RamaSpaceShip

Hi Pedro, To attach the mount on the pillar, I use a home-made pier: My pillar is 5meters and 30cm in diameter. And I have no problem wit it. I should try to use Autoslew under Wine. But anyway, it will be of limited interest as I plan to use Sequence, which means MaximDL and Pinpoint. Running all this stuff under Wine is a very complicated problem. Best regards. Bernard

Hi Michael, The wiki is very helpful as a complement of the manual. It can be quickly updated to take into account any modification in the ASA software, while the manual cannot be as reactive. It allows users to add their on views of the different steps to realise a particular operation, to precise alternate possibilities, to provide translations in other languages, etc... There can be also some videos which show a concrete operation on an Asa mount, which are difficult to put inside a manual. The wiki can contain tricks and advice associated with third party things. This cannot generally be part of the manual. In addition, the wiki can be for Asa the cooking pot where the next version of the manual is prepared, and reviewed by experienced users before it is published. Best regards. Bernard

Hi Michael, For user point of view, Lukas is right: wysiwyg is very important. But also, being able to see the wiki interface in a locale you know well. For an administration point of view, several aspects are important: - mature - alive - open source - commercial support - page history and compatibility with a versioning system For these reasons, in my company, we chose TWiki for internal wikis. Best regards. Bernard

Hi all, I fully agree with the idea of a wiki. I already proposed it at the very beginning of the ASA forum, without success unfortunately. I find the ASA manual very confusing, and not up to date at all. The idea of having a wiki with step by step procedures, with links to special issues, would be a real improvement and a very great help to every user of ASA mounts; It would also allow users to contribute with their own issues and tricks. Dear ASA team, please make this request a reality. Dear forum user, please give your own opinion, so that the ASA team can really measure how this request is important to their customers. Regards. Bernard

Hi Nigel, Another possibility is that AnywhereUSB/2 draws too much current from the USB port it is connected to, causing other USB ports to fail. You can try using a powered USB hub to connect it and see if it solves the issue. Regards. Bernard

Hi Nigel, What I see from the Digi documentation is that, with AnywhereUSB/2, USB 2.0 devices operate at USB 1.1 speed. This is quite slow (unless for mice and keyboards) and may cause some troubles like the one you experience. Regards. Bernard

Hi Michael, I fully agree with Gearge's comment. In addition, you can first click the "Clear Old Configuration" button in the "Pointing" menu. I only use the east side as I don't need to do meridian flips. So my pointing file only contains stars on the east. This does not cause any problem. I had a similar issue than yours (may-be the same) when I started to make pointing files. When I clicked "Calculate Configuration", I got strange huge pointing error values. Investigating further, I noticed that Autoslew displays the pointing error of each star after you validate its position to add it in the pointing file (look at the bottom of the Autoslew window). If your polar alignment is good (and I am sure it is), the values displayed must be small. Sometimes, the values displayed are big (more than 100 and in my case always more than 1000), this means that there is something wrong with that star (Mr Keller, can you please explain us what is going on in that case?). You must discard this star immediately from the pointing file using the "Delete Last Star" button to avoid the corruption of your pointing file. So when you do your pointing file, verify each time you add a star that the error values displayed at the bottom of the window are small. May be the software should reject such an addition to avoid the pointing file corruption (Mr Keller, can you please add this check and propose to remove the star if the values are too big?). Regards. Bernard

You should download the documentation from the Download area of the ASA site. It will give you all this information: the theoretical resolution of the encoders, which are directly mounted at the axes, is 0.02”. Bernard

The mount software provides a screen displaying, for each axis, the current needed to move the scope in both directions. You adjust the balance until the current is the same on both directions. That's it. Bernard

I didn't have any real issues with this mount. I just had a lot to learn and understand to set it up properly. And in particular, it is absolutely mandatory to balance it perfectly on both axes, else you will have troubles. So when starting with this mount, if something goes wrong, first verify that the balance is OK, as it is often the real source of the issue. Once you succeed to setup it up, it works like a charm, and it is the mount that every amateur astronomer is dreaming of. It is not perfect (not yet ), but work is done to add useful features, taking into account what is said in this forum. Yes, my setup in on a homemade equatorial pier to make meridian flip unnecessary. Bernard

Hi, I have a DDM85 standard without a laser for the polar alignment. And I have absolutely no problem with this. The polar alignment laser is particularly useful when you use your mount in a mobile setup to speed up the polar alignment. As you plan to put it in an observatory, you will only have the basic polar alignment problem once, so the laser is not at all necessary. For the price, I can't help you that much, but if you look at the price of a new one, this seems to be a good bargain. Hope this helps anyway. Bernard

Hi Philipp, 1000Hz is fast enough. The problem to correct wind gusts is to predict the wind speed before issuing the command to the motors, and also to have powerful enough motors. I worked on mount (not for astronomy) software for ships, and I had to deal with a sea surface which is not as stable as the ground. It creates a much worse trouble that the wind gusts. The only way to have a perfect stability of the mount, even in the worse sea conditions, was to be able to predict the sea level 10ms in advance so that the order to the motors is able to counterbalance the effect of the sea level change. And it worked. I think that you can implement something equivalent in your mount software. I mean, you can not only correct the effect of the wind gusts, you can better predict them and counterbalance them. And your sampling speed is perfect to do this. The real limitation is in the power of the motors. Best regards. Bernard

Gerald, Sorry to disagree, but I prefer the original one. Its blue shades are fantastic. The revised version is too red for me. Anyway, thank you to share these beautiful images. Best regards. Bernard

Hi Ian, I agree with Nigel. You probably have something moving. I had a similar problem with my DDM85. It was due to the fact that when doing the dec balance with the main mirror on the north, the screws of the dovetail are below the tube and tightening them correctly is difficult because you have to go against the weight of the OTA. This caused a small movement of the OTA when moving, thus changing the balance. Now, I do the balance with the dovetail screws on top, and I tighten them with a key, not only with the hand. My guess is that you have a similar issue, and you should check to find which screw is not tightened enough. Best regards. Bernard

Wahoooo!!! The 3D effect is very impressive. Very, very nice image. Please do more Regards. Bernard

Nigel, My payload until now was small (less than 20kg) because I used a temporary pier which was unable to carry the full load of my ODK16. I used another tube (250mm) to learn how to manage the DDM85. This is not at all equivalent, but it is better than waiting, and it helps a lot understanding how this mount works and how to set it up properly.. My new pier is ready soon (I have to wait the 6th of August to get the concrete dry enough) and the payload will become ~40kg. I will then tell you more about the servo settings at that time.

Hi Nigel, When tracking is off, my DDM85 remains steady. As I don't do this very often (mainly at startup when setting it up: balance and tuning), this is not a complete proof. I will do a longer try during the day. Best regards. Bernard

Hi Cristina, It may happen that some file got corrupted (in Autoslew or in your config files). This can be caused by several events, a failed shutdown or a blue screen are the most common causes. First, do a full virus check of your computer. Then reinstall Autoslew (no need to change the version), and reconfigure it. It is wize to make a backup of your config files, if you have a permanent setup. Best regards. Bernard

The journey can use very nice roads so its length does not count too much (and motorcycles make road lengths shorter ). Anyway, I will contact you lin August to find the most appropriate day.

Hi Nigel, I am in 33830. I used to do rides in the Pyrénées with my motorcycle. Going to 65220 can be one of them.

Hi Nigel, I will install my ODK16 on my DDM85 at the beginning of August (because the concrete part of the pier will be made tomorrow). I have the hoist to do this, mainly to reduce the risk on the OTA, even if me and my two friends from my astronomy club will handle the tube with extreme care. Safety should not be an option. Are you in the Hautes Pyrénnées at the moment? It's not that far from my home, and I am interested to visit your observatory (and, as a software engineer, I can be of some help if needed). Best regards. Bernard

Hi Robert, Thanks for the reference of the connectors, I will use it soon. Best regards. Bernard

Hi Erik, As far as I understood, for the connectors available for the customer, the wiring is direct, one to one. So you can use them at will. There are dedicated cables (mainly because of the threaded connectors) and Asa can provide them.You can also build your own cable providing that you find those connectors (I am interested in knowing where these connectors can be found in order to build my own cable). The internal cabling probably limits the maximum power which can be delivered. I didn't check how much it is. Best regards. Bernard