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EQ8/EQMOD/CdC goto problem


skybadger

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Hi all

I have an EQ8 mount controlled through CdC (latest release)  and use POTH to sync with the dome. 

Over the last couple of weeks I've done something to cause a slewing error and I cant work out what it is and I'm pulling my hair out trying to fix it. 

Starting from a position where all the sync points are cleaned down, I can move the mount from home to a location using CdC to tell the scope where to go.  I home in and hit 'sync'.  i move to a second nearby location, home in and hit 'sync' . I go back to the first target and off the mount goes. Nowhere near. EQMOD is reporting being at the target location but the target location that CdC is claiming it is at, is not the location of the actual target . Here is a pic to illustrate CdC is saying that the scope is at the target - m5 but EQMOD is clearly saying that the actual location is nowhere near ...( something like 16:04/02:00 J2000) .

eqmoderr.PNG.1a767e185c02fcc6854b3e2f27262bda.PNG

I have tried checking:

  • Cleaning down the EQMOD Sync 
  • re-setting home on the mount 
  • checking time, location agree between the mount and CdC
  • checking the pc time is accurate -and its not a BST/GMT issue -  its not consistently a BST hour between target and actual . I run the PC in GMT and have checked CdC is reporting the correct time 

The mount is permanently mounted on a fixed pier and hasn't had any knocks that I am aware of to upset the polar alignment and racking is good once homed in on a target.

The only components in this system are EQMOD and CDC. POTH is a client of the same EQMOD Driver as CdC is . 

 

Any ideas gratefully received 

Cheers

Mike

 

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Mike,

don’t have the EQ8 but have an NEQ6PRO and use CdC and EQMod.

when I see your type of issue it usually comes down to the park position.

Do you use the polar home or a custom park position?

 

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Hi both.

Encoders - not purposely turned off. 

Eqmod doesn't say eq8 when it connects, it still says eq6. 

 

Ken, I use whatever park position is suitable. If having to restart due to an issue, I use polar home, otherwise park in place or park at W and E presets has been perfectly fine until now. The only large systemic change I have made is to adopt Voyager as my end to end imaging platform but that is not involved in this. What sort of things have you seen ?

Cheers

Mike

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2 hours ago, skybadger said:

Hi both.

Encoders - not purposely turned off. 

Eqmod doesn't say eq8 when it connects, it still says eq6. 

 

Ken, I use whatever park position is suitable. If having to restart due to an issue, I use polar home, otherwise park in place or park at W and E presets has been perfectly fine until now. The only large systemic change I have made is to adopt Voyager as my end to end imaging platform but that is not involved in this. What sort of things have you seen ?

Cheers

Mike

Why not use the EQ8 autohome function, I use it with EQMOD and works a treat...

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Mike,

I have the NEQ6pro CdC/ EQMod set up in the observatory with a custom home position - scope horizontal facing East. I've carefully marked the RA and Dec home positions on the mount with Texta.

When I manually re-set to home, no matter how careful I try to be the initial GOTO can be out. The telescope (C11 + spectroscope) is mount on a very tall pier and it's a PITA to climb ladders to verify scope pointing with the finder! I now use an eFinder, a DMK51 on a 60/ 227 finder. I take a quick image, plate solve and use that to re-sync the GOTO. 99% of the time this then allows me to slew the scope to the intended target and life goes on. Very occasionally I get what you see - the "track the mount" in CdC doesn't match the centre object. I usually just either ignore it , the object being actually in the camera....or re-park and start again.

Sorry I can't be more helpful.

 

Edited by Merlin66
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HI Stuart

I had to think what the autohome was then. Isnlt autohome only avaiable on the Synscan handset ?  I stopped doing that a long time ago becuase I  use a side-by side setup which turns home through 90 degrees and occasionally the mount would turn the scopes upside down in search of home.  For the 12" RC I thought that was quite scary. 

cheers both 

Mike

 

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