We just started using SGP and were really excited how perfect it worked.
We set everything up today and did some tests of the pier flip Option in the early night time.
It did work perfect, SGP stopped the guider, moved the telescope and restarted the guider again.
Then we started to take pictures. The sequence started on the west pier and took some pictures, then reportetd that time to pier flip was shorter than exposure time. A countdown was started.
So we waited, thinking that the mount would now pier flip.
But the mount did not pier flip. SGP reported an error and aborted the sequence without pier flipping. Instead the scope stopped tracking, but did not pier flip.
Why did it not flip?
Does anybody have the same problem?
We would like to trust SGP but cannot at the moment.
Mount: 10Micron GM2000 with Ascom Driver (name: 10Micron Mount)
Here’s a stab at this. Check the 10u forum and make sure you have the latest firmware update. I think it is 2.14.4. I have posted to the forum about the pier flip problems I had with the 2000. You’ll want to read the posts by PJ. I think the problem may be with the LST locking at midnight hour preventing a pier flip. This problem was acknowledged by 10u and has been addressed. The posts should help you with settings for the hc also…Gunny
I can confirm that the auto-meridian flip options work with the suggested settings on the 10 Micron Forum and firmware 2.14.4. In SGP I tick the ‘wait until meridian’ option and all works.
Gunny - I do have one issue though and I’m not sure if this is related to the same problem others have reported about auto-centre hanging, but I am not able to carry out an auto-centre. Whenever I try this the mount throws a ‘lock clutches’ error and stops tracking. The ccd image doesn’t download and SGP freezes and needs to be re-started. I use Per’s ascom driver and have the ‘Use J2000 (convert on fly)’ option, have a QSI683 ccd. It all worked fine on my W7 laptop but I switched to a new W10 pc 2 weeks ago and now it won’t work. I have .NET framework 3 and 4 enabled on the new pc. So puzzled why simply changing from W7 to W10 would cause a problem.
I take it you have no problem with auto-centre as I recall you have this option set after a meridian flip?
Good to hear from you again, but sorry to hear that 10 is giving you grief. I’m still with 7 and dread the day I have to go with 10. My suggestion is to send a log to Jared and Ken of both successful 7 and loser 10. Auto center has been working well for me with 7…I know that the UAC in 7 had to be turned off, but not having 10, I don’t have a clue as to what might be happening… CS and Happy Trails, Jerald
For some reason my GM1000HPS refuses to flip after the meridian has been passed. I haven’t investigated this further, as there is an easy workaround. Everything works correctly when I flip ten minutes prior to meridian – I don’t wait for meridian since my lights are usually <= 10 minutes.
As far as I understand it, the 10Micron firmware will only permit an auto meridian flip to happen before the meridian is passed, hence the suggestion to set the minutes passed meridian figure in SGP as -5 (minus five), that is to flip 5 minutes before the meridian is reached. To enable this in the handset you have to set the Flip Slew Tolerance and Flip Slew Guidance parameters accrodingly.
HTH
Barry
Hi all,
have updated 10 micron to the (beta) Version 2.14.4 as suggested above.
Mount still does not flip.
Could you tell a little more detail on the settings that are needed for the mount per your knowledge?
Our Settings are:
Flip slew tolerance: 5°
Flip guid tolerance: 6°
Something appears to be amiss with the driver (or settings in the driver). This log statement:
[07.09.2016 23:55:17] [DEBUG] [Pier Flip Thread] Meridian Flip: Telescope failed to perform meridian flip
means that the pier side before and after the flip were the same. Following this, it usually means the mount was issued a slew command and it decided it did not need to flip. Unless your mount can perform a meridian flip in 6 seconds, it looks like the mount did not attempt it…
[07.09.2016 23:55:11] [DEBUG] [Telescope Thread] Telescope: Slewing to J2000 RA: 21,5772875308944 (21h34m38,24s) Dec: 57,4922027576934 (57°29’31,93")
[07.09.2016 23:55:11] [DEBUG] [Telescope Thread] Telescope: Slew received J2000 coordinates, mount requires JNOW, converting…
[07.09.2016 23:55:11] [DEBUG] [Telescope Thread] Telescope: Slewing to JNOW RA: 21,58653 Dec: 57,5708
[07.09.2016 23:55:17] [DEBUG] [Telescope Thread] Scope reports it is done with synchronous slew, verifying…
[07.09.2016 23:55:17] [DEBUG] [Telescope Thread] Telescope: Slewing has completed
We would need to see the mount logs to be sure. They would probably provide further insight… your mount reports it was indeed past the meridian, but did not feel inclined to flip.
Seriously though Jari, I can’t thank you enough. Here are my present settings for the daytime run that worked three times and resulted in successful meridian flips:
SGP: set to -5 minutes in auto meridian flip
HC on 10u: flip slew tol = 3 degrees
flip guide tol = 5 degrees.
I also have wait for meridian checked. Most important of all is to display the LST on the hc and make sure that it is not locking up at 12 00 00. This would usually happen when I would do daytime testing. I would shoot one image b4 the meridian crossing and the flip would work but at night, after one or two images b4 the meridian, LST would lock up. Firmware 2.14.4 solved this problem…Gunny
Similar to the EQMOD guide we posted in the help manual, I would like to do the same for 10u mounts. If anyone has screenshots and advice for compatibility with SGPro, please post them here and I will try to cobble them together to add a section in the help manual.
Today we wanted to use same settings as yesterday, because they did work.
But today, we got an error telling us that we can not use -5min in SGP because the mount dies not support that. SGP told us using 0min.
Yesterday we could use -5 min pier flip worked good. We did not change anything.
Do you have an idea what happened?
Thanks,
Anna
Yes, SGPro does not support early meridian flips for mounts that do not support the ASCOM defined ability to set the side of the pier the mount should be on. In your case, your mount only supports flips via “slew” when you are pointing at or past the meridian. If you were able to set it to -5 before, it is likely because you did not have a telescope object selected or connected. In this case SGPro was not able to determine the type of mount you had (its properties) and let you enter whatever you want.
Is there a reason you want to flip 5 minutes before the meridian? Is 0 not sufficient?
Hi all,
Last night the mount again did not perform the pier flip.
We started everything with exactly same settings, but SGP gave an error message and did not allow the -5 min setting, telling us the mount would not support flipping prior meridian. We tried using the 0 min instead, but the mount did not flip.
It is really anoying.
Anybody has an idea what we could try?
When I had a 10u mount I recall there were two flipping parameters - giving you a window in which to flip. To early or late means that one side or the other will be outside the allowable area. My mate has a GM2000 and when I’m next round there I will check out a few things.
@Moosmann - which ascom driver are you using? I have been using Per Frejvall’s ascom driver and I have had a half-dozen or so auto-meridian flips and everything works well with the settings Gunny outlined:[quote=“Gunny01, post:10, topic:4098”]
SGP: set to -5 minutes in auto meridian flip
HC on 10u: flip slew tol = 3 degrees
flip guide tol = 5 degrees.
[/quote]
Also tick the box ‘Wait for Meridian’ option in SGP.
After my first auto-meridian flip with my GM1000HPS (I have only had the mount 3 months or so) I tried using the 10 Micron ascom driver and I too had an error message generated by SGP and a subsequent re-set of the Minutes to Meridian Flip from -5 to 0 by SGP. I never tried the flip and quickly reverted to Per’s driver.
Not sure if you have posted on the 10 Micron Forum but I know ChrisLX200 a UK imager has the GM2000HPS and automates his sessions with SGP - perhaps he will share his settings.
It’s still not clear to me why you need an early meridian flip… equipment collision issues possibly? What about 1 or 2 minutes past meridian instead of 5 minutes before?
Also, @Gunny01 is trying to post some screen shots of his setup so we can create a sort of guide around 10U mounts.