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

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

Meridian Flip confusion

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I'm almost certain, but let me double check tomorrow when I will try to reproduce the behaviour.
2 years 2 months ago #79141

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OK, so I reproduced it today. And even more strangely, I've set the mount to stop when HA > 10 deg and Ekos to to a flip when HA > 2 deg.
So the mount stopped moving when Ekos said "Meridian flip in 00:08:01 (see pic)
As you also can see in the other pic taken a few minutes afterwards, the scope has stopped before the meridian while KStars continues to track the selected star.
I also set the mount to update Time and Location in KStars and I also verified that this was the case before the flip. Both time and location were in sync.
Attached is the debug log file.
Grateful for any help.
Cheers, Åke
 
Last edit: 2 years 2 months ago by Åke Liljenberg.
2 years 2 months ago #79163
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Hi Åke,
this is a clear indication that mount hardware and EKOS do not have identical time or location settings (or maybe both). Please do me a favour and reverse the time/location synching and sync from EKOS to the mount (currently, you are synching in the opposite direction).
And please post the entire log including the logging for EKOS modules. In yout latest attachment I see only the INDI part.
Cheers
Wolfgang
2 years 2 months ago #79169

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Hi Wolfgang,

I've changed to "KStars updates all devices". I also made sure the location is the same in KStars and the mount.
Three times in a row the same thing happens, that is when the target hits the meridian Ekos stops tracking (mount is set to stop when HA > 5 and Ekos flip when HA > 2 degrees).
Please see the attached logs. All shows 'Mount status changed from  "Tracking" to "Idle"' when the target hits the meridian.

To me it looks like the mount is stopping the tracking at the meridian no matter what value I set in the hand controller for the mount. Could it be a bug in the mount firmware (version 210105)?

Please let me know if there is any other setting you want me to try out.

Cheers, Åke
Last edit: 2 years 2 months ago by Åke Liljenberg.
2 years 2 months ago #79197
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Hi again,

A quick update; I thought I solved the problem, but unfortunately not.
I did a complete reset of the mount with the hand controller ("Reset All Settings"), set home position and so on.
Then I got the meridian flip to work - only once (log attached) - but after that it behaves like before again...

The mount status is set to "Idle" exactly when the target object crosses the meridian.
If there was the possibility to set a negative number in Ekos "Flip if HA >" I could probably have it work.

I'm going crazy on this!

// Åke
Last edit: 2 years 2 months ago by Åke Liljenberg.
2 years 2 months ago #79216
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Any ideas on what to do/try next? I'm going nuts... 
No one else has this problem?
Cheers, Åke
Last edit: 2 years 2 months ago by Åke Liljenberg.
2 years 2 months ago #79334

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Replied by Ron Clanton on topic Meridian Flip confusion

I'm not sure that I can help... but since the last update I have problems with the MF. In my case, the mount tries to flip... but fails. It then retries in a few minutes and succeeds. It's like the mount doesn't think that it is past meridian. I suspected a synchronization problem, but the settings in EKOS is set to update the mount... so shouldn't be an issue.

I'm starting to think that EKOS is not truly updating the mount... but don't know how to check.

I've attached my log if anyone wants to have a look.  The first MF attempt is around 22:18.

Ron
Last edit: 2 years 2 months ago by Ron Clanton.
2 years 2 months ago #79336
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Hi Ron,

It's not exactly the same problem I have, but I recognise yours since I had similar issues earlier.
For you I guess the time and/or location are different in KStars vs your mount. Please make sure you let Kstars update both of those.

My problem is that (it seems) the mount stops the tracking each time it passes the meridian, even if I set it to stop 5 degrees past the meridian.

I hope someone has a clue why this happens.

// Åke
2 years 2 months ago #79339

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Replied by Ron Clanton on topic Meridian Flip confusion

Ake,

Yeah, I checked the setting in EKOS and it is correct. I haven't had any response from StellarMate support on my problem.

I may have missed it... but what kind of mount do you have?  Have you tried calling their technical support?

Ron
Last edit: 2 years 2 months ago by Ron Clanton.
2 years 2 months ago #79340

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Åke, I checked your logs. The first three logs you posted show all the same behavior: there is a slew to a certain position, that succeeds, but in none of the cases EKOS recognizes the necessity of a meridian flip ( I guess you slew to a position close, but east of the meridian) and then either the mount stops tracking (log 1 and 3) or parks (log 2). There is something configured in your mount that triggers this, it does not look like something that EKOS triggers.

In the latest log (that one that has been posted as a single one) the meridian flip seems to succeeds, but immediately after the flip the mount parks. I have no explanation what triggers this parking.

@Ron: in your case, it's different. The meridian flip is triggered by EKOS, but your mount decides not to switch the counterweight position. It seems like EKOS and your mount hardware do not agree whether the position it's pointing to is before or after the meridian. EKOS thinks it's beyond the meridian, your mount has a different opinion. The explanation for this is typically a time or location gap between both. If not, it typically helps increasing the meridian flip delay.

HTH
Wolfgang
2 years 2 months ago #79343

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Hi Wolfgang,
Thanks for the reply.
What you see is exactly my problem.
The slews and parkings are made manually by me (from within Ekos), not by Ekos nor the mount itself.

I slew to a position near (1 or 2 degrees) and west of the meridian. then, after a few minutes, exactly when the mount reaches the meridian, it stops tracking.
So Ekos correctly haven't yet seen the necessity to do the flip.

The mount is configured to stop 5 degrees after the meridian and Ekos 2 degrees after the meridian.
In the CEM40's hand controller there is no way to disable the meridian treatment, I can only choose between STOP or FLIP and choose degrees between +0 and +14.
I even tried +14 but it doesn't help, the tracking still stops at the meridian.

I will check if it makes a differens to choose FLIP instead in the hand controller.
I will also test to set everything and then disconnect Ekos and see if it the mount behaves differently when it's "on its own".

Cheers, Åke
2 years 2 months ago #79347

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That's really strange. But I would really be surprised if this behavior results from EKOS. Have you tried to get an answer from an iOptron Forum or their support?
2 years 2 months ago #79359

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