Unannounced ASIAIR v2.4.4: Page 2

Unannounced ASIAIR v2.4.4

Corsair

Tracerocks
Why is it that despite so many posts over the years people still don't realise that if the ASIAIR App updates on your device the App will then update the firmware on your ASIAIR? It's why the ASIAIR App is the size it is.

The App on your device and the firmware on the ASIAIR are a matched set.

This is why it is recommended you turn off auto update for the ASIAIR App on your device.

Android: you can do this for the ASIAIR App via the Play Store App.
Apple: you can only turn off updates for all Apps. An Apple restriction unfortunately.

And, as you can see from the posts above, it's working for others. Even those on Facebook groups have had success with it.

You can downgrade:
Android: https://bbs.zwoastro.com/d/18885-how-to-downgraderollback-asiair-app-firmware-with-android
Apple: https://bbs.zwoastro.com/d/24898-asiair-v242-has-been-released/284

AstroDude42

Tracerocks sorry to hear that your sessions were interrupted twice. May i gently suggest to test the setup before traveling such a distance next time? That’s what i‘d do as one can’t rely on the quality of the software recently and it would save from a lot of frustration in advance.

Luxo

Tracerocks

You need to:

turn automatic updates OFF,
Revert PERMANENTLY to the last stable version (2.3.3) by following the instructions in ASIAIR:The Missing Manual available at https://www.icloud.com/iclouddrive/010wWOevZeXCOc79pGNNBWV9Q#ASIAir_Missing_Manual_0.8

Unfortunately it is pretty clear the people writing/testing the software are not imagers otherwise they'd have found the significant issues themselves.

fumiyuki.takahashi

Hello everyone,
I'm submitting a summary of the operational status of the equipment used during last night's imaging session, which lasted 4.5 hours. Most systems functioned successfully, but one accessory exhibited a significant issue, the details of which are documented below for record purposes.

Equipment Used
1.Location:Northern(Japan)
2.Controller: Apple iPhone 12 (Using ASIAir Plus)
3.Mount: AM5 (Connected to ASIAir Plus via USB-A)
4.Telescope: ZWO FF107 (Reducer used, 530mm Focal Length)
5.Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro(Filter: SHO 3nm Narrowband Filters)
6.Guide Scope/Camera: ZWO 30F5 / ZWO ASI120MM-Mini
7.Accessories: ZWO EAF, ZWO CAA, ZWO EFW (7x2")
8.Polar Alignment: All Sky Polar Alignment
9.Plate Solving: New Plate Solve
Functionality Check
1.Plate Solving:Good
2.GoTo:Good
3.Auto Guiding:Good
4.Meridian Flip:Good
5.EAF (Auto Focuser):Good
6.CAA (Camera Angle Adjuster)😛ROBLEM
Detailed CAA Issue
Commanded Action: Rotate 15 degrees Clockwise (CW).
Observed Result: The CAA performed an abnormal Counter-Clockwise (CCW) rotation, spinning past 360 degrees (a full rotation).

Thank you.

Sonixx

fumiyuki.takahashi

Hi Fumiyuki,

Tried to replicate your issue, bit could not experience the same problem.

I am using the CAA the following way:
-activate 180degree mode
-move the CAA via the dial in Asiair to the middle of of the 180 degree range.

then use the telescope manual rotator in a way that the filter wheel points straight up. This avoids collisions with the pier or tripod.

Doing it this way I have never experienced the CAA moving through the forbidden area since a couple of firmware releases.

CS,

Stephan

Sonixx

Tracerocks
Were you able to downgrade the Firmware and test again if the LX200 is working again? I find it strange that the mount would not even connect due to a firmware upgrade.
Which mount are you using?

Best regards,

Stephan

fumiyuki.takahashi

Hi Stephan,

Thank you very much for the helpful advice and details on how you use your CAA!

The specific initial setup steps you mentioned—specifically, moving the CAA to the "middle of the 180-degree range" and adjusting the filter wheel position—are steps that "I had not previously implemented."
My telescope's CAA initial position is currently set at the "very edge" of the 180-degree range. I am definitely going to try your method!

I've noticed a distinct difference in behavior:

During the day, when I operate the CAA (without any stars or plate solving), it rotates smoothly and correctly.
However, at night, after taking a picture of the sky and performing a plate solve, when I command the CAA to rotate, it often "does not take the shortest path" but instead rotates the "long way around" (a large detour).

Best regards,
Fumiyuki

flappah

You have to remember with the CAA that it has a hardware defined 0 point over which it cannot rotate. If you have a remote control that came with the EAF you can test this. Just rotate the CAA until it stops and beeps twice. That is the hardware defined 0. Now say you want to rotate to -10 (with respect to that 0) the CAA has to rotate the other way around to 350. Regardless of which setting you made 360, 180 or 90 [the ascom driver allows for 90 degrees mode]. Now the solution for me was to be really conscious of that 0 point and put that in the direction you really don’t want the CAA to have. And then manually rotate (with the remote control) to the opposite side. I then enable 90 degrees mode (which I use in Nina [yes Luxo, I’m one of the people who completely switched to Nina after the current round of Asiair issues]). Or you enable 180 degrees mode. Only then you shouldn’t run into the almost fully 360 degree rotations. But it has all to do with where do you set the hardware defined 0 point. It’s a shame because in my opinion this is the major down side of the ZWO CAA. The hardware defined 0 point over which it cannot rotate.

Scullbone

I've been learning NINA as well and found I could set my own zero position through the ASCOM driver. All I did was: --open the driver
-using the hand control moved the rotator to where I wanted my zero position
-checked "advanced" option in the driver window
-hit the "restore defaults" button
Voila, the position you picked is now your zero position and the CAA seems to behave as expected in NINA when I use the 180 mechanical range limiter. Since I live in the PNW, I've only been able to test it inside so I haven't been able to do "plate solve, center and rotate" yet.

Pretty stoked this works since it's been such a pain with the air not to be able to define your own 0 position.

I'm using the latest ASCOM drivers from ZWO.

flappah

Scullbone Awesome! That's an even better solution than mine! Thanks!!

watcheroftheskies

Corsair Hi’
Could you provide a link to download v2.4.4 please - and importantly- is it available for both Android and iOS?
I use both the AA+ & Mini so if 2.4.4 is available on both I could mix and match to give this version a good test.
Keith

Corsair

watcheroftheskies It's available on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

Links to the stores (as well as the APK file for Android/BlueStacks if you want to install it that way) is available here:
https://www.zwoastro.com/software/ (select Mobile App, then ASIAIR from the left menu).

735z4pr0

Notthern emisphere
All sky polar alignment
Standard plate solve
Asiair plus
Asi533mc
Eaf
Skymax 127 with AP telecompressor, final FL 1190mm
iOS app

I'm experiencing this problem.
Usually, in about ten minutes I could find a good polar alignment with a total error of less than 10".
After the latest updates, however, this operation has become difficult and lengthy: as soon as I start with the PA, the plate solve takes just a few seconds (4/5) to solve, but as I get closer to Polaris (let's say with an error of less than 30’), the plate solve takes longer (30/40 seconds)… And then it got worse: with a total error 2’ the plate solve is in loop giving “plate solve failure” after 100 seconds and always restarting.
After 50 minutes of trying I gave up.
Note that if I move the telescope 2-3 degrees to start over, the plate solve would start working again in 4-5 seconds.
So It seems that the algorithm cannot work with minimum distance from the Polaris.

Hmarin

I'm having a problem with update 12.73 on my AM5 mount. After performing the PA (Precision Alignment), it's not guiding in RA, displaying the error "The guide star has not moved far enough, RA calibration failed." I'm using version 1.7.3 of my AM5. I abandoned the Asiair Plus and am currently operating with NINA. I updated the mount to version 1.7.7, but I haven't tested it yet.

Southern Hemisphere
Asiair on iPad Pro
Polar alignment OK
Asiair Plus
AM5
Celestron SC8+ Hyperstar
ZWO 2600MC

Corsair

This is from the Official ZWO ASIAIR Facebook Group:
If you’re an ASIAIR user, we’d love to hear from you! 💬
Click the link to fill out our survey — your feedback is invaluable to helping us improve and shape the future of ASIAIR.
👉 https://bit.ly/4o1LBl6

Sirius

Hello,
Since the 2.4.4 update, I can no longer connect using the RJ45 cable.
This happens on my Android tablet (v14), while it works fine on my iPhone 16.

Regards

Luxo

I tried 2.4.4 last night and it didn't work out, the images were unusable. Using an iPhone 16 Pro Max, while it looked like it was focused and guiding, but today loading the resulting subs into AstroPixelProcessor all had poor star shapes and poor quality to the extent there was no point attempting to stack them.

So another wasted night, and I wont bother with 2.4.x again.

As for the stupid website and your questions thats just ra-ra stuff to keep the fans engaged, How about the awkward questions they don't dare ask, such as:

"Should we re-hire the developer who left at the end of May ?"

"Should we (ZWO) actually test stuff before we release it to you, the users ?
With a real telescope (not a tinker toy one) out under the stars ?"

"Should we stop adding stuff nobody asked for, and fix the bugs ?"
"Should we address the long-standing issues reported for years, which we didn't fix ?"

I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion ASIAir is now only fit for those using with the ilttle tinker toy rigs.
For anything like my rig, its useless.

Which is a pity as 2.3.3 does work well enough. Not perfect, but tolerable.

minimoto71

I'm experiencing issues with the last update ( 2.4.4 ). The app crashes all the time both in iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and macOS 26. Please, don't say it's Apple's fault, that's the catch-all excuse many software developers use to avoid admitting their incompetence. I have lots of apps working in 26 OS versions without any issue. Even more, tonight when it crashes and I try to enter the app again, there is a message saying that I have to activate again the device... A real mess.

I have had to shutdown the device and start over again with the session, cooling the camera and pointing the telescope again, something that's really annoying. After restarting the ASIAir the "activate the device" message disappears thankfully.

What's going on with the latest updates? Why this new version wasn't available for beta testing before it was released? In fact, at least in macOS, it says this is a beta version, but it shouldn't be as I have downloaded it from the App Store and not form TestFlight. Hope you can stabilize the ASIAir soon or users are going to consider moving away to other platforms. You are not going to survive only selling Seestars for sure ( that`s the only device you seem to be interested in developing right now ).

Luxo

Sigh... there are innumerable threads - if you want your rig to work reliably, revert to version 2.3.3 and forget about version 2.4 onwards they are chock full of bugs.

Instructions on how to do that are in this thread https://bbs.zwoastro.com/d/19176-reverting-to-older-versions-of-asiair-app-and-firmware-for-macos-ios-and-ipados/17

What's going on ? Since version 2.3.3, ZWO have zero idea about testing their software - and I do mean ZERO testing. It is also obvious the people writing the software are not imagers, have no experience using telescopes, and dont actually use the software they write.

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