AVX mount disconnects if using hand controller

ayavner

My setup:

ASIAir Plus with latest (as of this writing) firmware. Separate power supply for AA+ and mount. AVX connected to USB2 via hand controller. Latest hand controller firmware updated with the Celestron Firmware Manager.

My issue is the Celestron Focus motor is not supported, so i need to use the Hand Controller to focus. Once I do that, the mount will occasionally disconnect from the AA+. This causes me to have to turn off the mount and start over with the mount connection. It is not a huge deal, but it is irritating and consumes time that would be better spent capturing images.

If other peripherals will not be supported, can something be done to maintain the connection to the mount to allow for occasional use of the hand controller? Either increase a timeout or send more keepalives, or whatever the logic is - that would be a huge help.

Other than that I have had very few issues and have been very happy with this device. Thanks!

@PMTeam@ZWO @Support@ZWO

ayavner

Bump. Can anything be done about this? The AA+ shouldn't lose its connection to the mount just because I use the hand controller to focus.

PMTeam@ZWO

Hi, We have not reproduced this issue on AVX Mount. Could you please tell us the model of Celestron Focus motor (or a web link)? The Hand-Controller you mentioned is the HC of AVX or the HC of Focuser? Thanks

ayavner

PMTeam@ZWO

Hi there! Sure thing, here is a link to the focus motor. https://www.celestron.com/products/focus-motor
Also note that the AVX mount is brand new and latest firmware, etc.

The HC in question is the HC of the AVX, where the AA+ connects via USB2.

Steps to reproduce:

Connect everything as normal (camera, guide camera, mount, etc). Mount connected to USB 2.0 port.
Mount has a separate 5A 12VDC power supply. Everything else through the AA+.
Preview shot > rough focus > Polar Align. Slew to a named star.
Focus mode, zoom to star.
Hand Controller: Menu > Focuser > Move in/out > set rate.
Use the appropriate HC keys to focus. After awhile, the AA+ app will show error "lost connection to mount". Note you can still use the focuser and finish the focus routine, but you will then need to disconnect the mount, power it down, reset to index marks, then start the connection process over.

Let me know if you need any screenshots or more specifics. I think you can probably also reproduce by just connecting to the mount and using the HC to focus without bothering with the polar align or other setup.

Thank you for your attention on this!

PMTeam@ZWO

ayavner Thank you so much. we are working on this

BlackNebula

Bump PMTeam@ZWO any feedback?

ayavner

Thank you! They have been in touch via the bug report!

BlackNebula

Hi, I experience the same issue and the issue seems to be the Celestron focus motor. If I use my AVX mount, Asiair mini, 8” SCT with Celestron focus motor the connection drops all the time, unusable!
But if I just change scopes to my Sky-Watcher 80ED or 72ED with no Celestron focus motor and just focus manually using the scope even though I use the hand controller for initial alignment all works fine. No drop outs at all!

So I can image with my 80ed and 62ED but not my 8” SCT.

Any update on progress on this issue?

Thank you
Mark

BlackNebula

Bump @Support@ZWO, any updates?

Thank you

Tech@ZWO

BlackNebula Did you submit the log in the ASIAIR APP?
Please tell me the bug ID so that i can locate it, thanks.

gcisko

So I am having this exact same problem with my AA+ and AVX mount. The explanation here in this thread is spot-on and perfect! I did open a ticket with ZWO about this yesterday not expecting it would be addressed. But after reading this I have hope. Like the rest of you I have upgraded the firmware of everything to the latest. Celestron CFM was a couple days ago and included new firmware to the electronic focuser on my EdgeHD8. My AVX is pretty new from Nov 2023 and the AA+ is obviously up to date.

I even tried using IP as a connection on port 4030 and it seemed to work. Until I tried focusing, then it dropped just like the serial baud connection (I was using 9600).

Like you guys explained above, I don't need the autofocus, I just need the connection to remain after using the AVX HC to focus. And yes I can reboot everything like you all said, but it is really a kluge.

So I guess I'll hang out in the forum for a bit to see if I can fix this situation.

Tech@ZWO

gcisko Could you please reproduce the problem and submit the log for us to analyze?

MA

Hello everybody, have exactly the same problem. And I also just want to correct the position of the Celestron focuser using my AVX hand controller from time to time without loosing the connection to my ASIAIR Mini. Any progress on fixing this bug since the last post? Kind regards, Matthias

Tech@ZWO

MA We received some reports from our users, that the new version of Celestron mount firmware-HC:GEM 5.35.3175 has fixed this problem, could you update it and try again?
If the problem remains, please submit a bug report in the ASIAIR APP, thanks.