January 25th, 2011· This pre-release expires on 01 April 2011.
· Remote Connection Window: Now includes option to send a message to the user at the other end of the connection. Messages may be exchanged as long as the two copies of ScopeDriver are connected, but not when a telescope session is in progress, in order to improve performance. Saves messaging history to a text file named "ScopeDriver Remote Messages.txt" on the desktop.
· Remote Connection Window: Added Timeout field, which may be used to adjust the time that ScopeDriver waits for replies from the telescope across an Internet connection. The value is expressed in 1/60ths of a second, and defaults to 500, or 8.3 seconds.
· Meade telescopes that do not accept extended coordinates will now be sent short-format coordinate commands as necessary.
· Reorganized Help menu, moving items to their appropriate places on Mac and Windows.
· Time and Location Window: Fixed error setting site data on Meades that support multiple sites.
· Communications Window: Actions... menu now contains option to send a user-entered command directly to the telescope, with or without the telescope's command prefix and/or suffix.
· Communications Window: Communications data listing now places new entries at the bottom of the list.
· Celestron: Alignment Control implemented.
· Celestron: Area Search implemented.
· Celestron: Longitude and latitude seconds now supported in Time and Location Window.
· Remote Connection Mode: Fixed error where first command in Remote Connection mode would sometimes fail.
· Log Window: Comments field retains its line breaks on Windows 7.
· Telescope Preferences: Fixed positioning of Position Limit degree symbols.
· Fixed transparency in Global Control Palette for Windows 7.
· Fixed Print Preview Next and Previous buttons in Windows.
· Fixed cosmetic issues on Windows 7.
· Additional translation in French version by Patrick Trochet.
· Changing alignment mode now immediately updates position readouts.
Celestron:
· Added Celestron tests: Basic Query Test and Advanced Query Test.
· Celestron Test Window now includes Test Selection section, and "remembers" which tests have previously been successfully completed. Test Window suggests running tests that have not yet been completed, but any test may be selected at any time.
September 10th, 2010Celestron Testing Window added:
· To help us flesh out Celestron compatibility, please select the appropriate Celestron model in the Connect window. then click the Connect button. This will bring up a special testing window. The test should take just a few minutes, and will be updated as new Celestron features are implemented.
· Additional commands added for iOptron support.
· Removed commands that are being rejected by iOptron instruments.
· Meade instruments that do not accept high-precision altitude and/or azimuth commands are now sent the low-precision commands if necessary.
· Updated Orbital Elements URLs in both ScopeDriver and its online resource locator.
Changes made to ScopeDriver History:
· The disk file ScopeDriver History (in the ScopeDriver Data Folder) maintains a disk file containing the most recent communication between ScopeDriver and your telescope. It is a useful troubleshooting document.
· This file is now updated in real time, as commands are sent and received, using a very fast method that appends to the disk file rapidly, even on modest system.
· The size of the ScopeDriver History file is reduced, if necessary, to under 750K as ScopeDriver launches.
· Previously, the ScopeDriver History file was updated only at quit, which made diagnosing issues involving application hangs difficult to troubleshoot.
· "Copy Communications History" still may be accessed by holding down the [option] or [shift] key, then click to open the Edit menu and select "Copy Communications History". The "Copy History Session" command has been removed, as ScopeDriver no longer writes to the History file in sessions.
· "Insert History Marker" may still be accessed by holding down the [control] key, then click to open the Edit menu and select "Insert History Marker".
· Additional translation in French version by Patrick Trochet.
· Changing alignment mode now immediately updates position readouts.
Celestron:
· Added support for slew up, down, left, and right.
· Added support for stopping slews.
· Added support for setting slew rate via the Telescope -> Slew Rate... menu command.
· Added preliminary support for position readouts. We’ll need communications reports to flesh this out for all models.
· Added support for getting GMT Offset, Longitude, and latitude
· Added support for determining whether alignment has been performed.
· Added support for setting and retrieving alignment mode
· Added support for slew rates Slew, Find, Center, and Guide.
· Connection should proceed much further without errors.
· Added support for getting GMT Offset, Longitude, and latitude
· Added support for determining whether alignment has been performed.
· Added support for setting and retrieving alignment mode
· Changing alignment mode now immediately updates position readouts.
· Added support for slew rates Slew, Find, Center, and Guide.
· Please note that some other ScopeDriver commands are still unsupported.
Internet Update Checking:
· Improvements made to performance and reliability of Internet Update Checks.
· Internet Update now yields time back to ScopeDriver as it checks for updates.
· Internet Update may now be forced to check in asynchronous mode by holding down the [control] and [shift] keys when beginning an update check.
· Telescope Slew Rate Window now supports extended slew rates if supported by Autostar models.
· Main Window Slew Rate readout no longer truncates long entries.
· Install should now proceed more rapidly.
· ScopeDriver has been extensive optimized and re-factored, which should result in even better resource management. Improved launch times should appear in the next alpha. Thanks for your patience as we re-wrote much of ScopeDriver!
· First build commencing iOptron support. Select "iOptron Series" as the Telescope model in the Connect window.
· Celestron models in the Connect window's Telescope pop-up have now been split between several models, owing to command set differences.
· Celestron go-to and reporting of right ascension and declination should work for most Celestron models. If yours behaves in an unexpected manner, or reports incorrect coordinates, please report this to us, enclosing a copy of your ScopeDriver History file.
· Internet Update should now automatically complete installation, instead of often stopping after the downloaded disk image mounts. Note that this will only occur when performing an in-application upgrade using version 3.3a3 or later.
· Standard permissions on installed and created files are now read/write/execute for owner and group, and read/execute for other users.
· Fixed problem reporting Right Ascension and Declination in Observing List Full-Screen Mode.
· Improved the manner by which position queries are included or suppressed in the ScopeDriver History disk file and the Communications window.
· Changed Basic Celestron Compatible Telescope Type to Modern Celestron Models to encourage users to first try this setting.
· Connect window: Fixed issue where Telescope Type would not be saved for Celestron and iOptron models.
· Increased maximum size of ScopeDriver History file to about 750 kilobytes.
· Added to the debug code in working with Celestron coordinates.
· This build sets the state of Filter Position Data in the Communications window to false (not filtering data). It also sets the Application Preference Log Position Queries to History File to true. These are the optimal settings for testing in the pre-release series. You may temporarily override this behavior in the Preferences window and the Communications window by holding down the SHIFT key as the window opens, which enables the logging control.
September 10th, 2010· ScopeDriver Data Folder now resides in the Documents or My Documents folder by default, although you may change the location in the Preferences window. If you are upgrading from a previous version, ScopeDriver should automatically copy your ScopeDriver Data Folder to the new location.
· Added extensive contextual menu to the Main Window.
· Preferences window: Data Folder... button lets you change the location of — or locate an existing — ScopeDriver Data Folder.
· Paste button in Register and Renew windows now lets you copy the entire registration e-mail, then click the button to insert the serial number.
· Windows: Installer is now a familiar Setup program.
· Global Control Palette: Observing List Panel: Clicking the name of the Observing List now brings ScopeDriver to the front and activates the Observing List's window.
· All references to our old server have been changed to aquiladigital.us.
· Internet update now checks for updates much more quickly.
· Mac: Selecting items from Global Control Palette now brings ScopeDriver to the front more reliably.
· Mac: Floating windows no longer must disappear when a sheet window appears.
· All contextual menus should now be more responsive.
· Numerous minor performance enhancements.
· Updated all documentation.
September 10th, 2010· Added "Ceres (2008.03)" to built-in database, since it has been missing from the IAU files lately.
· Internet Update system now transfers data much more efficiently and rapidly, which results in faster update checks.
· Credits in About window now draw more legibly.
· Find Object and Add Database Object windows: Fixed bug where the "text to find" area could periodically lose its selection information (highlighting).
September 10th, 2010· There have been no changes to ScopeDriver for Windows since version 3.1. If you have ScopeDriver for Windows 3.1 installed, you do not need to install this update
September 10th, 2010Enhancements and New Features:
· Additional Telescope Type: “Basic Meade Compatible” interfaces with non-Meade instruments that support the basic Meade right ascension and declination commands, as well as the Move Speed commands. Commands and functions that utilize other commands are disabled in this mode.
Serial Camera Shutter Control:
· ScopeDriver now supports camera shutter control via serial interface. Sources for camera shutter controls are included in the Serial Camera Control READ ME file, inside the Documentation folder.
· Manual exposures may now be performed by selecting Camera Exposure from the Telescope menu (or by pressing F6). Up to 1000 exposures may be generated in this fashion, from milliseconds to hours, to facilitate stacking.
· Exposure Actions in Automated Observing Runs may include a number of iterations (total exposures), useful for generating multiple images for stacking.
· An exposure in progress may be cancelled by pressing the [ESC] key.
· Camera commands are shown in Communications Window, and are added to Scopedriver History.
Automated Observing Run:
· You may now quickly switch to editing any open Observing List’s Automated Run actions by clicking the desired window’s Observing Run... button.
· The report log now reports all types of Actions, not just exposures and pauses.
· The report log no longer shows if the run is cancelled before any actions occur.
· You may now specify to skip or create a log report of an Automated Observing Run.
· Status window now occupies much less screen area when an Observing Run is in progress.
· Slew Progress Window no longer shows during Automated Observing Runs.
Losmandy Gemini Telescopes:
· “Side of Mount” is now reported (E or W) in the Right Ascension displays.
· Level 4 and above: Slewing to an object now also performs a mounting meridian flip if necessary.
· Level 4 and above: Added Perform Meridian Flip command to the Telescope menu.
· Level 4 and above: Main Window now displays azimuth.
· Level 4 and above: Parking instrument now allows user to select parking at Home or Startup position.
· Level 4 and above: Performing a slew now prompts for a mounting meridian flip if the object is on the same side of the meridian as the telescope.
· Consolidated Time and Date Window and Site Information Window. Saved User-Defined Sites now also save data about a Site’s GMT Offset. This data is backward-compatible with earlier versions of ScopeDriver.
· Redesigned Connect Window, Control Window, and Remote Connect Window.
· Observing List Window: Removed Undo and Redo buttons, replacing them with an Observing Run... button.
· Autostar: Sync. to Current Coords. is now enabled for all Autostars.
· Edit Fixed Celestial Object Window now displays the epoch “2000.00” when adding a new object, unless the object is being added based on the telescope’s current coordinates (i.e., Objects -> Define Fixed Object), in which case the epoch of date is still displayed.
· Large Observing Lists now load more quickly.
· Internet Update: Now more reliably checks whether an active Internet connection exists.
· Extensively updated User Guide and other documentation.
Bug Fixes:
· Gemini - Fixed bug where canceling out of the Site and Time Window would reset instrument’s location to factory default.
· Observing List Window: Cut, Copy, Paste, drag and drop actions now properly move automated observing run actions.
· Windows - Fixed problem where arrow keys could fail to activate slew arrows, instead selecting other controls.
· Automated Observing Run Window: Stop, Previous and Next buttons now disable when an Observing Run is paused.
· Fixed bug on some international systems where connecting to the telescope could set ScopeDriver’s internal longitude and latitude values to incorrect values.
· Gemini - Fixed bug related to setting Slew Speed on some models.
July 24th, 2007· Changed firmware acquisition code so that advanced Autostar features will again be enabled for the newest Autostar revisions.
· Fixed bug that disallowed Demo Mode for the French-language release.
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