Help - PHD

[gary1968]

Howdy, I was trying to run my new imaging rig tonight for the 1st time. The mount is a HEQ5, guided with an Orion 9x50 guide scope with QHY5 camera. My problem is that I cant get PHD to calibrate, I constantly get a message telling me that 'the guide star did not move far enough' I have tried loads of different settings in PHD, I currently have the 'calibration steps (ms) at 10000 and it still wont calibrate. Can anyone please advise on the 'brain' settings I should be using for this please................................... Cheers, Gary (sorry this post is all one paragraph, since I updated to IE 10 the return key on this laptop wont work in SGL, its fine with everything else)

[Freddie]

With a cal step that big it sounds like you have a comms issue. Have you checked that the commands are actually making it to the mount and it moves in the correct directions?

[gary1968]

Hi, thanks for your input. Yes I am sure the comms are getting to the mount, Eqmod alignment through CdC is fine, I am connected to guide through PHD pulse guiding not ST4. It fails at the first calibration step, i.e. West. The star does move, just not enough. It is cloudy here tonight so cant try again. I never had this bother before with PHD when I was imaging a couple of years ago, but this is the first time I have tried to use a finder guider, if I cant get it to work then a ST80 is on the cards. When (if) it clears I will try again, double checking everything.

[Dodge]

I actually have the same problem, diagnosis is being hampered with the weather. I have a hunch mine might be a graphics card driver problem as I can control my mount via ascom, the webcam works fine, but with everything rigged up as soon as I click the calibrate button the video freezes and of course fails with no movement of the star.

[gary1968]

No, the star does move on mine, just not enough according to PHD. Alignment through CdC and Eqmod is fine, goto's are bang on and tracks great, just PHD wont calibrate.

[lensman57]

I actually have the same problem, diagnosis is being hampered with the weather. I have a hunch mine might be a graphics card driver problem as I can control my mount via ascom, the webcam works fine, but with everything rigged up as soon as I click the calibrate button the video freezes and of course fails with no movement of the star.

Hi,

I have the same problem, I have tested the set up during daytime, and i get an image, comes to the guiding at night and the PHD frezzes during capture. I am using GPUSB to connet to the EQ5 pro.

Regards,

A.G