Has anyone here unlocked the magic combination so that meridian flips with the G-11 and a Gemini 2 work reliably?

I cannot get it to work reliably. It will flip most of the time in testing and most of the time during live runs, but it fails open enough that I can't trust it.

I'm well aware of the eastern, western and goto safety limits and how they are supposed to work, but it seems every so often the Gemini 2 firmware just ignores the math that's supposed to work and keeps on tracking instead of flipping.

I know the ASCOM drivers uses either setting the pier side command or the slew with flip command (can't remember which) rather than relying on the firmware voodoo math.

I'm cracking open the lx200gemini driver to see if using the slew with flip command is any more reliable. I plan to try to force a flip if the goto has a positive hour angle (say within an hour past the meridian) and the mount is on the west side. If it seems to work better I'll want others to try it.

This is driving me nuts....

J.

Hi!

I can easily understand your frustration. However, mine flips very reliably, I would say. It was a very long time since I had a problem with it. I've set it to flip at 2 degrees, I think, and have set the Goto limit at the meridian (don't know exact values right now, but with western limit say 110 degrees, Goto is 20, so any goto after meridian should trigger a flip). I hade issues before but more with run-away slews - disappeared on upgrade of Gemini firmware to the "beta" version that is around.

Anyway: if you fiddle with the driver, I'd be happy helping you out testing!

Magnus

My settings are very similar, 115 for the western limit and 14.5 for the goto limit, so anything over 0.5 degrees should flip, and it mostly does, except when it doesn't.... I had a runaway slew in testing today as well. Aborted the slew when I noticed my DEC was a -77. I'm at 43N, so that isn't anywhere my GEM should ever point! Fortunately I have a very short scope on it right now, so it didn't hit anything.

Where did you get the beta firmware? I had a quick look on the groups.io site and at Losmandy.com but I don't see it posted anywhere.

Thanks

J.

Hi!

It has some odd half-official status, to be considered "experimental". Look here:

groups.io/g/Gemini_users/topic/69523066?...0::,,,0,0,0,69523066

Edit:
The firmware is located here:
groups.io/g/Gemini_users/files/Gemini%202%20Beta%20ware

And if you cannot access it, email me and I'll make it available to you

Magnus

Hopefully someone is listening in here.
Here are the instructions for connecting the Gemini II to INDI using ethernet:

2. Network
To connect to the mount over the network. Make sure your PC/StellarMate is on the same subnet as the mount. Under the Connection tab in the INDI Control Panel, click on the Ethernet button and then enter the mount IP address and port. The default UDP port used by Gemini is 11110. Click on UDP to set the port type to UDP. To save the settings, go to Options tab and then click Save configuration.

Here is the problem:
I am unable to enter anything in the server address or port fields.
The mount is on and parked. Sky Safari can connect to it.
I'm trying to get KStars up and running on the Mac.
I am able to connect to the Meade DSI guide camera and the QY128ProC imaging camera.
I have a similar problem trying to enter the API key for openweathermap.
What am I missing?

Could you share some screenshots to illustrate your problem?

-Eric

There is really nothing interesting to show. When I click in the IP Address field, I am unable to enter any data. When I click in the port fields, I am unable to enter any data. How would a screenshot of an empty field help you visualize this?
Somehow or another, the API for the openweathermap got handled. I didn’t enter anything in that field. But it happened after I created an API and labeled it as ‘openweathermap’.
So, do the IP address field and the Port field get filled in automatically by doing something I’m not aware of?

Well I don't have a gemini, so I won't be able to help with that precisely, but maybe someone else can spot the problem with a visual hint.

-Eric

I recently purchased a G11G and wasn't getting meridian flips to occur. Setting the western go to limit at western limit -90 appears to have worked. I have only had one occasion for the flip so far, but it sounds like this is equivalent to the ASCOM guidance I have seen on the Losmandy and/or Gemini groups.