Trial Version_Validation Error

[Knight_Astro]

I just downloaded BYN v2.1 (trial version?) after my email address was validated and all the account information was complete. However, when I open the BYN v2.1  I get the error message:  "Licence validation error! Key length invalid.". I do not have a Licence key (left blank) but I did put in the correct identifier name. Is there something I am missing in the Trial  Validation process? Thanks!

[astroman133]

Please understand that there is no such thing as a "trial version" of BYN or BYE. Trial is the license and version is 2.1.3. The version number tells you and O'Telescope which release of the software you are using. The license can be applied to any version that you have downloaded, except that you cannot apply a BYN license to the BYE software or vice versa.

You need to apply a license key to the software to be able to run the software. To do this you must go to the O'Telescope online store and "purchase" a Trial license. There is not cost for a Trial license and you will not be asked to provide a credit card. Once you have gone through the purchase process, your license key is available to you from the My Purchases | Orders page on this site.

Please note that there are some conditions that apply to the Trial license.

1) It expires 30 days after issue, so I would suggest that you wait until you are ready to use it before "purchasing" it. This includes making sure that your Nikon camera is supported. BYN 2.1.3 was released in April-2023. This means that cameras that were released by Nikon after that time ARE NOT supported by that version of BYN. It could also affect an older Nikon camera model that has had a firmware upgrade after the release date of BYN.

2) I would suggest that you go back to the O'Telescope Download page and download BYN 3.5.0.RC9 from the Pre-Release downloads area to replace version 2.1.3. Also important...the very newest Nikon cameras may require the 64-bit version of BYN, which is only available from the Pre-Release downloads area. Version 3.5.0.RC9 and 3.5.0.RC9 x64 supports newer cameras and has all the latest features. If your camera is not in the Supported cameras list (from the menu in the page footer), you should read the "Is my camera supported?" post in this forum. The O'Telescope developers have been very good about supporting new camera models, as long as Nikon has added support for them into their SDK. Sometimes community members, like yourself, have been asked to test a new version of BYN with their new camera model, before it goes into a Release or Pre-Release version.

3) In order to check whether your Trial license is still within the 30-day period, BYN checks with the O'Telescope servers each time the software is started up. This means that you must have a connection to the Internet each time you use the Trial license. So don't go to a dark sky site with no WiFi and expect to use BYN, unless you can use your smartphone as a hotspot. That said, the whole purpose of the Trial license is to allow you to test BYN with your camera and your workflow before purchasing the software. Most of that testing can be performed with your laptop connected to your camera while working at your kitchen table. You can test the most important features in this home environment:

• Can BYN connect to my camera?
• Does the license validate?
• Can I take a sequence of pictures and download them to the PC in Imaging mode?
• Does LiveView work in Frame & Focus and Planetary modes?
• Does BYN support my intended use?

I hope this helps.