Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- stacker:docs:stackshot [2019/09/11 02:05]
rjlittlefield folder --> directory
+++ stacker:docs:stackshot [2020/12/13 23:53]
rjlittlefield [Troubleshooting]
@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 Zerene Stacker uses industry-standard device drivers for the USB chip that is utilized by the StackShot controller.
-**For Windows computers (Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP)** that are connected to the Internet, the required drivers usually will be automatically located and installed by the operating system when the controller is first plugged in.  For computers that are not connected to the Internet or cannot find the proper drivers online for themselves, drivers for the Stackshot controller can be downloaded from [[http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/D2XX.htm]].   As of 14 April 2017, the **setup executable** for Windows (both 32-bit and 64-bit systems) is [[http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/CDM/CDM21226_Setup.zip|http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/CDM/CDM21226_Setup.zip]].  Simply download this file, burn it to CD or thumbdrive, transfer it to the offline machine, and run the executable there.
+**For Windows computers (Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP)** that are connected to the Internet, the required drivers usually will be automatically located and installed by the operating system when the controller is first plugged in.  For computers that are not connected to the Internet or cannot find the proper drivers online for themselves, drivers for the Stackshot controller can be downloaded from [[http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/D2XX.htm]].   As of 13 December 2020, the **setup executable** for Windows (both 32-bit and 64-bit systems) is contained in [[https://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/CDM/CDM21228_Setup.zip|https://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/CDM/CDM21228_Setup.zip]].  To load drivers onto an offline machine, simply download this file on a different computer that is online, burn it to CD or thumbdrive, transfer it to the offline machine, and run the executable there.
-**For Macintosh and Linux computers**, drivers are included in Mac OS X and Linux and will be configured by Zerene Stacker if necessary.  You do need to run Zerene Stacker from an account with administrative privileges (one that is allowed to update Mac OS X), and you'll be asked to provide the password for the account that you're using.  For most users, your regular account will work fine, and the password to provide is just the one that you normally use to login to your computer.  Once the password is provided, Zerene Stacker manages all the details internally.
+**For Macintosh and Linux computers**, drivers are included in Mac OS X and Linux and will be configured by Zerene Stacker if necessary.  You do need to run Zerene Stacker from an account with administrative privileges (one that is allowed to update Mac OS X), and you may be asked to provide the password for the account that you're using.  For most users, your regular account will work fine, and the password to provide is just the one that you normally use to login to your computer.  Once the password is provided, Zerene Stacker manages all the details internally.
 ==== Using the Zerene Stacker controls ====
@@ Line 85: / Line 85: @@
 === Hotkeys ===
-A small set of hotkeys is currently provided. Currently there is an “asdf” set for Back (“a”), Fwd (“s”), Set Start (“d”), and Set End (“f”).  The “left-arrow” and “right-arrow” keys may also work for Back and Fwd, but these may require that one of the buttons is clicked first in order to direct keyboard input properly.  Currently the assignment of hotkeys is fixed, but these will be adjustable in subsequent versions.
+A small set of hotkeys is currently provided. Currently there is an “asdfx” set for Back (“a”), Fwd (“s”), Set Start (“d”), Set End (“f”), and Shoot ("x").  The “left-arrow” and “right-arrow” keys may also work for Back and Fwd, but these may require that one of the buttons is clicked first in order to direct keyboard input properly.  In addition there are right-hand hotkeys for Back Step ("j") and Fwd Step ("k").
 === Configuration Settings ===
@@ Line 137: / Line 137: @@
 Torque and similar parameters are still specified using buttons on the StackShot controller, at this time.
+=== Saving and reloading configuration settings ===
+StackShot configuration settings are managed in the same way as all the other preferences, with two exceptions:
+  - in the GUI they appear in the StackShot panel instead of Options > Preferences, and
+  - the StackShot panel has its own local copy of many of the configuration settings, as long as it is open.
+So, the StackShot configuration settings can be explicitly saved and reloaded by closing the StackShot panel and then using the "Save preferences..." and "Load preferences..." buttons in the Options > Preferences panel
+StackShot configuration settings are also stored as part of saved projects, so they are saved and reloaded by File > Save Project and File > Open Project, again as long as those operations are done while the StackShot panel is closed.
+None of these mechanisms allows to save and restore the StackShot configuration separately from all the other preferences. (In general, there is no mechanism to save and restore any subsets of preferences.)
 === Step Sizes ===
@@ Line 256: / Line 268: @@
 **First, a bit of background may help...**
-__Very important__: **Zerene Stacker never attempts to talk to the camera directly**.  When Zerene Stacker wants to take a picture, it sends a command to the StackShot controller to do that.  The StackShot controller then closes an electrical switch on the shutter cable.  The closing of that electrical switch causes the camera to take a picture.  In response to the picture being taken, the camera and EOS Utility have a conversation between themselves to transfer the image to the computer.
+__Very important__: **Zerene Stacker never attempts to talk to the camera directly**.  When Zerene Stacker wants to take a picture, it sends a command to the StackShot controller to do that.  The StackShot controller then closes an electrical switch on the shutter cable.  The closing of that electrical switch causes the camera to take a picture.  In response to the picture being taken, the camera and the camera control software (__not__ Zerene Stacker) have a conversation between themselves to transfer the image to the computer.
-When things are acting normally, there are three separate communication channels: USB from Zerene Stacker to StackShot controller box, shutter cable from StackShot controller box to camera, and USB from camera to EOS Utility.  (If you are using the "Stack New Images" function in Zerene Stacker, then there is a fourth communication channel of sorts, in which Zerene Stacker periodically checks a folder in the computer's file system to see if there are new images to process.  But that is seldom an issue when people see problems.)
+When things are acting normally, there are three separate communication channels: USB from Zerene Stacker to StackShot controller box, shutter cable from StackShot controller box to camera, and USB from camera to camera control software such as Canon EOS Utility.  (If you are using the "Stack New Images" function in Zerene Stacker, then there is a fourth communication channel of sorts, in which Zerene Stacker periodically checks a folder in the computer's file system to see if there are new images to process.  But that is seldom an issue when people see problems.)
 Each of these communication channels should be completely independent of the others, except to the extent that activity on one may alter timing of events on another.