AP and STA Mode BUG Fixed Statement - ASIAIR [v1.8.3 - 9.12]: Page 4

AP and STA Mode BUG Fixed Statement - ASIAIR [v1.8.3 - 9.12]

w7ay

astrosatch until latest version I didn't have that kind of problems

The board layout has lots to do with it; thus the Intel White Paper.

When one of Apple's Mac mini upgraded to USB 3 some years ago, it too has a problem: one of the USB connectors cannot be used because it causes the bluetooth mouse to becomes laggy. But moving the USB device just one USB slot over, everything was fine. Take a look at this article:

https://www.techbout.com/fix-laggy-slow-mouse-on-mac-28718/

The third version of the ASIAIR is not a stock Raspberry Pi 4 board, but uses a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 daughter card (same ARM chip as in the Raspberry Pi 4B) and a Raspberry Pi CM4 WiFi module, with ZWO's own motherboard. If you look closely, the locations of the USB connectors have moved.

We don't know for sure if USB 3 is the problem, but it is starting to smell like it, especially with people still using the flat cables that come with the ZWO equipment.

I suspect (from the fatness) of the red connectors that I use that the data lines may not be individually shielded, but the entire cable is shielded. And in any case, as I mentioned earlier, except for the eero mesh backhaul signal, I do not use WiFi.

Anyone with a problem should try the really fat shielded USB cables. And, if it is related to board layout, try using a different USB port on the ASIAIR (like the Mac Mini case above).

But I also used a USB hub, so that I just need to deal with one super critical cable location (the one that plugs into the ASIAIR), plus one other USB port for an SSD. This is the ASIAIR end of my arrangement:

Notice a short blue USB cable that runs from the ASIAIR to the hub. The big white square under the hub is the eero mesh router, and the red Samsung rectangle is an SSD. The eero gets quite warm and provides the heat to warm both the hub and the SSD when it is cold.

Chen

altair60

@asiair@zwo#53262
w7ay
@ParamountObservatory
astrosatch
Etal
As a follow-up...
Apparently 1.8.2/9.10 didn't like the port I had either the EAF V1 or the 120mm Mini plugged into.
After simply switching port positions of these devices, alls right again with the AA+.
All cameras are recognized at startup, WiFi with STA MODE are enabled and both stay connected.

I have not tried this out under load yet (imaging), but at this point I think (hope) I've found the glitch.
I have also, more importantly, disabled automatic updates for this app.

@asiair@zwo#53262
If I may make a suggestion...
How about leaving the device(s) alone for a while without adding any new features.
We have a very wise saying in my family you may want to adopt...
"Just let it sit for a minute"

Thanks for everyone's help
See y'all with my next issue...

Altair60

PMTeam@ZWO

altair60 Hi, thank you for your suggestion. We'll give it serious consideration. We are investigating the WiFi problem and will inform you in time if there is any result.

galactique

Chen

How does data get to/from the various devices which move about on the the mount, down to to to your Anker USB hub?
Do you have just one USB from the ZWO camera hub ?

I have thought about a similar scheme, but with the hub on the OTA to concentrate data from
main camera, guide camera and EAF, then a single USB down to a ASIAIR ensconced in my power box (with wifi off and ethernet on).

That would give me one mobile USB cable, a 16v mobile cable to my mount and a mobile 12v to the hub, cameras and EAF, together with a 12V mobile cable to dew heaters.

Just ordered two shielded USB 3.0 Typ-B 50cm cables by Pegasus.

regards

w7ay

galactique How does data get to/from the various devices which move about on the the mount, down to to to your Anker USB hub?

I have hubs all over the place :-).

I use an unpowered hub on the dovetail of each of my OTAs. That is where things like EAF and filter wheels and camera are connected to. This way, I only need to remove a single USB cable (and a single power cable) when I take the OTA off the mount.

That hub then plugs into a powered hub on my dual saddle plate. The main OTA and guide scope are mounted separately with their own dovetails on this dual saddle plate. The high torque of the RST-135 allows me to use a dual saddle plate without having to worry about third axis balance when I swap to different OTA and different guide scopes. The main OTA's hub, guide camera and mount plus into the hub on this plate.

That waterproof ABS box in the previous posting sits at the base of a William Optics Mortar tri-pier, and a single USB cable feeds the USB hub on the dual saddle plate.

The hub inside the ABS box is used just for isolating any backpower from the other USB hubs. The other USB hubs are just cheap run of the mill USB 3 hubs. That hub in the ABS box is the only really critical one. The rest just needs to work at low temperatures. And not that low either -- I am a wimp and don't go out in the snow when it is below -5ºC :-)

You can see the dual saddle plate is this old picture:

I have standardized on ARCA dovetails for my guide scopes. That is what is on the left. The fatter black rectangular box is the 12 volt distribution. The long thin black box is a USB hub. And the right side is the dovetail for the main OTA.

I have since swapped out the Vixen dovetail for a much more stable Losmandy style dovetail from Prima Luce (unfortunately red color, but like ZWO, they don't use more professional colors).

Guys like Olli will recognize the mount underneath the plate from the crummy altitude adjustment bolt, ha ha.

That 10mm thick plate is fabricated by a web machine shop up in Seattle. They really focus on front panels for electronics equipment, which is how I came across them originally. But they will make you any shape or size that you want, using their CAD tools which runs mercifully on macos.

Chen

w7ay

Here is an example why it is difficult to shop for USB 3.0 cables. See the picture below. I dug it out of my large box of USB cables. The cable looks fat and heavy, right?

Well, when you look carefully inside the Type A side of this cable, the Ground Drain pin is missing! Which gives me doubts about its shielding.

This Wiki image shows what a full complement (9 pins) of a USB 3 Type A connector:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Connector_USB_3_IMGP6024_wp.jpg

The four flat gold pins are the standard USB 2 pins (one data pair, +5V and +5V ground return). Further inside the connector are the five thinner and springy USB 3 pins (two USB 3 data pairs plus ground drain). The ground drain is the center of the 5 pins.

That center pin is completely missing in this particular connector :-).

Until you buy one and carefully inspect it, you can't tell if it is a decent cable.

Just because the pin exists does not mean there is a ground drain wire of course, but the lack of that center pin is an indication there is no ground drain wire, and perhaps no outer shield either.

Chen

astrosatch

My success didn't last long. Swapping devices worked for few days, but now it's all the same again. I have ordered new usb3 cable and hope that one will do the trick.

RGCasper

@RGCasper#53250  I was unable to  attach a picture of the screenshot. 
I still have a non-functional ASIAIR, so while I'd like to give you my understanding and support,  I"D MUCH RATHER YOU GIVE ME YOURS!!!
How about a free new ASIAIR since you broke mine!??

RGCasper

@asiair@zwo#53125

I still do not have a functioning ASIAIR. Your instructions didn't get mine working again. How about sending me a new one since you broke mine!!

PMTeam@ZWO

RGCasper Hi, I am so sorry for this trouble. Could you please tell me what exactly happened to you? Is it unable to boot or the wifi is abnormal, I hope I can help you.

LyonsRasa

@asiair@zwo#53260 Hi, my version of the firmware is the latest v18.3.
everything worked OK before the update.
now the problems are:

Constant drop of Wi-Fi during polar alignment. I complete the steps 1+2 and then it keeps cycling and will not complete alignment step 3.
However the biggest issue is that the mount CEM70 wanders off during the final routine and I have repeated this perhaps 15x over two nights and mount would have collided with its base if I hadn’t killed the power to the mount.
All of this since the update!
So far from fixing issues the latest 2 updates have rendered the ASIAIR pro useless.

PMTeam@ZWO

LyonsRasa Hello, could you submit the log, if this happens again. Thank you so much.

matt s

Dear ZWO

Firstly, despite the nature of this message, I am deeply impressed with my ASI AIR Pro (AAP): it has made astrophotography accessible and, at times, fun…when it’s working! 😆 Please keep up the good work.

I very recently upgraded to the v1.8.3 - 9.12 firmware on my Android tablet, which controls a wedge-mounted Celestron CPC scope. Two nights ago I experienced a number of new issues:

Repeated loss of power;
AAP not recognising my ASI cameras (120MM and 294MC Pro);
AAP incorrectly displaying my location (lat & long), although the tablet was showing it correctly;
The new All Sky PA couldn’t successfully complete one cycle; and
Most frustratingly, and repeatedly, the AAP failed to calibrate when setting up the auto guiding: it would appear to calibrate West ok, but the crosshairs would continue to move West when it was telling me it was calibrating East!

After 3 frustrating hours, the clouds rolled in and I packed up.

I would be very grateful to learn of any suggestions, even if that means acknowledging that these are known issues with v1.8.3 - 9.12 of the firmware. As stated, these issues are a completely new ‘experience’ since upgrading the firmware.

Best, MS

w7ay

@matt s#53776 Most frustratingly, and repeatedly, the AAP failed to calibrate when setting up the auto guiding: it would appear to calibrate West ok, but the crosshairs would continue to move West when it was telling me it was calibrating East!

That drift sounds suspiciously like tracking has been turned off. Next time it happens, check your handset controller for the state of tracking (and make sure it is tracking at sidereal rate and not solar or lunar rate).

If that is what is happening, you might be able to manually force tracking back on, behind ASIAIR's back.

By usual "convention," mounts turn on tracking after a GOTO is sent to it. And tracking continues until the mount reaches some limit set by the user (like horizon limit, or Meridian limit). Or the computer specifically send the mount a "stop tracking" command. The snafu may be caused by ASIAIR turning off tracking for some reason.

For safety reasons, tracking will often be turned off by the mount when communications is suddenly lost (even for a short glitch). So, check to see if the ASIAIR had stopped communicating with the mount -- be sure to strain relief the connectors at both ends to prevent the connectors from physically moving, and perhaps also try the cheap USB 2 back power preventer like this one (mounts don't need USB 3):

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B094FYL9QT

It is cheap enough to try.

Mounts often like to back power their USB connectors (don't know if that holds for your mount), and depending upon the tiny voltage differential (ASIAIR or mount has the higher 5V on the USB power line), could back power the ASIAIR and cause weird behaviors.

I have seen an ASIAIR completely refuse to even boot when it is badly back powered (i have a USB 3 powered hub that does that predictably to ASIAIR), but most often, the ASIAIR will boot, but then develop sporadic USB disconnects afterwards.

Chen

matt s

w7ay
Chen, thank you for your prompt and detailed replies. I’ve ordered the USB blocker as you’ve suggested: never heard of them or this issue and like you say, it does no harm to try.
The power issue I described, I suspect, may have caused the issues with the tracking, which in turn might have upset the calibration East routine. I’ll revisit my cable management too.
It’s an easy trap to fall into, blaming the firmware etc. That said, in 18 months of owning my AAP, I’ve not experienced these power issues before. Also, I routinely remove my main camera as it will hit the mount when polar aligning. Until the other night, the AAP has always detected and connected to the camera.
Thanks again, Chen.
Clear skies
M

w7ay

@matt s#53776 AAP incorrectly displaying my location (lat & long), although the tablet was showing it correctly;

Yep, I traced that bug to AISIAIR's SynScan (Synta branded mounts) protocol a bit earlier this week -- check this forum.

Chen

Redrig51

My ASIair plus firmware 1.8.3(9.12) is constantly dropping my STA and it’s own Wi-Fi signed pictures won’t load just stuck on loading ?
I have re-installed firmware on the AA+ and re-installed software on my phone and iPad and it’s still happening where’s the fix ? My kit is sitting here doing nothing not happy! Your firmware fix don’t work!

LyonsRasa

Redrig51 I have exactly the same issues since the last update which was supposed to fix everything.
in addition cannot PA using All Sky.
very frustrating as my ASIair worked perfectly, apart from completely useless WiFi range about 0.5M!!, before the update.

dinglem1962

as per Redrig51's post above I'm getting the same issues, I can be stood less than 2m away from the AAP and I get a WIFI drop, I've given up trying to connect to the STA mode as it just does not work. is ZWO going to do something about these issues, if not are they going to allow us to return them and get out money back as they are not fit for purpose!!!!

pderby

My ASIair works great with an ethernet connection to my LAN but fails consistently with Access Point connections from the ASIAIR to an iPhone or iPad running IOS 13 using the ASIAIR App ver 1.8.3-9.12. I can use another network utility APP to PING the ASIair which works just fine at address 10.0.0.1. However, when I do a port scan for that address the MAC address is 00:00:00:00:00:00. It doesn't matter whether the ASIair is in Station Mode or Access Point Mode for the WiFi connection to the IOS device. Since I can ping and port scan the ASIair either way, is it possible the reason the ASIAIR App cannot find the ASIAIR Plus either with a SCAN or directly entering the IP address due to the MAC address being all zeroes?

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