robertp

Hello David, did you check the windows event logs? Maybe you can find an indicator of a system shutdown or something. It's strange that you are missing 2 hours of logging information from 1:19 am to 3:19 am. Best regards, Robert

Hello Pavel, wow, that's gorgeous! It creates a great 3-D feeling! Well worth all the effort, best regards and keep those pictures coming, Robert

Hi, does your RA axis spin free and smooth when you have no scope attached? Does the axis feel uneven when you rotate it? And just to rule out simple issues: are the clutch fastening screws/rotation limits unscrewed (see product manual page 13)? Best regards, Robert

Hi Thomas, I don't know what Sequence is using when syncing. we would have to ask Philipp. I'm not sure if there is another way to find out. I think that Philipp mentioned that he uses Jnow in all places but I have to scan through my emails to verify that. clear skies, Robert

Hello Thomas, your problem reminded me of a conversation I had with Philipp Keller in 2010 were I suspected, that tracking errors might have been related to either using different epochs in TheSky, Maxim, Autoslew and Sequence or by problems in the conversion. Here's a reply that Philipp sent me: "was ganz anderes, ich habe gerade festgestellt, daß MaximDL offensichtlich nicht richtig Current Epoch in 2000 umrechnet. wenn ich in Autoslew 9h, 50 Grad anpositioniere stimmen die Lokal-Koordinaten und Epoch2000 100% mit TheSky überein. MaximDL hat die gleichen JNow, aber 11Bogensekunden Differenz in J2000. Ergo rechnet Maxim anders in 2000 um als ich und TheSky. Das kann natürlich Auswirkungen auf Plate Solves haben. Ich muss der Sache weiter nachgehen. Man sollte jedenfalls keine Differenzen bei MaximDL Platesolves verwenden. Verwende ich den Sequencer umgehe ich das Problem vermutlich dadurch, daß ich selber in Epoch2000 umrechne und PinPoint solven lasse uns dann meine und Pinpoints Epoch2000 vergleiche. Sofern Pinpoint und ich die gleiche Auffassung von Epoch2000 haben sollte es also richtig sein." Basically Philipp indicates that the coordinates in J2000 and Jnow are identical in Autoslew and TheSky, Jnow is also identical in Maxim, but there is a deviation in J2000 in Maxim compared to Autoslew and TheSky. So it might make sense to do some tests with different epoch settings. In my fits-files that were platesolved by PinPoint under MaximDL, the coordinates in the fits-header seem to be J2000. Best regards, Robert

Hi Mike, will you be using the DDM60 in a permanent setup (e.g. in a dome or rolloff-observatory) or will it be a mobile setup? For a mobile setup, a portable PC would be the right choice. As you are planning to use the mount visually only at least in the beginning, the system requirements are very low and you should be able to use more or less any PC or laptop that has win7 or newer running. Even for astro-imaging, you won't need a high performance PC to controll the mount and the CCD and store the images during the imaging session, as long as you have a decent desktop PC to do the CPU- and memory-intense image processing. Hope this helps, Robert

Hi Mike, the minimum requirements to run the mount seem to be rather low. I'm currently setting up a very low-end micro-PC that I plan to keep permanently installed at the mount rather then connecting my laptop each time. I've bought an Orbsmart mini PC: http://www.orbsmart.com/products/orbsmart-aw-05-plus/ updated it to win10 and installed all the software that I need: autoslew, Sequence, MaximDL, PinPoint, The Sky 6, RoboFocus, Ascom, CCD Inspector, CCD Commander, Teamviewer, USB focus, QSC-focus and probably something else that I've forgotten. A first test to remotely control the mount was successfull and I hope to be able to provide more experiences soon. However, if you're planning to also use the PC for image processing or controlling e.g. a planetary cam like the Zwo 174, then I would recommend to aim for an i7 with 8 Gig of Ram and a bigger SSD. As you need several programms running in parallel to control the DDM60 and your camera, I would recommend to get a screen with at least full hd display to be able to arrange all relevant windows in a convenient way. Best regards, Robert

Hi Mike, even though the DDMs require more care in balancing the scope, from my experience there is no need to get it even close to perfect. I use the mount alot for solar imaging and I put whatever scope I use on the mount, balance it roughly just by moving the axis in both directions until they feel similar (I hardly ever use the balancing tool within autoslew). During my imaging sessions, I often take my doublestack filter off the scope, replace the eyepiece by a ccd and never bother to rebalance. In a permanent setup, trying to achieve a close to perfect balance is certainly worthwhile, especially when you completely rely on a bigger pointing file. When using MLPT, I guess that a slight off-balance does not matter. But like George, I sometimes feel a need to try to get something perfect. However, before you spend hours balancing your scope in a test rig, make sure that e.g. the saddle plate does not put your perfectly balanced scope off-center. Best regards, Robert

Hi, hm, interesting document that I haven't seen before. Maybe we should start a new thread where we collect all the relevant documents that are spread amongst us in one place as several relevant documents are not available from the download-pages. Some of them have been provided by Philipp, maybe we can ask him to share all those documents, that he has somewhere on his homepage. Best regards, Robert

Hi, I just came back from the AME fair where ASA had short presentations what to expect from ASA2.0. I hope I recall the most important parts correctly. The guys from ASA mentioned that detailed information (more detailed than what was presented) will be on the homepage within few days. Hardware: ASA has developed a new focuser with absolute encoders and a resolution of something like 1/7th micrometer. Due to the absolute encoders, there should be no hystereses or anything and therefore a defined position will be reached with extreme accuracy. ASA has also the new version of the DDM60 on display (not working as the software is not fully finalized yet). Besides absolute encoders there is a whole bunch of changes: Instead of the "swivel plate" the new DDM60 now has a more conventional wedge. The counterweight shaft now has a bayonet-style coupling and rotates so that one could fix another instrument on the counterweight-shaft. The bayonet should enable you to easily attach or detach the shaft with all counterweights which might ease setup without having to rebalance. The dovetail plate has been improved to easily be able to attach a scope in exactly the same position - again for convenient setup. There seems to also be some kind of mechanism that should prevent a scope to slide out of the dovetail in case one loosens the screws. The major difference however is that there is now a complete computer (or actually two) built into the DDM60. One sits at the lower end of the RA-housing which is slightly bigger and longer now. Another one sits underneath the upper part of the dovetail plate in a box that houses several usb- and power-ports, but also a camera that is used for easy polar alignment. The box at the dovetail plate is connected to the dec-housing with a small spiral cable, all other cabling is internal. With the computers built into the mount, there is no need anymore for a computer that runs e.g. autoslew and sequence, as there is a completely new developed software installed that is intended to replace all the software components, that we usually use (autoslew, sequence, maximDL, FocusMax, PinPoint, ACP or CCD-commander, ...). The communication with the "outer" world is based on wlan. Therefore the mount can be controlled by e.g. smartphones, laptops or tablets. ASA2.0 therefore describes the seamless integration of a completely new software with a significantly improved hardware. This e.g. should enable a user to setup the mount very fast by moving the mount head to two or three positons. A picture will be taken with the internal camera and the mount calculates the polar misalignment. It than gives the user accurate descriptions how far and in which direction the fine adjustments have to be turned to get a good polar alignment. That is supposed to be way quicker than the current procedure. Having absolute encoders eliminates homing and part of the tuning procedures and makes it easy to recover from a power failure or a shutdown. All in all if everything works as advertised, setting up and working with a DDM60 will be way easier. My impression is, that ASA wants to attract customers that might at the moment be discouraged by the complexity of the system. Beta-Test is about to start and it seems, that part of the software is still in development and the electronics in the final stages, therefore it will still take a few months before the new mount with the new software will be officially available (year end was mentioned). I tried to find out what this new concept will mean to us current users with older hardware. The answers were quite vague. The new software was developed by a swiss guy with consulting from Philipp Keller and it seems, that at least until the new mount comes out, focus is to support the new mounts. Whether the new software will also support our hardware is unclear and seems to be in discussion at ASA. Autolew as it is will still be supported as it is used by many big observatories, but whether there will be a lot of effort put e.g. into the current Sequence seems to be questionable. I also got no clear answer to the question whether there will be an upgrade path for our hardware. The DDM60 has too little space to be converted to the new encoders and built in computers, it is not clear whether there will be some kind of upgrade like an external box with the computer. It seems, that upgrading the DDM85 is less of a problem. ASA seems to be aware that there will be a lot of questions from existing users and it was mentioned that e.g. a trade-in program could be one option to help existing users to migrate to the ASA2.0 world. So all in all a quite impressive development that on the other hand side leaves a lot of open questions for us existing users. I hope that ASA will be more active to discuss what's happening. I'm quite sure that I missed some of the things mentioned, but hope that this gives you a first impression as everybody is eagerly waiting for news. Best regards and clear skies, Robert

Hi Daniel, I have a DDM60 Pro but I guess the DDM85 also has a mechanical stop that prevents you from turning the DEC-axis more than 360 degrees. Therefore you can't easily change the orientation of the USB-ports (at least with the DDM60).The only way I can think of is to unscrew the top-part of the Dec-head (that can easily be done with the DDM60 but again I don't know if the same is true for the DDM85) and check whether you can screw it back rotated by 180 degrees. But at least with the DDM60 I think that the internal cabling might not allow you to do that even though the screw-pattern would make it possible. Best regards, Robert

Hi Thomas, sorry, the weather did not cooperate during the last weeks mainly due to my home cities infamous fog. I hope to test that soon, but the forecast is not very promising for the next few days. best regards, Robert

Hello Thomas, I never checked whether platesolving with Sequence or Maxim/Pinpoint provides different solutions. That's interesting and I will try to verify that asap. How did you compare the results? I would recommend to adress that problem to Philipp in the bugs-section. Hello "prefetch" (would you mind to share your real name?), glad that with the bigger chip your problems went away. What was your FOV before? Best regards, Robert

To my understanding, Sequence uses PinPoint in the background for platesolving, so it should not really matter whether you platesolve via PinPoint directly or via Sequence. If you see different behaviour, I would guess that it's due to one of the following reasons: * The platesolve settings in Sequence differ from the settings in MaximDL or PinPoint, e.g. the timelimit or the spiral search. I actually limit the search to 10 sec maximum as I have the impression, that in case the platesolve does not succeed within few seconds (it usually does not take more than 1-2 seconds), then it will fail anyway, so a long timeout is just a waste of time. I never use spiral search in Sequence and when I tried it way back (the first version of Sequence) I had the impression that it did not work properly (that might have changed, but I haven't tried it since then). * The horizontal and vertical scale per pixel is not correct in Sequence. It can be off quite a bit and PinPoint might still solve some images correctly but fail with others. The pixel scale in Sequence has to be set to the pixel scale of an unbinned image even if you set binning to e.g. 2. I use Sequence with synch and MLPT all the time and usually all my images platesolve very fast and correctly using the GSC1.1 catalog. I usually only encounter problems using a very short focal length like the Pentax 165 medium format lens. Hope this helps, clear skies and happy platesolving, Robert

Hi Daniel, I use MLPT without any pointing-file (despite the three-star pointing-file used for polar alignment). I would recommend to try that first before using a new/larger pointing file in case you have inconsistent tracking. Please keep us posted with regards to your findings, Robert

Hi Waldemar, ok, that's a different version than the one I once replaced. USB3.0 would be great especially if the power supply would also support the 1,5A per port. I hope the replacement runs smooth, best regards, Robert

Hello Waldemar, oh, I was not aware that you have the latest version with the powered hub. The one I replaced was unpowered. However, the hub had the option to be powered, but was used as an unpowered one as I wrote in this thread: http://forum.astrosysteme.com/index.php?/topic/82-usb-3/ There's also the link to a german electronics reseller where I ordered another one as a possible replacement. It was identical to the one ASA sent me with the difference that the sticker was removed. If your hub looks identical besides the sticker, it might well still be the same one with the difference that it is now used as a powered hub. How is your hub powered? Is there a small plug that provides power to the hub? It would be nice to see a picture of it. As I meanwhile also have the latest hardware with the powered hub, I might just unscrew the top-plate of my DDM60 and have a look. Best regards, Robert

Hi Ralph, from the screenshot you posted, it looks like you are using the query-timer. I had to use it several years ago when I had a PC with a very bad internal clock. I'm not sure, but your query timer deviation seems to be rather big. Haver you calibrated the timer recently? Have you checked what happens if you disable the query-timer? One other question: In your original post, you said: "After a new start I always have a deviation of about 15 arcsec in RA of the former synchronized and centralized star with the "Set new Homepostion" and saving procedure. I will not again synchronize following the manual." To my understanding, it is not a problem to do another sync. This should not render your pointing file invalid. Have you tried that? Robert

Hi Waldemar, great to hear that you found the root cause. In case you have problems to get a replacement for the usb-hub from ASA, just let me know. I had to replace mine several years ago and got a replacement from ASA but also found, that one can order the hub from major electronics resellers easily. In order to replace it, you have to unscrew the top of the mount-head. Be careful when lifting the top plate, as there are several short cables. The usb-hub is held in place with some glue (hot glue, I think) that has to be removed, then you can disconnect the small usb-cable from the hub, replace the hub, glue it back in place and fix the top plate again. Good luck, Robert

Hi, I also had USB-issues in the past and resolved them by trying different hubs, active extensions and USB-cables. It was mainly try&error as e.g. buying "industrial grade" hubs powered by 12V did not resolve some of the issues. The USB cable provided with the Lodestar guider seems e.g. to be very high quality even though it is much thinner than the average cable. With that cable, I had stabel connections where other, shorter cables failed. I just bought a small device that displays the voltage and current consumption of USB devices similar to this one: http://www.amazon.com/BESTOPE-Charger-Doctor-Current-Voltage/dp/B00GC9I61I/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1409562071&sr=8-3&keywords=usb+voltage+tester This might or might not help to better understand what's going on. Might be worth a try. Best regards, Robert

Hi Waldemar, It is strange, that you have to change the com-port so often even if you keep the GPS connected to the same USB-port. It happens to me from time to time that my gps is not recognized when autoslew starts, but going to the time-settings menue an ticking the checkbox for the gps usually resolves the issue immediately without the need to select a new com-port. Have you tried to delete orphaned devices in the device manager? To be able to see them, you have to open a cmd-window and set the following parameter: set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1 Then, in device manager, you have to enable the option to show hidden devices. After that, you should be able to deactivate all the unused com-ports (or usb-devices, etc). Best regards, Robert

Hello Ian, I just checked a conversation I had with Philipp Keller in 2010 were I had significant issues with pointing and tracking accuracy. Part of my problem at that time was that the PC clock of the PC I used at that time "lost" more than 4 seconds every hour, much worse than on other PCs I compared. The error introduced by that (corresponding to about 60 arcseconds per hour or 5 arcseconds in a 5 minute exposure) was a real problem. I did some tests with the query timer but finally moved to another PC and activated GPS-synch. At that time (and I guess that's still true) autoslew synched the PC-time with the GPS-time on each slew command in case the option "Synch on each Slew to GPS" was activated in the mount/time settings menue. In my current version, this option is always checked and greyed out, so I guess that as long as you have a GPS installed and it is actually recognized by autolew (you will see that in the lower status bar in the third field (GPS x sat) if the field has a green background), autoslew will update the timer using the GPS-signal on each slew (e.g. when doing dithering slews inbetween multiple exposures). Best regards, Robert

Hello Antonio, as always a perfect rendition of a not so easy target - thanks for sharing this wonderful image, Robert

Hello Lukas, tracking and the resolution of the image is very good so there's a lot of detail. However at least on my computer screen, the background is way too colouful in basically all areas ranging from purple over red to green. I'm quite sure that it's worthwhile to try to get rid of the colour gradients. For me it looks like you stretched the different channels too much. M101 is not a trivial target and I have yet to produce a decent result of it. Best regards, Robert

Hi Hermann, congratulations to those beautiful images. Given the rather short integration times, it's very impressive to see what one can achieve under a decent sky. Best regards, Robert