I think it’s relatively safe to move to 2.5.2, but I don’t have any reason to suspect the issue you are seeing would be addressed. I don’t think it’s a bug… likely a setup issue in TSX, but other TSX users would be in a better position to help here. I would like to get a cheat sheet for TSX and 10u up in the help files, but I will wait until “sync-less centering is available” (if it were available, this alone would probably alleviate the issue you are seeing). to see where problems exist after this.
I’ve still got this issue. Anything changed since last year about talking to one of the most succesfull mounts in history, the Paramount?
After my last post I realise:
- I can’t use my rotator because the platesolve will then be executed even if I do not want that
- the best advice I get here is "do not use your rotator in SGP, only use it MANUALLY (??)
- platesolve will always fail because platesolve can not tell the paramount to slew (???)
- Because I have a paramount, meridian flips are also impossible
Is there anything else that I should know ?
Andre - I have a MX - my solves and slews are just perfect. I use the target offset sync mode in the SGP telescope tab. I normally get to within a few pixels on the first iteration. Disable sync in the ASCOM driver and do not use the standard sync button. Last year SB decided that external syncs could mess up TPoint and would not react to an external sync command on ASCOM…only if you had a Paramount but regardless of whether TPoint was active or not (as far as I can tell). After some discussion on the SB forum, those folks did not want to budge - since other external imaging programs had work-arounds. Ken/Jared implemented the same type of workaround.
I don’t have a rotator - but once it is centered, I would suppose that would work too.
As for meridian flips - the proof is here:
‘http://www.digitalastrophotography.co.uk/Astrophotography/Setup_Videos_files/SGP%20meridian%20flip.mp4’
Thanks for the help. I will dive into that … 
Hi all,
we may have a similar problem.
I described that here: https://forum.mainsequencesoftware.com/t/center-now-does-not-work/5979
Is it possible to have similar issues with a 10micron? Could you advise how I should setup the driver and sgp if there is a sync problem?
Would be great if one could help solving that problem, it did steal a clear night…
Thanks and best regards,
Anna
I think in both cases, it is not the platesolve that is broken, but the complex interaction of the mount and an ASCOM program. There is a standard ASCOM sync command but not every mount supplier enables it when the mount system uses sync commands to build a pointing model. I used to have a GM1000HPS but I used it with Maxim DL and so cannot comment directly on SGP <> 10micron. There are other 10micron users on here - I seem to recall there are several 10micron sync commands in Per’s driver, one that affects the model and one that does not. It might be worth firing off a note on the 10micron forum too for advice.
So… If SGP is 400 pixels off the target with “center now”, SGP uses the SYNC command to move the mount the 400 pixels?
Why not SLEW the mount ? Then all will be fixed.
It does - and is the basis of the ‘center here’ command - but doing the sync means that there is a more permanent record of the adjustment that can be used for the next slew.
Hi all,
as far as 10micron is concerned, we solved the problem by changing the sync setting in the Ascom driver.
It did work well now.
Thanks and best regards, Anna
I am trying to do a pierflip wit the ascom telescope driver and the simulator camera.
NOTHING ELSE
Why the f*ck do I need the platesolve to do that ???
(sorry, I’m getting tired)
buzz … see my post at the end, I need you help to try a pierflip.
why does your sequence not ask for a plate solve details … ???
Andre, let me try and reproduce that - in this artificial case it may be that SGP checks settings and throws up the error, regardless of whether you need to platesolve. In your telescope settings on the control panel - on the meridian flip settings did you tell it to center? If you did, that assumes to use a platesolve.
My sequence uses platesolving - it takes the image scale from the camera tab - so it knows the approximate scale. In the case of the simulator - I don’t know what it assumes.
A screen grab of the meridian settings tab and camera tab on the control panel would be useful.
It does nothing. I start a sub of 5000 seconds before the meridian, and it just starts it. No flip of anything …
The enabled auto center on the meridian flip options requires platesolving - hence your earlier error message. If you uncheck that, the mount just simply slews round to its flip position. The actions of the mount also require the flipping points to be set up on the mount for safe operation:
On my MX, I have the meridian flip points set to about 45 minutes (in time) past the meridian on each side. In SGP, I have the meridian flip point set to about 10 minutes. Since none of my exposures last longer than 30 minutes, it is always safe to flip (safety on flips has to be considered before and after the flip.) Your time of 5000 seconds is 83 minutes and probably is causing issues - as it could potentially try to slew 83/4 degrees past the meridian.
Try disabling the auto center and reduce the exposure time to 300 seconds and try again.
Tried it. Tried it all. SGP flips never, no message nothing.
Maybe the MX acts differently than the ME.
Do you use TheSkyX?
I think I know the issue. It is a setting in TSX that caused me grief in the past when trying to flip close to the meridian. There are the meridian limits that you set up in one of the setup tabs but also another setting that alters flip behavior. There is another setting, that shows up as a line on the planetarium close to the meridian. It has a square blob on it. Drag the square so the line is on top of the meridian. I cannot remember what it is called, you will have to wait until this evening.
Andre - Page 122 of the Paramount user guide:
Flip Hour Angle (HA)
Slews within this hour angle region (expressed in decimal hours) cause mount to slew past the meridian and then track through the meridian.
Configuring Flip Hour Angle Graphically
When TheSkyX Professional Edition connects to the Paramount, the current flip hour angle is represented on the Sky Chart as an orange line drawn from the horizon to 90 degrees declination.
Figure 70: The orange line on the Sky Chart represents the current flip hour angle.
To dynamically change the flip hour angle, click and drag the orange “dragger” square on the flip hour angle line (see the white arrow on Figure 70).
The mount will perform a meridian flip when it is slewed to an object on the “opposite” side of this line.
Thanks Will dive into this !
Andre - it is the last sentence that is key:
"The mount will perform a meridian flip when it is slewed to an object on the “opposite” side of this line"
If the line is in the wrong place, the mount will refuse to slew. I have had this in the past - where my line was a bit like the one in the picture. Since dragging the line to the meridian, happy days.
There are quite a few posts on at the moment laying issues at SGP’s door when in likelihood, it has nothing to do with SGP but the other parts of an increasingly complex system.
I think it’s fair to say in this case the title of this post may require editing.