I have a problem:
When I initiate a sequence and after the mount slews to target the camera takes a shot to plate solve and centre on target.
In my case the camera usually takes a picture of the dome inside as the slot opening is still traversing towards the telescope, consequently the platesolve fails to align to my dome roof, no surprise there.
I have searched and cannot find a switch that allows me to set a delay on the camera after the mount has slewed and reached target, thereby allowing the dome slot to reach the telescope.
Help Help, it is a pain having to slew to a target nearby prior to initiating a sequence, is there a method or place I can set such a delay.
any advice gratefully appreciated. Martin
I am using SGP software version 3.0.2.91 it might be worth clarifying that my dome is controlled via a Shelyak Dometracker unit. Still relatively new to SGP, I have been unable to get SGP to control the dome if the Shelyak Dometracker Ascom driver was selected as the observatory in sgp. It works fine if I open and enable Ascom POTH on the PC and select “POTH HUB for the odservatory.
I have ensured the latest Shelyak Ascom driver is on my PC, but to date have been unable to get SGP to control the dome with Shelyak driver selected.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated, kind regards Martin
I have a Pulsar dome with ‘home made’ driver and electronics. I use the POTH scope-dome hub to link together and integrate my mount (CGX-L) and my Dome driver and then in SGP I select POTH hub for Telescope and for Observatory. This configuration is used to ensure that the sequence will not start until both the mount and the dome have completed any slew.
First off, I also use the Shelyak Ascom driver to control the dome in SGP and all works fine. I see Buggs saying he also uses POTH - but I never have a problem with the Shelyak Ascom driver…and perhaps you should test that first if you want to use it within SGP. Can you bring up this window and control the dome from here…(This is not SGP…but the Shelyak ASCOM driver control).
Just to clarify, the reason I use POTH scope-dome hub is that my dome driver is pretty simple and doesn’t do the calculations necessary to position the dome slot for the GEM - instead this work is done by the POTH hub, and it made writing the dome driver much more simple. However, I believe Xsubmariner’s problem is that SGP is not getting a ‘is slewing’ report from the Shelyak driver and so as soon as SGP gets a ‘slew complete’ notification from the mount it begins the sequence. I’m not familiar with the Shelyak driver but there should be a setting somewhere to solve this.
In SGP Slave Settings…one just specifies how often SGP should check where the mount is v the dome, how much difference you want to allow and the dome is instructed accordingly. I presume that both report back their position to SGP and SGP handles the ‘slaving’ from there.
In the observatory now and yes I have full control of the dome with the Ascom Dometrack driver. Buggs, you say you select POTH for telescope and observatory in SGP, I have POTH for observatory and IOPTRON Ascom driver for mount selected for telescope.
Since Kinch has a working system using the Shelyak driver it might make sense to compare all his setting with yours and see if it fixes your problem. If you want to pursue the POTH route then you need to select your iOptron driver in the Scope Connection section of POTH and your Shelyak dome driver in the Dome connection section. Then in SGP select POTH hub for both Telescope and Observatory. With Slave Dome ticked in POTH you should then see your mount RA, DEC, Az and Alt displayed in POTH and in SGP. Also in both you should see your dome shutter status and Az with the correct offset from the mount Az depending on your GEM position. If you then slew to a new target SGP should wait until both the mount and the dome have reached their correct position before proceeding to plate solve etc.
From my side, there is little else to add. You use the dome ascom driver and (although I am not familiar with it) also your mount ascom driver. After that, SGP slave setting should look after the dome following the mount (as far as I know). You see my slave settings above…the only other thing I can show you is the equipment connection pane. I have different mount…but I doubt that has anything to do with it…since you are using an ascom driver for your mount…….both mount & dome should be talking OK with SGP.
Have you tried the settling time setting in the telescope settings box. This is to allow the tripod/mount vibrations time to settle down and delays taking the photo from when the slew stops.
Hi Kinch,
I found a switch not set correctly in SGP configuration and now the dome slaves to mount and the camera waits for the dome before taking the centring/platesolve image. Thanks to you all for your advice.
The problems I have now encountered is the dome slot not opening at sequence start, it worked once but seem to stop after that. Secondly I am having slot to telescope alignment issues, although the settings are the same values as when I was using POTH which worked fine for telescope slot alignment.
Whereas POTH used settings for telescope/dome aperture size and telescope focal length, there is nothing for these settings in the Shelyak driver configuration settings. Could this be the problem, also I am using an Ioptron CEM120-EC2 (centre balance) mount which I consider is slightly different spatially to a standard equatorial mount.
Regards Martin
Re the dome slot not opening…if it worked once then maybe the settings are OK. Perhaps with all the testing, the battery has run down too much. I would check that for a start. Can you here the ‘click’ of a shutter open command at all?
As for alignment…I presume you have all these setting worked out and filled in for the dome software…
Sorry…mine is in French…never could get the English version onto the Obs computer.
One important thing: I don’t know if it is the Shelyak driver OR SGP maths……but put the Dome diameter in as 1m (rather than 2m).
Let us know how you get on & come back if things still not sorted.
Just tried it again and its official, i still have problems:
Sequence experienced:
initiated sequence
dome started to traverse along with the mount, Dome slot fails to open.
mount reaches position, dome stops 30 ish degrees short of the mount position.
Camera takes image for platesolve, no surprise it fails to match the inside of my dome.
Interestingly after a few seconds the dome starts to move and then aligns with the telescope.
platesolve and blind solve fail and back to the start…
That is interesting - why the delay - why not first time it moved? I think that might be a question for your side. Are you having a comms blockage on USB cables/hubs. (My dome control goes to a different USB port than the Mount control - see Connection Diagram - Electrical - KinchAstro). When things are intermittent I would suspect cables and or hubs.
Re the shutter not opening - you never said but I assume you are sure of the battery power being OK for the shutter. Have to tried checking “Mount unpark opens shutter” AND “Open shutter first”…will it not open then before the mount moves? (I again presume you tried opening it manually to make sure that circuitry is all OK…before trying it on a sequence). Sorry for throwing basic questions…but have to eliminate everything we can.
