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The Astro-Physics V2 ASCOM Driver
Astro-Physics began the development of a company-supported V2 ASCOM Driver in 2009. Please see the Astro-Physics
website for the most current version:
https://www.gralak.com/apDriver/
This driver provides full mount control for all of the Astro-Physics GTO mounts when used in
conjunction with any PC-based planetarium or other client software. It is a driver, and per
ASCOM rules, it is NOT a stand-alone program that can be used by itself. It does, however,
include several convenient utilities which make it usable without other expensive software.
The AP V2 Driver has been developed with remote operation in mind, and its functions were
designed to be highly robust. It features a very user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) and
also provides fully automated initialization and shut-down functions.
The AP V2 Driver is a hub. Almost all Windows-based astronomy software that includes mount
control are ASCOM compliant and can therefore use the AP V2 Driver. The popularity and
versatility of the ASCOM Platform has had a large role in making Windows the dominant OS
for astronomy. This driver is, by far, the preferred method for controlling a mount with any
PC-based planetarium or other client software. See a partial list of compatible software on
"Workflow When Using TheSkyX™ with the AP V2 Driver" on page 33
At publication time for this manual, The Astro-Physics V2 driver is version 5.30.10. This AP V2
Driver requires version 6.4SP1 or higher of the ASCOM platform:
http://ascom-standards.org/index.htm
Use the ASCOM V2 Driver Rather than Other Native Drivers
The question often arises: If I have a choice between using an external program's native driver
(as in
TheSkyX™
), or connecting the software through the AP V2 ASCOM Driver, which should
I choose? We strongly advise using the AP V2 ASCOM Driver.
Many third-party software
programs do not have the command language to support their use with a GTOCP5 control box.
Here are some reasons:
●
The AP V2 ASCOM Driver is a full-fledged hub. It will accommodate a very large number of programs all connected at
the same time, and will do so without any problems. As a single hub, the driver will minimize the serial traffic between
the software and the mount by eliminating redundancy.
●
The AP V2 ASCOM Driver takes advantage of the current set of Astro-Physics servo commands, many of which were
developed specifically for either the driver or for APCC. Since these new commands are not being published, the
native drivers found in other software will be limited to the older set of published commands.
●
The AP V2 ASCOM Driver can create log files for troubleshooting any issues that you may have.
●
We can provide a certain amount of support if you encounter issues with a program that uses the AP V2 ASCOM
Driver. We, of course, cannot fix a problem that is in someone else's software, but we may be able to figure out what
is happening to cause the problem. If you use a native driver, you will be limited to the support that the software
provider can give you. We can't support someone else's driver.
