M51, Whirlpool Galaxy M17, Omega Nebula M57, Ring Nebula M13, Globular Cluster M63, Sunflower Galaxy




Owl, which is a replacement for Voodoo, is a Java and C++ based image acquisition software program that can acquire images from both CCD and IR detector systems. Owl utilizes the ARC_API C++ libraries at its core, with Java only providing GUI, scripting, and control functions. It has been designed to be used for both development and scientific image acquisition.

Features -

  • Scripting via bean shell (bsh).
  • Scripts can access GUI components and controller functions
  • Configurable windows with new, easier to use, interface
  • Image buffer size automatically handled by program
  • Platform independent. Runs on Linux, Windows 7/XP/Vista and Mac OS X
  • Source code is provided, allowing users to customize the program
  • Supports continuous readout and configurable controller parameters
  • Images written as FITS or TIFF
  • New In Version 3.0: ARC-66 PCIe and large image buffer support

NOTE: Requires download and installation of the matching AstroPCI(e) Device Driver version. If needed, the older AstroPCI version 1.7 Device Driver can be used by adding the following information to the startup.ini file located in the Owl home directory:

         windows:  [DEVICE 0]         linux/solaris:  [DEVICE 0]
                    astropci1                          astropci0

Any linux/solaris version downloaded after Feb 16, 2010 requires the download of the current 2.0 driver.

NOTES: Owl FAQ

Version 3.5 Download

Version 3.5 contains major internal changes and a few GUI modifications. Requires changes to existing scripts not included with Owl. Compatible with all version 3.x drivers.

Linux 32-bit Apr 4 2013 13:02:38
Linux 64-bit Apr 4 2013 13:15:49
Windows 7/Vista/XP Apr 4 2013 12:21:25
Mac OS X Apr 4 2013 12:43:47

Version 3.0 Download
Linux 32-bit Apr 23 2013 18:22:42
Linux 64-bit Apr 23 2013 18:40:23
Windows XP/Vista/7 32-bit/64-bit Sep 6 2012 16:33:43
Mac OS X Mar 28 2013 14:16:49

Version 2.0 Download
Solaris/SUN Jan 24 2011 17:31:45
Linux 32-bit Jan 21 2011 15:47:30
Linux 64-bit Jan 21 2011 16:14:35
Windows XP/Vista/7 32-bit/64-bit Jul 21 2011 19:24:19

Version 1.0 Download
This version was released via e-mail request only, and will not be posted here since version 2.0 precedes it.

Users Manual
Owl User Manual 2.0 Aug 6 2009 19:58:40



Voodoo is a Java based image aquisition software program that can aquire images from both CCD and IR detector systems. It has been designed to be used for both development and scientific image aquisition.

Features -

  • Platform independent. Runs on Solaris, Linux and Windows XP/Vista
  • Source code is provided, allowing users to customize the program
  • Supports continuous readout and configurable controller parameters
  • Images written as FITS or TIFF

NOTE: Requires download and installation of the AstroPCI Device Driver.
Voodoo version 2.0 is only compatible with AstroPCI version 2.0. The
programs are not backward compatible!. Likewise for version 1.7.

NOTE: Voodoo is currently NOT compatible with 64-bit systems!

IMPORTANT: Voodoo HAS BEEN REPLACED BY Owl AND IS NO LONGER UPDATED. Voodoo SHOULD NOT BE USED UNLESS THERE IS GOOD REASON! NEW USERS SHOULD DOWNLOAD OWL 3 OR NEWER!

NOTES: Voodoo FAQ

Version 2.0 Download
Solaris (sparc) Jan 24 2011 17:41:36
Linux ( 32-bit only ) Jan 20 2011 18:25:11
Windows XP/Vista Jan 21 2011 16:26:57

Version 1.7 Download
Solaris/SUN Aug 8 2007 18:31:55
Linux/RedHat Aug 8 2007 18:13:25
Windows XP/2000 Aug 8 2007 18:23:37
Voodoo Revision List Dec 31 1969 19:00:00
Voodoo Programmers Manual Feb 12 2007 16:07:29

Users Manual
Voodoo Users Manual - All Versions Feb 12 2007 16:08:02



The AstroPCIe device driver allows Owl and customer applications to communicate with the camera controller via the PCIe board to aquire image data. Source code for the drivers is provided. Its works with both ARC-66 and ARC-67 (PC-104) PCIe interface boards.

NOTE: Please see the ReadMe file for large image buffers ( >= 4200x4200 ) on Windows. Buffers as large as 18Kx13K have been successfully tested on Windows 7 x64 with 6GB of RAM.

NOTE: AstroPCIe Device Driver version 3.0 or newer is only compatible with Owl/ARC_API version 3.0 or newer. The drivers are not backward compatible with older program versions.

Version 3.5 Download

PCIe Device Driver version 3.5 has only internal name and structure changes. One minor issue involving image buffer size checking has also been fixed. If your operating system is not listed below, then use the version 3.0 driver for your OS. Version 3.5 is fully compatible with all other 3.0 software ( Owl, ARC_API, etc. ).

Linux Kernel 2.6.x 64-bit May 8 2013 14:18:35
Linux Kernel 2.6.x 32-bit May 8 2013 14:39:48
Windows 7 64-bit Dec 14 2012 15:23:08
Windows 7 32-bit Dec 14 2012 15:22:13
Windows Vista 64-bit Dec 14 2012 15:21:21
Windows Vista 32-bit Dec 14 2012 15:20:23
Windows XP ( 32-bit Only ) Dec 14 2012 15:23:59
Windows Server 2003/XP 64-bit Dec 14 2012 15:19:19
Mac OS X 10.6/7/8 Apr 4 2013 12:47:13

Version 3.0 Download
Linux Kernel 2.6.x 64-bit May 8 2013 14:09:53
Linux Kernel 2.6.x 32-bit May 8 2013 14:35:36
Windows 7 64-bit Dec 12 2011 15:42:10
Windows 7 32-bit Dec 12 2011 15:41:14
Windows Vista 64-bit Dec 12 2011 15:40:24
Windows Vista 32-bit Dec 12 2011 15:39:30
Windows XP ( 32-bit Only ) Dec 12 2011 15:42:56
Windows Server 2003/XP 64-bit Dec 12 2011 15:38:44
Mac OS X May 4 2012 12:57:26


The AstroPCI device driver allows Voodoo and customer applications to communicate with the camera controller and PCI board to aquire image data. Source code for the drivers is provided. Its works with both ARC-63 ( GenII ) and ARC-64 ( GenIII ) PCI interface boards.

NOTE: Please see the ReadMe file for large image buffers ( >= 4200x4200 ) on Windows. Buffers as large as 18Kx13K have been successfully tested on Windows 7 x64 with 6GB of RAM.

NOTE: AstroPCI Device Driver version 2.0 is only compatible with Voodoo/Owl/ARC_API version 2.0. The drivers are not backward compatible with older program versions.

NOTE: Linux Fedora Core 8 is only compatible with kernel 2.6.24.x. This driver
is not backward compatible with older kernels, such as 2.6.11.x ( Fedora Core 4 ).

NOTES: Device Driver FAQ

Version 3.5 Download

PCI Device Driver version 3.5 has only internal name and structure changes. One minor issue involving image buffer size checking has also been fixed. If your operating system is not listed below, then use the version 3.0 driver for your OS. Version 3.5 is fully compatible with all other 3.0 software ( Owl, ARC_API, etc. ).

Linux Kernel 2.6.x 64-bit May 8 2013 14:20:53
Linux Kernel 2.6.x 32-bit May 8 2013 14:38:09
Windows 7 64-bit Dec 14 2012 15:16:01
Windows 7 32-bit Dec 14 2012 15:14:45
Windows Vista 64-bit Dec 14 2012 15:13:41
Windows Vista 32-bit Dec 14 2012 15:12:33
Windows XP ( 32-bit Only ) Dec 14 2012 15:17:05

Version 3.0 Download
Linux Kernel 2.6.x 64-bit May 8 2013 14:12:35
Linux Kernel 2.6.x 32-bit May 8 2013 14:33:50
Windows 7 64-bit Dec 12 2011 15:52:14
Windows 7 32-bit Dec 12 2011 15:51:19
Windows Vista 64-bit Dec 12 2011 15:50:32
Windows Vista 32-bit Dec 12 2011 15:49:33
Windows XP Dec 12 2011 15:53:01
Mac OS X ( Requires PCI extension box like Magma Part# 01-4741-04 ) May 4 2012 12:57:21

Version 2.0 Download
Linux CentOS 5.x 32-bit May 23 2011 18:38:22
Linux CentOS 5.x 64-bit Sep 26 2011 07:31:05
Linux Ubuntu 10.04 32-bit ( Limited Support ) Sep 26 2011 15:02:11
Linux Ubuntu 10.04 64-bit ( Limited Support ) Sep 26 2011 15:00:48
Linux Fedora Core 12 64-bit ( no longer supported ) Feb 17 2010 12:39:24
Linux Fedora Core 11 ( no longer supported ) Jun 28 2010 15:29:15
Linux Fedora Core 8 ( no longer supported ) Jul 18 2008 16:17:43
Solaris ( no longer supported ) Jul 23 2008 13:37:08
Windows 7 64-bit Dec 12 2011 15:57:42
Windows 7 32-bit Dec 12 2011 15:56:41
Windows Vista 64-bit Dec 12 2011 15:55:52
Windows Vista 32-bit Dec 12 2011 15:54:52
Windows XP Dec 12 2011 15:58:33

Version 1.7 Download
Solaris Feb 12 2007 16:23:20
Linux Fedora Core 4 ( no longer supported ) Jul 23 2007 19:53:04
Linux Fedora Core 2 ( no longer supported ) Feb 12 2007 16:23:15
Linux Redhat 7.2 ( no longer supported ) Feb 12 2007 16:23:19
Windows XP Feb 12 2007 16:23:26
Windows 2000 ( no longer supported ) Feb 12 2007 16:23:24
Revision List Aug 8 2007 20:03:07



Here you will find a list of DSP firmware for specific systems.

ARC-22 Download
ARC-22 C Example Code Jul 15 2008 14:58:25
ARC-22 C Manual Nov 18 2008 17:25:03
DSP Overview Manual Oct 16 2007 19:40:19



WaveformAnalyzer is a java based program used to graphically display Gen III DSP waveform files. The timing and states for all waveforms can be viewed, but not edited. This is a viewer only.

Download
Windows Jul 22 2011 13:51:10
Linux 32-bit Jul 22 2011 13:13:10
Linux 64-bit Jul 22 2011 13:05:43



DSP ASSEMBLERS - Below is a list of Motorola DSP assemblers. There is also the set of scripts used for generating the various DSP files on Windows systems. DSPs are located on the PCI, Timing and Utility Boards.

Windows XP/Vista Download
Motorola DSP 56000 Assemblers Feb 12 2007 16:21:06
Motorola DSP 56300 Assemblers Feb 12 2007 16:21:34
Generic DSP Scripts Gen II Jul 26 2010 16:22:48
Generic DSP Scripts Gen III Jul 26 2010 16:22:49

Solaris Download
Motorola DSP 56000 Assemblers Feb 12 2007 16:20:12
Motorola DSP 56300 Assemblers Feb 12 2007 16:20:50

Linux Download
NOTE: Linux users can download the Wine Toolset ,
which allows Linux to execute Windows applications.
Wine Script Aug 22 2008 14:14:32


ROM BURNERS - We supply ROM burning programs for both the PCI and Timing boards. These programs will permanently overwrite the existing contents of the boards ROM. This might be required when upgrading software versions. These programs should not be used lightly, as they can render a board inoperable.

Version 1.7 Download - (Solaris-Linux-Windows XP)
PCI Board ROM Burning Program Feb 12 2007 16:24:57
Timing Board ROM Burning Program Feb 12 2007 16:25:56



The ARC Device Driver Application Interface (API) is for customers wanting to interface their own applications to the device driver for direct access to an ARC PCI(e) board and controller. NOTE: Version 3.5 is the newest release and should be the one that is downloaded. 

    CArcDevice library      - Class that provides access the PCI(e) board and controller
    CArcDeinterlace library - Class that can deinterlace an image buffer
    CArcFitsFile library    - Class wrapper to cfitsio for reading/writing fits files
    CArcTiffFile library    - Class wrapper to libtiff for reading/writing tiff files
    CArcImage library       - Class for calculating image statistics (histogram, min, max, etc)
    CArcDisplay library     - Class for displaying images in SAOImage DS9

Version 3.5 Download

C interfaces are now included directly within each library. See the xxxCAPI.h header supplied with the library for details.

XP/Vista/7 32/64-bit Apr 2 2013 19:11:43 | Source Apr 2 2013 19:11:02
Linux 32/64-bit Apr 2 2013 17:26:56 | Linux Source 32/64-bit Apr 2 2013 17:31:06
Mac OS X Apr 2 2013 19:17:27 | Source Apr 2 2013 19:28:51

ARC Java API ( requires ARC API Version 3.5 ) Apr 4 2013 12:05:30

ARC API C/C++ Examples ( XP/Vista/7 32/64-bit VS2012 ) Apr 2 2013 20:12:53
ARC API C/C++ Examples ( Linux 32/64-bit eclipse ) Apr 3 2013 17:13:08
ARC API C/C++ Examples ( Mac OS X xcode ) Apr 3 2013 12:47:19

Version 3.0 Download

The ARC Device Driver Application Interface (API) is for customers wanting to interface their own applications to the device driver and controller. It is written in C++ and consists of a set of independent libraries. Because they are independent, the user may use some or all of the libraries: 

    CArcDevice library      - Class that provides access the PCI(e) board and controller
    CDeinterlace library    - Class that can deinterlace an image buffer
    CFitsFile library       - Class wrapper to cfitsio for reading/writing fits files
    CTiffFile library       - Class wrapper to libtiff for reading/writing tiff files
    CImage library          - Class for calculating image statistics (histogram, min, max, etc)
    CDisplay library        - Class for displaying images in SAOImage DS9
    CameraAPI library       - Java JNI functions used by Owl to interface the other libraries
    ArcCameraAPI library    - C interface for the API C++ classes

NOTES: API FAQ

XP/Vista/7 32/64-bit May 8 2013 15:05:59 | Source May 8 2013 15:05:36
Linux 32-bit May 8 2013 14:24:33 | Linux Source 32-bit May 8 2013 14:26:05
Linux 64-bit May 8 2013 14:26:37 | Linux Source 64-bit May 8 2013 14:28:00
Mac OS X May 6 2013 13:47:03 | Source May 6 2013 14:00:50
Users Manual [ pdf ] Mar 15 2012 18:53:51

ArcCameraAPI C Interface Test Program Oct 20 2011 15:36:47

Version 2.0 Download

This is the older, out-dated library. Only download this if you have good reason to. The ARC Device Driver Application Interface (API) is for customers wanting to interface their own applications to the device driver and controller. It is written in C++ and consists of a set of independent libraries. Because they are independent, the user may use some or all of the libraries: 

    CController library     - Class that provides access the PCI board and controller
    CDeinterlace library    - Class that can deinterlace an image buffer
    CFitsFile library       - Class wrapper to cfitsio for reading/writing fits files
    CTiffFile library       - Class wrapper to libtiff for reading/writing tiff files
    CImage library          - Class for calculating image statistics (histogram, min, max, etc)
    CDisplay library        - Class for displaying images in SAOImage DS9
    CXLBuffer library       - Class for handling the readout of images greater than 4200x4200
    CameraAPI library       - Java JNI functions used by Owl to interface the other libraries
    CameraAPIClient library - Java JNI functions used by Owl to interface with an ArcAPIServer
    CArcAPIClient library   - Class for interfacing with an ArcAPIServer
    ArcAPIServer program    - A simple console server used to remotely access the API libraries
    CWrapAPI library        - C interface for the CController C++ class

NOTES: API FAQ

Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7 32/64-bit Jan 10 2013 16:18:13 | Source Jan 24 2011 18:41:18
Linux 32-bit Jan 20 2011 18:30:36 | Linux Source 32-bit Aug 29 2011 00:30:46
Linux 64-bit Jan 20 2011 19:18:51 | Linux Source 64-bit Aug 29 2011 07:31:20
Solaris Dec 31 1969 19:00:00 | Solaris Source Dec 31 1969 19:00:00
HTML Help Files [zip] [online] Nov 4 2011 18:00:01

Version 1.7 - ( Solaris/Linux/Windows XP )

This is the older, out-dated library. Only download this if you have good reason to. The AstroPCI Device Driver Application Interface (API) is for customers wanting to interface their own applications to the device driver. It is written in C. Both dynamic (.so, .dll) and static (.a, .lib) libraries are available that contain functions for communicating with the device driver. Sample test programs demonstrate the use of the libraries.

Dynamic Device Driver API Feb 12 2007 16:23:50
Static Device Driver API Feb 12 2007 16:24:22
Test Program For Dynamic API Feb 12 2007 16:22:45
Test Program For Static API Feb 12 2007 16:23:12
Revision List Aug 8 2007 20:03:07
Device Driver API Manual Feb 12 2007 16:08:37



Here you will find a list of general software documents.

PCI/Controller Command Descriptions Feb 12 2007 16:06:50
Continuous Readout Feb 12 2007 16:06:53
Controller Configuration Descriptions Feb 12 2007 16:06:58