scopesnc I'd like to set it up about 10 minutes prior to reaching the meridian. I've never had to se t things up for a meridian flip before now
Not possible with the ASIAIR; pick a more complete computer program if you want that. The ASIAIR will not command the mount to perform a Meridian Flip until the target has passed the meridian.
The ASIAIR does not do Meridian Flips. It commands the mount to do a GOTO, and if the target is on a different side of the Meridian, the mount then performs a Meridian Flip. The ASIAIR simply choreographs the Meridian flip this way:
1) S minutes before the target reaches the Meridian, ASIAIR will stop image captures, stop auto-guiding, and stop tracking.
2) it then waits...
3) T minutes after the target has passed the Meridian, ASIAIR will send a GOTO to the mount. If the mount's clock agrees with the ASIAIR clock that the target has passed the Meridian, the mount will execute a GOTO path that performs a Meridian flip. I.e.,, the OTA is moved to the other side of the pier, passing through the pole.
If the Mount does not think that the target has yet passed the meridian (for example, if the mount's clock does not agree with the ASIAIR local sidereal time), the GOTO will just be a small direct (no meridian flip) movement. If so, the camera angle will not change when ASIAIR checks for it during a plate solve. If this is so, ASIAIR will repeat the GOTO command every minute, waiting for the mount to do a Meridian flip.
4) when ASIAIR detects that the camera angle has changed (and therefore deduce that a Meridian flip had occurred), it then turns on tracking, autoguiding and imaging.
S and T in steps 1) and 3) above are the two parameters that you set in the Meridian Flip Settings sub-window of the ASIAIR app's Mount Settings window.
Chen
