HEQ5 Pro and PHD2 Question

[martinclayden]

I've just acquired an HEQ5 Pro mount, connected via an EQDIR cable to my laptop.

I've installed the ASCOM platform and installed and connected EQMOD - which is able to slew the mount; either in response to EQMOD control or under instruction from Cartes Du Ciel. All well and good I think.

PHD2 connects to the mount correctly, pulse guiding is set up and I've set the Ascom PulseGuide settings to x0.9 (RA & Dec). For daytime testing I'm using a PHD2 simulator camera. 

BUT PHD2 fails in calibration - "star does not move enough in RA". Calibration steps are 1700ms. PHD2 IS able to move the mount in the draft align dialogue - so the connection is there, but manual control does not seem to move the mount - even at 5000ms pulses.

I'm stuck now - any suggestions are most welcome

Thanks

[Clarkey]

May sound like a daft question, but can you calibrate with a simulator? To carry out the calibration the mount has to move away from a star in the FOV - is this possible with a simulator? Maybe try with a real (or artificial) star.

[david_taurus83]

I would have said the same that it's probably the simulator.

Also, 0.9 is a bit on the high side for pulse guiding. Most folk set both rates to 0.5.

[martinclayden]

I seem to remember testing calibration with a simulated star - but maybe I've mis remembered 😞

[Dr_Ju_ju]

It also looks like you're using an old v2.00 version, so I'd suggest that you update to the latest version i.e. v2.6.9dev5 (https://openphdguiding.org/development-snapshots/) which will also give you multi star guiding, which give a big improvement....

[scotty38]

14 hours ago, Dr_Ju_ju said:

It also looks like you're using an old v2.00 version, so I'd suggest that you update to the latest version i.e. v2.6.9dev5 (https://openphdguiding.org/development-snapshots/) which will also give you multi star guiding, which give a big improvement....

I think he is using multiple stars as per the screenshot, I can only see the EQMOD version as 2.0, Just checking so as to avoid any confusion....

[Dr_Ju_ju]

My bad, you are correct.....

 

[Padraic M]

To the best of my knowledge, you can't calibrate using the simulator. If you can manually slew using EQMOD, and if you've connected the mount in PHD2, then I think you'll need to wait for a clear night to continue!

[martinclayden]

I seem to remember testing calibration with a simulated star - but maybe I've mis remembered 😞

What I don't understand is how mount slewing IS possible from PHD2 via the drift align dialogue, but NOT from the manual control tool.

I'm on v 2.6.9dev4 btw😁