AM5 latest ASCOM V6.5.15.0323 beta is released for test!

biomedchad

What firmware mount versions should this be tested with?

What ascom version?

tempus

biomedchad I would guess 1.2.4.
Maybe ZWO will confirm???

Zzzz

broscheanu We have received your feedback. Please provide the Log of ASCOM when the problem occurred. We need to confirm some information from the Log. Log file is located at “C:\Users<username>\Documents\ASCOM”.

broscheanu

Zzzz
Thanks, but no need. It turns out it was my PHD2 installation, and I was able to fix the issue myself.

tempus

broscheanu Will the mount guide better at 0.8X than 0.5X?

broscheanu

tempus

I can't give you a definite answer. But the people at PHD2 recommend 0.5x sidereal or greater. The theory is the frequency of the guiding correction, is based on guide cam exposure rate + guide pulse width. For a harmonic drive mount, like the AM5 faster updates on average provide lower rms. If you guide at 0.8x vs 0.5x your guide pulses are narrowed by 60%. Instead of 100ms you get 60ms pulses, not much but its something. I have found that I get good guiding at guide cam exposures rates below 1s, specifically I use either 0.75s or 0.5s. Even with multiple star guiding, when you lower the exposure rate, atmospheric conditions (seeing) will introduce erroneous shifts in star positionss. So while you keep a lower exposure rate (1s vs 0.75s), you can get more frequent guide updates if you use a higher guiding rate.

broscheanu

broscheanu
I can confirm that after reinstalling PHD2 I can now guide at 0.9x guiding rate, and calibration completes without a problem. So this issue was not related to ASCOM server or AM5 firmware, but my own PHD2 installation.
Everything is good on my end now.
I can also confirm that setting the lower limit to 1 degree in advanced tab, prevents the scope from slewing any lower than 1 degree, when using the hand controller. So this feature works as expected for me.

tempus

broscheanu Do you consider that your mount is difficult to guide? Is this something that is suggested for all AM5?

Zzzz

broscheanu Ok！Have a great experience.

broscheanu

[unknown]
No, the AM5 is not difficult to guide. With the default 0.5x sidereal rate, good polar alignment, and 1s exposures, I can consistently get 0.75" rms. At 0.5 seconds exposures, given the seeing is good, I can get 0.45" rms, which produces more stars and sharper detail in the main camera image. I wanted to increase the guide rate from 0.5x to something higher like 0.8x or 0.9x because the guiding (PHD2+AM5) will spend less time performing corrections, in between exposures. This allows more corrections over time, in other words, an increase in correction frequency for the same guide cam exposure time.
This is my 2 cents, and not a recommendation to anyone. Try it out for your setup and see if it helps you get lower rms.

zombi

What button Clear Align Data do ?

Is it possible to disable Align Data collection with sky map building when the sync command is used ?

ASIMount@ZWO

zombi
Hi zombi,
This buttom is set to delete/clear the multi-star alignment data.
You can click it and then start another multi-star alignment.

taewoo

If I want control using python. How to use it?

zombi

ASIMount@ZWO

Thank you for reply.

I am using only ASIMount ASCOM driver on PC (I do not use asiair nor Asi mount on Android)

During polar alignment and setup preparation I am using a lot of sync command to mount -
Is this process interfere to the future GoTo command ?

Walf@ZWO

zombi The point is whether the mount was moved，if not，no interfere.

broscheanu

Again, I'm using ASCOM V6.5.15.0323 beta with firmware 1.2.4 beta.

I have reported before, under beta 1.2.3 thread, that when using NINA to send the park command, the mount would go Home. Last night is sent the Park command from NINA and the scope went west and level, pointing to the horizon. So I can confirm that the mount does the right thing now.

However, just like I've reported before, after the Park command from NINA, the mount will not track unless I turn off the power and then turn it back on. After I did the Park, I send the Home command, then I pointed it to a focus star (recommended by NINA). So go-to commands still worked. I could not focus because the star was always moving. That's when I realized there was a tracking issue.

1) The tracking light on the hand controller was on. When I pushed the track button on the controller, the light turned off, and it would never come back on after pressing it again.
2) In NINA I sent the command to set tracking = sidereal. Still no tracking. So plate-solving failed and I couldn't continue.
3) At this point in time I reset the power and everything went back to normal.

Looking back, I did not try sending the Unpark command from NINA. I don't know if that would make a difference...
Is there anything else I can try? Is there a specific Unpark routine that I'm not following?

This Park feature is not very useful to me. I would like to park pointing south and level, preferably on the right side of peer, but left would be OK too.

Thanks!

Tony10312h

broscheanu

I have noticed this as well, seems to have trouble with park position and I believe it has to do with the tracking either not turning off with NINA command or getting hung up. I have had to cycle the power to get it working normal again.
I will be doing more testing tonight with my sequence to try find a work around.

please keep us posted if anyone gets to the bottom of this!
Thank you!

broscheanu

@"broscheanu

ascomasimount1909374080.zip

20MB

"#p65803

I'm attaching my mount's log from last night in case it may help you

broscheanu

More testing on the Park feagure.

1) If after Park I send the Home command, any following slew /goto command will complete but the mount will not track. Pressing the track button on the hand controller causes the track LED to flash for a fraction of a second. Tracking cannot be restored unless the power is reset

2) If after park, I send a goto command, the mount completes it and is able to track.

So the issue is related to Park then Home, then goto elsewhere. The reason I did Home after Park is because I image in the East, and I wanted to make sure the mount goes from the west through north to the east. I was afraid it might go the wrong way, west-south-east, and wrap cords etc. That wasn't the case when I tried it tonight. It went the expected direction, through north, without having o send the Home command.

moyers_astro

AM5 ASCOM V6.5.15.0323 beta with Firmware v1.2.4. I notice that Sync from PC to Mount button is taking daylight saving time from pc and treating as UTC in AM5 causing 15 degree pointing error. Works OK if 'adjust daylight saving time automatically' is turned off on PC. Would be better if driver obtained UTC from PC rather than displayed time.

Provision of a site elevation field within the ASCOM driver would be useful. At the moment sync errors occur if the site elevation in NINA is set to anything other than 0.0m.