ImCap
Windows 95/98 Image Capture Software
for the SBIG ST-4 Camera
by Howard C. Anderson

ImCap software

ImCap image capture software for the ST-4 is freeware written by Howard C. Anderson.   The software is made available here as a courtesy to SBIG ST-4 users and with permission of the author.  This Windows 95/98 software will control the ST-4 imaging functions (but not the tracking functions).

Note:  the software is currently "freeware", Copyright 2000, Howard C. Anderson.  All rights are reserved by the author except for personal use.   Please check with Howard Anderson for updates, bug reports, etc.  SBIG does not offer support for this software and no warranty is express or implied by SBIG by our making a copy available here for free download.  Mr. Anderson also makes this software available for free downloads from his own web site.  Please check this site for updates:  http://www.frontiernet.net/~handy13/

Download ImCap - (Self-installing executable, 337K byes.   Version 1.70 - Update 22 Dec 00, includes LX200 telescope control)

        Click here to download ImCap [ImCap170.exe] from SBIG ftp site.

Installation Instructions

After you click on the above, and after you have placed ImCap.exe into a directory of your choice, you should run ImCap.exe.  It will self-install the ImCap system into the C:\ImCap directory.  There will then be a file, C:\ImCap\imcap.exe, in that directory which is the file you should select and run.  A help file is included.  The only other file that is created (created when imcap.exe is first run) is C:\windows\imcap.ini which contains the settings that you make so that it "remembers" them.
If you loaded earlier versions (1.01, 1.02), you should delete the C:\wincam and C:\imcap directories (if they exist) before installing version 1.70.  This will merely save you some space by ensuring that older files are gone.  Also, if there is a C:\windows\wincam.ini you should delete that too.  I had some problems settling on a name and that is why these earlier items might exist and why they should be deleted.

Version 1.50 includes LX200 telescope controls.  Please see Howard Anderson's web site for details on further updates.

Version 1.03 shows a count-down of seconds remaining during an exposure then beeps once when the image download from the ST-4 to the PC begins.  It then beeps twice when the download is complete and the image is about to be displayed.

Version 1.03 also allows you to load a dark frame from a file so that if you do the image processing operations within ImCap, you can cause a particular dark frame to be used for dark frame subtraction.  This is useful if you have a favorite camera setting and want to use a previously saved dark frame that is appropriate for your current camera setting.