Luxo >
Re the accuracy of GOTO with platesolve - and centering after a meridian flip:
Thanks so much for that info.
I've been saving all of the log files lately and did a bit of a dive this morning to see if I could answer my own questions. Everything you mentioned makes perfect sense. The ASIAIR had loads of intermittent low clouds last night to really stress test the whole thing. The lowest value of unacceptable error I found for target centring was 1%...And I'm guessing that was rounded down for the log file.
The point about the DSO atlas being slightly off makes sense as well. It's really only good as a starting point as far as I'm concerned anyway. It relies heavily on good location data, combined with an extremely accurate data set.
Most of the time I adjust the target in Plan mode to suit the rig.
One plus side of using the CAA is that you automatically start to build your own library based on preferred framing/centring for DSO. I will go out on a limb and suggest that's why I'm getting less centring discrepancies after switching to the DUO with CAA combo.
The meridian flip is consistently throwing things off by about 6-7deg. Something that I'm 95% sure is because of my pier waiting on substantial groundworks for less flagpole type flex. It's only in the RA which I'm pretty sure I could mostly balance out if I used a balancing rail, similar to the type that is typical on my old SCT.
In the meantime, one person's unpredictable triple cyclone threat is another persons jackpot. I'm possibly going to get 6 nights of OK conditions in a row (Moon excused). It could be 6 for 6 for the latest release.
"Why ?
... I always park at dec -90 and put the lid over the objective. It's no big deal IMHO, as I won't leave a valuable scope unattended.
Are you too lazy to cover your scope when it's done ?"
Luxo.
Go easy on people. Everyone has different requirements and levels of understanding.
Also, some people don't have the space to accommodate a scope that's in the home position when a roll top roof closes.
I get the sentiment, but sometimes constant babysitting is simply not possible if you ever want to do any imaging. Space is often at a premium as well.
Personally, I'm not expecting ZWO to waste too much time on the hundreds of third party mounts out there. The basics are enough IMO, and I'd prefer they focus on getting the CAA/ASIAIR to not lose itself as the mount goes through it's motions.
Momentary voltage drops shouldn't cause an ASIAIR reset. And no, that doesn't mean an all in one ZWO solution for the win.
