SGPro and Pulsar motorised Dome slaving an AZEQ6 mount

[steppenwolf]

I wouldn't describe using POTH as a 'workaround', more a proven stable solution that works with just about anything you throw at it! It is certainly no poor relation, just another way of connecting up. The added advantage is that as it acts as an ASCOM hub, you can connect as many disparate pieces of ASCOM compatible software to it (and thus to any hardware referenced by it) and they all work in harmony.

[alcol620]

Thanks Steve. I think I will leave this to run now, if SGPro sort it then well and good, no hassle using POTH. Not sure why I packed up using it before - just a little bit more knowledgeable now I suspect.

As always thanks for your help

Alec

[sloz1664]

2 hours ago, alcol620 said:

Thanks guys.

I'm thinking of wrapping a piece of polythene or something like, around the mount, to make the passage of any cables slide easily over any of the protrusions. The altitude polar alignment handle on the AZ EQ6 mount is particularly vulnerable to snagging a cable!!

I use the zip up cable tidy. They come in 1 or 2 metre lengths and 30mm or 50mm diameter.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fisual-Cable-Tidy-Length-Black/dp/B0096PLIRE/ref=sr_1_14?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1509921459&sr=1-14&keywords=zip+up+cable+tidy

Steve

[alcol620]

Thanks Steve, great idea

[alcol620]

Steve

This stuff is excellent too. https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=braided+cable+tidy&tag=googhydr-21&index=aps&hvadid=185296978976&hvpos=1t2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1910637210463610742&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006644&hvtargid=kwd-319516750769&ref=pd_sl_3gs8zqec3p_e

By way of and update, the set up utilising POTH ran faultlessly last night for 5 hours, including a meridian flip. Then clouds appeared.

[sloz1664]

18 minutes ago, alcol620 said:

Steve

This stuff is excellent too. https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=braided+cable+tidy&tag=googhydr-21&index=aps&hvadid=185296978976&hvpos=1t2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1910637210463610742&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006644&hvtargid=kwd-319516750769&ref=pd_sl_3gs8zqec3p_e

By way of and update, the set up utilising POTH ran faultlessly last night for 5 hours, including a meridian flip. Then clouds appeared.

Yes I use that particular braid also.

Regards Poth, it's a great bit of software, unfortunately it cannot remove cloud 

Great to see you are up and running.

Steve

[alcol620]

Thanks Steve, Moon about to get smaller and cloud increasing!!! What a hobby

[sloz1664]

7 hours ago, alcol620 said:

Thanks Steve, Moon about to get smaller and cloud increasing!!! What a hobby

Looking good for saturday & Sunday here 

Steve

[alcol620]

Steve, predictions getting more and more cloudy?

[sloz1664]

According to BBC Weather Saturday night looks good, but Sunday not so good. Fortunately I had a clear spell for over an hour yesterday so did a little imaging.

Steve

[sloz1664]

Changed agai. Saturday - not good. Sunday - better.

Steve

[alcol620]

Hi everyone, happy New Year.

Just by way of an update and I hesitate to report that the Dome and mount are behaving themselves, slaving using POTH. Ran for 12 hours one night before Christmas with a Meridian flip in the middle. Thanks gain to those that helped me get it all sorted.

Alec

[sloz1664]

28 minutes ago, alcol620 said:

Hi everyone, happy New Year.

Just by way of an update and I hesitate to report that the Dome and mount are behaving themselves, slaving using POTH. Ran for 12 hours one night before Christmas with a Meridian flip in the middle. Thanks gain to those that helped me get it all sorted.

Alec

Good to hear

Steve

[PhotoGav]

1 hour ago, alcol620 said:

Hi everyone, happy New Year.

Just by way of an update and I hesitate to report that the Dome and mount are behaving themselves, slaving using POTH. Ran for 12 hours one night before Christmas with a Meridian flip in the middle. Thanks gain to those that helped me get it all sorted.

Alec

Happy New Year to you too.

The latest Beta version of SGP, v3.0.0.4, has fixed the dome slave issues. It was something to do with checking for ‘AtHome’ in the SGP code and that has been removed. I’ve used it quite a few times with no issues so far. At last, the system works... well, at least until the next issue comes along!

[alcol620]

Hi Gav, presumably the beta version you mention will end up as part of the pay-for version, in the new Pixinsight charging system?

[PhotoGav]

13 minutes ago, alcol620 said:

Hi Gav, presumably the beta version you mention will end up as part of the pay-for version, in the new Pixinsight charging system?

Version 3 of SGP will be released soon and the current beta version 3.0.0.4 is a step towards that major release.

I don't know what you mean by the 'new Pixinsight charging system'?! Version 3 of SGP will be a paid version / upgrade, that's all I know. No idea how much they are going to charge, but hopefully not ridiculous sums. Though to be honest, SGP is 'cheap' at $99. It is a great value piece of software.

[sloz1664]

Thanks for the update Gav. I'll have a look at this once the weather picks up.

Steve

[alcol620]

2 hours ago, PhotoGav said:

Version 3 of SGP will be released soon and the current beta version 3.0.0.4 is a step towards that major release.

I don't know what you mean by the 'new Pixinsight charging system'?! Version 3 of SGP will be a paid version / upgrade, that's all I know. No idea how much they are going to charge, but hopefully not ridiculous sums. Though to be honest, SGP is 'cheap' at $99. It is a great value piece of software.

I didn't quite understand the information circulated at http://forum.mainsequencesoftware.com/t/sgpro-3-0-and-other-changes/6012  I assume that having already purchased SGPro version 3 when released will have another charge to pay to upgrade to it?

[PhotoGav]

2 hours ago, alcol620 said:

I didn't quite understand the information circulated at http://forum.mainsequencesoftware.com/t/sgpro-3-0-and-other-changes/6012  I assume that having already purchased SGPro version 3 when released will have another charge to pay to upgrade to it?

As far as I understand it, once you have purchased a major release (2, 3, 4, etc) then minor upgrades (2.3, 2.4, etc) will be free, but a major upgrade (2 to 3, 3 to 4, etc) will incur an upgrade fee that is less than a first purchase price, which is currently $99, but I haven’t seen what the upgrade fee figure will be yet. Hopefully much much less that that!

[alcol620]

15 hours ago, PhotoGav said:

As far as I understand it, once you have purchased a major release (2, 3, 4, etc) then minor upgrades (2.3, 2.4, etc) will be free, but a major upgrade (2 to 3, 3 to 4, etc) will incur an upgrade fee that is less than a first purchase price, which is currently $99, but I haven’t seen what the upgrade fee figure will be yet. Hopefully much much less that that!

Thanks Gav, we await developments.

 

[alcol620]

Hi Gav

$19 for the upgrade version 3. A bargain. Haven't tried it yet to slave the mount as the POTH hub is slaving the dome and mount fine, but presumably version3 has solved the SGPro problem?

[PhotoGav]

15 hours ago, alcol620 said:

Hi Gav

$19 for the upgrade version 3. A bargain. Haven't tried it yet to slave the mount as the POTH hub is slaving the dome and mount fine, but presumably version3 has solved the SGPro problem?

Yes, version 3 has resolved the slaving problem. You should be fine to revert to SGP for full slaving control. Good luck. 

[alcol620]

Thanks Gav will give it a go next time out.

Regards

Alec

[alcol620]

On 2/12/2018 at 21:15, alcol620 said:

Thanks Gav will give it a go next time out.

Regards

Alec

Hi Gav, by way of an update, POTH and the dome have been behaving so well (when the sky was clear) that I have resisted the temptation to change things back to SGPro!!!