ASIAir: The Missing Manual

Luxo

... has been updated and version 1.1 is available

@ZWO... wake up.

I hoped you would do the right thing for the user community and produce a user guide, but no luck.
Even I can stay abreast of your current releases - outside ZWO.
As software developers you are very disappointing.

Touptek will eat your breakfast, lunch and dinner. Their latest release works pretty well.
Get your shit together or your company will be dead in 12 months.

johnpd

Thanks Luxo. Much appreciated.

JohnD

PMTeam@ZWO

https://www.yuque.com/zwopkb/asiair/homepage

Hello, you can refer to this article.

Moontanner

PMTeam@ZWO
https://www.yuque.com/zwopkb/asiair/homepage
Last updated in 2021 for the most part and not even readily available on the website? The hardware and software has moved on a bit since then.
Thanks, but no thanks.

The Support section on the website also needs a major overhaul. It's a total mess that requires hunting around for basic information hidden throughout multiple FAQs articles and User Guides. Simply adding more articles and random appendices as time goes by is making things more confusing for new users.

As an example:
I very recently asked support directly for the best start-up routine for my rig when adding the CAA. The CAA was losing it's bearings and behaving erratically during guiding. We did the usual back and forth to eliminate obvious problems with the settings that I'd already checked and confirmed. Send some logs that didn't help.
Thankyou to support for being quick to respond and trying to help. The problem is that I didn't get an answer to my initial question. 1,2,3...and then?
From what I can tell so far, I simply needed to add an extra plate solve and sync after my usual setup routine. Not something that I've ever needed to do in the past. If it ever clears up and stops raining I'll be able to confirm this with further testing, although we've now moved onto a newer firmware and app version, so who knows.

Having a proper manual that is constantly updated as the software and hardware evolves is a no brainer. It would make life that much easier and get back to the simple as 1,2,3 solution.
There'd be less support requests and you've got enough users that would no doubt step up to do most of the work for you. How hard could it be?

Luxo

@Moontanner,
I've taken CAA off my camera train.
I just wanted to be able to rotate the camera and guider hands-off the scope and not have to recalibrate the guider, but nooo.... they tried to be too smart.

Back to using a manual rotator.

Moontanner

Luxo
If I was in your boat with the CAA, I'd have removed mine too. My problem is that I've had it working on the Esprit120 at 862FL and I really liked the ability to frame multiple targets in one evening. Something that will only become more desirable as winter rolls around.
I'm kinda hooked on the framing targets thing now. Enough to persist, at least.

All the crappy weather has me wanting to try the 2600mc and ASIAIR on my old SCT after a much needed tune up. Your adventures at 3000FL have inspired me to see how far I can push things. My patience and sanity included.

Luxo

Tha manual has been updated to Version 1.2.

Luxo

Version 1.3 is available, containing numerous minor corrections throughout, and a few new sections.
https://mega.nz/file/W8o21K7Q#pZVWzXBqrGJJ1JUIcZkYGxmjIvcJhQvDhMiJprDA-2k

Luxo

Version 1.4 is available at https://mega.nz/file/3xwSiaaA#JpxtN7HeFZjtUvB2GnhXle7T113H6ZkiylZJPrmkpmc

Luxo

Now at version 1.5 https://mega.nz/file/S5plwC7C#Py_mHUlBa5B9HLEFYRdqikhlG1lbgh7Bs-KCRvMTRuc

... as I keep playing with this thing and finding more.

Corsair

Luxo question:

I'm unsure if this is the case but I think it is (haven't had a chance to confirm it).

With an unguided setup - after setting everything up (PA, refined focus, etc) and doing a Go To on a target:

Once the ASIAIR has platesolved and centered the target, and has enabled tracking on the mount to stay on target, am I right in saying that the camera is no longer used to keep on target?

e.g. I could do a Go To of The Helix Nebula, or NGC 7293. The ASIAIR would then slew the mount to it, platesolve, centre, and when happy say its done with tracking on the mount to keep it on target.

I could then, let's say, go to the Main Camera Settings and turn off cooling (wait for that to settle) and then toggle the camera to disconnect (while keeping it powered by the ASIAIR). Then, I could unplug the USB cable for the camera from the ASIAIR, connect it to a laptop running Kstars/Ekos, then use Ekos to do captures and Kstars to do stacking while the ASIAR keeps things on target with the mount tracking?

Luxo

Corsair
Once the ASIAIR has platesolved and centered the target, and has enabled tracking on the mount to stay on target, am I right in saying that the camera is no longer used to keep on target?

yes

e.g. I could do a Go To of The Helix Nebula, or NGC 7293. The ASIAIR would then slew the mount to it, platesolve, centre, and when happy say its done with tracking on the mount to keep it on target.

yes. from then on you will be relying on the blind tracking of the mount exactly the same as if you used a simple "star tracker" mount. This should work well enough for short subs with a DSLR or small refractor. Whether it works for you is a question of image scale vs the drift rate of the mount

I could unplug the USB cable for the camera from the ASIAIR, connect it to a laptop running Kstars/Ekos, then use Ekos to do captures and Kstars to do stacking while the ASIAR keeps things on target with the mount tracking?

yes.

Luxo

Manual updated to version 1.6 to reflect ASIAir 2.5.