phtracy Will it eventually time out and resume the autorun without validating or will it just get stuck until it validates after the flip?
Yes, it will eventually give up.
But make sure you have the proper Meridian treatment in your mount to prevent accidents.
ASIAIR does not execute a Meridian flip path. It simply issues a GOTO to the mount after it thinks the target has moved past the Meridian. It depends on the mount to recognize that the RA has passed 0 hour angle.
If the mount does not think the target has yet transited, it will make at most a small movement. But a GOTO command after a transit will cause the mount to execute a meridian flip to get the target on the right side of the pier again. ASIAIR's "auto meridian flip" depends on this (your mount).
ASIAIR takes a plate solve of the last image frame before it stops tracking, as a reference frame for the camera angle. After issuing a GOTO, it again takes another image and plate solve that. If the camera angle has changed by 180º, ASIAIR considers a flip as succeeded. If not (or if the plate solve fails), ASIAIR will issue another GOTO after (if I recall) a minute of time. It repeats this a 5 or 6 times, and give up.
Things can go wrong. If the "after" GOTO plate solve uses too short an exposure, it may not register enough stars to do a proper plate solve (no, the ASIAIR will not issue a diagnostic message that this has happened, either -- you are left to guess that yourself). So, even if the mount has meridian flipped, ASIAIR would not have a clue that it did.
Notice that most mounts will resume tracking after any GOTO (even if the GOTO did not flip). So, unless you have meridian and horizon treatments set up well, a failed meridian flip (from ASIAIR's point of view) can lead to eventually crashing your instruments into the pier.
Chen
