Consistent RA Axis Issues with AM5N Mount – Massive Sub Losses

R3Iro7Ea

If heaven allows it, I will try to carry out more tests this weekend, to see if @ASIMount-ZWO gives us a solution to a problem, for a mount which is not cheap at all, and compared to my old HEQ5 pro which has been working since 2011 and without any failure, for me it is being a bit disappointing.

fotisr

R3Iro7Ea time your jumps. For AM5N one cycle period is around 280 seconds. And from your screenshots I see you have a small period of RA slowing down a bit (star staying on the west side of zero point with the mound not listening to pulses), just before you have the jump. I'm experiencing something very similar but around the middle of the cycle. And if course RA jumps are around 8 to 10 arcsecs close to the celestial pole but around 20 arcsecs close to the celestial equator, as today I am experimenting clos t the equator and it's brutal....

F5146666

I just updated the AM5N firmware to v1.7.0 (even if there is no changelog available yet) to see if there is any improvement of our issue -> No.

Please see some PHD2 screenshots of tonight that clearly shows my issues in the DEC-axis (harmonic drive was in RA-axis before, showing more jumps due to permanent movement).

Andreas

fotisr

F5146666 I updated the mount firmware as well and saw no change whatsoever. I still got about an hour of great data, guiding at 0.4 to 0.58 total RMS (close to the celestial pole), before the RA jumps and the slowing down between the jumps, started and stayed for the rest of the night, east or west of the meridian, north or south. I see that the profile of the jumps in your DEC looks a lot like mine, very similar reaction. And the RA drive which used to be your DEC drive, looks like it performs as it should, for now.

R3Iro7Ea

F5146666
If all goes well tonight I'll be able to take pictures, but from what you say, it seems like this is going to be a mechanical problem. I'll try to get in touch with technical support, they should come up with a solution and even if it takes months I want them to repair my unit which is still under warranty. Also, it seems like no one is responding here. They said weeks ago that they were working hard to fix it, but I think that's a lie. I'm definitely disappointed by the lack of interest from these people.

Nico064

R3Iro7Ea
There seem to be a asiair v2.3.3 build as well which is not flagged for beta, you might want to test with. Weather is unfortunately very bad here.

fotisr

R3Iro7Ea if you have Instagram, dm. I have some information to share that might be helpful. It's fotis_reezo on insta. @F5146666

fotisr

Nico064 I've already tested the 2.4 beta. No change. And there shouldn't be, as my problem has a period of around 280 sec which is the same period as the gears and that points to something mechanical rather than a software issue. Tightening the belt (per zwo support instructions) one more time, did not help either. Actually made things worse adding a second RA jump just after the first one. I'm just waiting out for zwo's confirmation so I can ship the mount back to the dealer. Mine is pretty new so I've got time before warranty expires, but I don't want to cut it close.

F5146666

fotisr
I also now issued a repair request, as nobody from @ASIMount-ZWO @ASIMount@ZWO @support@ZWO is responding to this issue! Let's see if this request keeps unanswered again, like my first official support request.

@R3Iro7Ea Unfortunately opening this new thread did not help us here. But thank you for opening it!

BR Andreas

R3Iro7Ea

Hi colleagues,

Nothing, I'm just stopping by to let you know that I haven't been able to run any more tests yet, since it's the weekend when I can really spend all night looking at the data and taking screenshots. I also couldn't do that because it was cloudy, and now that it's clear, I have to work the next day, so sleep is imperative for me. I'll see if I can start collecting data on Friday or Saturday to try to give this a little more depth.

Have a good week.

ASIMount-ZWO

R3Iro7Ea I'm sorry to hear about your unpleasant experience! If all your guiding parameters are set to reasonable values, please first ensure that the entire setup is stable and not prone to shaking. You might try re-securing the equatorial mount, camera, EFW, extension tube, etc., or consider using a sturdier tripod. Additionally, you can provide the guiding logs from the ASIAIR to help us further analyze the issue. If you'd like to determine whether the problem lies with the AM5N, you can try using NINA for guiding to see if it is a software-related issue.

R3Iro7Ea

ASIMount-ZWO

Hello, please tell me where I can send the session logs.

The equipment has worked perfectly with that configuration for a while, but due to the bad weather we've been experiencing in my region, I detected the fault at the beginning of May. Everything is stable and well-established. I've been working with mounts and telescopes of different brands for about 20 years. I've decided to use Asiair because I don't have the time to dedicate myself to installing NINA on my PC and testing until everything works. For that, there are other colleagues with the same problem who use PHD2. I can send you my session logs; just tell me where I can send them. I'll send you the session logs with the screenshots I attached, and as soon as I can start another session, I'll send them.

Sincerely, Alberto

higbyrichard

I have the same issue on my AM5. It all seemed to have started after the latest update. Pulling my hair out and no parameter tweaking corrects the issue resulting in a wasted nights imaging. Let’s have a response from ZWO product manager. The guiding issue is cyclical within a 180 sec period moving from 0.5 to 1.28.
Richard

3t2To05L

Same problem. I bought the mount in FEB/2025 and a few weeks later the problems started.
Attached is a graph of PHD2 without applying corrections to the mount. The problem recurs every 280“-290” approx. I see that it is not a problem that only affects me.
The mount has been sent to ZWO technical service through the supplier. Now I have to wait weeks or months.
Very disappointed. I seem to have bought a very expensive paperweight.

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Corsair

Make sure to tag @Tech@ZWO and @PMTeam@ZWO in your post as well.