Problem with AM5N : Page 4

Problem with AM5N

ASIMount-ZWO

Pedro Hello, thank you very much for sharing so many valuable guiding logs. I have carefully reviewed the logs you submitted, and the guiding RMS on July 8th exceeded 1", while the guiding accuracy on the other 5 days was very high. So I would like to know if this issue is still occurring? Is it a random occurrence or does it happen 100% of the time? Have you contacted the agent or after-sales support department to troubleshoot and resolve the issue?

Pedro

Dear ASIMount-ZWO,
Thanks for your reply and can confirm that despite systematic and extensive troubleshooting, this issue persists 100% of the time, even after updating the firmware to 1.7.7.

I have contacted ZWO Support and followed their advice and we all agree that this mount does not perform as advertised and it is not fit for purpose, however, when it comes to fixing the underlying issue, ZWO still not taking decisive action to fix it.

I have a growing concern over the continued lack of resolution regarding the guiding issues I’ve reported with my AM5N mount. Despite my detailed correspondence, attached documentation, and extensive troubleshooting efforts across multiple platforms and configurations, I have yet to receive any concrete guidance or meaningful next steps.

The lack of response and progress on this matter is now directly affecting my perception of ZWO's customer support and overall satisfaction with your brand and supports the perceptions may have in the astrophotography community regarding the lack of appropriately resourced supporting staff or the unwillingness to recognise that there is a fault needing prompt resolution. This is especially disappointing given the trust I placed in your products.

To move forward constructively, I respectfully request the following:

1) Assignment of a dedicated technician who can engage with me directly to review my case history and guide the troubleshooting or resolution process.

2) A clear path to resolving the RA guiding issue, including transparency.

3) Issuance of an RMA number so that I may return the mount for inspection and repair by your technical team.

Given the documented testing (particularly the successful use of my identical imaging setup on another mount) it is clear that the AM5N unit itself requires technical inspection and repair. Continuing to suggest basic setup or software checks at this stage is both unhelpful and frustrating.

I trust ZWO will act in good faith to resolve this matter swiftly. Please respond with the RMA details and return instructions as soon as possible so I can send the unit in for assessment and necessary repairs.

Thank you for your attention, and I look forward to your prompt response.

ASIMount-ZWO

Pedro We're very sorry for your experience. Please provide your RMA number or email address, and I'll have our after-sales support team contact you separately right away.

ASIMount-ZWO

Pedro You can also directly send an email to this email address, and a dedicated person will contact you.

Pedro

ASIMount-ZWO

Hi ASIMount Support,

As requested in the below email, please contact me using this email.

Also note that I do not have an RMA yet.

Only ZWO in the USA contacted me in the past buy I purchased my AM5N through StarTrip (AliExpress) and therefore an RMA number from the USA was not going to work.

Please advise how to proceed to get my mount inspected and repaired.

Thanks in advance for your prompt reply and attention.

Regards,

Pedro.

Pedro

Hi ASIMount Support,

I tried sending this email as a reply from my inbox, but fails to be delivered. Please advise what is the email address I need to contact.

As requested in the below email, please contact me using this email.

Also note that I do not have an RMA yet.

Only ZWO in the USA contacted me in the past buy I purchased my AM5N through StarTrip (AliExpress) and therefore an RMA number from the USA was not going to work.

Please advise how to proceed to get my mount inspected and repaired.

Thanks in advance for your prompt reply and attention.

Regards,

Pedro.

ASIMount-ZWO

Pedro You can also directly send an email to this email address ying.tang@zwoptical.com, and a dedicated person will contact you.

jb.matross

I have the same board revision as you Pedro. I just submitted for an RMA for a new board. I'll post updates when they are available..

Pedro

jb.matross.

It seems reasonable to assume that the faulty component affects both RA and DEC channels, and also plays a key controlling role. However, based on the reports, the vast majority of excursions are related specifically to the RA channel, which suggests a pattern. My guess is that there's a problematic batch of components out there, and many ZWO customers are being affected.

If this is the case, then ZWO has likely been aware of the issue for some time. So the real question becomes: why is it so difficult and time-consuming just to get proper contact information and reach someone technical? This delay adds unnecessary weeks of frustration to a problem that ultimately, only ZWO can resolve.

This slow pace of communication, combined with a lack of transparency, is damaging customer confidence and raising doubts about the brand’s reliability. For a company in a highly technical and trust-based field like astrophotography, the long-term impact on reputation should not be underestimated.

Pedro

ASIMount-ZWO
Despite your assurances and the contact information provided, ZWO Support China has yet to acknowledge, let alone respond to any of my emails or communications. This includes multiple messages containing logs, images, and additional files intended to assist in identifying the root cause of the issue.

At this point, I’m unsure which is more frustrating:
1) Repeatedly experiencing RA excursions night after night,
2) The lack of response from ZWO Support China, or
3) Having placed trust in ZWO’s claims of delivering a high-performance, reliable mount.

Pedro

Hi ASIMount Support,

Thanks for providing email contact details, which I trust will be helping resolve this issue with purpose and pace.

Ws2n957M

Hello!

For the past few weeks I've been experiencing eerily similar symptoms on my AM5n.

It used to work flawlessly (both with an RC71 and a C9.25 with counterweights), with guiding stable in the 0.3-0.5" range, and for the past 5 sessions now I can't seem to make it work.

Same as others, when it approaches meridian it experiences terrible jumps, and after meridian it is smooth sailing.

I've shared the issue (on cloudynights and reddit) and tried to troubleshoot it with a few people already, I seemingly have exhausted the common pitfalls I could have fallen into and left a few people stumped by the whole situation. And besides, it used to work before.
I've tried various guiding settings on the AA+, different targets in the same area, different sky conditions, swapped the 220MM for a 174MM, to no avail.

Knowing that there could be an issue with the mount, with mine having been purchased in the same time period as others here, that could explain a great deal.

Who can I contact to investigate this further and determine what to do from here?

Pedro

Ws2n957M
We seem to be at the mercy of ZWO Support in China.
Unfortunately, I do not have to date any evidence that such department at ZWO exist as they have yet to acknowledge any of the communications sent. ZWO Support in the USA responded but were quick to point out that I will have to pay for shipping, repairs and custom fees, even if I bout my mount less than two months ago from StarTrip (AliExpress) - Vendor not offering any support neither.

ppurbano

Hello
I'm having the same problem too.
I bought the mount in October of last year. Up until about a month ago, the mount worked perfectly, but for the past month or so, it's also failing in AR. It's frustrating not being able to take any images, even when working with very small telescopes with a short focal length (Askar ACL200). Not to mention when you use a telescope with a longer focal length (RC 8"). It's impossible to take a single 120" shot... glitches, huge spikes. Totally frustrating.
I've been following this thread for a while now, and I see that there's no solution to the problem.
Gentlemen at ZWO, I think it's pretty clear that there's a fault with your mounts from the end of last year, and I find it incredible that you still haven't acknowledged the fault, still haven't taken responsibility for what happened, and haven't provided a solution to the problem.
This is expensive equipment, and many of us have gone to great lengths and efforts to acquire it and still not be able to work with it.
I understand that this is a minority of us, but we can't be abandoned like this.
Best regards

jb.matross

So I received a new board yesterday. The same version 4.3. I was able to test it tonight and still had the massive RA spikes. All my imaging lately has had the scope on the West side of the mount. It dawned on me to try a Western target so the scope would be in the East side of the mount. No spikes! Can anyone else confirm this? Is this a related issue that many have with flips? I'll be updating support on Monday. I'll try to confirm. My findings when I have clear skys again.

Pedro

jb.matross
Thanks for the update on this matter as many very dissatisfied and unimpressed ZWO Support victims have been waiting with abated breath the confirmation that replacing the board fixed the RA excursion issues.
Also, after all the efforts and time invested in troubleshooting and documenting the issues ZWO customers are currently experiencing, it is frustrating and disappointing that ZWO Support has yet to acknowledge any of the emails and communications I have sent, let alone a response regarding the analysis of the logs, pictures and additional files sent to assist with the identification of the root cause of the problem.

F5146666

jb.matross

May I ask which mount firmware version you used?

Andreas

Ws2n957M

Pedro I've started exchanging with their support via mail, but haven't seen much progress so far..

First exchange with ying.tang@zwoptical.com went well, then I tried their suggestion (mount software update, 50% aggr., 0.5" exposure, belt tightening) and... they fumbled on wednesday and replied to me using someone else's logs.

It can happen, I get it, but I hope they'll be able to provide more substantial help in the coming days.

I've sent another round of investigation and logs their way just this morning, very similar behaviour when switching to my C9.25 + OAG + 7kg counterweights, on a different target. Instability appears from _60° and then vanishes after meridian.

jb.matross

F5146666

1.7.7

Pedro

I have just been outside and as suggested pointed the OTA to the west (telescope at the East of the tripod) and experienced the same departures as described in my contributions to this forum. I then pointed the OTA to the East (telescope at the West of the tripod) and to the departures on the RA channel continued but worse with fair amount of cross-talk to the DEC during peaks. I have 9 Kg counterweights at 16cm to balance an Askar SQA106 and 2600MM Air, EAF CAA and EFW. Connected the AM5N via Bluetooth and USB cable, no difference. tried 0.25X and 0.50 Sideral from 25% to 50% Aggr, no difference. 1000ms calibration step and 500ms, Darks and Gain selected at 250 and 350, no difference. Checked belt tension and both motors have good feel. Commanding movement on RA or DEC happens without jumping teeth as far as I can tell. Firmware is 1.7.7. Mount directly and independent powered by 60W 12V supply. 2600MM Air, CAA, EAF, EFW powered separately by its own 72W 12V supply. Tripod confirmed level prior session, seating firmily on concrete slabs without movement. PA completed twice and twice confirmed deviation below 15" on RA and DEC before staring session. No cable snags or dragging. All USB cables checked before installation working flawlessly.
Changed the Askar SQA106 in its entirety to the iOptron CEM40 EC next to the AM5N and after PA and PHD2 calibration, guiding below 0.50".

The above strongly suggest that IT IS THE AM5N MOUNT...!!!!

All subs tonight look like this:

Despite promises from ASIMount-ZWO that ying.tang@zwoptical.com was going to contact me very soon, two weeks have passed without anybody from ZWO Support contacting me in any way or capacity. I have been completely and totally abandoned with a faulty mount that does not perform as advertised.

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