PHD2 help

[Craigyboy3542]

HI 

I have been trying to use PHD and PHD2 with no success i keep getting the following error message can someone please advise me of the setting i should be using for the following equipment or give me any other advise.

HEQ5 Pro

SW80ED

9x50 finder with a QHY5L-II

Error message

 

See attached word doc for the current PHD2 settings i am using

PHD2 settings.docx

[silios]

Pop the manual guide menu and check if PHD has indeed a connection to the mount by moving it in some direction.

If that is excluded and the mount moves, make sure the RA and DEC clutches are tight and make a bad pixel map - dark frame library so you can be sure you are not selecting a dead pixel to guide on (which by definition will never move).

http://openphdguiding.org/man/Darks_BadPixel_Maps.htm

[Horwig]

so you can be sure you are not selecting a dead pixel to guide on (which by definition will never move).

Can't agree more. I use a Lodestar, which has quite a few hot pixels. My guider is never quite focused (I'm lazy) it helps distinguish stars from individual pixels, and PHD is clever enough to guide well on defocused stars.

Huw

[Craigyboy3542]

Pop the manual guide menu and check if PHD has indeed a connection to the mount by moving it in some direction.

If that is excluded and the mount moves, make sure the RA and DEC clutches are tight and make a bad pixel map - dark frame library so you can be sure you are not selecting a dead pixel to guide on (which by definition will never move).

http://openphdguiding.org/man/Darks_BadPixel_Maps.htm

Thank you very much, i haven't made a dark frame library maybe i was on a bad pixel... 

[Earl]

I always defocus my guide a touch.

[Thalestris24]

Hi

Looking at your screen image, it doesn't look like a hot pixel. Are you using the ST4 method? If so, did you select 'on camera' for the mount? I'd also use hysteresis for both RA and DEC algorithms.

Hope you get it sorted

Louise

[Craigyboy3542]

Hey 

Well i created Dark Frame library, changed RA and DEC both to Hystersis.

It was showing as Pulse guiding by default, when i changed it to ST4 i got a error message (sorry can't remember what is was and didn't screen shot is as was in a rush to pack equipment away before the rain.)

But still getting the original error  

[Thalestris24]

Hi

It should only be ST4 if you're using an ST4 cable between camera and mount. Otherwise it will be pulse guiding via an eqdir cable from laptop to mount. Can you manually slew the mount in RA and DEC via eqmod? Likewise via PHD2? It looks like your guide camera and PHD2 are working ok but perhaps there's no communication to the mount.

Louise

[Craigyboy3542]

Hi

It should only be ST4 if you're using an ST4 cable between camera and mount. Otherwise it will be pulse guiding via an eqdir cable from laptop to mount. Can you manually slew the mount in RA and DEC via eqmod? Likewise via PHD2? It looks like your guide camera and PHD2 are working ok but perhaps there's no communication to the mount.

Louise

Hi Louise 

I have both a EQDIR cable attached and a ST4, Yeah i can slew the scope around in RA and DEC with EQMOD (using a game pad), i must check i can via PHD2 i forgot to check that part.

But as stated when i tried to switch it to ST4 i got a error message 

Craig

[Thalestris24]

Hi

I think probably you shouldn't have both ST4 and eqdir connected... Good that you can slew the mount via eqmod.

Louise

[chrisshillito]

There is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't guide via ST-4 and use EQMOD for slewing, tracking and parking the mount.

Chris.

[Thalestris24]

There is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't guide via ST-4 and use EQMOD for slewing, tracking and parking the mount.

Chris.

Ah, ok - I thought they might conflict.

Louise

[buikimaging]

There is an option in EQmod to disable pulse guiding, you could de-deselect it and try again. It could be that PHD I'd sending the tracking corrections through both ST4 and the pulse-guide way leaving it interfering with another.

Perhaps that would work?

[daz]

How have you connected PHD2 to the mount?

What options/settings?

You might also find that the step size of 2000 is not enough for the camera and guider combination. A 9x50 finder will give a very wide field of view, and depending on what rates you have set in EQMOD will depend how much the mount is being asked to move by PHD2.

The star needs to move by several pixels at least (I am thinking 5 but that may be Maxim!!) in order for PHD to do the calculations...

[Earl]

I get the same problem if i connect to my mount via Poth hub, I have to select temma instead, which in theory should not work as the mount is connected to poth hub.

I scratched my head, saw it work and shrugged.