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EQ8 Problems?


Gina

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I'm using the EQ8 from EDMOD ASCOM and using CdC to park and slew as well as to setup EQMOD ASCOM to communicate with the mount.

Just recently I have been having problems with the mount parking to the wrong place and it seems to be happening more and more often :(  It's got to the state now that I'm having to slacken the clutches and move the mount to where I want it then tighten up again.  This is not easy with the EQ8 as the levers are in the most awkwark places imaginable :(  Also small and needing an external lever to operate them.  This is the one aspect where the EQ8 is worse than the NEQ6  :(

When the mount was working properly (well, I presume it was) I could park to HOME, align the scope to it's home position and then it would park to the several other parking positions I set up in EQMOD ASCOM.  Now it just won't.  I have parking positions for "Safe" where the big scope is clear of the roof when opening and closing, "Scope removal" where the RA axis is horizontal and "Tree" which is my favourite daytime alignment object - the top of a conifer tree on a far hill to the east about a mile away.  I use this to align my triple imaging rig and to roughly adjust focus so that it isn't far out when setting up at night.

I guess the most important parking position is "Safe" which is where I leave the rig parked when I'm not using it.  The roof is high enough to clear the scopes at it's apex but not when opening/closing.  Later on I want to automate my roof and then it will be essential that the mount parks to the "Safe" position.

I don't know of anything I've changed and can't understand what's happened.  It's really frustrating :(

Can anyone offer any help or suggestions please? 

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Hi Gina does it work as it should with just the handset?

I don't know - I've never used the handset - I don't even know where it is :D  Might be able to find it though...

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I'm wondering if this is something to do with the encoders.  As I recall the other mount I have, the NEQ6, doesn't have encoders.  I know what encoders are but I don't know how they fit in with EQMOD ASCOM.  I gather they can report the true position of the mount regardless of the clutches.  If so software should be able to park the mount to the real HOME position regardless of the direction it's pointing and setting that are altered using the clutches.

Does EQMOD ASCOM read the encoders?  Blowed if I know :D

Could it be that the encoders were working earlier and that's why the parking worked perfectly?  Or is it the opposite?  (Weren't working and now are).  The NEQ6 works without encoders I gather so what do the encoders on the EQ8 actually do?

The older I get, the more confused I get :(

I've just read through the EQ8 instruction manual and the way I read it, the encoders are only used with the handset.

post-13131-0-75486200-1418395978_thumb.j

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Presumably there is some way of re-initialising the encoder home position?

From Synscan manual  (P29) - PART VIII : AUXILIARY FUNCTIONS
 
8.12 Synchronizing Encoders
 
If the mount lost the correct position of any of its two axes; for example, the axis is manually moved, the pointing accuracy will be poor when the SynScan hand controller tries to locate an object.  Providing the base of the mount is not moved, users can recover the pointing accuracy with the “Synchronize Encoder” operation:
 
1.  Access the menu “Setup \ Sync. Encoder” and press the ENTER key.
2. Use the scroll keys to select an alignment star and press the ENTER key. The mount will point the telescope towards the alignment star.
3. After the mount has stopped, use the direction keys to center the alignment star in the eyepiece, then press the ENTER key to confirm.
4.  The SynScan hand controller will display “Sync Encoder Completed”. Press any key to exit.
 
(I hope you can find the handset, Gina....)
 
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The handset could be anywhere in the house or observatory :(  I would assume it works but never tried it as I have never wanted to use it - I'm an EQMOD ASCOM sort of person only.  I did try the NEQ6 with handset and found it totally impossible as it insisted on warning me about looking at the sun through a scope every time I tried to do something and the message took ages to scroll across the tiny display.  It drove me nuts!!! :(

Yes, since the EQ8 came out after EQMOD and ASCOM 6 I would be surprised if the latter took any notice of the encoders. 

Since the handset has never been anywhere near the mount I don't see that a handset setting could have been altered.

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On my AZ EQ6GT the encoders are always on unless switched off using the handset, I assume the EQ8 is the same.

EQMOD / Ascom are unaware of the encoders and from my experience they only mess things up.  I was having pointing problems until I dug out the hand controller and disabled the encoders.  I can confirm that the setting remains after powering off the mount - so it's a one time operation.

Cheers,

Ian

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Hi Gina,

Does this link help at all?

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/SkywatcherEQ8/conversations/topics/1074

Have a search around online as there seems to be some discussion around the encoders and EQMod

Stu

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks Stu :)  So there are commands to disable the encoders but how do you send them?  I can't see anywhere in EQMOD ASCOM.

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On my AZ EQ6GT the encoders are always on unless switched off using the handset, I assume the EQ8 is the same.

EQMOD / Ascom are unaware of the encoders and from my experience they only mess things up.  I was having pointing problems until I dug out the hand controller and disabled the encoders.  I can confirm that the setting remains after powering off the mount - so it's a one time operation.

Cheers,

Ian

Thank you Ian :)  Sounds like it could be the problem with the EQ8 as well.

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AARRGGHH I'm not up to searching the house and umpteen boxes for that EQ8 handset and cable ATM.  I'm still suffering from my bad cold (could even be flu).

Weather forecast is good for tomorrow - day and night so I'm hoping I shall be up to setting up by day and doing some imaging after dark.

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In the thread I posted there are some ways of re-synching the encoders....

7e8a1aba45b4861819543e662c34cd9e.jpg

Stu

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

ah... thanks Stu :)  I didn't see that - think I'm more ill than I thought :(  I'll give that a go tomorrow - I'm not going out again today.

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Hope that works Gina.

There are 17 posts in that thread of which 15 seem to be hidden unless you unhide them (funny that!). There seems to be a fair amount of info in there regarding disabling the encoders too but perhaps resynching them is easier in the first instance.

Presumably if you turn them off, you can no longer release the clutches and move the scope manually without losing position so perhaps leaving them on has a benefit?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Gina,

what some people do to circumvent issues caused between EQ-MOD and the encoders is to connect the handset and do an auto find-home (which syncs the mount and encoders to the Home position) then switch off the mount, connect EQMOD and unpark from home then either start observing or park to some other park position defined in EQMOD.

The small application in this thread https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/SkywatcherEQ8/conversations/messages/1114 should enable you to do a similar thing without needing to use the keypad.

I haven't tried this yet but it should work

HTH

Derrick

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Gina,

what some people do to circumvent issues caused between EQ-MOD and the encoders is to connect the handset and do an auto find-home (which syncs the mount and encoders to the Home position) then switch off the mount, connect EQMOD and unpark from home then either start observing or park to some other park position defined in EQMOD.

The small application in this thread https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/SkywatcherEQ8/conversations/messages/1114 should enable you to do a similar thing without needing to use the keypad.

I haven't tried this yet but it should work

HTH

Derrick

Thank you Derrick - I'll give that a try :)

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