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Subject: [M]: Multitasking PictorView 6.3
From: Michael Hart
Reply To: mapug@shore.net
Date: Fri Dec 05 00:04:54 1997

On Thursday, December 04, 1997 10:17 AM, R. A. Greiner wrote:

<<snip>>

> Multitasking: I need to multitask for rempote control of the telescope,
> guider and camera. Sometimes I would like to use guider and piggy back
> as well as another camera etcetera. With rare good skies I try to run
> as many images as possible at one time.
>
> Mark Cousins but his finger directly on the problem. And I thank him.
> The moment you initiate connection between the Pictorview program and
> the 216XT the computer processor usage goes to 100%. This means that
> the program is polling the camera port continuously and this forces out
> any other communications. When you disconnect the camera, the computer
> returns to normal.
>
> This is very bad news. It means that, as Arnett suggests, you need to
> use a second computer to run the pictorview software. Fortunately
> computers are cheap. Some have reported otherwise on multitasking but
> I do not understand how you can multitask communications when one
> program hoggs its port all of the time as pictorview seems to do.


Gentlemen, please, with all due respect for your distinguished backgrounds
in computer science, let's not make hasty conclusions.

The Windows 95 System Monitor applet checks the CPU for the percent
of time the CPU spends executing instructions versus the time spent idle
(not processing instructions). This does not necessarily mean that a program
with 100% CPU utilization is polling it's port continuously. It could be, or the
program may be utilizing UNUSED CPU cycles for other functions as well
as port activities.

Try loading an image in PV 6.3 while the camera is connected and see what
happens. What is the Processor Usage % now? Do the same while taking
an exposure and note the reading again.

On my P-166 MMX laptop with 128 GB, I get the following processor usage:

Windows 95 OSR2, 14 Applets running: < 1%
Moving touchpad cursor in circles 36%
PV 6.3 2-20% connected, 1-2% imaging
CCDOPS 3.66 (DOS) 100% connected, 100% imaging
CCDSoft 4.00.016 1% connected, 96-97% imaging

>
> If anyone has actually multitasked pictorview with an active serial port
> with the camera actually running I would be very interested in an
> "exact" description of the setup used including hardware, software and
> cabling. Thank you for the many useful responses.


I'm using a P-166 MMX laptop with 128 MB of SDRAM, 5 GB HD- FAT 32,
4 MB VRAM C&T 65554 PCI @ 1024 X 768 X 24 bit, Internal 3-1/2" floppy/
Toshiba XM-1502B CD-ROM Drive, Cirrus Logic PD6832 PCMCIA CardBus
Controller, Apex V-34 Cellular PCMCIA Modem (COM3), Synaptics PS/2
TouchPad, IR Serial Port (COM2), Yamaha OPL3-SAx GamePort and Sound
System, (2) Universal Serial Bus (USB), Intel 82371AB PCI Bridge Controller,
Intel 82439TX Pentium Processor to PCI Bridge Controller.

My setup is simple, I run a clean Windows 95 OSR2. I save experiments,
operating system updates and trial software for another computer. If all goes
well and I have a compelling reason, I will load the new program on my personal
laptop. I'm using the Meade factory serial connection complete with Meade
supplied telephone cable. I have Office, PV 6.3, CCDSoft, CCDOPS, TheSky,
PhotoShop, Picture Publisher, etc, etc.

>
> Doc G
>
>


As I write this, I'm online downloading a zip file while PV 6.3 is taking an image.
I am using the serial port for PV 6.3. The download has completed properly
and I will now check the contents for corruption. All the files look good. Now,
I'm going to newsgroups. The Meade newsgroup doesn't have much activity-
I see a free game and free vacation offer. As I read a post about the free vacation,
I hear the 416 shutter close. After downloading messages and looking at a few
more posts, I click on PV 6.3. Now, I see a complete, uncorrupted image that
was uploaded by PV 6.3.

I primarily use PV 2.0. Right now, I don't have a compelling reason to switch
to PV 6.3. This is not to say PV 6.3 works perfectly and multitasks effortlessly,
as I haven't enough experience with PV 6.3 to form an opinion. Still, I don't see
the problems of excessive CPU requirements and port polling as concluded by
Doc G.


--
Michael Hart
Husen Observatory
mhart@netexpress.net