PHD2 ASCOM Calibration - Help!!!

[Miko_Skye]

Hello,

Complete beginner at the whole guided imaging and I am totally stuck. I cannot get PHD2 to calibrate. I have tried numerous suggestions from here and other forums, but it just wont calibrate. The issue seems to be that PHD2 will not control the mount. I am using ASCOM driver connected through wifi to my Windows 10 laptop.

1. ASCOM diagnostics pass without failure

2. POTH Hub connects and allows me to control the mount using the sw controls

3. both Explorer Stars app and Stellarium allow me to slew the mount to targets when connected via the POTH Hub

But when I am in PHD2, the mount connects, but I cannot slew using the manual guide controls, nor will it calibrate - it just climbs to over 50 west steps and then fails when I run calibration

What am I doing wrong here - really could use some help

info on setup:

Mount is IEXIOS PMC 8 -100 connected to laptop via wifi

Guide Camera is ZWO ASI Mini 120mm connected to laptop via USB cable - I am not using a cable from the camera to the mount

Guide Scope is Orion 30mm Ultra Mini

Edited December 28, 2019 by Miko_Skye

[alacant]

Hi

Lose POTH; ensure that the mount is connected via ascom (e.g. you can slew via stellarium). Make a new profile for PHD2 and choose pmc8-ascom  -or whatever Bresser call it- from the drop down menu for the mount. 

If it still doesn't work, post the link to the PHD2 debug log (help > upload log files)

Cheers and HTH

 

[Space Bat]

Have you seen if manual guide function works in all directions?

Also all Ascom drivers need to be installed first.  Then any others such as guide camera , mount and PHD  etc

Edited December 28, 2019 by Space Bat

[Miko_Skye]

Thanks both for the suggestions. I reinstalled all software in the order you suggested and stopped using POTH and selected the Telescope in ASCOM and PHD2 as the ES_PMC8_Telescope(ASCOM). The issue now is that PHD2 gives an error message of "PulseGuide command to mount has failed - guiding is likely to be ineffective" 

I switched to using Cartes Du Ciel and I can control and slew the mount through that app without issue. But still no joy in PHD2 in any direction. Latest log file attached:

Really appreciate any help you can give me.

 

 

PHD2_DebugLog_2019-12-28_111617.txt

[Miko_Skye]

I tried connecting via POTH Hub again (Explore Scientific mentioned this was a way to get it to work) and this is the log file from that attempt. No PHD2 error message, but mount does not move on any direction pressed - it sounds like it is doing something, but there is no movement.

PHD2_DebugLog_2019-12-28_113545.txt

[kens]

In that last log PHD2 was communicating with the mount. But it looks like you were trying to calibrate at the pole (declination 90). You need to calibrate near dec 0 to see any movement in RA.

[Miko_Skye]

1 minute ago, kens said:

In that last log PHD2 was communicating with the mount. But it looks like you were trying to calibrate at the pole (declination 90). You need to calibrate near dec 0 to see any movement in RA.

I have it set up in the living room at the moment, pointing straight to the horizon in the East - how do I set it to Dec 0? 

So grateful for the help

(sorry for basic question - literal overload on all the technical stuff!)

[knobby]

I may be wrong but if you are set up indoors, then how are you sure it's not moving ? PHD calibration is only a very small movement ... Not sure you'd notice the mount even moving ?

[Miko_Skye]

Just now, knobby said:

I may be wrong but if you are set up indoors, then how are you sure it's not moving ? PHD calibration is only a very small movement ... Not sure you'd notice the mount even moving ?

Oh, I may have made a massive mistake then - wow, that could be embarrassing :S I thought that when you used manual guide, it would slew the same as if you were using the control pad in an app like Stellerium. Is that not the case? I am out again tonight so will try.

DEC at 90? I have put in the LAT and LON and am not pointing the mount at Polaris (in the living room), so why would the DEC be showing at 90? I know I am missing something - after 2 nights of not one guided shot, I am at my whits end  - logic fails aplenty

Thanks for the continued help.

[Anthonyexmouth]

How can you calibrate indoors anyway? without a star to calibrate off PHD2 is gonna throw a wobbly. 

[knobby]

The calibration is looking to see the direction of star movent and amount ... It needs that to know how to correct any drift in tracking . You can calibrate anywhere within reason but ideally you want to be aiming approx 45 degrees up and south ish as a very general rule of thumb.

You need to be polar aligned first then try calibration.

[Space Bat]

The slew in PHD is miniscule compared to the mount control.

Do you have a hand controller that can plug into mount and computer?

 

 

[Anthonyexmouth]

Also a good idea to check the pulse guide settings. default is quite low and needs to be .5 or higher really on RA Rate and DEC Rate I have mine on .9 and works fine

Edited December 28, 2019 by Anthonyexmouth

[alacant]

1 hour ago, Miko_Skye said:

set up in the living room at the moment

PHD2 can see the mount, but calibration will fail; you must calibrate on a star.

28 minutes ago, Anthonyexmouth said:

default is quite low

 I don't think the PCM 8 uses eqascom, but good idea to set an aggressive guide.

 

 

Edited December 28, 2019 by alacant

[Miko_Skye]

Thanks everyone. Out tonight to see if it works.

[michael8554]

To sum up what's been suggested:

PHD2 needs to calibrate on a star. 

Choose a star near South and about 45 degrees above the horizon.

Guide Rate (not Tracking Rate) needs to be at least 0.5 / 50%.

To see movement with PHD2 Manual Guide try 5000 as the step size in that screen. 

Before Calibrating move the mount northwards with Manual Guide until you see the star move (to take up Dec backlash). 

Michael 

 

Edited December 29, 2019 by michael8554

[Miko_Skye]

Hello,

I wanted to say thank you to everyone - last night, I got it to work using all your advice. Firstly, it seems that reinstalling everything after the ASCOM driver allowed PHD2 to talk to the mount properly this time. And secondly, I was not calibrating away from Polaris - as soon as I followed your advice and ran the calibration nearer the south horizon, BINGO!! First run was a bit off (RMS Total of over 2). Second run was much better (RMS of around 0.5) 

Still a huge amount to learn, but now I can get images and have a baseline, I can build on this.

Thank you to everyone for the advice ,you have no idea how much it helped!!!

[Anthonyexmouth]

8 minutes ago, Miko_Skye said:

Hello,

I wanted to say thank you to everyone - last night, I got it to work using all your advice. Firstly, it seems that reinstalling everything after the ASCOM driver allowed PHD2 to talk to the mount properly this time. And secondly, I was not calibrating away from Polaris - as soon as I followed your advice and ran the calibration nearer the south horizon, BINGO!! First run was a bit off (RMS Total of over 2). Second run was much better (RMS of around 0.5) 

Still a huge amount to learn, but now I can get images and have a baseline, I can build on this.

Thank you to everyone for the advice ,you have no idea how much it helped!!!

Out of interest, can you list your setup. mount, imaging rig and guide setup. 

[Miko_Skye]

9 hours ago, Anthonyexmouth said:

Out of interest, can you list your setup. mount, imaging rig and guide setup. 

Of course. I am using the following:

- IExios 100 PMC 8 mount

- ZWO ASI 120mini guiding camera attached to an Orion 30mm guide scope

- Imaging device is a Canon 5Div with a Sigma 150-600mm lens attached (do use other lenses but wanted to see how much this worked)

- battery pack is Bresser 100w which powers the mount and my Surface Pro laptop that I use to run the software.

- Software is PHD2, Sharpcap Pro, ASCOM, Cart Du Ciel.