CAA Feedback - needs urgent software adjustments.

TommyVaz

I do agree on all the proposals! UP!

Sonixx

These are must haves!

Tech@ZWO

Noted, thank you for your suggestions.

johnrsims43

moritz.schoneshofer
I’ve lost two hours of imaging (All images taken prior to flip) due to the 180 degree rotate after meridian flip. As you suggested, ZWO should either deactivate it or allow user to turn “On/Off”. I will still use it to achieve my preferred framing, and then turn it off in the ASIAIR (Hope that works).
Also agree with your other recommendations.
John

WillemW

The original post is from one month ago. Can ZWO give an update about this topic. Working with the CAA when rotating 180 degrees after a meridian flip is asking for problems. Hopefully, ZWO realizes the importance of a quick solution. Now, I switch it off during a meridian flip. Not workable.
Thanks, Willem

johnrsims43

Hi WillemW,
Not sure what you mean. After turning off/disconnecting the CAA will the autorun continue, but not do the 180 rotation? Or does the ASIAir not finish the autorun?
Thanks,
John

RTWaldo

ZWO have any feedback on the request?

igblaar

Hi everyone,

I fully agree with the observations made in this thread regarding the behavior of the CAA after a meridian flip. The automatic 180° rotation is often unnecessary and, in many cases, actually doubles the workload, since we’re forced to capture flats for both orientations. This also complicates the calibration and processing workflow in tools like PixInsight.

The current “180° only” option is not sufficient. In practice, we still see rotations greater than 270°, which can be dangerous for cabling and the optical train. The CAA logic must be improved to always choose the shortest path and avoid excessive movement.

It's also crucial that the CAA does not rotate within the same session unless the user explicitly requests it. This is key to maintaining consistent framing and avoiding unnecessary interruptions.

Some additional improvements that I consider essential:

Allow users to enable or disable automatic rotation after meridian flip.

Let us define a manual reference position ("home" or 0°) and set limits for movement, for example ±90°, to prevent cable snags or potential collisions.

Give the option to disable rotation when slewing to a target using SkyAtlas, as sometimes we only want to point without altering the camera angle.

Include the rotation angle in the filename or FITS header, which is extremely helpful when stacking images from different sessions or nights.

Thanks to the ZWO team for listening to the community. I hope these enhancements can be implemented soon so we can fully enjoy the CAA’s potential without sacrificing reliability or workflow efficiency.

Clear skies!

MSki

So I just received and mounted my CAA and am wondering if the issues with regards to 90 degree rotation limit, and post meridian flip have been addressed. I am excited to put this to use but not if it will create more work for me in post.

Tech@ZWO

MSki Changing to 180-degree rotation in the CAA settings will resolve the meridian issue. In this case, the rotation will be limited to the current mechanical half-circle.

igblaar

Hi all,
I’d like to return to this thread with a quick update and a couple of suggestions following the release of ASIAIR v2.4 beta.
First of all — thanks to the ZWO team for finally addressing some key issues in this update. The ability to define a rotation range and improvements in coordinate handling are definitely steps in the right direction.
Now, to make the CAA truly practical for real-world use, I’d like to re-emphasize two critical improvements that are still missing:

Allow users to define a manual "home" or "park" position (ideally the mechanical zero or any user-defined angle) to be used at the end of a session or plan.
This feature would make a huge difference for those of us who need to:

Safely store the OTA after imaging, especially in tight enclosures or when the filter wheel extends downward.
Avoid collisions with dovetails or storage cases during automated shutdown.
Ensure predictable behavior when reinitializing the system after power cycles.
Suggested implementation:
Add a simple angle input box in the CAA settings menu to define the desired “home” or “park” angle (e.g. 0°, 90°, etc.), and a checkbox such as:
“Park CAA to defined angle after plan/preview/live mode ends”.

Add an option to disable automatic rotation after a GoTo.
Currently, ASIAIR automatically adjusts the rotation after every GoTo, even by a few degrees. This becomes extremely frustrating after taking flats — the tiny angle changes force you to retake all flats again, just because the CAA decided to apply a micro-adjustment.

To fix this, I propose:

Adding a setting in the CAA menu:
“Apply automatic rotation after GoTo” → [Enabled/Disabled]

Or, even better, prompt the user after each GoTo:
“Object located. Apply rotation to match framing?” → [Yes/No]

This gives control back to the user and avoids unnecessary image misalignment or flat frame repetition.

Once again, thank you for the continued improvements — the CAA hardware has real potential, and with a few more software updates, it could become a reliable part of the imaging train.

Clear skies,

igblaar

Tech@ZWO

igblaar Noted, thank you for your suggestions.