Getting started

Install the N.I.N.A. plugin

Not yet released. The plugin is in development and is being tested by a few imagers during the pilot. The download page shows its current state. These notes describe what it does so you know what to expect.

Requirements

  • N.I.N.A. 3.1 or newer on Windows.
  • A Rapid Stacker Collab account and a join code.

Install

When released, the plugin will be listed in N.I.N.A.'s plugin browser, and a signed zip will be on the download page. Restart N.I.N.A. after installing, as for any plugin.

Sign in without a password

  1. In the plugin's options, choose Sign in. It shows an 8-character code such as K7QM-3XWD.
  2. On this site, signed in, open the approval page and type the code. Approve only a code that is on your own screen.
  3. The plugin finishes signing in within a few seconds and keeps its token with Windows data protection (DPAPI). You can revoke it from your dashboard.

The plugin is given permission to read your projects, join with a code you give it, upload frames and download masters. It can never manage projects.

Join and map filters

Enter the join code in the plugin. A grid lists your N.I.N.A. filter-wheel names with the project's suggestion beside each; confirm it once per project. See filter mapping.

What it uploads, and when

  • Light frames of the active project, and calibration frames if you turn on that option. A frame is attributed to a project when its target name matches, or its pointing falls inside the project frame.
  • When: immediately, when idle (no exposure running), after the sequence ends, or in a time window you set; with an optional bandwidth cap, pause and resume.
  • A local queue survives restarts, and the upload resumes a partly sent frame.
  • You can back-fill older nights by picking folders: the plugin previews the attribution of each file before uploading.

Your location is removed by default

Before uploading, the plugin writes a temporary copy of each file without SITELAT, SITELONG and SITEELEV. This is on by default, and a project owner can require it. Your original files are never changed or deleted. See privacy.

Other capture software

For other software (SGP, Voyager, APT, KStars/Ekos, ASIAIR exports) there is a standalone command-line uploader with a watch-folder mode: see other capture software. A browser uploader handles one-off contributions.