Process of elimination

[alan potts]

Elimination of what my problem is with the mount guiding as covered in the other thread is never easy from here, any parts have to come FLO and then I am not sure what the issue is.

So if I turn the clock back and revert to ST4, do I do this,

1 Unplug EQmod and replace handset.

2 Use PHD2 on different settings for the mount EQ/5, EQ6, not sure which one I go for a AZ EQ 6 is not covered.

3. plug ST4 cable from camera to mount and select On Camera, Canon 40D and APT I do not believe have anything to do with the problems.

Alan

[alan potts]

Has everyone gone to the beach?

Right done some work on my mount issue with the following findings so looking for most likely cause if anyone knows.

EQmod, via cable, guidescope and camera all connected to laptop.    With this set up which I have used for a while without issue, using MANUAL guide in PHD2 North and South guide but East and West do not!!   It used to work.

Disconnect this and go to ST4 option with cable and handset, the only cable of 4 that works that was given to me and all NSE&W work, this to me suggests no mount problems, I am hoping this will calibrate later. I am going to see if ST4 works with EQmod as I like the Carte du Ceil program for locating.

So it would seem that no East, West guide signal is getting to the mount using only the EQmod cable but all controls work when you use them to move the mount.

Any ideas anyone.

Alan

[Anthonyexmouth]

Can you control the mount properly NESW with the eqmod interface? 

[alan potts]

4 hours ago, Anthonyexmouth said:

Can you control the mount properly NESW with the eqmod interface? 

Yes, this is what I don't understand. I have just got 2 and half hours in with ST4 so not all was lost but two night gone begging. It is only the PHD2 interface or manual guide that is only work on N&S, it will not guide just using that or calibrate.

Alan.

[michael8554]

Sounds like you've narrowed it down a lot, have I got this right:

With EQMOD the Handset moves the mount in all directions, but PHD2 Manual Guide only moves N and S.

ST-4 works all directions.

I don't have EQMOD, is there a setting that turns off E-W action? 

Clean all EQMOD contacts. 

If still faulty buy another EQMOD cable or make your own, instructions on SGL. 

Michael 

 

[alan potts]

Michael, yes you have it right and I have cleaned all the contacts, it's an odd one this. The EQmod cable is only a few months old from FLO, I may ask them what they think. For now though ST4 is working, so I can as least get subs though guiding didn't seem as good, that could be conditions though.

I looked for a setting like you suggest, why would there be one, in any case I can't see anything.

Alan

[Nikolas74]

Hello Allan , 

from what i read my mind goes immediately to software glitch somewhere....

Try updating EQMOD and PHD2 to the newest version , because most of the times the problems start from there and not from the hardware....

also check the power of the mount if possible replace it with another power adapter....12v 2amp..

Hope you will solve it soon. 

[david_taurus83]

Just curious Alan. When you start guiding with the EQMod pulse guiding, does the EQMod box still say tracking? I've had it before where EQMod stops the mount tracking as soon as guiding was initiated. But that was in my early days and was using the serial cable through the handset.

[alan potts]

11 hours ago, Nikolas74 said:

Hello Allan , 

from what i read my mind goes immediately to software glitch somewhere....

Try updating EQMOD and PHD2 to the newest version , because most of the times the problems start from there and not from the hardware....

also check the power of the mount if possible replace it with another power adapter....12v 2amp..

Hope you will solve it soon. 

Nikolas, both softwares are latest versions and the mount is mains powered at 13.8v at 8amps with a decent quality unit. The full sysytem was only put together 8 weeks back with EQmod, before I didn't use it.

Alan

[alan potts]

2 hours ago, david_taurus83 said:

Just curious Alan. When you start guiding with the EQMod pulse guiding, does the EQMod box still say tracking? I've had it before where EQMod stops the mount tracking as soon as guiding was initiated. But that was in my early days and was using the serial cable through the handset.

I can't say I noticed Dave as there is no real reason to look at this box, as I am sure you are aware, once located the target it is tracking, the start guiding and then start APT for the camera, really rather a lot going on at once As far as I am aware the EQmod never stops tracking unless you stop it by pressing the correct tag.

I am up loading what it did as I have two shots see if this give you or anyone else a clue, it is very artistic, and had a circles and zigzags period in it art career.

 

 

 

Pretty isn't it, the one thing I will say is circle suggests it could track East and West, though what it was doing I haven't a clue,but it won't work now.

Alan

 

[michael8554]

1 hour ago, alan potts said:

circle suggests it could track East and West

If you mean the spirals, they show that the mount was moving in all four directions, very similar to what is called a "Spiral Search". 

The other 90 degree chevrons image looks like an image taken during Calibration, and again the mount has moved in both axis, E or W for a while, and then N or S for a while. 

 Very puzzling 

Michael 

 

 

 

Edited July 28, 2019 by michael8554

[alan potts]

18 hours ago, michael8554 said:

If you mean the spirals, they show that the mount was moving in all four directions, very similar to what is called a "Spiral Search". 

The other 90 degree chevrons image looks like an image taken during Calibration, and again the mount has moved in both axis, E or W for a while, and then N or S for a while. 

 Very puzzling 

Michael 

 

 

 

Yes it is an odd one, I will revert back sometime soon just to see if anything has changed. I am fairly sure I never pressed spiral search of calibrated while the mount went through it's art lessons. ST4 is working but I just feel it isn't as good a EQmod, however that could just be conditions.

Alan

[wimvb]

Have you tried the star cross test in PHD2?

https://openphdguiding.org/man-dev/Tools.htm

Also, what is your guide speed setting? Try setting it to 0.5 x sidereal.

To make diagnostics easier, align RA with one edge of the sensor. This is easy to do with the hand controller. Set slew rate = sidereal rate (speed = x 1). Take a 30 s exposure (no guiding). After 5 seconds start slewing in RA+. This will create a star trail. This trail needs to be lined up with the sensor edge. After the exposure, turn the camera and repeat until aligned. Having the camera aligned makes it a lot easier to interprete star trails while trouble shooting.

Edited July 29, 2019 by wimvb

[alan potts]

2 hours ago, wimvb said:

Have you tried the star cross test in PHD2?

https://openphdguiding.org/man-dev/Tools.htm

Also, what is your guide speed setting? Try setting it to 0.5 x sidereal.

To make diagnostics easier, align RA with one edge of the sensor. This is easy to do with the hand controller. Set slew rate = sidereal rate (speed = x 1). Take a 30 s exposure (no guiding). After 5 seconds start slewing in RA+. This will create a star trail. This trail needs to be lined up with the sensor edge. After the exposure, turn the camera and repeat until aligned. Having the camera aligned makes it a lot easier to interprete star trails while trouble shooting.

Wim, this is a setup that worked perfectly on Tuesday and wouldn't work at all on Wednesday, nothing was moved in any way. I think a power stoppage may have caused it, I feel a re-install of of the programs will sort the problem. It is working well enough now with ST4. I don't want to get into doing things I don't understand as I feel I will only make matters worse and I no longer use the handset..

[david_taurus83]

If it's working now with ST4 then leave it the hell alone!!!

[alan potts]

37 minutes ago, david_taurus83 said:

If it's working now with ST4 then leave it the hell alone!!!

I feel those words are something that everyone should do at some point in this lark. Do you I have an odd feeling this will fix itself and maybe we will never know. Grant made the point to me it couldn't be the EQdir cable as id Eqmod operates NSEW then PHD takes the exact same route to run pulses. I may try just re installing PHD 2, that is simple enough (famous last words) Just have feel that ST4 doesn't do as good a job, could be wrong.

Alan

[Nikolas74]

Allan , i believe that the problem is at EQmod settings try to review them again or post some screenshots if you can..

[alan potts]

12 hours ago, Nikolas74 said:

Allan , i believe that the problem is at EQmod settings try to review them again or post some screenshots if you can..

No idea how to post screen shots of any kind. I have reviewed every setting in EQmod and nothing, as far as I could see, was out of place. I am going to review the situation again soon to see if by chance it is OK. I cannot see how EQmod can pass every signal to steer the mount where ever and for what ever reason PHD2 did this to me. I will switch back and try to do a re-calibration of PHD, it's fairly simple for me to do this. This is a problem that occurred between perfect operation and switching bac on the following night.

Alan

[Anthonyexmouth]

with eqmod open and the window active/on top press (Alt + Prt Scr) that grabs a screen cap of the open window. then reply in here and press (CTRL+ V) to paste the image into the reply box

 

Edited July 31, 2019 by Anthonyexmouth

[Tomatobro]

I have seen the right angle track marks on the main imaging camera on my setup from old. PHD does not know anything about the main scope and camera only the guide scope and camera. If there is ANY possibility of movement between the camera and focuser, focuser and guide scope body or the guide scope and main imaging train then PHD will alter the tracking to suit the movement. Even the tug of a cold USB cable is enough. Its not until you download the DSO image do you see that something is wrong. But the circular image tracks I have no idea. If its a setting issue I would expect a degree of repeatability but that does not seem to be the case here. Hopefully from the flow of ideas here a cause and solution will be found.