cameras: It is now possible to turn off the display the Gain/Offset floating dialog box, which appears whenever the ASCOM driver reports gain/offset adjustability is supported.
PinPoint: Full support for PinPoint 7.0 has been added. Added support for ATLAS-REFCAT2 and removed support for USNO B1.0 (net) and NOMAD (net) catalogs as they are no longer available. Added catalog-dependent magnitude limits, with default values reflective of each catalog's contents. Spiral Search is now disabled by default on fresh install.
Log Window: Major performance enhancements including threading. Logs will now be saved in 1MB chunks by default, and the naming convention is yyyymmdd.n, where n is an index number. New options are available in the right-click menu.
Maestro: Added support for clients to control Filter Wheels and Coolers.
Miscellaneous: Auto-Shutdown now reports the time of a triggered shutdown in the log. Fixed problem in Blend Narrowband Images command. Changed error handling in Expose After Slew to avoid the possibility of stalling an Autosave sequence. Fixed a bug where scripted exposures would race ahead if the filter wheel was moving when an exposure was called. Various minor bugfixes.
Version 6.27 (Release 2021-05-06)
Observatory Control: Major improvements to the observatory shutdown function. More functionality, enhanced user interface, and additional options for triggers and actions. Now prevents pier flip from triggering shutdown if the telescope momentarily drops below horizon limits. Updated switch controls to support ASCOM Switch V2 drivers.
SBIG DL Imaging: Added support for Aluma AC2020 camera. Added support for adjustable gain settings. Added support for AFW series dual wheel configuration. Major improvements to AO control algorithms. Improved logging. Fixed a bug that could cause crash when using AO, if an exposure is taken from the Guide tab. Ensured configuration dialog box opens on top of application. StarChaser series guide cameras now support up to 4x4 binning. Several minor internal improvements and bug fixes.
SBIG Universal: Added support for AFW series dual wheel configuration.
SBIG w/AO: Fixed issue allowing tracking while shutter closed. Improved AO control algorithms. Added support for AFW series dual wheel configuration.
ASCOM Cameras: Gain/Offset dialog can now be hidden, and it indicates whether active for camera 1 or 2. Minor improvements and bug fixes.
Auto Focus: Added user definable focus position limit. Improvements to Options user Interface. Improvements to the autofocus sequence. Minor bug fixes.
Camera Control: Various minor internal improvements and bug fixes.
Calibration: Ensured that unexpected CALSTATE keywords from other software do not cause problems.
Maestro: Ensured that scripting interface waits for clients to complete imaging before reporting camera idle. Several minor internal improvements and bug fixes.
License Registration: Minor usability improvements for license registration dialog.
Version 6.26 (Release 2020-11-28)
Maintenance Release
Observatory Control: Fixed a problem with the UI of the Exposure Settings dialog.
Camera Control: Fixed a problem causing incorrect data in DATE-OBS FITS keyword.
SBIG File Format: Fixed a problem reading the date in pre-Y2K SBIG format files.
Autofocus: Changed handling of binning in coarse and fine focus modes.
Version 6.25 (Release 2020-11-20)
Remove Bad Pixels: Added a new option to zero out the bad pixels. When used in conjunction with the Stack command's Ignore Black Pixels feature, this will significantly improve suppression of hot columns etc.
SBIG w/AO: Added window heater control.
Screen Stretch Window: Fixed a minor bug that occasionally impacted histogram display.
Observatory Control: Fixed a bug that caused slew refinement to always engage, instead of being performed only on long slews.
Camera Control: Fixed an intermittent timeout problem when fetching images.
Version 6.24 (Release 2020-10-22)
FITS: Camera drivers can now optionally replace the DATE-OBS value with one generated by the camera. This was implemented to support StackPro and GPS timebase data.
ASCOM Camera: Added support for BAYERPAT FITS keyword.
DL Imaging: Now sets the DATE-OBS FITS key to the exposure midpoint. This provides better timing information for StackPro exposures. Added support for Aluma AC4040. Improved AO performance and stability. Improved logging. Various minor fixes.
Camera Control: Various minor fixes and internal improvements.
Version 6.23 (Release 2020-09-10)
Maintenance Release.
Camera Control: Use Filter Wheel as Shutter feature now works even if the camera driver reports that a shutter is present (some drivers don't report this information correctly). Fixed an issue with FITS keyword updates being confused between main camera and guide camera. Fixed potential camera initialization glitch.
DL Imaging: Updated to latest version, which includes support for new STC and Aluma AC camera models, updates DL Config displays. Fixed intermittent glitches.
FITS: Added ability to read 64-bit floating point images (Note: images are stored internally in 32-bit floating point). Added ROWORDER keyword. Fixed a glitch that could corrupt FITS header data.
Observatory Control: User interface tweaks to dome control and slew refinement.
Version 6.22 (Release 2020-07-02)
Product Levels: MaxIm LT now supports webcams in addition to SBIG hardware. MaxIm DL Basic and MaxIm DSLR product levels are no longer available; however, existing users will be able to continue using them. If you wish to upgrade to MaxIm DL Pro or MaxIm DL Pro Suite, those upgrade options continue to be available on our web store.
Multi-Camera Support: Added new optional Maestro add-on feature that allows multiple MaxIm DL instances to link together and syncrhonize with each other. Requires appropriate license to operate.
ASCOM Cameras: User can now select whether to accept DATE-OBS information from the camera driver, or use the exposure time generated by MaxIm DL. Also added safety feature to prevent bad data from driver from corrupting FITS header data.
SBIG Cameras: Upgraded DL Imaging driver. Added debug log option. Fixed bug in AO drive calibration. Added support for STC and Aluma AC models including USB 3.0 operation and new camera-specific features. Various minor internal improvements and fixes to camera and AO operation.
FITS: Added support for reading BITPIX -64 files. Please note that data is read into MaxIm DL in 32-bit floating point format.
Camera Control: Changed some default settings to better support newer equipment. This includes enabling threading options, default filter names, and auto-calibration turned off.
Minor fixes: Cleaned up extraneous beta notice in SBIG w/AO. Zoom window now blanks when no document is available. Fixed some missing FITS keywords for generated master calibration frames.
Version 6.21 (Release 2020-01-15)
Photometry: The calculations used to calculate the magnitude and error measurements from the raw collected data have been reviewed and revised. The math used is now clearly documented in this manual. Added aperture, gap, and annulus widths to the CSV export options.
DL Imaging: Added AO support. Latest DL Imaging driver update is included, which adds StarChaser support, Fan Speed and LED controls in the Settings dialog, and add extra logging. Added "On Top" option for AO user interface. Improved performance of WiFi connections.
ASCOM Cameras: Added facility for stacking within the plug-in. This is to support CMOS cameras that can only capture short exposures. The in-camera stacking reduces the amount of disk space and processing effort required to generate final stacked images. Added LastExposureStartTime feature for cameras that support this functionality, which is useful for cameras with GPS timestamping capability.
Observing Conditions: Internal updates and logging enhancements.
SBIG Universal: WIndow heater and external trigger controls have been added.
SBIG w/AO: Major improvements to guide star detection and monitoring. Improvements to auto-dark management. Fixed a crash related to 4x4 binning mode. Additional logging added. Add "On Top" option for AO user interface.
Dome Control: Parking the dome will now automatically disengage telescope tracking.
Telescope Control: Fixed a bug related to precession calculations that affected slew refinement.
Miscellaneous: DATE-OBS in FITS header now shows seconds to two decimal places even when Shutter Latency has not been set. Fixed scripting issues related to autoguiding and AO. Improved handling of CCDCamera.Binning property. Fixed issue with Slew Refinement. Cleaned up some issues with Camera 1 / Camera 2 handling. Enhanced various logging and error messages. Improvements to auto Screen Stretch calculations. Offset guiding algorithm was updated. The "auto-save all exposures" option now works with the "auto subfolder" feature. Fixed a problem with rounding of exposures times when scrolling auto-save sequences.
Version 6.20 (Release 2019-01-31)
Observatory Control: Improvements to ASCOM Observing Conditions including better timeout handling and status/error reporting. Timestamp is displayed for the data to indicate how current it is.
Aluma cameras: Updated drivers and plug-in. Added auto fan speed control capability. Minor bug fixes.
SBIG AO: When running in threaded mode (recommended), the AO Control window now displays a WIndows taskbar icon.
Version 6.19 (Release 2018-12-21)
Observatory Control: Added support for ASCOM Observing Conditions. Reorganized and improved the weather status displays. Added new FITS keywords to support Observing Conditions. User can customize the weather display by editing the HTML page format.
SBIG AO: Improved shutter control, including separated management of main and autoguider shutters, and enhanced control state machines. Reliability improvements including shutdown process. Improved logging and status displays. Added guide chip EGAIN parameter to FITS header.
Photometry: Improved export functions.
Canon: Added mirror lockup handling for Canon 5D Mark IV. Fixed problem with JPEG mode binning.
PinPoint: Revised defaults for search area.
Miscellaneous: Added extra logging and error messages. Minor fixes to scripting interface. Added protection against out-of-range ASCOM telescope position reporting.
Version 6.18 (Release 2018-08-03)
SBIG: Fixed problem with binning when calibrating AO from a script. Fixed problem with shutter operations overlap between main camera and guide head. Improved shutter/filter wheel detection logic for older ST series cameras. Fixed problem with AO control popping up modal error dialogs when running via script.
DL Imaging: Improved Readout Modes support. Improved error messages for firmware upload process. Improved speed performance. Improved multi-sensor handling.
Miscellaneous: Improved logging and status displays. ASCOM Direct guide option now retains previous setting if Chooser is cancelled. Fixed a problem with zenith limit persistence. Fixed JNow/J2000 confusion problem when using Astrometric Resync.
Canon: Fixed problem with detection of Canon 1200D.
Version 6.17 (Release 2018-05-03)
Product Levels: New MaxIm LT product level has been added. MaxIm LT is used with SBIG Aluma cameras, and also supports STI, STF, STT, STXL, and STX models.
DL Imaging: New "DL Imaging" driver for new camera models made by Diffraction Limited. This includes all SBIG Aluma models.
SBIG Universal: Removed Auto-Expose After Filter Change feature, which is obsolete. Removed obsolete "Cal Pause" feature from SBIG AO driver.
Canon: Added support for Canon 6D Mark II and 200D/Rebel SL2.
Nikon: Added support for D5, D500, D850, D5600, and D7500 models.
Focusers: Improvement to support for Optec focusers. Focus commands can now be sent while temperature compensation is in effect.
Miscellaneous: New program icon. Improved logging. Updated Installer to InstallShield 2018. Fixed a problem with Photons Wizard. Fixed SequenceRunning automation property. Fixed problems with Photometry CSV export. Various other minor fixes.
Version 6.16 (Release 2017-12-22)
Screen Stretch: Floating stretch mode has been improved.
Version 6.15 (Release 2017-12-20)
Autoguiding: All new multistar guiding implementation, with improved performance and reliability. Track box size can now be adjusted for multistar guiding.
Filters: For Digital Development and Unsharp Mask filters, made Gaussian Blur pixel radius a floating point input instead of integer, to allow finer control.
SBIG: Added support for new SBIG Gen 3 drivers, required for the SBIG Aluma camera line. Also updated SBIG Universal and AO drivers - various internal improvements and fixes.
ASCOM Cameras: Fixed a problem with ReadoutMode on old ASCOM V1 camera drivers.
Nikon D750: Fixed problem with Image Quality selections.
Product Level: MaxIm LT has been added. Provides full featured camera control and basic image processing for currently-manufactured SBIG cameras.
Version 6.14 (Release 2016-07-20)
Autoguiding: The autoguiding algorithms have been completely restructured to improve reliability and maintainability, and to support future enhancements. Guide star detection and evaluation has been improved. Status logging and error reporting has been greatly enhanced both within the Guide Tab and via the Log feature. Guide star SNR is now displayed. In order to make it easier to evaluate changing sky conditions during guiding, Screen Stretch on the guide star window is now forced to Floating once guiding is underway. Calibration now attempts to return the telescope to its original starting location if it is interrupted.
SBIG AO: To better support threading, there is now an SBIG w/AO filter wheel selection; users operating AO must now select that option. Improved auto-dark functionality. Improved star recognition during calibration. Improved progress bar display. Improved tracking speed. Improved shutter management. Added some protection against user configuring with wrong guide camera internal/external setting. User can now enable/disable auto-dark functions. Improved shutter control logic.
SBIG Universal: Fixed a problem with STT filter wheels that could cause the next exposure to start before the wheel stopped rotating. Fixed a problem that could leave the STT guide camera shutter in the wrong state. Fixed a problem that could cause unnecessary delays after very short exposures.
ASCOM Camera Interface: Added ReadoutModes support.
Canon: Added support for 5DS, 5DSR, 5D Mark IV, 750D, 760D, 1DX Mark II, 80D, 1300D, and 800D.
Nikon: Corrected D750 image size.
Convert Color: Added support for Truesense Sparse Color cameras and new DSLR models.
Observatory: Fixed problem with calibration for "Point Telescope Here" function, when calibrating via telescope slews instead of PinPoint. Fixed twilight time display.
Screen Stretch: New Floating stretch mode. This is similar to Manual, in that the delta between Minimum and Maximum is kept constant, but if the background level changes the Minimum is adjusted to track it. This new mode is for Autoguiding, as it allows the user to more easily monitor changing sky transparency.
PinPoint: Updated installer to latest release. Fixed a slight offset in center coordinates during telescope sync.
COM Automation: Fixed a problem with guider subframe dimensions. Improved CCDCamera.MaxPixel reporting. Minor fixes relating to status of multi-star and differential guide modes.
General: Fixed problem with AIRMASS not appearing in the FITS header.
Version 6.13 (Release 2016-05-25)
Telescope Control: Added Zoom To button to Telescope tab. Fixed bug in Bookmarks Manager.
Camera Control: Fixed cooler setpoint display when only one camera connected. Prevented clearing image statistics during download. Enhanced ASCOM camera error messages. Fixed problem with auto script feature. Improved exposure duration resolution to better handle sub-millisecond exposures.
SBIG: Added RBI Preflash support for STT series cameras (requires both SBIG Universal Driver and firmware update). Improved threading support for SBIG cameras. Fixed a camera status problem related to camera swapping. Made internal and external shutter operations independent.
Nikon: Minor improvements related to detecting camera state.
Canon: Several minor internal improvements.
Starlight Xpress: Including new camera driver supplied by manufacturer. Filter wheel driver updated to allow 11 slots.
PinPoint: Added support for local All Sky server. Added automatic PinPoint LE license downgrade for expired licenses. Fixed an install issue that could impact the ACP registry.
General: Audible alarms now run on a separate thread. Minor fix to Photometry tool. Color Convert now displays preview correctly when the CB button is pressed. Improved temporary file handling in Maximum Entropy function.
Version 6.12 (Release 2016-01-15)
Camera Control: Improved ASCOM camera status reporting. Fixed glitch with retaining cooler setpoint after auto shutdown. Increased sync timeout. Improved error reporting. Improved auto-dark buffer usage logging. Improved threading stability.
SBIG: Added settings for controlling RBI preflash parameters in both the SBIG Universal and SBIG w/AO plug-ins (supporting models only; may require camera firmware update). Reorganized SBIG Universal Advanced Settings dialog and AO Setup tab. Fixed problem with bias frame exposure time on interline sensor cameras.
DSLR: Improved Nikon status display. Fixed pixel sizes for D5100 and D7000. Added workaround for failing mirror lockup detection for several Canon models. Various minor improvements and bug fixes.
PinPoint: Distribution updated to V6.1b.
Version 6.11 (Release 2015-10-23)
Documentation: Updated System Requirements to explicitly list Windows 10 as supported. No program changes were required for Windows 10.
DSLR: Nikon D810A is now fully supported. Improved disconnect/shutdown operation for all Nikon cameras. Nikon drivers now provide an option to select what version of camera driver DLL to use.
Observatory: Auto Shutdown enhancements including detecting completion of camera warm-up, and ensuring all camera operations are aborted and automatically warming up the cameras as part of the Disconnect All command. Redesigned the user interface for sidereal tracking controls, and prevented possible false triggering due to external ASCOM commands. Improved error handling.
Scripting: Fixed problem with GetGuiderImage returning wrong image. Fixed a problem using CoolerOn and SetTemperature commands back-to-back.
General: Various improvements to night vision mode. Increased number of digits in image sequence numbers. Fixed a problem with setting minimum exposure duration on basic camera plug-ins. Fixed a problem with Atik cameras not showing temperature. Fixed a problem with threaded RGB image download. Fixed a threading issue with ASCOM interfaces. Fixed a problem with photometry CSV file import.
Version 6.10 (Release 2015-08-25)
Observatory: Auto-shutdown can now turn off camera coolers. Fixed a problem with scope auto-center calibration.
Camera Control: Added tracking error graph binning support. Fixed camera 2 statistics display. Fixed a problem with sensor temperature reporting.
SBIG: Fixed AO premature exposure termination, spectroscopy binning in SBIG Universal, and clock synchronization in TDI mode. SBIG Universal now initializes shutter on startup.
Version 6.09 (Release 2015-06-30)
Observatory: Major revision to the underlying algorithms for pier flip and slew limits. Slew refinement controls have been refined. No longer attempts post-slew exposure if no camera connected. Astrometry data is now available in the Observatory window as soon as an image has been solved with PinPoint Astrometry. Meridian line visibility has been improved. Improved auto shutdown algorithms. Fixed an intermittent crash in the tracking error graph. Improved autofocus error handling.
DSLR: Added support for Canon 7D Mark II. Added support for Nikon D810, D810A, D610, D750, D4S, Df, D5300, D5500, and D7200. Fixed a problem on all DSLR drivers with potential crash on binning or readout mode changes. Added color balance settings for Nikon D810A.
Camera Control: Fixed some issues with camera operation in multithreaded mode. Fixed problem with disabling guide star fade audible alarm. Guide tab Options menu now has a Record Tracking Images option, which will save all autoguider images. Fixed a problem on camera disconnect that may occasionally cause a crash. Fixed a problem with ASCOM driver error messages. Improved guide star fade detection.
Image Display: Quick Color now ignores images that don't indicate a valid Bayer pattern in the FITS header (i.e. defaults off instead of on if no information).
Davis Weather Station: Added TCP/IP support (WeatherLink IP option required).
SBIG: Updated plug-in to support new TDI mode on STX cameras, and the dual-channel readout option for new interline STF models. Fixed a problem running two SBIG cameras in threaded mode.
Starlight Xpress: updated plug-in supplied by Starlight Xpress.
Version 6.08 (Release 2014-12-18)
Camera Control: Improved threaded download speed. Removed unexpected auto-execute scripts for autoguider images.
Roper (Princeton Instruments) - changed shutter handling per recommendation from PI. Improved error messages.
Canon: Added mirror lockup support for Canon 70D. Worked around bug internal to 70D whereby live view Zoom 5X mode doesn't work when "face detection" mode is running (now forces "face detection" off).
SBIG AO-X: Fixed a bug whereby "Guide Star Fade" was reported incorrectly when the star was in fact being tracked.
Photometry: Fixed some issues with memory management, and with un-tagging objects affecting CSV output.
PinPoint: Fixed bug affecting re-solve of previously solved images.
Scripting: Enhanced operation of CCDCamera.Filter property so it will return the current index while an autosave sequence is running. Added multistar guiding control. Added access to narrowband blending tool. Added access to shutdown command.
Calibration: Relaxed the interpretation of FITS IMAGETYP field so that calibration files acquired in other programs can be used more reliably.
Version 6.07 (Release 2014-10-22)
Olympus DSLR: Olympus has discontinued computer control API support for their cameras, and their drivers do not work on operating systems newer than XP. Therefore we have removed the Olympus plug-in from distribution and moved it to the Obsolete Driver Pack.
ASCOM Interfaces: Fixed problem with guider output commands preventing dual-axis moves. Added support for V1 switch drivers that are not compliant with the revised V2 specification. Fixed a problem with auto-shutdown altitude-based triggers.
Observatory: Improved error messages. Several improvements to asynchronous equipment interface infrastructure. Fixed problem with autofocus failing to restart after an error.
Automation: Fixed a problem whereby Document.PinPointSolve would only operate on new camera images. Improved error messages when saving files via Automation.
Camera Control: Added dither support to Multi-Star Autoguiding, and fixed some glitches. Fixed a problem related to the program log triggered by "Refine via Sync".
PinPoint Astrometry: Prevent guider images from grabbing dialog focus during autoguiding, which effectively prevented solving during autoguiding.
Photometry: Added support for CSV export of JD timestamp, measurement error, DATE_OBS, air mass, and image filename. Precision field for exporting data to CSV file now persists.
SBIG: Fixed a crash in related to the DSS spectrograph control feature. Enhanced control fan support for STT, STX, and STXL camera models. Improved AO error handling. (Note: we recommend updating to the latest SBIG driver via SBIGDriverChecker as there have been bug fixes in the driver.)
Version 6.06 (Release 2014-09-22)
SBIG AO: Fixed minor problem with guider relay state detection. Added explicit guider flush prior to dark frame acquisition. (Note: we recommend updating to the latest SBIG driver via SBIGDriverChecker as there have been bug fixes in the driver.)
ASCOM Cameras: Added protection against the situation where a camera driver reports image ready before the image buffer is actually available (some drivers do this for unknown reasons).
Photometry: Protected against possible memory error situation. Added support for exporting the JD Heliocentric FITS header data via the Photometry CSV export tool.
Auto Shutdown: Fixed problem with function not waiting for dome to park. Added protection against impossible auto shutdown commands (e.g. performing a function on nonexistent hardware.)
Rotators: Fixed a problem with syncing rotator to a solved image.
General: Fixed problem with PDF file command. Update sexagesimal conversion to support European style numbers. Fixed a crash that could occur if the current log file changed while the log was being viewed. Added more logging for pier flip error conditions.
Version 6.05 (Release 2014-08-27)
Maintenance release. Fixes a scripting issue.
Version 6.04 (Release 2014-08-25)
SBIG AO: Improved fan control, and made several other minor internal improvements.
Camera Control: Save All Exposures option now works in Continuous mode. Fixed problem with Continuous exposure mode in combination with Download on Stop option. Fixed a problem with exposures terminating prematurely while guiding and using threading. Minor fix to OBJECT FITS key code. Improved handling of Offset Tracking files.
Autofocus: Fixed problem with backlash compensation.
Guiding: Fixed a problem with tracking error reporting when using multi-star guiding.
Scripting: Fixed a problem that caused the ImageReady property to occasionally fail.
Photometry: Several bugs fixed.
Observatory: Fixed problem in threading code that could cause a lockup.
Version 6.03 (Release 2014-06-12)
Minor maintenance release. Fixed problem with Information Window that could occur after PinPoint Solve. Updated PinPoint distribute to correct installation issues affecting some computers. Improve logic for Sidereal Tracking check box to avoid incorrect state due to interface timeout. Fixed problem with error checking in focuser interface.
Version 6.02 (Release 2014-06-06)
Minor maintenance release. Fixed problem with elevation for license registration. Added some additional error checking/protection code for equipment control. Excluded some V5-specific folder path information from being transferred to V6 if the settings files are manually copied over.
Version 6.01 (Release 2014-06-02)
Initial release of Version 6 major upgrade - see What's New in Version 6? for major feature additions.
Canon: Updated 6D support, added "beta test" support for 100D, 700D, and 1200D.
Nikon: Added support for USB-only long exposures, for those camera models that support it. Added support for FX versus DX cropping. Update to D600.
Obsolete Driver Pack: Obsolete camera driver support for all parallel port and ISA bus cameras is now discontinued.