AZEQ6 encoders on or off?

[david_taurus83]

Do people leave the encoders enabled in EQMod for imaging? I'm pretty sure when I had my first AZEQ6 I used to switch them off for some reason? Getting to grips with my new AZEQ6 now and I've pretty much used the same approach and switched them off. However, the last couple of nights, the mount failed to do a meridian flip while using NINA. I have NINA set to do a flip between 3 and 10 minutes after it passes meridian. On both occasions it went well past meridian. Half an hour the first night. I stopped the sequence and started again and it flipped instantly. I'm wondering if it's because the encoders are switched off? I also have auto meridian flip switched off in EQMod but I believe this will just flip the mount regardless of any imaging run in progress. Anyone else use NINA, EQMod and AZEQ6 and have successful auto flips?

[geeklee]

4 hours ago, david_taurus83 said:

Anyone else use NINA, EQMod and AZEQ6 and have successful auto flips?

Sorry David, I can't help with the NINA side of things but I do have my encoders off as well.  Thinking back a couple of years when I set this I'm sure I'd read it was recommended when imaging.  It was something I did in the early days so can't say if it makes a difference.  I do get successful flips using my main imaging software - it does similar and goes past the meridian ~10 minutes then does the flip, plate solves etc and carries on.  

If NINA is controlling things, it maybe thinks the mount hasn't passed meridian - are all the time / date and daylight saving offsets OK?

[david_taurus83]

4 hours ago, geeklee said:

Sorry David, I can't help with the NINA side of things but I do have my encoders off as well.  Thinking back a couple of years when I set this I'm sure I'd read it was recommended when imaging.  It was something I did in the early days so can't say if it makes a difference.  I do get successful flips using my main imaging software - it does similar and goes past the meridian ~10 minutes then does the flip, plate solves etc and carries on.  

If NINA is controlling things, it maybe thinks the mount hasn't passed meridian - are all the time / date and daylight saving offsets OK?

NINA has correct times etc. It tells you now when the flip should happen. Like Crescent Nebula for example, transits around 10.15pm. It finished an exposure around 10.20pm where I expected it to flip but it carried on with another 900s sub! Like I said, I pressed stop and then start where it initiates a goto that object and it rightly flips sides then so it knows which side of pier it is etc. 

[david_taurus83]

Done some dummy runs in the shed. It's nothing to do with encoders or EQMod settings. It looks like NINA needs the current image to start and end within the allotted timescale to force a flip. For example, I have it set to flip anytime from the actual transit time up to 10 minutes after. If I run a dummy plan of 3 minute subs, it works fine, as one sub finishes after transit time and the next one would start and finish within the specified 10 minutes. My issue appears to be the fact I take 15 minute subs with the Atik 460. So my images were either starting just before the transit and finishing outside the 10 minute limit or start or finish was landing in the middle of the 10 minutes. When I changed the max travel time past meridian to 30 minutes, this appears to solve the issue as one of the subs has to start and finish within that time frame. It works in the shed anyway! Hopefully can repeat under clear skies as well and I won't have to worry about it if I go to bed!