Interface ICamera

Defines the capabilities supported by an ASCOM Alpaca Camera device

Inherited Members

IDevice.DeviceNumber

IDevice.InvokeAction(String, String)

IDevice.SendCommandBlind(String, Boolean)

IDevice.SendCommandBool(String, Boolean)

IDevice.SendCommandString(String, Boolean)

IDevice.IsConnected()

IDevice.SetConnected(Boolean)

IDevice.GetDescription()

IDevice.GetDriverInfo()

IDevice.GetDriverVersion()

IDevice.GetInterfaceVersion()

IDevice.GetName()

IDevice.GetSupportedActions()

Namespace: ES.Ascom.Alpaca.Devices

Assembly: ES.Ascom.Alpaca.Shared.dll

Syntax

public interface ICamera : IDevice

Methods

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AbortExposure()

Aborts the current exposure, if any, and returns the camera to Idle state.

Declaration

void AbortExposure()

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CanAbortExposure()

Indicates whether the camera can abort exposures.

Declaration

bool CanAbortExposure()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Boolean	Returns true if the camera can abort exposures; false if not.

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CanAsymmetricBin()

Indicates whether the camera supports asymmetric binning

Declaration

bool CanAsymmetricBin()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Boolean	Returns true if the camera supports asymmetric binning; false if not.

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CanFastReadout()

Indicates whether the camera has a fast readout mode.

Declaration

bool CanFastReadout()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Boolean

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CanGetCoolerPower()

Indicates whether the camera's cooler power setting can be read.

Declaration

bool CanGetCoolerPower()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Boolean

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CanPulseGuide()

Returns a flag indicating whether this camera supports pulse guiding

Declaration

bool CanPulseGuide()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Boolean

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CanSetCCDTemperature()

Returns a flag indicating whether this camera supports setting the CCD temperature

Declaration

bool CanSetCCDTemperature()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Boolean

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CanStopExposure()

Returns a flag indicating whether this camera can stop an exposure that is in progress

Declaration

bool CanStopExposure()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Boolean

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GetBayerOffsetX()

Returns the X offset of the Bayer matrix, as defined in SensorType.

Declaration

int GetBayerOffsetX()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Int32

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GetBayerOffsetY()

Returns the Y offset of the Bayer matrix, as defined in SensorType.

Declaration

int GetBayerOffsetY()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Int32

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GetBinX()

Returns the binning factor for the X axis.

Declaration

int GetBinX()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Int32

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GetBinY()

Returns the binning factor for the Y axis.

Declaration

int GetBinY()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Int32

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GetCameraState()

Returns the current camera operational state

Declaration

CameraState GetCameraState()

Returns

Type	Description
CameraState

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GetCameraXSize()

Returns the width of the CCD camera chip in unbinned pixels.

Declaration

int GetCameraXSize()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Int32

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GetCameraYSize()

Returns the height of the CCD camera chip in unbinned pixels.

Declaration

int GetCameraYSize()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Int32

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GetCCDTemperature()

Returns the current CCD temperature in degrees Celsius.

Declaration

double GetCCDTemperature()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Double

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GetCCDTemperatureSetPoint()

Returns the current camera cooler setpoint in degrees Celsius.

Declaration

double GetCCDTemperatureSetPoint()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Double

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GetCoolerPower()

Returns the present cooler power level, in percent.

Declaration

double GetCoolerPower()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Double

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GetElectronPerADU()

Returns the gain of the camera in photoelectrons per A/D unit.

Declaration

double GetElectronPerADU()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Double

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GetExposureMax()

Returns the maximum exposure time supported by StartExposure.

Declaration

double GetExposureMax()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Double

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GetExposureMin()

Returns the Minimium exposure time in seconds that the camera supports through StartExposure.

Declaration

double GetExposureMin()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Double

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GetExposureResolution()

Returns the smallest increment in exposure time supported by StartExposure.

Declaration

double GetExposureResolution()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Double

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GetFullWellCapacity()

Reports the full well capacity of the camera in electrons, at the current camera settings (binning, SetupDialog settings, etc.).

Declaration

double GetFullWellCapacity()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Double

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GetGain()

Returns an index into the Gains array for the selected camera gain.

Declaration

int GetGain()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Int32

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GetGainMax()

Returns the maximum value of Gain.

Declaration

int GetGainMax()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Int32

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GetGainMin()

Returns the minimum value of Gain.

Declaration

int GetGainMin()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Int32

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GetGains()

Returns the Gains supported by the camera.

Declaration

IList<string> GetGains()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Collections.Generic.IList<System.String>

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GetHeatSinkTemperature()

Returns the current heat sink temperature (called "ambient temperature" by some manufacturers) in degrees Celsius.

Declaration

double GetHeatSinkTemperature()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Double

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GetImageArray()

Returns an array of integers containing the exposure pixel values", "description": "Returns an array of 32bit integers containing the pixel values from the last exposure. This call can return either a 2 dimension (monochrome images) or 3 dimension (colour or multi-plane images) array of size NumX * NumY or NumX * NumY * NumPlanes. Where applicable, the size of NumPlanes has to be determined by inspection of the returned Array.

Since 32bit integers are always returned by this call, the returned JSON Type value (0 = Unknown, 1 = short(16bit), 2 = int(32bit), 3 = Double) is always 2. The number of planes is given in the returned Rank value.

When de-serialising to an object it helps enormously to know the array Rank beforehand so that the correct data class can be used. This can be achieved through a regular expression or by direct parsing of the returned JSON string to extract the Type and Rank values before de-serialising.

This regular expression accomplishes the etraction into two named groups Type and Rank

^"Type":(?<Type>\d),"Rank":(?<Rank>\d*)

which can then be used to select the correct de-serialisation data class.

Declaration

Array GetImageArray()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Array

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GetImageArrayVariant()

Returns an array containing the pixel values from the last exposure. This call can return either a 2 dimension (monochrome images) or 3 dimension (colour or multi-plane images) array of size NumX * NumY or NumX * NumY * NumPlanes. Where applicable, the size of NumPlanes has to be determined by inspection of the returned Array.

This call can return values as short(16bit) integers, int(32bit) integers or double floating point values. The nature of the returned values is given in the Type parameter: 0 = Unknown, 1 = short(16bit), 2 = int(32bit), 3 = Double. The number of planes is given in the returned Rank value.

When deserialising to an object it helps enormously to know the Type and Rank beforehand so that the correct data class can be used. This can be achieved through a regular expression or by direct parsing of the returned JSON string to extract the Type and Rank values before deserialising.

This regular expression accomplishes the extraction into two named groups: Type and Rank:

^*"Type":(?<Type>\\d*),"Rank":(?<Rank>\\d*)

which can then be used to select the correct deserialisation data class.

Declaration

Array GetImageArrayVariant()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Array

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GetLastExposureDuration()

Get the duration of the last exposure in seconds (i.e. shutter open time).

Declaration

double GetLastExposureDuration()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Double

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GetLastExposureStartTime()

Start time of the last exposure in FITS standard format. (CCYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss[.sss...])

Declaration

DateTime GetLastExposureStartTime()

Returns

Type	Description
System.DateTime

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GetMaxADU()

Reports the maximum ADU value the camera can produce.

Declaration

int GetMaxADU()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Int32

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GetMaxBinX()

Returns the maximum allowed binning for the X camera axis

Declaration

int GetMaxBinX()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Int32

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GetMaxBinY()

Returns the maximum allowed binning for the Y camera axis

Declaration

int GetMaxBinY()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Int32

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GetNumX()

Returns the current subframe width, if binning is active, value is in binned pixels.

Declaration

int GetNumX()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Int32

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GetNumY()

Returns the current subframe height, if binning is active, value is in binned pixels.

Declaration

int GetNumY()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Int32

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GetPercentCompleted()

Returns the percentage of the current operation that is complete. If valid, returns an integer between 0 and 100, where 0 indicates 0% progress (function just started) and 100 indicates 100% progress (i.e. completion).

Declaration

int GetPercentCompleted()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Int32

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GetPixelSizeX()

Returns the width of the CCD chip pixels in microns.

Declaration

double GetPixelSizeX()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Double

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GetPixelSizeY()

Returns the height of the CCD chip pixels in microns.

Declaration

double GetPixelSizeY()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Double

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GetReadoutMode()

Indicates the canera's readout mode as an index into the array ReadoutModes. ReadoutMode is an index into the array ReadoutModes and returns the desired readout mode for the camera. Defaults to 0 if not set.

Declaration

int GetReadoutMode()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Int32

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GetReadoutModes()

Get the list of available readout modes. This property provides an array of strings, each of which describes an available readout mode of the camera. At least one string must be present in the list.

Declaration

IList<string> GetReadoutModes()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Collections.Generic.IList<System.String>

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GetSensorName()

Gets the name of the sensor used within the camera.

Declaration

string GetSensorName()

Returns

Type	Description
System.String

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GetSensorType()

Returns a value indicating whether the sensor is monochrome, or what Bayer matrix it encodes. Please see the ASCOM Help file for more informaiton on the SensorType.

Declaration

SensorType GetSensorType()

Returns

Type	Description
SensorType

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GetStartX()

Gets the subframe start position for the X axis (0 based). If binning is active, value is in binned pixels.

Declaration

int GetStartX()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Int32

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GetStartY()

Gets the subframe start position for the Y axis (0 based). If binning is active, value is in binned pixels.

Declaration

int GetStartY()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Int32

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HasShutter()

Indicates whether the camera has a mechanical shutter

Declaration

bool HasShutter()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Boolean

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IsCoolerOn()

Returns the current cooler on/off state.

Declaration

bool IsCoolerOn()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Boolean

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IsFastReadout()

Returns whether Fast Readout Mode is enabled.

Declaration

bool IsFastReadout()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Boolean

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IsImageReady()

Indicates that an image is ready to be downloaded

Declaration

bool IsImageReady()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Boolean

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IsPulseGuiding()

Indicates that the camera is pulse guideing.

Declaration

bool IsPulseGuiding()

Returns

Type	Description
System.Boolean

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PulseGuide(GuideDirection, Int32)

Activates the Camera's mount control sytem to instruct the mount to move in a particular direction for a given period of time

Declaration

void PulseGuide(GuideDirection direction, int duration)

Parameters

Type	Name	Description
GuideDirection	direction	Direction of movement
System.Int32	duration	Duration of movement in milli-seconds

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SetBinX(Int32)

Sets the binning factor for the X axis.

Declaration

void SetBinX(int binX)

Parameters

Type	Name	Description
System.Int32	binX

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SetBinY(Int32)

Sets the binning factor for the Y axis.

Declaration

void SetBinY(int binY)

Parameters

Type	Name	Description
System.Int32	binY

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SetCCDTemperatureSetPoint(Double)

Set the camera's cooler setpoint (degrees Celsius).

Declaration

void SetCCDTemperatureSetPoint(double temperature)

Parameters

Type	Name	Description
System.Double	temperature	Temperature set point in degrees Celsius

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SetCoolerOn(Boolean)

Turns on and off the camera cooler

Declaration

void SetCoolerOn(bool coolerOn)

Parameters

Type	Name	Description
System.Boolean	coolerOn

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SetFastReadout(Boolean)

Sets whether Fast Readout Mode is enabled.

Declaration

void SetFastReadout(bool fastReadout)

Parameters

Type	Name	Description
System.Boolean	fastReadout	True to enable fast readout mode

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SetGain(Int32)

Set the camera gain

Declaration

void SetGain(int gain)

Parameters

Type	Name	Description
System.Int32	gain	Index of the current camera gain in the Gains string array.

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SetNumX(Int32)

Sets the current subframe width

Declaration

void SetNumX(int numX)

Parameters

Type	Name	Description
System.Int32	numX	Sets the subframe width, if binning is active, value is in binned pixels.

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SetNumY(Int32)

Sets the current subframe width

Declaration

void SetNumY(int numY)

Parameters

Type	Name	Description
System.Int32	numY	Sets the subframe height, if binning is active, value is in binned pixels.

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SetReadoutMode(Int32)

Sets the ReadoutMode as an index into the array ReadoutModes.

Declaration

void SetReadoutMode(int readoutMode)

Parameters

Type	Name	Description
System.Int32	readoutMode

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SetStartX(Int32)

Sets the current subframe X axis start position in binned pixels.

Declaration

void SetStartX(int startX)

Parameters

Type	Name	Description
System.Int32	startX	The subframe X axis start position in binned pixels.

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SetStartY(Int32)

Sets the current subframe Y axis start position in binned pixels.

Declaration

void SetStartY(int startY)

Parameters

Type	Name	Description
System.Int32	startY	The subframe Y axis start position in binned pixels.

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StartExposure(Double, Boolean)

Starts an exposure. Use ImageReady to check when the exposure is complete.

Declaration

void StartExposure(double duration, bool isLight)

Parameters

Type	Name	Description
System.Double	duration	Duration of exposure in seconds
System.Boolean	isLight	True if light frame, false if dark frame.

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StopExposure()

Stops the current exposure, if any. If an exposure is in progress, the readout process is initiated. Ignored if readout is already in process.

Declaration

void StopExposure()