×

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

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

Alignment starts before mount is finished slewing

  • Posts: 86
  • Thank you received: 9
Hi, I did attempt to find this problem in the forum but couldn't find it. Basically what is happening is that the mount driver is briefly reporting to Ekos that it has finished slewing and is tracking. This false report only happens once for a brief second just after the slewing begins. So for instance, during the meridian flip, the alignment procedure automatically starts capturing images to solve while the mount it still moving, this results in an image that is un-solvable and the alignment fails. It prompts that it will try again, but I usually just go ahead and do a capture manually rather than wait for ekos to attempt again. Sorry I don't have any logs yet but it's obvious that the mount driver is the problem because when sending a slew command, the mount console switches to tracking for a brief second during the slew.

Has anyone had this problem before? Anyone have any ideas how to fix this?

Thanks, Wes
The following user(s) said Thank You: Craig
4 years 10 months ago #39080

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

  • Posts: 86
  • Thank you received: 9
I'm running a iOptron iEQ45 Pro with a serial cable. This has been the only problem I've ever experienced with it. I've made sure I'm running the correct INDI driver.
4 years 10 months ago #39081

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

  • Posts: 424
  • Thank you received: 66
Yes, now and then when using the solver, it may find the object far from the target and so slews but doesn't wait for the slew to end before it takes the next picture, so the next picture has streaks and fails. It hasn't been a show stopper so I ignore it but would be nice if it was fixed. (I use EQMOD on HEQ5)
The following user(s) said Thank You: Craig
4 years 10 months ago #39093

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

  • Posts: 527
  • Thank you received: 139
I had this problem too sometimes. Change the default settle setting on the align tab to 3000 from 1500 and see if that makes a difference.
4 years 10 months ago #39095

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

  • Posts: 86
  • Thank you received: 9
YES! I did that exact same thing. Problem is... sometimes the slew is longer than the 3000.
4 years 10 months ago #39096

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

  • Posts: 527
  • Thank you received: 139
I would have thought settle time is the time required for the mount to "settle" after a slew. So you're adding a delay until it takes an image and solves again. But sounds like that might not be right? I've not changed the setting myself, as the problem is intermittent. I hadn't thought about the time it takes to slew causing it.
4 years 10 months ago #39098

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

  • Posts: 86
  • Thank you received: 9
You're correct but when ekos "thinks" the mount has stopped and is tracking, it actually has not stopped and is still flipping or slewing and the settle time of 3000 isn't enough time for the slew or flip, perhaps I can work around it by adding even more settle time (the time is takes to flip). It'll just make the flip longer but at least it may actually work.
4 years 10 months ago #39101

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

  • Posts: 554
  • Thank you received: 138
I think I've seen this as well with a Celestron mount running the CelestronGPS driver. What I see is an image with streaked stars. I'll keep an eye open for it and see if I can get logs.
The way that it seems to be happening with several different mount drivers seems to indicate that it's happening at a different level than the driver, at least the device specific part of the driver.

Hiding the problem with a delay is really only putting a sticking plaster on the problem, it doesn't solve it.

First thing is to find out if this is happening at the start or end of the slew.

Chris
The following user(s) said Thank You: Craig
4 years 10 months ago #39106

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

  • Posts: 554
  • Thank you received: 138
I had two or three occurences of this last night but there's nothing in the logs that give any indication of what happened. All I see are 'mount status changed from 3 to 2' which I think is when a slew starts and 'mount status changed from 2 to 3' when it finishes. No other messages apart from vast numbers of phonon errors. There seems to be more in the display but it looks as if info messages aren't logged to a file, just to the screen.
If I turn logging on in the telescope and CCD I get messages from them but still nothing from the alignment.

Or is there a way to get more of the messages to the log that I've missed? I'm enabling logging to file in the EKOS log setup for EKOS and drivers. I can see mount movement messages and CCD messages but nothing to report the alignment progress even though this is checked in the Ekos setup.
4 years 10 months ago #39152

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

  • Posts: 86
  • Thank you received: 9
I'm not sure. I tried to re-create this issue yesterday to log it but of course, it didn't do it!! I always thought Verbose with the part you wanted logged check should always write every bit of activity to a file.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Craig
4 years 10 months ago #39157

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

  • Posts: 554
  • Thank you received: 138
I've found a log that shows the problem. This was running KStars on a Windows machine and INDI running remotely.
Here's a log fragment:The sequence starting 22:43:30 shows the expected behaviour, sync, sync complete, slew, slew complete, capture image,capture complete, solve, solve complete.
The sequence starting at 22:44:04 shows the sync and the start of the slew but then the image capture starts and the slew complete message only shows up after that.
The solve seems OK but that's probably because there is sufficient image data after the slew has ben completed.

This looks as if ekos is being a bit impatient, it should at least wait until after it has sent a successful slew command to indi.

Chris
4 years 10 months ago #39159

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

  • Posts: 86
  • Thank you received: 9
Interesting. I know it doesn't show in the log but do you know if your mount switches the tracking from "ON" to "OFF" and then "ON" to "OFF" a second time when you slew? I see this happen in my case in the mount control tab.
4 years 10 months ago #39162

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

Time to create page: 1.245 seconds