Cannot find sun automatically

Karl L

Hi, I’ve just got my s50 and have tried repeatedly to find the sun on 3 different occasions. Nearly every time it fails, with a couple of exceptions where it did work. However it would not track the sun then, and seem to gradually move further from the sun when trying to correct. The sun would drift off the right of the screen and the scope would move the wrong way, moving the sun further away.

I have also noticed the left and right joystick controls seem reversed, when I move the joystick up the scope moves up, but when I move the joysticks left the scope moves right (most confusing).

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

Support@Seestar

The issue with the Sun drifting and not tracking properly may be caused by a polar alignment deviation. We recommend refreshing the alignment offset in the app and trying again.
As for the joystick controls appearing reversed (left/right), could you please share a short video showing this behavior? It would help us understand exactly what’s happening. You can upload the video via this link: https://support.zwoastro.com/

Karl L

Support@Seestar can you please explain how I “refresh the alignment offset“ in the app?

Lilo

Support@Seestar
Are you kidding? Solar an Lunar tracking has nothing common with polar alignment.
Tracking is fully CV (computer vision) thing, find the object in a frame and keep it in the center.
So, no need for precise eq alignment or az leveling. Once it found the object (or you help to find it manually) it should track it wo issues.

5Cnl86U3

Your Sky-Watcher S50's solar tracking and reversed joystick issues suggest common problems. For solar tracking, ensure proper leveling, rough polar alignment, stable power (ideally USB power bank), correct mode, and fully engaged clutches; also, check for overloading or potential firmware updates. The reversed joystick is often a firmware glitch best addressed by a factory reset or checking for updates. If these steps don't resolve the issues, especially the joystick problem, it's advisable to contact Sky-Watcher support as it might indicate a hardware fault.

Lilo

5Cnl86U3
😂

Karl L

5Cnl86U3 thanks for your response. However, to this newbie most of it is meaningless. It is definitely level and in the solar system mode. It is on the standard tripod with no extras. It is fully charged but I will try it with a power bank as well. Not sure what polar alignment is or how I engage the clutches…?

I have contacted the helpdesk regarding the left/right panning reversal. I’ve no idea how you do a factory reset. The firmware is up to date, as it updated when I first got it 3 days ago.

I appreciate your help, many thanks.

Ray035

I mostly gave up on having the Seestar locate the sun automatically and bought a solar finder for it from Etsy.
I got tired of waiting for it to see if it would find the sun on it's own or not.
It tends to pretty much go right to the sun, or just behind it, and then moves back towards the east away from where the sun is and takes.
What I do now is I calibrate the compass and level the scope and then have start to do a goto to the Sun. When it gets close, I cancel it and then I use the solar finder to center the Sun and then click on the icon to keep the Sun centered and from there it keeps tracking just fine.

Karl L

Ray035 thanks for the response. I’ve been finding it manually as well now but it won’t track the sun. When it makes corrections they tend to be in the wrong direction, which may be linked to the other issue of the left/right panning reversal. All reported to ZWO and video uploaded, but won’t hear any more until Monday now.

Lilo

Karl L
Does it track the stars Ok in Stargazing mode?

Karl L

Lilo Hi, as we’ve had only cloudy skies at night since I got it I’ve not been able to check. 🙄

Karl L

Lilo finally had a clear night and it can’t locate anything. I set it to find something I knew was visible in the sky and it seems to get the azimuth right but gets the bearing completely wrong. I think due to the reversal of the panning I had already seen, it puts in corrections that then move the telescope in the opposite direction. I’ll have to see what Seestar say. I must admit to being very unimpressed so far, I hope this gets fixed ASAP.

marvindj

can you manually point the unit to anything in the sky and then manually focus on it (stars/clusters/etc but not Sun/Moon).

Karl L

marvindj , yes I can manually point to anything, that is if I can find it and cope with left and right being reversed. 😉 It won’t track anything though, so it moves out of shot fairly soon. To be honest it is faulty, that much I now know. What I don’t yet know is if it is a software or hardware fault, ZWO are investigating.

Lilo

Karl L
Looks more like hw issue. Swapped wires in AZ stepper drive connector.

Karl L

ZWO believe it is faulty and requires repair. As I’ve only had it a week the reseller is going to replace it with a new one. Hopefully the new one will work properly. 🤞🏼