×

INDI Library v2.0.6 is Released (02 Feb 2024)

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

Guide calibration fails

  • Posts: 910
  • Thank you received: 86
I need to give it a try. I did try a while ago and it didn't work well for some reason.
-- Max S
ZWO AM5. RST-135. AZ-GTI. HEQ5. iOptron SkyTracker.
TPO RC6. FRA400. Rokinon 135 and other lenses.
ZWO ASI2600MC. D5500 modified with UVIR clip-in filter.
ZWO ASI120MM Mini x 2. ZWO 30F4 guider. Orion 50mm guider.
ZWO EAF x 2.
2 years 6 months ago #75414

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Posts: 28
  • Thank you received: 1

Replied by Simon on topic Guide calibration fails

I don't feel like this could be a mechanical problem since I could have a problematic calibration one moment but if I just run it again it would be successful, I don't believe mechanical problems behave that way. In my experience that sounds more like a software or electrical issue. Now that Max mentioned it I noticed in the screenshot I posted that the calibration was indeed going in the opposite direction to when it was successful. When it worked correctly it would start going up to the right but in the failing instance it went down to the left. Could I be having the guide camera in some particularly bad angle where its just on a 90 or 180 degree rotation and wants to flip directions?
I'll see if I can try PHD2 but I'm not sure if it was connecting with my guide cam correctly and I just wanted to avoid it.

Regarding re-calibration I've found that the guiding won't be working quite right if I calibrate to the north and then perhaps slew to the south. I'll redo the calibration and the guiding is great. But I'm still playing around with this. I should mention I always go away somewhere to shoot, I don't have great conditions from my apartment.

 
2 years 6 months ago #75419

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Posts: 1009
  • Thank you received: 133
Well, if you intend to re-use the calibration, you definitely should do that one calibration for declination close to zero (celestial equator) and near the meridian (max. altitude).   The guider then automatically scales the result to whatever location you are pointing at.  This has always worked perfectly for me, both with PHD2 and now with the internal guider.
Calibrating at high declination (north or south) is suboptimal anyhow, because the RA movement of the star is reduced by a factor cos(DEC).  This can easily make the guide star movement drown in noise, unless you use long (and many?) steps....
 
The following user(s) said Thank You: Simon
2 years 6 months ago #75420

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

Time to create page: 0.634 seconds