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ScopeDriver ©2001–2009 Stephen E. Hutson, All Rights Reserved |
New In Version 2.1
We know what sets ScopeDriver apart from the competition. While they have been adding visual features and requiring more processor overhead, we’ve made ScopeDriver even faster, more intuitive, and more useful in the field. Over one hundred improvements and hundreds of code optimizations were made between Version 2.0.2 and Version 2.1, and the highlights appear below.
For a complete listing of changes in 2.1, click here. For the highlights of Version 2.2, click here.
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The Global Control Palette
ScopeDriver’s new Global Control Palette makes ScopeDriver available in all of your application programs. Because it’s a floating window, ScopeDriver is available in your imaging application, camera interface, anywhere you need it.
Here’s what you can do with the Global Control Palette and its contextual menu:
- Set slew speed to any of its presets
- Slew in any direction, or stop a slew in progress
- Control your telescope’s focuser
- Display and slew to right ascension and declination
- Display and slew to azimuth and altitude, if supported by your telescope
- Display sidereal time, local time, and/or UTC
- Select and slew to any observing list object
- Re-center any observing list object
- Define current coordinates as a new database object
- Activate ScopeDriver, showing the main window
- Summon the Find Object window
- Open the Observing Log
- Show the Edit User Objects window
- Activate or cancel night vision mode
- Select any Observing List window
- Establish a new connection
- Configure the palette
- Close the palette
- Quit ScopeDriver
And, remember, those features are available in all of your programs!
You can show as many or as few Global Control Palette panels as you like, and rearrange them to suit your tastes and requirements. The palette can be configured to appear at connect, remember its last state, or appear via menu command only.
Our testers have really found the Global Control Palette useful while we were developing it; we’re sure you’ll find it useful, too!
Faster! Faster!
You’ll find performance improvements throughout ScopeDriver 2.1. Program speed has been improved with literally hundreds of code optimizations since Version 2.0.
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More Time to Evaluate ScopeDriver
We understand that it can sometimes take some time to order or construct a cable and get things connected. And, in the meantime, your demonstration copy of ScopeDriver might expire. We’ve always been happy to extend demo time, but the process was a bit inconvenient, requiring a second utility that would extend the demo time.
Now, the demonstration extension mechanism is built-in. Just click the “Extend” button to request a demo extension. We’ll respond with a key to give you another 30 days of ScopeDriver goodness. And you can repeat this process as necessary.
Observing List Refinements
ScopeDriver’s Observing Lists have earned high praise for their power and ease of use. We’ve made Observing Lists even better in Version 2.1, with many features that speed their creation and use.
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Save Options: You may now specify whether you want ScopeDriver to open your Observing Lists at their last saved screen position and/or window size. Lists opened on other computers will always appear at their default size and position, so you don’t have to worry about your distributed Lists opening off-screen or at an undesired size.
Database Window Improvements: The database window now includes a “Remain Open” control, speeding multiple object entry. Are you adding many object types to a single Observing List? You may now have an unlimited number of database windows open, each pointing to the same Observing List. You may also specify that the database window adds the selected object to all open Observing Lists, simplifying the maintenance of multiple lists.
Find Objects in Lists: Also new in Version 2.1 is the ability to quickly find objects in Observing Lists. Both “Find” and “Find Again” are supported.
Add List Objects to User Objects: If you download an Observing List that contains objects that aren’t in your database, you may now add them with a single menu command. ScopeDriver checks for objects that are already in one of its databases, giving you the option of adding only the unique objects. ScopeDriver also lets you inspect the items that it flags as “duplicates.”
Improved Power, Even with No Telescope Connected
ScopeDriver “memorizes” your telescope’s UTC offset and sidereal offset when you first connect to a telescope or change its time settings. Thereafter, ScopeDriver is able to calculate UTC and sidereal time using those saved values.
This means that time displays are provided even in Test Mode. It also means that orbital calculations, precession, log entries, and many other operations can be carried out with high accuracy even when no telescope is connected.
Additional Command Support
Changes to your telescope’s firmware — and new telescope models — can mean exciting new features! Version 2.1 adds support for the latest enhancements. These vary by model, and you can read the full release notes here.
Try It Out!
Download ScopeDriver and see for yourself why this is such an exciting update!
Thanks for your interest in ScopeDriver!
— Stephen E. Hutson, ScopeDriver’s author