nakbrooks

I can also recommend www.wikimatrix.org as a source of information on suitable software and services. It lets you specify all the relevant criteria, including hosted or non-hosted, editing facilities, localisation capabilities, branding facilities, etc, then short-lists the Wiki engines/service-providers that meet those criteria. If it is going to be done it has to be done well so if ASA don't have in-house Wiki expertise then it might be best to go for one of the hosting providers that can provide professional design support.

I agree with Ian, although I think the two are complementary. The problem I guess for ASA is that the hardware and software is very complex while the user base is comparatively small. Producing very detailed documentation in at least 2 languages and keeping it up to date is therefore relatively expensive. What we need is clear documentation of all the features in printed/PDF form but supplemented by how-to and troubleshooting guides that can be authored by the wider user community. A Wiki is a better format for these latter cause it is structured but easy to edit and a variable degree of editorial control can be implemented as appropriate.

I have to agree very strongly with those views. As a new, and relatively inexperienced, user of ASA equipment I am very impressed by the quality and capabilities of the hardware and software but very frustrated by the inadequate documentation. I realise that it must be very difficult for ASA to keep multilingual documentation fully up to date when the hardware and software are evolving. However if ASA wants to grow its user base beyond the professional and highly experienced amateur market something does need to be done. Otherwise there is a danger that frustrated users will blame the equipment, which will harm ASA's reputation. I have nothing but praise for ASA support. They have been very responsive to all my (sometimes naive) questions; they have done remote sessions with me; and they have even offered to fly a team out to help with commissioning. However better documentation will enable users to help themselves, reducing the burden on ASA support. I have a suggestion. Could ASA create a Wiki, seeded with the current documentation, where experienced users could add their own information - enabling the Wiki over time to become a definitive detailed set of guidance. Some moderation would be required, but this should be much less effort for ASA than creating new multilingual documentation from scratch. Like the original poster, I may not yet have the experience to contribute technical detail, but I do have a background in technology and user communication and can certainly contribute to making material more comprehensible to new users. Just a thought - and intended to be a positive suggestion. I would hate world-class products to be usable only by the elite who understand them without instruction. Nigel

Thanks for that Mark. Yes, the N series manuals help a bit, although the physical details of the Cassegrain cells are somewhat different. ASA have promised a more detailed collimation manual for the Cassegrain OTAs, hopefully in the next few days. At present I'm waiting for a forecast of 3 consecutive fairly clear nights before I fly down to the observatory (in the Pyrenees) to polar align, collimate and achieve first light. Looking at the forecasts now that could be a long wait Nigel

I'm attempting to adjust collimation on my 400mm classical cassegrain for the first time. I have the ASA laser collimator and I've read the collimation manual (http://www.astrosysteme.at/images/Cassegrain_Collimation_Manual_E.pdf). However this lacks information on the physical location and operation of the collimation screws. Specifically, there are 9 screws on the back of the primary mirror cell: - I understand that some are "push" and some are "pull", but which are which? - Do they rotate clockwise or anticlockwise? - How tight should they be adjusted to prevent movement but avoid damage? - What is the recommended procedure (adjust one set of 3 while keeping the others tight, loosen all "pull" screws first then adjust, or what)? - What is the recommended attitude when collimating (e.g. OTA pointing at zenith so primary rests evenly on "push" screws)? Similarly there are screws both on the back of the secondary mirror cell and the side: - Which of these are used for collimation adjustment, and how? May be obvious questions, but I don't want to risk damaging the mirrors or making collimation worse (it is currently only slightly out) so am looking for detailed guidance (ideally with photos so it is absolutely clear which screws are which) before I attempt this. Many thanks Nigel

If I connect the FlatmanXL directly to the computer with a USB cable then everything works fine - no problems with Autoslew. This proves that the issue is either with AnywhereUSB (the PC driver or the remote hardware hub), possibly a latency issue with the WiFi bridge, or possibly some interoperability issue with the AnywhereUSB virtual USB hub and the FTDI virtual COM port. Obviously the cable isn't a solution as I can't rotate the dome with it connected! I've asked the question on the Digi support forum so will post any solution back here because if it works, AnywhereUSB plus a WiFi bridge is an ideal solution for connecting dome and static equipment. Nigel

Thanks Bernard. Not sure those are the cause of my problem. The Flatman operates very slowly (basically all the USB signals do are turn it on or off and adjust the brightness) so I don't think lack of speed is the issue. Also the AnywhereUSB does not connect to a physical USB hub on the PC - it passes the USB signal over an IP link and the PC has a software driver that emulates the remote AnywhereUSB as if if were a local hub. There is no current draw from any local hub. Thanks anyway. Nigel

I'm using the Digi AnywhereUSB/2 product to connect my FlatmanXL (which is mounted in the rotating dome - so no wires possible) to my Computer. The AnywhereUSB/2 product passes USB over an IP network. I am using a WiFi bridge to provide the IP connection between the dome and the computer. A driver is installed in the computer which provides the USB port emulation. This works absolutely fine stand-alone and in conjunction with my other USB devices. However, I find that when the AnywhereUSB/2 is connected Autoslew loses the USB connection (always to Axis 1, sometimes to Axis 2 and sometimes ACC also loses the connection to the rotator/focuser/covers). I am pretty sure the issue is related to running a COM port emulator (FTDI) over a USB emulator (AnywhereUSB/2). I do not know whether the problem lies with the FTDI driver, the AnywhereUSB/2 driver or whether it is specific to Autoslew/ACC. I don't think I have a COM port conflict: The Flatman is using COM 7 and this isn't being used by anything else (COM 7 only appears in Device Manager when I connect to the AnywhereUSB/2 virtual USB and it disappears from Device Manager when I disconnect). This is a pretty one-off configuration so others probably haven't encountered the problem, but I would welcome any ideas as it is making it impossible for me to take Flats remotely. Many thanks Nigel

Yes, I have spiders spinning webs between the trusses.

I notice he has fabric stretched over the trusses. What are the benefits of that? As he (like me) is in a dome I guess the increase in wind resistance wouldn't be a downside.

I have an ASA rotator fitted to my ASA classical Cassegrain. If I operate this using ACC it rotates in the shortest direction to get to the desired angle - which is what I would expect. However if I do a series of rotations, all under 180 deg (eg 179, 358, 177, 356) it keeps going the same way and wraps the cable around the rotator. Potentially very dangerous as I intend to operate remotely. Is there a way of configuring the rotator so that it never goes more than a specified number of degrees in the same direction before reversing direction? This would need to work both with ACC and any higher level control via ASCOM (eg from The Sky, Maxim or ACP). Sorry if this is has an obvious solution - first time I've used a rotator. Thanks Nigel

Mine is a fair way to the west of you, in Hautes Pyrenees.

Bruno - if you don't mind me asking, which dome are you using and where are you located?

Agreed. I have exactly the same pier and mount and the pier is installed as in drawing A.

I assume you are in the northern hemisphere? A is definitely correct (how would you point the OTA at the pole with B?). Nigel

Glad you sorted it. In the words of Sherlock Holmes: "If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the solution".

Agreed, although I think Ian was saying that he gets different results when he slews back to the original position. I wouldn't have thought that should be the case unless something is moving.

It is very sensitive so, obvious point, but I assume nothing is moving? For example, I have a rotator and had to balance the camera and filter wheel assembly separately because they were off-centre. Once I did get everything balanced (which took some time as you have to do it at a wide selection of pointing angles) I got very good repeatability. This is with a Cassegrain, not a Newtonian, but the principle is the same.

Current versions (of the 4M anyway) do not use a cable. They use electrical contacts on the two rings to transfer power (rollers on the lower ring touching contacts on the upper ring) and wireless to enable the fixed controller to talk to the dome controller. Getting the cog wheel to mesh properly with the teeth on the ring is a matter of careful alignment. The upper ring has to be absolutely level (to within a few mm). I did have to play around with this after construction (mostly because I didn't spend enough time on getting perfect alignment prior to adding the dome to the ring) but it seems to work OK now. Time will tell of course - I've yet to use it in anger as I am still testing and configuring.

Do you have an email Robert - the ScopeDome tips are a bit off-topic here.

I see you are using a ScopeDome. I have just installed a 4 metre ScopeDome. Went reasonably well but there are some lessons to be learned so if you haven't started installing it yet I may be able to give you a few tips. I'm not using a DDM160 but I am using the DDMXL premium which has a smaller version of the same (equatorial) pier and is configured the same way as the DDM160 in Autoslew, so our systems are quite similar.

What are you mounting on it?

It's not a focuser (that is on the secondary mirror - my scope is the ASA 400mm classical Cass). What is in the photo is the 4" corrector, ASA rotator, CFW-3-10 filter wheel and PL16803 camera.

Yes, it was a balance issue now resolved.

My system includes a PL16803 camera with a CFW-3-10 filter wheel - which is large and heavy and offset to one side. This offset causes balance problems as the assembly is mounted on an ASA rotator so the balance changes as it rotates. My solution was to get a brass bar machined which bolts on to the spare bolt holes at the opposite corners of the PL16803 to the filter wheel and has threaded holes to accept a small counter-weight arm I had spare (this is a B&W item originally intended for Meade OTAs). The attached photos illustrate this and I've also attached a drawing. Nigel Drawing.pdf