Would EQMOD affect PHD?

[tooth_dr]

The reason I ask is that normally PHD calibrates with about 15 steps and guides ok.

First night using the scope via the EQDIR cable and appropriate ASCOM for that (as opposed to Skywatcher from drop down menu) and it wouldn’t calibrate (61 steps and failed)

I increased the step size to 2000 and it calibrated in 41 steps.

But I noticed a weird thing - the south calibration didn’t retrace the North steps. It went back a different line to a different end point.

Also then guiding corrections were 1000ms a lot of the time, and in dithering mode it kept saying 150ms but didn’t move the box so it timed out. I lost hours last night of imaging time  

Any settings in EQMOD that need amended?

 

TIA

[Merlin66]

No, I regularly use EQMod/PHD with no issues.

 

[tooth_dr]

13 minutes ago, Merlin66 said:

No, I regularly use EQMod/PHD with no issues.

 

Thanks. I have a permanently setup mount and scopes so just found it strange. Must be another issue ?

[alacant]

58 minutes ago, tooth_dr said:

PHD calibrates with about 15 steps

Hi. Can you slew the mount with the NSEW controls in eqmod and manual guide in PHD? Did you let PHD choose the star for calibration? Are you using a dark library? JTOL, you may have been calibrating on a bright pixel rather than a star. HTH.

[tooth_dr]

2 minutes ago, alacant said:

Hi. Can you slew the mount with the NSEW controls in eqmod and manual guide in PHD? Did you let PHD choose the star for calibration? Are you using a dark library? JTOL, you may have been calibrating on a bright pixel rather than a star. HTH.

 

Yes it moves ok both ways.

I use PHD1 - not sure if you can let it choose a star?

I don’t use darks but then again never had and nothing changed there, was working before! I need darks with my other guidecam though. I can try with darks if you think noise might an issue.

It wasn’t a bright pixel, definitely a star and it wasn’t saturated!

Thanks for your help!

Its a short 400mm guidescope with a DMK21. 

[alacant]

1 minute ago, tooth_dr said:

noise might an issue

Hi. Sorry, I only know PHD2 and I always use a dark library. Otherwise there are so many other variables... Is the guide speed set in eqmod and does it agree with that set in PHD? In PHD2, there is a dialogue to calculate the step size... 

[tooth_dr]

14 minutes ago, alacant said:

Hi. Sorry, I only know PHD2 and I always use a dark library. Otherwise there are so many other variables... Is the guide speed set in eqmod and does it agree with that set in PHD? In PHD2, there is a dialogue to calculate the step size... 

 

I’m not familiar with EQMOD but noticed there are guiding settings, I wonder is there an issue here. 

Thanks again for replying. 

[LightBucket]

1 hour ago, tooth_dr said:

 

I’m not familiar with EQMOD but noticed there are guiding settings, I wonder is there an issue here. 

Thanks again for replying. 

Hi,

first of all how are you guiding, ST4 or pulseguiding, as with EQMOD it uses pulseguiding, and there are settings in the software for that, but normally the defaults will get you going no problem..

[tooth_dr]

Pulseguiding - I'm using a DMK21, connected to PC via USB, and mount connected to PC via EQMOD lead.  Prior to using the EQDIR/EQMOD lead I had the handset connected via a cable to the PC.

I use PHD1 because it allows proper long exposure guiding with the DMK, as oppposed to just collecting a number of frames.  I must note however that this issue also occured last night with PHD2, as I have both versions of PHD installed.  So it's not specific to PHD1.

I feel like I'm taking one step forward and two back. 

[alacant]

8 minutes ago, tooth_dr said:

Pulseguiding

eqmod defaults to a guide speed of 0.1 sidereal; the PHD2 guys recommend 0.5+ and that the backlash compensation settings in eqmod are reduced to their minimum values.

There's so much to go wrong, it's difficult to trace what it could be in your case!

[tooth_dr]

22 minutes ago, alacant said:

eqmod defaults to a guide speed of 0.1 sidereal; the PHD2 guys recommend 0.5+ and that the backlash compensation settings in eqmod are reduced to their minimum values.

There's so much to go wrong, it's difficult to trace what it could be in your case!

 

Thanks for that.  This ISNT MY SCREENSHOT, just one off the internet.  The top right box, on mine is at default settings as below.  I did move it to 0.3 and it calibrated better but then guiding seemed poor so I put it back to 0.1.  I will try 0.5 later.  My backlash is at 0.

It had been literally 19 days without a clear sky, and I'm starting to get really pee'd off when a whole night is wasted when it finally is clear.

My option would be to try it with the revised settings, failing that go back to using the hand controller.

 

 

 

[kens]

1 hour ago, tooth_dr said:

Pulseguiding - I'm using a DMK21, connected to PC via USB, and mount connected to PC via EQMOD lead.  Prior to using the EQDIR/EQMOD lead I had the handset connected via a cable to the PC.

I use PHD1 because it allows proper long exposure guiding with the DMK, as oppposed to just collecting a number of frames.  I must note however that this issue also occured last night with PHD2, as I have both versions of PHD installed.  So it's not specific to PHD1.

I feel like I'm taking one step forward and two back. 

I used my DBK21 for some time with PHD2 with long exposures. To get it to work try the following: set the exposure time to your desired value - say 2 seconds. In the camera settings next to the brain set the exposure to the equivalent. Note that the exposure numbers there are not in seconds but some sort of log scale. If it is less than the amount on the main exposure setting you'll get multiple frames per exposure. If it's too much you'll get a blank screen between exposures. When it's just right you get one frame per exposure.

Youll get much better support with PHD2

[tooth_dr]

2 minutes ago, kens said:

I used my DBK21 for some time with PHD2 with long exposures. To get it to work try the following: set the exposure time to your desired value - say 2 seconds. In the camera settings next to the brain set the exposure to the equivalent. Note that the exposure numbers there are not in seconds but some sort of log scale. If it is less than the amount on the main exposure setting you'll get multiple frames per exposure. If it's too much you'll get a blank screen between exposures. When it's just right you get one frame per exposure.

Youll get much better support with PHD2

Thank-you for that! I did get a blank screen a few times when I mover the slider and would never have guessed that by adjusting it correctly it will work as I want it to!  Will try this evening when at home

[alacant]

2 hours ago, tooth_dr said:

This ISNT MY SCREENSHOT,

Ah, OK. That's only part of the setup for guiding though. Have a look here for the rest of the settings. Perhaps best to begin by creating a new PHD2 profile so you can be sure that you are back at default values. HTH.

[alacant]

2 hours ago, kens said:

Youll get much better support with PHD2

+1

[tooth_dr]

Thanks Alacant. 

[tooth_dr]

I changed the settings and seemed better on calibration and guiding. Then on the first attempt at dithering it just kept moving too far and wouldn’t stop. Some time later a Timeout error appeared so I just removed the lead, went back to the handset and now on my 5th sub with no issues at all.  Change isn’t always for the better!

[alacant]

8 hours ago, tooth_dr said:

back to the handset and now on my 5th sub with no issues at all

Oh dear. Maybe a bad cable? But of course you need two to check. Friends, local club nearby? If you want to persevere, this one just works and isn't overpriced. OTOH, if it's just the dither that isn't working, then what settings are you using for that and which program is sending the dither command? Maybe best to give us all the information at one time, then we'd be able to sort out the problem more efficiently. HTH.

[LightBucket]

2 hours ago, alacant said:

Oh dear. Maybe a bad cable? But of course you need two to check. Friends, local club nearby? If you want to persevere, this one just works and isn't overpriced. OTOH, if it's just the dither that isn't working, then what settings are you using for that and which program is sending the dither command? Maybe best to give us all the information at one time, then we'd be able to sort out the problem more efficiently. HTH.

He has the Hitecastro version of the cable, with prolific serial to USB drivers, which i did warn were not very reliable..., and to get a cable that used the FDI chipsets.. not sure if that would be the problem..

[tooth_dr]

1 hour ago, LightBucket said:

He has the Hitecastro version of the cable, with prolific serial to USB drivers, which i did warn were not very reliable..., and to get a cable that used the FDI chipsets.. not sure if that would be the problem..

To be fair you did send me a message after I had put on the forum that I had paid for it, so what could I do?

It could be the lead, but I'd say it's an issue with settings somewhere?

I'm using APT/PHD1, and just used the windows drivers, Windows 7, when I plugged in the USB cable, but I read that you need to download prolific ones of their site.

[RayD]

29 minutes ago, tooth_dr said:

To be fair you did send me a message after I had put on the forum that I had paid for it, so what could I do?

It could be the lead, but I'd say it's an issue with settings somewhere?

I'm using APT/PHD1, and just used the windows drivers, Windows 7, when I plugged in the USB cable, but I read that you need to download prolific ones of their site.

I have both types and never had any issues with the Hitec one, but I do believe there has been issues reported by several people.  I kept the Hitec one for a spare and bought the FTDI one which works perfect.  Might be worth biting the bullet and trying it.

[alacant]

32 minutes ago, tooth_dr said:

issue with settings somewhere?

Hi.  It's most likely something simple, but unless you send us the settings you're using -screenshots would be fine- along with the PHD2 guide log, we can only guess.  HTH

[tooth_dr]

Thanks all!  I did use a guide online to set it up, going into the EQASCOM bit and configering the com port etc.  It does slew ok, and can platesolve etc, it just seems to be the guiding that is causing the problems.

It is giving a bad week of weather, but I will try to get a data log for PHD when it calibrates, guides and dithers.

[Merlin66]

4 minutes ago, tooth_dr said:

it just seems to be the guiding that is causing the problems

Must be a PHD set-up/ communication issue. EQMod has nothing to do with guiding.

 

[tooth_dr]

2 minutes ago, Merlin66 said:

Must be a PHD set-up/ communication issue. EQMod has nothing to do with guiding.

 

I thought there were settings in the EQMOD window that seem to have an effect on the guiding?