Unexpected meridian flip

Sequence Generator
1

Hi,
my name is Sergio (from Italy) and got the SG pro one month ago and I’m quite happy with it, but I have one problem that not allow me to perform the exposure in autonomous mode for the whole night. In the last two sessions, the the SG performed the meridian flip in right way, but about two hours later, it aborted the session. I noted that it attempted to perform again the meridian flip but of course with no successful (it was already performed two hours before).
I analysed the log file and discovered the following:
a_ also after the meridian flip, the SG checked if a meridian flip is required (the target is already the same i.e. the coordinate were not changed)
b_ the log file reported correctly the side of peer: west before the meridian flip and east after the meridian flip
c_ about two hours later the log file reported wrong side of peer: west instead east. At this point SG started the flip procedure, but the telescope reported that the peer of side was east. At this point SG aborted the sequences.
See the attached log file, in foreground green colour the part with the first needed meridian flip, in yellow the part with unexpected meridian flip and in red the error log.
I do not understand where is the problem, SG or ASCOM telescope driver, and ask to the developers what I have to do in order to avoid this issue.

Thanks a lot in advance for your support and best regards,
Sergio

My configuration is the following:
SG pro rV 3.0.2.94
O.S. Windows 7 updated
Mount Gemini G53F with Pulsar 2 controller FW 5.70 and ASCOM driver released on the 2016. The SG is connected througt ASCOM POTH Hub
ASCOM platform 6.
sg_logfile_20180908222239.zip (93.8 KB)

2

As you’ve found it appears that the mount stated that it was on the West side of the pier for some reason. If possible, you should remove POTH from the equation if your mount driver can handle that. We’d also need to look at the mount logs to see if there is anything in there since it was the mount that reported it was on the West side of the pier.

Thanks,
Jared

3

Thanks a lot Jared for your prompt replay. I’ll see if it is possible to down load the log file from the Pulsar controller or recovery ASCOM log.
In any case, there is an workaround for this issue?
Should be possible for next release of SG to have the possibility to disable the meridian flip check after the first meridian flip? (For example in case that the target does not change).

  Thanks and best regards,
  Sergio
4

Dear Jared,
I have all the file needed for investigating the problem of the unexpected meridian flip, SG log, Pulsar log and the ASCOM log. The ASCOM log file contents only (the file is begger than 1MB, so I had to cut it) the data relative to the meridian flip (the good one) and some data just before and after a unexpected meridian flip. What I see is the changing in side of pier without reason in the ASCOM file.
Please, find attached the flies.
In case of the problemi is on the ASCOM driver, there are some workaround? Note that I have to use ASCOM POTH HUB in order to share the mount among three application, SG, PHD and SkyChart.

Thanks a lot for your support and best regards,
SergioLog_08_sep_2018.zip (96.5 KB)