APT Question

[Hawkeye]

Hi,

Does anyone know if it is possible to control a Skywatcher EQ5 with Duel axis motors and Shoestring GPUSB for basic movement within APT telescope control?..

I can get the software to see the mount but every time I press one of the direction buttons I get an error message saying "! Can not move xxxxxxx Exception Occurred"

Cheers

Paul

[RikM]

Not 100% sure but I think you need one of the Synscan / Syntrek mounts to be able to control via laptop.

[Hawkeye]

I forgot to say that when I run the GPUSB Check I can get the mount to move with the RA / DEC buttons (so I know I can move the mount via the laptop)

[RikM]

Beyond me then, sorry. Perhaps an email to Ivo if you get no sensible feedback here?

[Yoddha]

Hi Paul,

What ASCOM driver do you use? I'm not 100% sure but there should be a kind of controller in order to be able to control the mount through PC. If I'm right GPUSB is used for guiding which in fact is sending guiding pulses to the motors.

[Hawkeye]

Hi Ivo,

I have the V6 ASCOM platform installed and the driver I have installed is the one by Shoestring GPUSB_ASCOM V1.0.0..

So should APT be able to move the mount?

Cheers

Paul

[Yoddha]

Hi Paul,

Did you try to command the mount from other program?

[Hawkeye]

Hi again Ivo,

If I use PHD using the 'Manual Guide' buttons and having set the scope to either GPUSB or ASCOM then I can get the mount to move using the buttons, and as I have said it works via the GPUSB Check software. I have tried using APT with PHD running and not running but I always get the same error message...

All i want to be able to do is 'nudge' the scope whilst using live view so I can centre the image correctly ( and the drift alignment would be a bonus!)

Cheers

Paul

[Yoddha]

Hi Paul,

PHD is sending a special type of commands to the mount named "Pulse guiding" commands. They are different from the normal moving commands that ASCOM supports for big moves like GoTo and direction moves. Pulse commands make very fine movements and if I implement them in APT you will have to wait long time before you see change in the pictures.