TALK2KEV
sage
Reged: 03/08/06
Loc: Oklahoma
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Re: Why me?
[Re: TALK2KEV]
#5426776 - 09/18/12 06:35 AM
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Neilson
I may need your help the DEC seems to be tight a little harder to move it may have the bearing to tight or no lube not sure yet. did you go into your mount that far I'm thinking they may have over tighten the DEC shaft putting the bearings in a bind. Any suggestion? I have not torn into the mount yet wanted you thoughts first!
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TALK2KEV
sage
Reged: 03/08/06
Loc: Oklahoma
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Re: Why me?
[Re: TALK2KEV]
#5426845 - 09/18/12 07:51 AM
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Mike
You can test you set up with Autostar suite before you get your camera it will tell you if your Ascom platform and drivers are working
BE SAFE don't damage equipment by hitting the mount.
In the hand controller under setup / telescope you want to change a few setting before letting software control your mount
One focal length
I will put a longer focal length than I have remember you will have extension tubes and a camera added to the length
Quiet Slew
**note** I use Quiet Slew for safety it will slow down the fastest rate when slewing. So if you ever get a run away mount it gives you some time to react you can stop slewing by hitting mode or any button during a slew on the Hand controller. BE SAFE
After installing Ascom platform 6SP1 then install you Ascom Meade classic driver.
After installing Autostar Suite open it
open Time tab
set your time date and location
In your Autostar Suite under Telescope tab then click communications and then serial set up make sure it has the same com port as your USB to serial adapter is set at.
Then in telescope tab click protocol then choose Autostar via serial
It will display a warning message this is normal
you should be connected now go back to telescope tab open Hand control panel
This will display a hand controller on you screen push the arrow buttons on the screen and the mount should move.
click on any object on the autostar suite screen it will open a control box then click slew telescope the mount should start moving to that object.
BECARE FULL (SYNC TELESCOPE) IS ALSO on this pop up box
Enjoy
Edited by TALK2KEV (09/18/12 07:52 AM)
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TALK2KEV
sage
Reged: 03/08/06
Loc: Oklahoma
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Re: Why me?
[Re: TALK2KEV]
#5426851 - 09/18/12 07:55 AM Attachment (14 downloads)
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Mike
after you get your camera get PECprep v1.84 this will let you look at the PHD data you will need to edit the mount list they don't have LX80 (see photo)
http://sourceforge.net/projects/eq-mod/files/PECPrep/
Clear skies
Edited by TALK2KEV (09/18/12 07:59 AM)
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TALK2KEV
sage
Reged: 03/08/06
Loc: Oklahoma
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Re: Why me?
[Re: TALK2KEV]
#5426860 - 09/18/12 08:05 AM
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hope this helps ,Have more question feel free to ask
Here is a you tube video showing PECprep
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsMOL1gF9MU&feature=player_detailpage
Edited by TALK2KEV (09/18/12 08:12 AM)
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Mkofski
professor emeritus
Reged: 07/19/11
Loc: Greenfield, Indiana, USA
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Re: Why me?
[Re: TALK2KEV]
#5427225 - 09/18/12 11:55 AM
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Kevin,
Thanks for all the information and links! I'll see if I can get started today and be ready when my camera arrives.
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Stew57
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/03/09
Loc: Silsbee Texas
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Re: Why me?
[Re: OzAndrewJ]
#5427272 - 09/18/12 12:18 PM
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Andrew,
I am not using the batteries but an AC adapter to operate my ETX80. I have not used it for several weeks. When I turn it on it says "getting time" and then goes to align. When I go to setting date and time they both are correct. It must have a battery somewhere in the mount to keep time/date data. This is not a neweer mount, probably 5 years old. I had erroneously thought Meade had put this into all the newer mounts.
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OzAndrewJ
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/30/10
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Re: Why me?
[Re: TALK2KEV]
#5427736 - 09/18/12 04:18 PM
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Gday Kevin
Quote:
If You are working with Andrew to try and PEC train
Mike and I were only on baby steps to get set up for data acquisition.
So far, you are the only one to load the PEC patch so that we could compare actual PEC training" results to raw PEC off unguided logs.
I can now load your log files into my app and compare them to the data you collected as a result of actually training, and they appear pretty similar, which means the patch probably works.
However, after looking at the PEC prep results, i can see major fundamental errors in the geartrain ( ie that don't repeat each turn of the worm ), hence can't be modelled.
Interestingly, when Micheal took a video of his geartrain, at the start of the speed 6 bit, we could see what appeared to be "visible eccentricity" in the first gear in contact with the motor.
The fundamental for this gear also showed ( with a quite large magnitude ) in your traces, and cannot be modelled.
Just for fun, i have made a model of all the possible geartrain combinations.
It takes 128 revs of the worm ( 6859 revs of the motor ) before the geartrain actually repeats.
Andrew
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OzAndrewJ
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/30/10
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Re: Why me?
[Re: TALK2KEV]
#5427757 - 09/18/12 04:27 PM
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Gday Kevin
Quote:
hope this helps ,Have more question feel free to ask
Here is a you tube video showing PECprep
Just one extra when using PECPrep.
Based on the data i have seen to date, PHD logs the errors as raw pixels.
Using PEC Prep will give you an error plot and FFT analysis that is correct in time and "relative" magnitude.
If you want to analyse the absolute magnitude of the PE in arcsecs,
you need to know the camera pixel sizes, the scopes effective focal length and the DEC of the target star
Andrew
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OzAndrewJ
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/30/10
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Re: Why me?
[Re: Stew57]
#5427789 - 09/18/12 04:43 PM
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Gday Mark
Quote:
It must have a battery somewhere in the mount to keep time/date data. This is not a neweer mount, probably 5 years old. I had erroneously thought Meade had put this into all the newer mounts.
Certainly sounds like it has an internal battery, or maybe a super cap??
Either way, it was all news to me.
Most web searches on "Meade and TimeChip" show the ETX-80,
however on a bit more digging, i saw limited references to the DS-2xxx models and also the newer "StarNavigators" ( which appear to be DS-2xxx with Audiostar ).
If thats the case, they all appear to come from a common group ( ie same gear ratios etc )
If so, then the following models probably have time chips in them
ETX-xx backpack/traveller models
DS-2xxx
DSX-xx
StarNavigator
I have never seen any of these in person, and cant find any piccies of their internals, so dunno how "user accessible" they are.
( Maybe Alph could open up one of his and get some piccies of the boards in the name of science  )
Andrew
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Alph
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 11/23/06
Loc: Melmac
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Re: Why me?
[Re: Stew57]
#5427802 - 09/18/12 04:50 PM
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Quote:
It must have a battery somewhere in the mount to keep time/date data.
The clock battery is accessible from, guess what, the battery compartment.
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Stew57
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/03/09
Loc: Silsbee Texas
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Re: Why me?
[Re: Alph]
#5427850 - 09/18/12 05:11 PM
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Thanks Alph I took off the battery cover and there it is plain as day. Never bothered to look before or at least it didn't register. If the clock ever quits working I know where to change the battery. Now why wouldn't meade put that into the LX80?
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OzAndrewJ
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/30/10
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Re: Why me?
[Re: Alph]
#5427926 - 09/18/12 05:50 PM
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Gday Alph
Quote:
The clock battery is accessible from, guess what, the battery compartment
With a Meade, thats the last place i would have looked 
However, after looking at most of my pdf manuals, i see no reference to this battery ( or clock ) other than in the latest StarNavigator manual.
Wonder how widespread its use really is???
Gotta agree though, if its in these cheap scopes and is simply hardwired into the Aux bus, i cannot fathom why its not in the LX80.
Andrew
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TALK2KEV
sage
Reged: 03/08/06
Loc: Oklahoma
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Re: Why me?
[Re: OzAndrewJ]
#5428015 - 09/18/12 06:31 PM
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When I used the LX80 it didn't keep the time or date and I did start out with the battery pack but after moving to the car battery I removed them because I didn't want to forget about the battery pack and it leak inside the mount.
But I'm not really sure I did a good test for that.
wouldn't the HC have to stay connected to keep time or is it some thing the mount would relay to the controller when its connected.
As soon as I get my hand controller I will test this and see if the LX80 keeps the time and date is this some thing you must enable on the HC a small button battery inside the HC would make more sense.
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Mkofski
professor emeritus
Reged: 07/19/11
Loc: Greenfield, Indiana, USA
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Re: Why me?
[Re: TALK2KEV]
#5428030 - 09/18/12 06:38 PM
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Kevin,
Thanks for the instructions for AudioStar Suite. I was able to get a connection with the mount quick and easy with your step-by-step. My camera is due in tomorrow. Just got a larger refractor in today (100mm Orion f/6) and am going to switch to that prior to trying my 7" MAK which is my biggest OTA.
Right now I have a less expensive US/Serial adapter but picked one up today at Radio Shack that I'll use at the first sign of trouble. I just hate paying $40 for one.
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Stew57
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 05/03/09
Loc: Silsbee Texas
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Re: Why me?
[Re: TALK2KEV]
#5428035 - 09/18/12 06:40 PM
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It appears that the time/date data is stored in the mount and that data is read into the HC at startup.
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OzAndrewJ
professor emeritus
Reged: 11/30/10
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Re: Why me?
[Re: Stew57]
#5428088 - 09/18/12 07:19 PM
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Gday Mark/Kev
Quote:
It appears that the time/date data is stored in the mount and that data is read into the HC at startup.
Correct.
For people who use an LNT module, it has four different "devices" inside it ( The Nth sensor, the Level sensor, the red dot and the clock ), that are all connected to via the Aux bus.
What it looks like is the ETX-80, DSX etc, have just the clock module itself hardwired inside the base.
On booting, ANY 497 type Hbx will always poll the aux line to look for ( in order ), a GPS module, an LNT module, a TimeChip module.
If any of these are found, it will attempt to set the time using them.
As the backup battery is in the scope base, thats where the clock chip will be.
Piccies of the boards will help see how its connected.
Andrew
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TALK2KEV
sage
Reged: 03/08/06
Loc: Oklahoma
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Re: Why me?
[Re: OzAndrewJ]
#5428740 - 09/19/12 05:38 AM Attachment (10 downloads)
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That cool time and date can be saved does this work for the LX80? and where does the cable plug into or do I need to install a plug first if so how is it wired?
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TALK2KEV
sage
Reged: 03/08/06
Loc: Oklahoma
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Re: Why me?
[Re: TALK2KEV]
#5428774 - 09/19/12 06:26 AM
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Mike
Good to hear the Autostar will work to move your mount so we know the serial adapter is working and all your set up are ok so far Great news, I'm still waiting on Hand controller I hope it get here tomorrow.
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exparrot
member
Reged: 02/13/12
Loc: DFW, TX
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Re: Why me?
[Re: Mkofski]
#5428938 - 09/19/12 10:07 AM
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Quote:
I was able to get a connection with the mount quick and easy with your step-by-step.
Mike, good job! I have yet to get a PC connection to my LX80 except for the one time I did a firmware update. I flat gave up on even trying anymore...but, your success forces me to try again...sigh. 
If I thought I could get a connection, I'd probably buy an inexpensive Orion camera and try this PHD guiding thing out, so I could provide another sample to the mix.
Jerry
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neilson
sage
Reged: 08/22/10
Loc: outside Pleasanton, Texas
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Re: Why me?
[Re: TALK2KEV]
#5428975 - 09/19/12 10:27 AM
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Hi Kevin,
If there was a way to hard wire a socket and that item was available I would of been eager to try it. Not having to reenter that date and time info each time you power up is a real nice thing that you normally take for granted these days.
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