Mesu 200 with sitech ii controller

[ncjunk]

I was thinking the same as you yesterday Tom 16 slots instead of 4 would be perfect.

I have kids so want it locked in place in case they knock it.....ahhh who am I kidding...its for me as i go in the observatory to get something and always walk straight into the mount (i swear it moves)

3 against 1! We win!

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[ncjunk]

Continuing the Mesu installation I have loaded focusmax and configured it, tested ACP and Maxim with it and checked guiding.

The next thing I wanted to do was configure the horizon in the sitech ascom driver to stop it trying to image through the observatory wall. I´ll cover this in two posts 1: Configuring the Sitech Horizon and 2: translating the Horizon file to Carte du ciel so that it shows your visible horizon.

In the next image you can see the "Config" tab on the Ascom driver. The easiest way to map your horizon is move the scope to a start point that is just on the visible side and then click "Add current Alt/Az to Horizon File". With only one point all you will see on the horizon screen is a big circle.

What you now need to do is move the scope around a full 360 degrees adding points as you go. You can go to the Horizon File tab under "Change Config!" at any time to see how your horizon is looking like. You don´t have to do lots if you have a nice simple horizon, I just added more points at critical positions.

Under the "Horizon File" tab, shown above, you have a few more options. You can manually click new points or you can right click on it to move the scope to that position, check the orientation and then click "add current alt az to horizon file". all very easy and absolutely fantastic.

You can click on "save current horizon file" to save a back up of the horizon and we will use this to configure carte du ciel.

Part two next adding to carte du ciel

[ncjunk]

The following is for the Sitech Ascom driver running on XP.

If you saved your horizon file to the default location you will probably find it under:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users.WINDOWS\Application Data\SiTech\SiTechExe

The horizon file is a simple file which contains a value for Azimuth and a value for Altitude.

The Sitech values are variables of the type "Real" (I presume) as they have a decimal point so you will see something like 123.45,23.64

To translate to carte du ciel you just need to round up or down the decimal point for the Azimuth so that you just have an integer value and save the new file as a txt with the name you want to call your horizon in cartes.

You must have a value at the north point, Azimuth 0. but you can estimate a point for this from your other values, either side of north, if you didn´t do a point exactly on north.

then save it to the following place:

C:\Program Files\Ciel\data\horizon

Here is a screen capture showing my files with sitech on the left and carte on the right, including estimated north:

and a capture of cartes:

I just have to check the flip points at the zenith now and I am good to go.

Regards,

[pubquiz]

Hi Neil

In layman's terms once you have done this what does it actually do during an imaging run?

When the scope gets to a position where the sky is not visible (due to say part of your observatories roof) does it just stop the mount? ...does it do a warning audible ping etc and say something like 'visible horizon reached'?

Also can I set this up before I have done a polar alignment and cal inits etc.?

Have just got the mount on it's pier and scopes attached yesterday and was thinking I could try this horizon thing tomorrow during the day but like I say haven't done any other alignment etc yet just attached mount to pier.

I have mount approx lined up North with compass but will I have to do the horizon thing again once mount is all properly polar aligned and pointing map stuff done etc?

Cheers

Tom

[ncjunk]

Tom,

I can´t remember what it does when you try to take it below the horizon as I haven´t really tried it. I think it posts a message stating target below horizon, I am not sure I´ll have to check.

I´d map the horizon during the day, do a polar align, see how far I had to move the mount during polar align and then see if I needed to remap the horizon.

Once the map is set up then you can run the PointXP script to map the mount responce, I had fun trying to find the UCAC3PS catalogue they mention in the manual so if you need a copy let me know and I´ll share it for you on dropbox.

The horizon took me 30 mins to map so you could always do it again after the polar align. A lot of my map points were below 20 deg in height, which are points I would never go to, so I wasn´t too carefull about where the map points were (only that they were on the visible side).

I´m just going to get some imaging done for a few days now after finally solving a guiding issue that was unrelated to the mesu config.

[ollypenrice]

I see the point about the extra hook positions. Perfectly valid. Since we don't use a park position it has never been needed here. Also, knowing what I'm like, I made this roof clear the scope in all positions. (Decapitating Yves' scope was not an option though my own rig is at the same kind of risk as a Parisian aristocrat during the French revolution...)

Olly

[Singlin]

I have a rolling observatory shed.

Is it possible for me to park the scope in a home position like i did with the EQ6.

My shed will only slide over the scope in the home position.

[steppenwolf]

Yes it is possible - simple in fact! You can select any 'home' position you want although a good one is one that allows you to close the axis 'hooks' so that the mount cannot be disturbed accidentally.

[Singlin]

Thxs Steve.

I have just downloaded the manuals and have frightened myself to death.

I will slowly pick my way through and familiarize myself.

[steppenwolf]

I have just downloaded the manuals and have frightened myself to death.

Did you ever use EQMod with your EQ6 Pro mount? If so, you are already half way there!!

The manual is long and delightfully quirky but you are buying into a very powerful system so do have a good read.

Can I suggest that you read about and understand the difference between an 'Offset Init' and a 'Calstar Init' as these terms are particularly significant.

[Singlin]

Yes I used EQmod with everything.

I will do as you suggest.

[ncjunk]

Steve's covered it, quirky and powerful sums it up!

I park mine then close the roof. Sometimes when I power back up it doesn't know it's parked but you can just select unpark and it will be good to go.

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[steppenwolf]

There is an interesting quirky aspect to parking with the SiTech controller - when you set up the 'park' at a new position, you have to first click on 'SetPrk' AND THEN click on 'Park', it is a two part process.

[Singlin]

Thank you very much Neil for the Mesu Walk through.

This would make a very useful practical manual that could be supplied to new Mesu owners.

Lucas was assembling my mesu last week,So I should receive it shortly.

Regards,

Simon

[ollypenrice]

Thank you very much Neil for the Mesu Walk through.

This would make a very useful practical manual that could be supplied to new Mesu owners.

Lucas was assembling my mesu last week,So I should receive it shortly.

Regards,

Simon

This is an exciting develpment, Simon!

Have fun.

I like our Mesu (mine and Tom's, formerly Yves') because I go outside, swtich it on and what does it do? You may find this hard to believe but, despite being an astronomy mount, it works. Usually works? No, always works.

 lly

[Singlin]

So I am lead to believe.

I can't wait!

[Singlin]

Spoke to Lucas just now and the mount is finished.

He has to just put 4 16mm thread holes on the bottom of the top plate.

I should receive the mount this week.

I already have a 10kg and a 5kg Geoptik weight, I might need more for my Quattro and Atik 383L.

[Singlin]

Courier picked up the Euro Pallet with mount on it from Lucas this afternoon.

[ollypenrice]

Suspense!!!

Olly

[Singlin]

I had a bad evening with the mesu last night.

I kept getting Alt/Dec encoder error  and also Ra encoder error.

Sometimes when i pressed the North dec button on the hand controler dec would move north and when pressing the same button again it would move south. Only by pressing the opposite button would it sort itself out.

When adjusting the mount for polar alignment the star would move in the same direction when  both  adjusting in Altitude and in Azimuth.

I am going to bed.

[ncjunk]

Singlin, did you find out what the problem was? I've not had this issue.

What scitech driver were you using?

I only get the encoder error when the scope hits the pier (happened twice) so the drivers trying to move the mount but gets no feedback.

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[Singlin]

Hi Neil,

I have been getting cloudy evenings ever since I received the mount

I will let you know as soon as I get the chance to have another go.

[ncjunk]

You also get an "unable to read encoder" error if its a coms failure. May be worth changing the usb cable and having a play with the mount to see how it slews, can you use it with the roof on or is the roof too low?

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[ollypenrice]

I've heard the Sitech described as having been 'written by engineers for engineers.'  What's your take on this?  This thread mekes me quite glad, numpty that I am, to have the Argo Navis version. You can polar align a Mesu by the drift method in 20 minutes and take half hour subs at 2.5 metres, so you could take one hour subs. Software gone mad?

Olly

[steppenwolf]

I've heard the Sitech described as having been 'written by engineers for engineers.'  What's your take on this?

The SiTech software is certainly a little 'quirky' but in operation during an imaging or observing session, it performs flawlessly for me and to all intents and purposes, it could be EQMod that I'm running as, like EQMod, it operates in the background with your choice of planetarium software acting as the front face.

Maybe I just seem easy to please - but trust me, I'm not!