Scott,
I think you are overly simplifying thiings.
You need to set the mount up and then configure the software to meet the requirements of the mount.
The problem is that a mount has a range over which a goto will produce a meridian flip but the software is not capable of recognising a range only a fixed limit.
So, you need to set the software to produce a flip after the first point at which it will flip but before it reaches the limit.
Since, Ekos only has one setting it needs to be set to ensure it always commands the goto before it reaches the limit.
For long exposures it may happen that it cannot achieve both and will sometimes fail, depending on when a previous exposure completes.
I have had some discussions with the programmers and they are considering adding an extra setting to fix this but it has not currently been implemented.
So in summary, to ensure 100% flips working you need to have the exposure length shorter than the period between the first point and the limit and to ensure the goto is commanded before the limit is reached.
Paul
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Morelli,
You may want to refer to the discussion i have had recently on Meridian flips and the limitations with the current implementation.
indilib.org/forum/mounts/10641-meridian-....html?start=12#77673
Paul
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Akarsh,
I think it has the opposite effect as people will keep downloading the files, thinking they are not installed, when they are.
Paul
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Wolfgang,
I have managed to get around the issue of the meridian flip hour angle not allowing negatives.
A tripod extension, that I bought in May has finally been shipped and delivered and it allows me to use a positive hour angle.
I do wish the other meridian flip problems could be addressed but I can now mostly work around them.
Paul
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Wolfgang,
Taking on board what you were saying about how it currently works, I wanted to perform the flip a bit earlier. I currently have the Hour Angle set to zero degrees, but when I try to enter a negative Hour Angle it does not allow it.
Paul
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Wolfgang,
I think the way the current limit is being used is not as efficient as it could be because I would prefer to perform the flip at the latest point rather than at the earliest point.
For instance, if I have a 20m window and my exposures were only 60 seconds then I could keep imaging later, before needing to perform a flip. The software should be able to effortlessly work this out, but it currently lacks sufficient information.
The simplest way to envisage what I am thinking is to have two settings
1) I can perform a flip after this point
2) I must perform a flip before this point
This will allow the software to know that under some circumstances it needs to suspend capture, because it would finish after point 2) but wait until after point 1) to perform the flip.
I have to admit it has taken me a lot of thinking to understand how all this works.
Paul
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Wolfgang,
Referring back to my original post, I have a 20 minute window where a goto will trigger a meridian flip - and that is really a bit tight as it is possible for some positions to still be an issue.
Any goto outside this range will not produce a meridian flip.
So, for example, in a worst case scenario, if I have a 30 minute exposure it can start an exposure before the meridian flip is possible and finish after. Given the tolerances for matching the mount to the software there needs to be some leeway, so it means the window is actually narrower.
If the software knows where the range begins and ends it can intelligently determine whether to start an exposure, command a flip or to wait until a flip is possible and then command the flip. The current situation is that a flip may sometimes work but sometimes fail, which is what my experience has found.
Paul
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Wolfgang,
So it is possible that a capture will cause a goto command to be issued too late, and the meridian flip will not occur.
Without the software knowing when the earliest and latest a flip can occur it cannot completely avoid the situation where a flip does not happen, except by keeping the exposures very short.
Paul
Paul
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To simplify one of my questions.
- Losmandy Gemini has a range over which a flip will happen
- kstars has an hour angle to determine when a flip is to happen.
- Where can you let kstars know when a flip can first happen?
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I have a Losmandy G11 and running Raspberry Pi OS 32bit.
I can control the mount using the virtual buttons and park and unpark but the goto has stopped working.
It was fine until I decided to do a build.
Paul
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Wolfgang,
The tracking is enabled and eventually it gets to the point where a goto will not work as the mount limit is reached. The screenshots provide confirmation.
Paul
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