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Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

Meade LX200 Classic Connects But Doesn't Slew

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Hi there,

I am connected to a Meade LX200 Classic 10" with a USB-to-Serial adapter into the scope's RS-232 port. The scope connects to Ekos but when I try to use manual mount controls, it does not move. Right now, I am just trying to get the mount to move manually, I am not worried about an alignment. I have attached the log file that I gathered.

Is this a setting I am missing?
2 years 4 months ago #77633
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A bit more info:

I am able to talk to the telescope through the RS-232 port by manually sending commands, and can get the telescope to slew successfully there (:Mn# :Qn# etc). The scope does *not* however respond to the ACK command, but all the other commands work. I found this thread  from a year ago where another LX200 scope didn't seem to respond to the ACK command, granted the scope from the thread was not an LX200 Classic like mine.

Any ideas on why Ekos is unable to slew the telescope if I can make it slew through manually-sent serial commands?
 
2 years 4 months ago #77728

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=16.6pxi had the same Problem with a LX200 compatible mount. it did not move.

the driver sends the command ":SdsDD:MM#"
according to the meade original lx200 docs it should be :SdsDD*MM#

see www.meade.com/support/LX200CommandSet.pdf

problem is in
lx200driver.cpp
int setObjectDEC(int fd, double dec)

regards

 
2 years 2 months ago #79906

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This could be a regression, please open a bug report here: github.com/indilib/indi/issues
2 years 2 months ago #79907

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i've opened a bug report.
i am new to indi, great work !
Joerg
2 years 2 months ago #79909

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There are three :Sds command formats specified in the lx200driver.cpp
case LX200_EQ_LONG_FORMAT:
case LX200_EQ_LONGER_FORMAT:
and
case LX200_EQ_SHORT_FORMAT

The first two use the ":", the SHORT uses the "*"

The driver attempts to determine the format by parsing the response to the :GR# command

The response to thr :GR# is
  :GR# Get Telescope RA
   Returns: HH:MM.T# or HH:MM:SS#
   Depending which precision is set for the telescope

If it gets back a "." in byte 5 it attempts to switch to

U - Precision Toggle
  :U# Toggle between low/hi precision positions
  Low - RA displays and messages HH:MM.T sDD*MM
  High - Dec/Az/El displays and messages HH:MM:SS sDD*MM:SS
  Returns Nothing


It will then re-issue the :GR#
If "." found in byte 5 then sets SHORT
Else sets  LX200_EQ_LONG_FORMAT

If you enable logging with telescope driver debug you should see what the response to the :GR# command is, or execute the commands above manually

Gene
 
2 years 2 months ago #79911

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Sorry, one question please, what firmware version does you scope have?
The latest was 3.34L I believe.

I had owned a circa 2002 classic , and made changes to the lx200 driver a few years ago and had no issues with scope movement, and the given section has not changed in the driver.

Gene
2 years 2 months ago #79912

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it is a LX200 10" from the mid 90's, firmware is 3.20 or 3.21 (not sure, had to take a look, next time i use it)
maybe newer firmware is more tolerant.

on the other hand i have never seen an original Meade document where ":" is used as a seperator for this command.
where does this ":" come from?

regards
2 years 2 months ago #79913

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it is a LX200 10" from the mid 90's, firmware is 3.20 or 3.21 (not sure, had to take a look, next time i use it)
maybe newer firmware is more tolerant.

on the other hand i have never seen an original Meade document where ":" is used as a seperator for this command.
where does this ":" come from?

regards
2 years 2 months ago #79914

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2 years 2 months ago #79918

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More than two years ago I reported some defective implementations in the lx200 core driver here . I stumbled upon it writing the driver for the AOK Skywalker mount which is hundred percent lx200-compatible. Nobody seemed to be interested then!

I still think the driver needs an overhaul, as there are other commands with the same flaw. May I have hope to reactivate the discussion with this thread ?
Last edit: 2 years 2 months ago by Toni Schriber.
2 years 2 months ago #79929

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Yup, ping received :-) See brief followup in that other thread
-- Hans
2 years 2 months ago #79963

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