Meade LX90 autoguiding

[dodgerroger]

Hi there I am asking for a friend but in simple terms he is trying to connect his LX90 Audiostar mount to PHD. I popped round to his house briefly tonight to have a  look but couldn't get any joy. He has bought the Meade dongle and it is connected to the PC and he has the necessary drivers for the dongle installed. Totally fried my brain that it should be so difficult. Any help greatly received.

Roger

[Davey-T]

What other bits are in the guiding equation.

Dave

[dodgerroger]

Hi there he has a ZWO guide camera connected to the dongle/st4 port and cable from hand set to pc. Thing is at the minute he isn't bothered about remote control of scope just guiding so he can get some longer exposures from his wedge

[michael8554]

Not sure how to point to a post from astroboffin so here's the cut and paste:

1. You can use a meade APM909 module, if you have one, this gives you an ST4 guide port, if you haven't got one, which I guess you haven't, then we will move onto the second, and in my opinion as I have tried both ways, the easiest and best method.

2. For this method you need,

Computer

Ascom software, with the Meade classic and autostar driver loaded, these are on the ascom site.

Guiding software such as PHD, which I use

Guide camera, with drivers, both native and Ascom

Cable to connect from a USB port on PC to the AUX socket on the bottom of the handset, (don't connect to AUX on base of scope) you will have got one of these with the scope, but you may need a USB so serial port adapter, this will enable you and the guiding software to control the mount.

So connect the guide camera to the computer also, so you should now have two cables connected to the computer, one from the guide camera and one from the base of the Autostar handset. No ST4 cable needed, as this uses a newer method called pulse guiding commands, which many people, including me, find much better.

So assuming you have set up the scope and done an align procedure, and you are pointing and tracking on a star, let's start guiding.

Open PHD and from the mount drop down list at the top, select Ascom and your Meade classic and autostar driver, from the list.

Then assuming your guide camera drivers are installed, both the native driver and the Ascom driver both of which should have come with the camera, click the camera icon at the bottom and select your camera from the list.

Then click on the mount button next to the camera button and that will connect to the mount, then click the target button to start

Then you should see some stars on screen, if you use the cursor and select one it will but a box around the star, and the software will run a calibration routine, this is to check the orientation of the camera (you can put the guide camera on the scope Andy way round you like it does not matter)

As soon as the routine has finished the box around the star will change colour to green and it will start guiding by computing the movement of that star and sending relavent commands down the cable to the handset, to tell the mount to move in whichever direction to keep the star centred.

The other icon in PHD is the brain icon, and there are some setitings in there, but for now leave them as there default, unless you have problems, then you will,need to read the instructions to learn about those settings.

 

[dodgerroger]

Thanks, we have read that post but not sure if these drivers work with audio star. He had tried that I believe and lost his rag with ascom😂

[dodgerroger]

In this day and age it shouldn’t be so hard, should it

[michael8554]

In that case you might try Colin Dawson's new Autostar/Audiostar ASCOM driver. 

It's on the ASCOM site, the link takes you here:

https://bitbucket.org/cjdskunkworks/meadeautostar497/wiki/Release History

It works on all types of Autostar, I use it on my LX200GPS, fixes problems on the very old LX200GPS ASCOM Driver on the site. 

Michael 

Edited December 18, 2019 by michael8554

[WanderingEye]

You need the latest version of Ascom Installed and this driver (link below) , it’s the 15th one on the list, not the newer one thats two above it in the list, I Have used this with a meade LX90 with audiostar handset, and PHD to guide, worked very well.

the 13th driver on the list is the newer driver, and still experimental, and I have not tried that at all, so do t know if that works or not...

https://ascom-standards.org/Downloads/ScopeDrivers.htm

 

[WanderingEye]

Also you don’t really need to use the ST4 port, just use pulse guiding with the serial cable from handset to PC, and USB cable from the camera to PC, that works even better and one less cable...just choose the telescope Ascom  drive in PHD, for the mount, and the camera driver for the camera, instead of choosing “on camera” which is for ST4 guiding... 

[dodgerroger]

21 hours ago, WanderingEye said:

Also you don’t really need to use the ST4 port, just use pulse guiding with the serial cable from handset to PC, and USB cable from the camera to PC, that works even better and one less cable...just choose the telescope Ascom  drive in PHD, for the mount, and the camera driver for the camera, instead of choosing “on camera” which is for ST4 guiding... 

Thanks for the info, he has tried what you suggest and it appears to connect just need to star test now. One of our Astro friends suggested that his guide scope is to small for the lx90 gearing but I don’t get the logic behind his suggestion

[WanderingEye]

1 hour ago, dodgerroger said:

Thanks for the info, he has tried what you suggest and it appears to connect just need to star test now. One of our Astro friends suggested that his guide scope is to small for the lx90 gearing but I don’t get the logic behind his suggestion

Well I used an 80mm scope, but some do use 50mm finders, all will work, but some better than others...but none will be affected by the gearing, that’s not an issue... 😀

[Davey-T]

1 hour ago, dodgerroger said:

Thanks for the info, he has tried what you suggest and it appears to connect just need to star test now. One of our Astro friends suggested that his guide scope is to small for the lx90 gearing but I don’t get the logic behind his suggestion

I've used all sorts to guide my SCT from the original finder converted, 80mm f/9 refractor, 100mm f/6 refractor and currently an OAG, all work OK, plenty of other stuff to worry about.

Dave 

 

[barkis]

The APM909 Module was difficult to buy. I tried but I was informed that the device could not be 
imported due to restrictions in place because they contained certain metals that were deemed a danger to health.
I've no Idea how much truth there was in that. However, I took a devious route to get one from the States.
I needn't have bothered, I sold the scope shortly after.
Ron.

[dodgerroger]

Well I think he now has it working but is unable to test due to the constant cloud cover we are suffering from in Hull at the minute. 

[WanderingEye]

21 minutes ago, dodgerroger said:

Well I think he now has it working but is unable to test due to the constant cloud cover we are suffering from in Hull at the minute. 

Glad to hear it,

merry Christmas... 🎅🏻🎅🏻

[iborg]

Hi Roger

Sorry to resurrect this topic, but, did your friend get the guiding to work?

I am currently trying to do the same myself.  However, I have just read on Cloudy Nights, that the handset may need an update.

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/820511-meade-lx-90-can-anyone-use-pulse-guiding-with-their-lx90/

Have fun

Philip