Mount connection problem via INDI

[Gary Neilson]

Hey everyone, I have a really perplexing mount/PHD2 connection problem. Hope someone can give me a few ideas as I’m out of them!

I can connect, or appear to connect, to my celestron AVX mount with PHD2 via INDI Nexstar driver but that’s as far as it gets.

I tried as the primary mount via INDI, then as an ‘aux’ mount just for declination data with the ST4 port and on-camera providing the guiding.

I can control the mount using INDI with Astrotelescope and guide with astroguider/ST4 so it appears the drivers and mount are ok. Initially I thought it may be a pulse guide compatibility issue, but not being able to simply read the declination data seems odd.

Currently I’m guiding by inputting the declination data manually, ironically cut-pasted from the INDI server into PHD2, which is not ideal.

I haven’t yet tried windows/ASCOM as I’m trying to keep it all to OSX as I remote into a Mac mini server connected to the scope and imaging system. Although Astroguider also works ok, the software is quite basic compared to PHD2.

Thanks

Gary.

[Patrick Chevalley]

Can you confirm your NextStar is set for Equatorial mode, not Alt/Az.
Because PHD2 get EQUATORIAL_COORD or EQUATORIAL_EOD_COORD but not HORIZONTAL_COORD.

Patrick

[Patrick Chevalley]

And can you specify the INDI driver you use? indi_celestron_gps or indi-nexstarevo?

[Gary Neilson]

Hi Patrick

Thanks for your response. I’m just using the Nexstar Indi driver ... it’s an Advanced VX equatorial only Mount so doesn’t have an alt/az mode setting as far as I know.

Cheers

Gary

[Gary Neilson]

And forgot to add ... only using the nexstar driver that came with the build from cloudmakers. Assumed it was a common driver as it seemed to work with the other software ok.

If there is a specific driver I may be using the wrong one!

Cheers.

[Patrick Chevalley]

Yes, this is the right driver.

Fortunately this driver as a simulation mode so I can try it, and I see it as pulse guiding disable by default.

After you connect the equipment, click the green toolbox button on the right of the PHD2 button bar, this open the INDI options dialog.
Select the Celestron driver, the Main Control tab, and click the "On" button next to "Use Pulse Cmd".
Also be sure the telescope is not parked and tracking.

[Gary Neilson]

Thanks again Patrick.

The issue was my driver had no tab for pulse guiding (although I may not have noticed it needed selecting!).

I probably should have mentioned I was using INDIGO server (from cloudmakers) and the driver appears to be different. So will follow-up with them.

When I went back to INDI, the option was there and it appears to be sending the pulse commands to the mount. I tried to simulate a calibration using CCD simulator and actual connecton to the mount. This ultimately resulted in "RA failed to move enough" type error but am assuming this is just result of the simulation in this case.

If I simulate calibration using simulator CCD/On-Camera and Aux INDI mount (real connection), it will complete a simulated calibration. So hopefully the aforementioned failure will work for real. Cloudy skies are preventing that right now!

Regards

Gary.