Askar WAF

Askar (Jiaxing Ruixing Optical Instrument Co., Ltd.) manufactures the Askar WAF, a USB focuser for astronomy. The device presents a USB CDC virtual serial port and is controlled with logical step coordinates.

Askar WAF is the INDI focuser driver for this device. It is part of the INDI core package and uses only the standard serial connection already available in INDI Core.

Features

• Absolute and relative focus moves
• Abort / halt
• Sync logical position (no motor motion)
• Reverse motion direction
• Firmware backlash compensation
• Read and set maximum travel
• Firmware version and model name display

Installation

The driver is included in the INDI core package and does not require extra dependencies.

Start the INDI server with the focuser driver:

indiserver -v indi_askar_waf_focus

Configuration

1. Open the INDI Control Panel and select Askar WAF.
2. On the Connection tab, choose the USB CDC serial port (typically /dev/ttyACM0 on Linux). Baud rate is required to open the port but is otherwise irrelevant for CDC.
3. Click Connect. On success, the driver reads firmware version, model name, max travel, current position, backlash, and reverse settings.

On the Main Control tab you can use:

Control	Description
Absolute Position	Move to a logical step position in [0, Max Position]
Relative Position	Move inward (−) or outward (+) by a number of steps
Abort	Stop motion immediately
Sync	Set the reported logical position without moving the motor
Reverse	Invert physical motor direction for all moves
Backlash	Firmware compensation steps (0 disables compensation)
Max Position	Maximum logical travel (firmware range 100–1000000)
Firmware	Read-only firmware version and model name

Usage & Tips

NOTE

All positions are logical steps. After power-up, the firmware restores the last saved logical position from NVS when available; otherwise it defaults near mid-travel. If the reported position does not match the mechanics, use Sync (for example sync to 0 when fully retracted).

TIP

When changing Max Position, the current logical position must not exceed the new maximum, or the device rejects the command. A common setup is: fully retract → Sync to 0 → extend to the mechanical limit → set Max Position.

• Reverse only inverts motor rotation; logical coordinates stay the same. Use it when the focuser is mounted so that “outward” moves the tube the wrong way.
• Moves are asynchronous. The driver polls motion state and position until the focuser is idle.
• To inspect F…# serial traffic, enable Focuser logging in Ekos Logs (or the driver Debug control in the INDI Control Panel Options tab).