Help with calibration after meridian flip

[VT]

Hi,

I am unable to complete any guiding on calibration after a meridian flip. My log files are below:

https://openphdguiding.org/logs/dl/PHD2_logs_vndw.zip

I have tried with both checking and unchecking reverse dec output. 

I have tried to complete calibration with the telescope pointing to the west of the pier and I am unable to do any calibration. Can you please help with what I am missing?

Thanks!

VT

[Brian Valente]

VT

Can you describe your setup, particularly how your guide camera and telescope is connected to your computer? 

your StarBookTEN ascom driver (i haven't seen that one before) does not report RA or Dec guidespeed, which seems odd for an ascom driver and may point to issues in the driver itself

You should also try using the Calibrate meridian flip tool in the Tools menu to see if that can help resolve it for you

Brian

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[VT]

I am using the following setup:

1. Main telescope is a Vixen 103 ED

2. Main camera ASI533MC

3. Mount is a Vixen SXP2 through a Star book 10 controlled through LAN Ethernet to Primalucelab Eagle 4S

Guide telescope

1. Telescope - 60mm primalucelab (Focal length 240mm)

2. Guide camera - ZWO 120 MC

Both setup controlled by Primalucelab Eagle 4S.

I checked the reverse dec output after meridian flip - I am thinking this is an issue.

Thanks in advance Bruce for your help!

Regards

VT

PS: I am able to guide very well through the east facing telescope. Please see below that is live and i am getting RMS error of <1"....

[Brian Valente]

Hi VT

Do you have the guide camera connected to your mount or to the computer?

Rather than just randomly checking reverse dec on meridian flip, use the Calibrate Meridian flip tool. It will tell you the correct setting. 

I think there may be an issue with your ASCOM driver as well

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[VT]

The camera is connected to the computer (Primaluce lab). 

Regards

VT

[Bruce Waddington]

Hi VT, there's a lot that doesn't make sense here.  When your scope is on the east side of the pier pointing to the western sky with the counterweights below the scope, the reported hour angle will have a positive value.  Conversely, it will have a negative value if you are on the west side of the pier pointing to the eastern sky.  Are you intentionally placing the scope in a counter-weights up orientation?  I doubt that, but if so, don't do that  If not, there's something wrong with the settings in the mount controller for time of day and site location.  Does the scope go to the correct RA/Dec position when you tell it to?  Looking back at your earlier logs from this past August, I don't see this problem at all - what changed?   I see that you tried 8 calibrations but only used the Calibration Assistant twice.  That's a real bad idea, you should use it every time - use the Tools/Calibration Assistant menu.  And even when you did use the Calibration Assistant, you didn't let it slew your scope - why not?  If you don't know how to use the Calibration Assistant, it's covered in the latest version of the User Guide:

https://openphdguiding.org/man/Tools.htm#Calibration_Assistant

None of this has anything to do with the settings for "Reverse Dec".  The big problem, as you said, is that you can't get a decent calibration on the west side of the pier and that's the thing that needs to be fixed.  One thing you should investigate is whether you have any cable routing problems that are affecting the ability of the mount to move smoothly from the west side of the pier.

Good luck,

Bruce

[VT]

Bruce,

When I am pointing to the Eastern portion of the sky, like today I was pointing to horsehead nebula just after it had rose in the East, I am getting a good calibration. Please see the attached Calibration filed. To perform this calibration, I have to perform a lot of manual work like I cannot allow PhD2 to slew the telescope. I slew on SGP to close to the celestial equator and then just ask PhD2 to calibrate and I can get a decent calbration. I cannot get any sort of calibration done when point to the western sky. I cannot get the calbration after meridian flip to work as it vanishes after I finish the Eastern portion of the sky calibration (West side of the pier). I also notice that PhD2 says it is in the East side of pier when I am pointing to the Eastern portion of sky. I dont understand why but I can confirm that I am able to slew to the target correctly and plate solve and take images in the eastern portion of the sky.

A key question as to what has changed since October is that I downloaded a recent ASCOM driver from the manufacturer (Vixen, Starbook 10) and installed the same in September 2023. Please see the attached calibration and guiding that I obtained today. Please let me know if this is a problem...I dont know how to uninstall the Vixen Starbook 10 driver and I am getting increasingly frustrated with the Vixen mount as it is not really ASCOM friendly.

https://openphdguiding.org/logs/dl/PHD2_logs_8fKX.zip

Thanks for your help.

Regards

VT

[Bruce Waddington]

I think you already know the answer here, the new ASCOM driver is seriously flawed.  Can't you talk to the source of the driver - Vixen or a Vixen reseller - and get some help?  If the driver can't even report side-of-pier and mount guide speeds correctly, there's no telling what else is wrong with it. And are you saying the driver can't support more than one client application at a time?  If so, you can use the ASCOM device hub to solve that problem.  I don't see how there's much else we can tell you.  I don't think it makes sense to think about the Vixen mount being "not really ASCOM friendly."  I think the ASCOM driver is buggy, that's what needs to be fixed.

Bruce