Trouble shooting

 

 

Well I hope this page isn’t needed very much, but I’ll try to cover the “Hot” topics J  Feel free to email me (jlerch@tampabay.rr.com) if I haven’t covered your questions!

 

Video Stuff

 

If the Main display screen looks like this:

 

Then Rtaft isn’t getting any video input.

 

Try the following to see if you can get video running:

1.      Goto “Video Control / Select” and make sure your video capture system is selected

2.      Goto “Video Control / Format” and try selecting different video acquisition modes:

a.      Usually RGB555, RGB16, I450, or something along those lines

b.      Also make sure your at 320&240 Pixels

3.      If that doesn’t work, try playing with the source and Display options tabs as well.

4.      If all that fails,

a.      Shut down RTAFT,

b.      Goto the Rtaft program folder (Usually C:\program files\rtaft)

c.      Look for the executable called Vbmemcap.exe

d.      Try running this bit of code from the original creator of my Video Capture software.

e.      If you still don’t get any video, try running whatever video capture software came with your hardware

f.        If it still doesn’t work, well I don’t know what to say J, try contacting your video hardware manufacturer!

 

Next, If you can get video, but the mirror will not fully illuminate

  1. Make sure your near ROC
  2. If the outer edges won’t illuminate
    1. Try a wider slit source (or a slitless source!)
    2. Get the camera lens as close as possible to the knife edge! (I actually had to file away some plastic to test an F/3.8 mirror once!)

 

Motor stuff

 

  1. Make sure your parallel port is on LPT1 with an address of &H378
  2. If nothing happens, shut down RTAFT, and try it again using Mel’s Scope.exe code
  3. If the motors don’t move in the right direction, check the options in Platform Settings 2nd tab
  4. IF your getting inconsistent readings
    1. Make sure the motors aren’t binding or skipping steps
    2. See how much back lash you have, and try to eliminate it!
    3. Increase the frame average sliders in the Advanced options tab.
    4. Make sure the step size you entered is the “REAL” step size J

                                                              i.      Try hooking up a micrometer to double check amount of travel

                                                            ii.      Double check for binding / Stalling

 

AutoTest Failures

 

 

  1. If starting an auto test causes the system to get entirely lost, check the following:
    1. Knife edge side is correctly selected
    2. Motors move in the anticipated direction (LEFT and RIGHT is from the point of view of standing behind the test platform with the platform between you and the mirror down range!
    3. Fully illuminate the mirror prior to starting a test (its possible to half illuminate the mirror by being on the wrong side of the knife edge!)
    4. OH YEA, make sure that your light source is actually on the SHARP side of the knife edge J  Its possible for the light source to enter the camera on the DULL side of the knife, and still make pretty Foucault images, but the code will get really confused!
  2. Auto Test just hunts Left/Right while trying to set the “Shades of Gray” value
    1. Make sure your light source is bright enough (>200 pixel count with fully illuminated mirror!)
    2. Increase Frame average in the Auto-Test variables / Knife IN/Out stuff tab!
    3. Make sure the Min / Max “shades of Gray” value has enough “dead space” IE at least a difference of 30
    4. Make sure the Min / Max “shades of Gray” value is reasonable.  Centered somewhere between 30 and 90 pixel counts! (higher can cause problems!)
  3. Watch out for Air Currents, an insulated test tube is helpful here! (Our is made from fiberglass A/C duct boarding!)
  4. Make sure the mirror and platform are on sturdy ground!

 

 

I’ll add additional troubleshooting points as reports come in from the field J

 

Take Care,

James

jlerch@tampabay.rr.com