Goto handset bug - can anyone reproduce?

[teh_orph]

Hi guys,

I just bought an EQ5 GOTO mount from FLO...but I think there's a bug in the software. It's pretty obvious yet I can't find anything online so perhaps it's a handset fault.
Can anyone try and reproduce it with theirs? (you don't need to see stars to do this )

After calibration and parking the mount, it requires me to calibrate every time after powering off the mount.

Here is how to reproduce it.

Hardware 3.06 firmware 3.36 database 3.28.

To reproduce,
- factory reset handset via menu
- turn off handset
- turn on handset
- set location 000"00'W 51 deg 27' N
- set time zone +00:00
- set elevation +0000m
- date 02/22/2015
- time 21:32:00
- daylight saving: no
- begin alignment: yes
- 1-star align
- Sirius - ok
(mount slews near to Sirius)
- press enter (do not bother to correct the angle)
- utility->show position
dec=-16 deg, 43' 53"
RA=06h45m47.0s
- utility->show information->P.A. error
Mel=+000 deg 00' 00"
Maz=+000 deg 00' 00"
- utility->park scope->home position
- press enter
(mount slews to home position)
- turn off handset

- turn on handset
- start from park - yes
- set location 000"00'W 51 deg 27' N
- set time zone +00:00
- set elevation +0000m
- date 02/22/2015
- time 21:37:00
- daylight saving: no
- utility->show position
dec=+(strange character)7 deg (strange character)7' (strange character)7"
RA=+(strange character)7h (strange character)7mw 6.7s
- press down
alt=(strange character)7 deg (strange character)7' (strange character)7"
azm=w67 deg (strange character)7' (strange character)7"
- utility->show information->P.A. error
Mel=+w67 deg (strange character)7' (strange character)7"
Maz=+w67 deg (strange character)7' (strange character)7"
- object->named start=Sirius
(slews to point below the ground)
- utility->show position
dec=+(strange character)7 deg (strange character)7' (strange character)7"
RA=+(strange character)7h (strange character)7mw 6.7s

As you can see, after parking all the calibration is lost. It is not acknowledged that it is lost either, and 7/7/7 appears in all the data.

Repeated flashing/factory resets give the same result.

Repeating the process will always give the 7/7/7 stuff.

Any help? Can anyone else reproduce this? Calibration where I live is pretty painful, as I can't see the western sky!

Cheers...

[ronin]

There was a problem of the software altering the timezone, if you were at -6 it swapped it to +6, not sure which version but it was a 3,6?

Also try and get something into the Longitude, in software 0 is a bad (OK Very bad) number, if there is any processing done with a 000 00 then things go wrong, just thinking there may be a divide by zero in there and that would cause an overflow.

Another odd question - can you set the timezone to -00:00 ?

Somewhere there is the recollection that it likes -00:00 However that was a long time back and was/is likely fixed.

Thinking of 00.00 again I would also slew to Sirius as well, again you have 0 values in there and seeing 0.0 in software is a cause for alarm In effect perform the alignment as the scope expects and have some values in there.

[teh_orph]

Yes that's a good idea - maybe I'll try some completely different co-ordinates. It's unfortunate that I live ~100m from the meridian

All the repeated 7s to me look like a NaN in the data somewhere...

[dph1nm]

There is a bug in 3.36 which prevents you from recovering alignment after a park. Actually it is not completely lost. as if you try a new alignment it knows where to go! But you cannot slew to an object. The only solution appears to be to redo the alignment. Hopefully Skywatcher are going to fix this, as it is a real pain. 3.35 did not have this problem.

NigelM

[ronin]

Have to say, Oops forgot about that one. Have read about it twice I think, but it slipped from memory.

Really do think Synta should spend a year making the software more robust and not trying to put in new features. I know that it goes against many of the marketing ideas but from a user point of view good solid software is often much prerered.

If I get an equitorial goto I am leaning strongly towards an iOptron.

[teh_orph]

There is a bug in 3.36 which prevents you from recovering alignment after a park. Actually it is not completely lost. as if you try a new alignment it knows where to go! But you cannot slew to an object. The only solution appears to be to redo the alignment. Hopefully Skywatcher are going to fix this, as it is a real pain. 3.35 did not have this problem.

NigelM

Woah, this sounds like what I've got! Where can I get 3.35 from? On the web site I only see 3.27, which I cannot flash and 3.36.

I bought the goto to save myself time, as using my EQ2 in light polluted London I would spend serious time navigating to an object. Now I spent my time calibrating!

[dph1nm]

Where can I get 3.35 from?

Good question  - it appears to have vanished from the web.  You could try asking FLO if they have a copy.

NigelM

[teh_orph]

I've reverted to 3.35...and now returning from parking works! I've emailed Skywatcher via their web page detailing the bug. Let's see if there's a reply.

Now that I know what to search for it does appear this is a common bug in 3.36.