M5 mount won't slew to low altitudes

Jimmy

I'm trying to calibrate my telescope using an artificial star and I need my AM5 mount to go horizontal in order to point to my artificial star. But the mount will not rotate on any axis more than 45° from home. Does it need to be polar aligned before it will go to low altitudes? If so, how can I polar align it during the day? I'm in a covered area, so I can't polar align it at night in that location for use during the day.

Astrop

Just use it in alt az mode?

Jimmy

I hadn't considered that. Before switching the mount to alt az mode, I will try switching to the sky atlas when the mount is in the home position -- when in home position, the mount assumes it is close to polar alignment. The simply tell the mount to set the alignment to that position. Perhaps then it will let me slew past 45 degrees in any direction from home. If that doesn't work, I'll try the alt az mode. Thanks.

Astrop

It's still odd that it doesn't rotate more than 45 degrees, I assume it's in RA that it doesn't go past and the declination is fine? I don't know how it might have happened as I don't recall there being a setting for it but it almost sounds like there's a RA range limit set somewhere preventing any further rotation, some mounts have this option for meridian flip limits so the scope doesn't go near full 90 degrees east/west.

Maybe also update your mount firmwares too if you haven't.

Jimmy

I agree that it does seem like there is a slew limit in place, but as you say, I can't find any slew limit user settings in the ASIair + for the AM5. However, the mount will not let me slew past about 45 degrees from home in either RA or dec using the hand controller. I did try the go to function in the star atlas to slew to star near the horizon, but that also did not work. I am hoping that there is an automatic slew limit in place before being polar aligned, although I haven't had a chance to check that idea. While I can't do a true polar alignment since my location for the telescope (for the purpose of calibrating for astigmatism using an artificial star) is in a covered area (can't plate solve), I want to try faking alignment by using the align feature within the star atlas with the mount set to the home position.
Any ideas folks?

Astrop

Have you updated the firmware on the mount and hand controller?

Jimmy

I updated the hand controller and mount firmware last night, and aligned the scope using the star atlas 'synch' procedure. However, while RA will cycle 90 degrees left and right from home, Dec will only go about 45 degrees. I will either try aligning the tripod so the scope is aimed at my artificial star using RA only, or I will try switching to alt/az mode on the mount and see if that will work. Additionally, I am now concerned that something may be malfunctioning in my mount.
Somewhat related, ZWO no longer has a mount app (required to update the firmware) with a ZWO or ASI name for Android--it was ASIMount. Instead, that functionality is now in the SkyAtlas app. It took me quite a while to find that.

ASIMount-ZWO

Jimmy Hi,your trouble is done now? Perhaps you can upgrade firmware 1.6.3 to ensure a good function.