QHY5 guider problem..need help

[bthoven]

I left my astrophotographing gear in my observatory for a year. Last night I came back to shoot some deep sky objects/comet and found that my QHY5 guiding ccd had problem (shown in the attached video). The stars in the frame keep moving (confirm not my AP900 mount movement). It looks like the guider can't freeze the image frames.

I tried to update the driver, detach and reattach cable. Shut down my PC...try PHDGUIDE, PHDGUIDE2, LUSOL guide. They all gave the same problem.

Not sure, it is hardware or software problem.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[bottletopburly]

Did  you lock onto a guide star ? Are you tracking in sidereal . 

[kirkster501]

Always frustrating when you get guiding issues.....!

Guidescope or OAG?  Assuming no dragging cables, physical equipment issues, I'd forget guiding and do a few subs with your main scope and camera.  Are the stars moving on that too?  Think from first principles here; if the guider/scope is not tracking at a speed to match the earth's rotation, you will get movement of the stars on the sensor.  That is the bottom line and where you need to be investigating.

You *really* have no dragging cables or loose connectors/bolts/clamps????  *really* ???????   Check, check and check again.

[LightBucket]

They are just moving as the tracking is off, and maybe PA is off, that looks normal for a misaligned mount..or a mount that has not got tracking turned on..

[Guest]

Hi Bithofen, looks the same here wih my setup when the Sideral Tracking is off or my mount is not well aligned or even unbalanced.

With PHD2 you can also check if your mount is polar aligned..

Use Drift Method in PHD2..

Good luck

Martin

[bthoven]

Thank you guys. The mount was tracking fine and it is perfectly polar aligned. The above video may not be long enough to show that the same stars will rotate back into the guider view (Finder scope guider). The video frame is rotating to the right and came back from the left of the guider view...…..

Last night I changed my quider CCD to QHYIIL and it works perfectly fine. I need two guider scopes for my two scope setup. If this cannot be solved, I need to buy another guider ccd.