help with ASIAIr mini

[DDH]

I have had the ASIAIr mini for a while now and think I am missing some setting  as my guide camera and main don't work on the mini.  I have connected both my air 120 and 533mc to my laptop and both work ok, but I get no images at all when connected to the mini.  I have the mini on my Skywatcher Explorer 190MN DS pro along with an Artesky guide scope which are aligned and mounted on a Skywatcher EQ6-R pro mount which is accurately polar aligned.  I also have the ZWO EAF connected to my focuser.  I have tried to polar align using the mini and plate solve but neither work.  If I insert eyepieces to the finder and scope using the hand controller it is accurately aligned with objects ie Jupiter and then I can put the cameras in but connected to my MacBook, all is good using ASI Studio, but if I then revert to the mini , nothing!!!  However if I select the video option, then I do get images from the main camera??   I have the mount powered with a 10amp psu the mini is powered with the recommended 12v 5amp power supply and I have tried to power the 533MC camera with a third power supply.  So now I am stuck with no more ideas, would be great if someone knows an answer to this dilemma, Thanks in advance.

Edited November 2, 2023 by DDH
forgot the video

[Elp]

Can you upload some images of the settings pages (mainly regarding main and guide camera) within your air app?

[LaurenceT]

10 hours ago, DDH said:

I have had the ASIAIr mini for a while now and think I am missing some setting  as my guide camera and main don't work on the mini.  I have connected both my air 120 and 533mc to my laptop and both work ok, but I get no images at all when connected to the mini.  I have the mini on my Skywatcher Explorer 190MN DS pro along with an Artesky guide scope which are aligned and mounted on a Skywatcher EQ6-R pro mount which is accurately polar aligned.  I also have the ZWO EAF connected to my focuser.  I have tried to polar align using the mini and plate solve but neither work.  If I insert eyepieces to the finder and scope using the hand controller it is accurately aligned with objects ie Jupiter and then I can put the cameras in but connected to my MacBook, all is good using ASI Studio, but if I then revert to the mini , nothing!!!  However if I select the video option, then I do get images from the main camera??   I have the mount powered with a 10amp psu the mini is powered with the recommended 12v 5amp power supply and I have tried to power the 533MC camera with a third power supply.  So now I am stuck with no more ideas, would be great if someone knows an answer to this dilemma, Thanks in advance.

I'm a relatively new user of the Asiair, I have the Pro version but the functions are essentially the same. Apologies if I'm misunderstanding your problem but when I first got the Asiair I found this YT video very helpful in going through all the steps necessary for the Asiair. I also use the Asi533mc pro so I don't use a filter wheel so I just skipped through the bits about the EFW.

https://youtu.be/C43xWCLm1fw?si=nNWUQ6gmYIDRZ4kF

 

[900SL]

Firstly, have you tried setting up during the day and focusing on a distant o ject

Secondly, do you understand backfocus distance and are your cameras positioned at the correct position?

What gain and exposure duration?

[DDH]

okay so maybe I'm a bit dim.  My first question is in preview and live, should both camera's show images, because they show nothing , even I have altered all the settings .  polar alignment has been successfully carried out on the ASIAIr .    next question, when trying to get the guide camera working the asi keeps telling me to adjust the step.  but it seems to make no difference.  the focus on both camera's is good , as I have disconnected from the ASIAIr and connected to my laptop using Asi studio and I get very good result.  My thoughts on this are that something is not compatible , my reason is that first on my phone the view rotates on turning it even though it is disabled in the phone settings and second, the app continues to run after the mini is shut down by removing the power!  and I have to go to phone settings and disable the app.  regarding the guiding , I believe it has something to do with my focuser in that it only has 20mm of movement, the course adjustment is only 1 turn.  The mini when focusing goes from full in to full out when trying to set guiding and keeps returning the adjust step after I have adjusted all the settings.  The setting for the EAF is slow not fast.  I have had good result from the 533mc camera before  I purchased the ASIAIr mini, maybe I should abandon the mobile and get a tablet. thanks for trying to help

Edited November 6, 2023 by DDH

[DDH]

forgot to mention that the main camera works fine in video mode and in reply to 900sl  I tried to setup in the day but can only use a guide scope on a camera tripod and using the laptop but can't get images only black or white screen also have no way to take photo's of the mobile screen.  DO I understand Backfocus ,  yes although a dealer did give me wrong information about the focal point of my focuser as 140mm but I have worked out that the 533 focus point is around 113mm and as I said when its on the main scope connected to my laptop and using manual focus it works fine

[Elp]

Take a step back and think about what you're doing:

1. Guide camera and main camera are two different things, why would you want to see both at the same time. The result from the guide camera is in the guide panel (you might have to enable it via the button on the LHS of the screen) and a floating guide graph shows up, if you expand it you'll see the guide panel in full screen, you have to enable the refresh button on the RHS (two arrows going in a circle) for the guide camera preview to come up and show realtime.

The main screen is primarily for showing your main camera, in the preview and live screen it will only show an image if you take an exposure (big red circle button on RHS, can't miss it).

2. Guide camera step adjustment. You have to adjust the timing in your guide camera settings for step adjustment, off the top of my head if you make it shorter it steps quickly when calibrating but you don't want it too quick. Normally when calibrating mine does around 20 steps in each E/W/N/S direction. The step prompt I noticed came up when using the latest asiair firmware and app as it calibrates way too quickly than it did previously.

3. The asiair app is built to work in landscape mode only (it will not flip into a portrait orientation) despite the startup splash screen being portrait.

4. Of course the app will continue to run on your phone when the air has no power, it's running on your phone separately from the air and the air has no control over your mobile phone. Ive found it best to force close the app after use as it can use battery if it's still loaded in the background on android OS.

5. Your guide scope and guide camera are physically setup for focus by you, the air does not change the focus of this as it has no control over it. Either you've set focus correctly or you haven't.

6. Backfocus. The camera does not have a backfocus distance, it has a front of camera face to sensor distance. The backfocus of your setup is determined by your optics, any coma corrector or field flattener and/or focal reducer and if applicable any filters being used. If this backfocus distance is physically setup correct nothing changes from using your laptop to the air.

I have a query, if you've had all these issues how did you manage to complete the polar alignment procedure because if your setup is not in focus and the main camera is not connected/working it will not even start the PA procedure.

[bosun21]

Regarding the app running in your Android phone and stopping it running, just press the square and get a list of recently used apps and swipe it up off the screen. This closes the app and will require a fresh relaunch the next time you use it. I think you need to slow down a little and get a grasp of the basics and of how things work individually. Once achieved you can then piece them together with a better understanding of how they work together.

[DDH]

thank you very much for all the comments , I will attend to the points the next time we get clear skies.  Bosun 21 I have no idea how it managed the polar alignment, its not perfect .  I spent today checking the gear again in the house and both cameras focus ok , but I had to use the laptop and a guidescope.  Then spent a few hours trying to workout the eaf settings don't know if this is right the coarse focus only does 1 revolution and the fine does about 10.5 so I think the eaf does 5700 steps end to end   so presumably I need to set half this number.

[Elp]

19 minutes ago, DDH said:

but I had to use the laptop and a guidescope

Why? You can focus both the main camera through the telescope and the guide camera through the guide scope via the asiair during the day, you simply have to set each exposure duration very short because it's much brighter during the day.

[DDH]

yes but the scope is in an observatory with only view of the sky , so no objects to focus on

 

[Elp]

Makes sense, but you can still test the cameras indoors with the mini if you take them off the rig, you just won't be able to focus but you'll be able to test the cameras are working by pointing them at a light source then covering up again to see the sensor response within the asiair app. You can also test the preview, autorun and video modes.