Hi,

Until a few weeks ago I had been successfully using an ASIAIR Pro with my RST-135 mount. However I recently switched to an ASIAIR Plus and since then the meridian flip has failed every time. The settings are the same so it’s a bit baffling. When I got the ASIAIR Plus I wasn’t able to use it for a few weeks due to the weather and in that time there were a few software updates, so I can’t tell if the issue is the Plus itself or a software update that would have broken the Pro as well.

The issue is that the when a meridian flip is triggered, the mount doesn’t actually move at all. However the Plus thinks it has moved and initiates a plate solve, which ironically seems to work. However at the end of the procedure the Plus reports that the flip has failed and attempts to do it again. This cycle continues until I stop the auto run sequence and flip the mount manually.

The log reports exactly the sequence of events I described above.

Any suggestions would be welcome.

Cheers

Same problem here with GEM45 and Asi Air Pro. But this is not happening always

10 months later

ukroman
This happens to me also on my ASIAir Plus with my EQ6_R Pro. I can tell it is going to happen when the plate solving goes to a position where the counter weight is down but does a flip and the counter weight is up. The mount is tracking on the object but the position that the mount is in looks as though it need to do a meridian flip within 1 hour, The screen shows no flip is coming or the screen shows that the flip will be in 11 and 1/2 hours. The way I solve this is I will let it run for 1 hour, if there is no flip I will pause shooting, shut everything down, put the scope in the home position, restart everything, go to the object, resume my shooting plan.

    5 months later

    riccardoballerini I am encountering the same problem with the RST135E

    Are you seeing the same "screen shows that the flip will be in 11 and 1/2 hours" problem that the previous poster reported?

    If so, the ASIAIR clock does not match the mount's GPS-derived clock, and it is waiting for the next Meridian flip of a circumpolar target (a circumpolar target requires a Meridian flip every 11 hours 58 mins, instead of every 23 hrs 56 mins).

    The RainbowAstro GPS (and WiFi transceiver) is located inside the Hubo-i hand controller, and not in the mount body. So, you can either turn off GPS, or simply leave the hand controller unconnected and let ASIAIR push down the date and time. The Hubo-i is not needed when the mount is computer controlled, and only needed when recalibrating home offsets, etc.

    I have not had the chance to use my RST-135 since last Fall, and don't know if the latest ASIAIR version has screwed something up; but I have been using ASIAIR with two of my RST-135 since 2019 (without the handcontroller) and not had to deal with time discrepancies. (actually, with the ASIAIR, it was since 2020, since ZWO spent a year tinkering with the code trying to make it work, until RainbowAstro finally loaned them an RST150h that they didn't have to read the actual manual).

    Chen

        Thank you! yes I am having that message!
        I already tried to unplug the handset ...but I did it after intialization and I suppose the mount has already fetched the time data.

        Are you suggesting to start the mount without the handset connected from the beginning?
        If so, how the rst "home position" has to be conducted (if I remember correctly the asiair home is northward)

        Thnaks again!

        w7ay

        Hi Chen,
        I just did another test

        Unplugged the handset
        Cycle powered the mount
        AAP with Rainbow protocol - home (correct west/horizon position)
        flip set to stop tracking 2’ before - flip with 2’ delay
        Within the Asiair app (ios) virtually centered an object close to the meridian
        started an autorun (30")
        the app showed the correct time to the meridian
        the mount stopped tracking 2’ before
        ...but did not flip (and started thinking to plate solving)

        Am I doing something wrong?
        Thank you again

        • w7ay replied to this.

            riccardoballerini ...but did not flip (and started thinking to plate solving)

            No, it will not even try to flip until two minutes later, with your settings.

            And the delay may be even longer if the mount is not East-West leveled.

            The ASIAIR does not do a Meridian flip. What it does is to send a GOTO command to the mount after the target has transited past the meridian. If the mount agrees that the target is on the wrong side of the pier, it will execute a meridian flip when it receives the GOTO command.

            The next time you do this, when the ASIAIR reaches the meridian, use a spirit level (or a digital inclinometer) and check if the OTA is pointed vertically (i.e., pointed at the Meridian line). If it is not nearly vertical to within 0.1º, the mount and the ASIAIR are not in sync. You can do it in the daytime, inside the house, by the way, no need to wait for darkness as long as you don't turn on autoguiding.

            Chen

                riccardoballerini I waited way more than 2 minutes!

                Did you check if your OTA has physically slewed past the Meridian? The RST-135 will only Meridian Flip if the pier side is on the wrong side when it receives a GOTO command from ASIAIR.

                Remember my post that says to use a spirit level or a digital inclinometer?

                Chen

                  riccardoballerini I waited way more than 2 minutes!

                  Also, did you forget to home your mount after doing a Polar Alignment?

                  The ASIAIR polar alignment tool uses a 60º RA slew to create a constant declination path during polar alignment. If that path crosses the meridian, the pier side will be wrong. Slews do not create Meridian flips even when they cross the Meridian, only GOTO will do that.

                  If you home the mount to point to the west, both ASIAIR and the RST-135 should then agree on the pier side again.

                  Chen

                    I just took time off a different experiment to do a quick test with my RST-135.

                    Starting from the mount's Home (west horizon) position (no hand controller, iPad running ASIAIR v 2.1.1), I went to Danebola, with is between 1.5 hrs and 2 hours east of the Meridian.

                    I then went to AutoRun to set up a fake sequence. AutoRun reported that the Meridian is 1 hr 44 minutes away.

                    So, it looks like the RST-135 is in sync with ASIAIR, with the date and time pushed from the ASIAIR, since without a hand controlller, there is no way for the RST-135 to use GPS time and location.

                    Chen

                      17 days later
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