9 replies to this topic

[lattitrail]

Asking here before I annoy the WarpAstron team with my ignorance...

 

I purchased this mount about 6 weeks ago and have been learning the curves and working out my brain kinks gradually. I am new to OnStep so I'm struggling with inexperience. The problem: When PHD2 wants to do a calibration at the meridian and 0 degrees Declination, after calibration is completed the mount RA axis won't leave. I use Cartes Du Ceil and NINA for mount control and after issuing a slew command the crosshairs will begin to move but then return and stay glued to that location. If I bypass 3rd party control and use the hand controller at the mount, the Dec axis will move fine but the RA axis will not. For example, if I push the east RA directional button, the mount will slightly move east but then switch directions and move west. If I then push the west RA directional button, the mount will slew west into the limit and stop.

 

I've tried using the home commands but this does not help. The Dec axis will slew to its home position but the RA axis will not move. The only method I've found that allows movement of the RA axis is doing a power cycle on the mount and then issue a home command which will then allow the RA axis to return to its home position.

 

It isn't just at the meridian where I have this problem. If I've been on a target for awhile and try slewing to a new target, I get the same behavior regardless of where the mount is pointed. The RA axis begins to move but then immediately returns and gets frozen to that location. Again, the only method I've found that allows the RA axis to leave is doing a power cycle and issuing a home command. Not ideal for me or for the mount, so it would be fantastic to get this problem resolved.

 

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions regarding what I'm doing wrong/settings I need to change, I'd love to hear them. Thanks in advance!

   

[dswtan]

I have been running my WD20 for a few months with no issues. I have the same setup as you, with PHD2, CdC, and NINA. I never see the OnStep interface, unless I mistakenly bring it up -- which I happened to do when I re-calibrated PHD2 for unrelated reasons (changed my guide camera) this evening.

 

I'd be happy to share my settings once my session ends, likely tomorrow. However, I don't recognize your strange RA-only problem. Maybe it's an actual fault.

 

The WD Discord seems the most responsive support channel BTW.

[Wildetelescope]

Asking here before I annoy the WarpAstron team with my ignorance...

 

I purchased this mount about 6 weeks ago and have been learning the curves and working out my brain kinks gradually. I am new to OnStep so I'm struggling with inexperience. The problem: When PHD2 wants to do a calibration at the meridian and 0 degrees Declination, after calibration is completed the mount RA axis won't leave. I use Cartes Du Ceil and NINA for mount control and after issuing a slew command the crosshairs will begin to move but then return and stay glued to that location. If I bypass 3rd party control and use the hand controller at the mount, the Dec axis will move fine but the RA axis will not. For example, if I push the east RA directional button, the mount will slightly move east but then switch directions and move west. If I then push the west RA directional button, the mount will slew west into the limit and stop.

 

I've tried using the home commands but this does not help. The Dec axis will slew to its home position but the RA axis will not move. The only method I've found that allows movement of the RA axis is doing a power cycle on the mount and then issue a home command which will then allow the RA axis to return to its home position.

 

It isn't just at the meridian where I have this problem. If I've been on a target for awhile and try slewing to a new target, I get the same behavior regardless of where the mount is pointed. The RA axis begins to move but then immediately returns and gets frozen to that location. Again, the only method I've found that allows the RA axis to leave is doing a power cycle and issuing a home command. Not ideal for me or for the mount, so it would be fantastic to get this problem resolved.

 

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions regarding what I'm doing wrong/settings I need to change, I'd love to hear them. Thanks in advance!

My guess is You are likely hitting limits.  If you look at your hand controller, do you see a pause button sign?   I have been having the same problem in Alt Az configuration.  There are several sets of software limits that WA has.  If you use their mount tool software to connect to the mount, you can see them and set them.   They provide a reasonably detailed write up on their BBS forum in their announcement topic(I think).   Basically,  in their last Firmware updated, they Added a second set of limits and an emergency collision function.  Since I am in Alt Az, mode and my setup will not collide with anything by design:-), I just disabled these two new functions and so far in the house, things seem to work more or less normally.   Will try it under the stars again this weekend.  My communication with WA through their forum has been good and they have indicated that they will fix it in the next firmware update that these options are turned off with the mount is in Alt AZ configuration.   cheers!  JMD

[Wildetelescope]

BTW, I would definitely go and let them know your challenge.   They seem to be really responsive and use this feedback to help fix issues with the control software.  For this mount, you are really paying for the hardware.  The control software is a bit of a crowd sourcing effort.   If you are not familiar, On Step is a pretty popular DYI solution to putting goto on mounts that either never had it, or their  original goto systems have died.  Everything is open source, and it seems to be pretty powerful, but like most open source efforts, has its own quirks.  Several of the SW mounts are using this code as their control software, as I understand it.  No idea what WA relationship with the On Step creator and community is.    The Onstep Groups.io site is also pretty informative.   Cheers! JMD

[Wildetelescope]

Firmware update discussion

https://bbs.warpastr...ety-features/87

 

JMD

[dswtan]

I'd be happy to share my settings once my session ends, likely tomorrow.

Here are my settings for a currently-working set-up. OnStep, NINA meridian flip, and PHD2. I wanted to capture these for personal future reference anyway, but happy to share in case useful. Obviously some things will be specific to my semi-permanent set-up.

 

I remember now that initial set-up was surprisingly straightforward. There's just not much to set. Maybe just checking the baud rate for the USB-serial connection? But anyone stuck can just check every setting with mine. Mine work (for me).

 

You might have to set the guiding rate from the hand controller one time. I disconnected my hand controller a couple of months ago when everything had been stable for weeks. The only gotcha with the guiding rate is some terminology issue inherited from OnStep. it's documented here.

 

I also note that I have not clicked the Set Time On Connect checkbox. There's a comment on the WD site to do so. It hasn't been an issue for me. I thought and seem to be getting the clock from the built-in GPS. It's rarely argued with the NINA clock (maybe only at initial installation). Again, this is working for me as-is.

 

BTW, I have not optimized guiding yet, but I'm getting 0.5-0.7" depending on seeing with an OAG at 910mm f/l. There's a lot of discussion on the Discord (amongst other places) on optimizing, but I'm content as-is. It's been PHD2 calibrated a few times and re-polar aligned likewise. It's been the nicest mount I've used on those two things, and I've been through a few mounts.
 

 

 

[lattitrail]

Here are my settings for a currently-working set-up. OnStep, NINA meridian flip, and PHD2. I wanted to capture these for personal future reference anyway, but happy to share in case useful. Obviously some things will be specific to my semi-permanent set-up.

 

I remember now that initial set-up was surprisingly straightforward. There's just not much to set. Maybe just checking the baud rate for the USB-serial connection? But anyone stuck can just check every setting with mine. Mine work (for me).

 

You might have to set the guiding rate from the hand controller one time. I disconnected my hand controller a couple of months ago when everything had been stable for weeks. The only gotcha with the guiding rate is some terminology issue inherited from OnStep. it's documented here.

 

I also note that I have not clicked the Set Time On Connect checkbox. There's a comment on the WD site to do so. It hasn't been an issue for me. I thought and seem to be getting the clock from the built-in GPS. It's rarely argued with the NINA clock (maybe only at initial installation). Again, this is working for me as-is.

 

BTW, I have not optimized guiding yet, but I'm getting 0.5-0.7" depending on seeing with an OAG at 910mm f/l. There's a lot of discussion on the Discord (amongst other places) on optimizing, but I'm content as-is. It's been PHD2 calibrated a few times and re-polar aligned likewise. It's been the nicest mount I've used on those two things, and I've been through a few mounts.
 

I'm using the same OnStep settings except I did lower the limits to see if that made any difference. No difference so far. I have played around with PHD2 settings and have had very good results with guiding. Last night I had Dec error down as low as 0.07 arcseconds per pixel but was averaging mid teens and RA was running mid twenties to mid thirties.

 

If I can solve my RA slewing problem this is a five star mount all night long.

[lattitrail]

Update:

 

I messaged WarpAstron on Discord and they responded in less than a minute. Problem is now solved.

 

The WD-20 20.21W Firmware has new a safety feature called Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB). More or less if your mount collides with something the mount detects the increased torque load and sends a reverse command to prevent any damage from occurring. Although I wasn't colliding with anything, my slew speeds were set somewhere around 5.5 degrees per second. When the mount is in home position, gravity assists the motors in slewing to other coordinates in the night sky since the weight is on top of the mount when at home position. But when pointed at other coordinates the motors are pushing the load against gravity to slew. Apparently my load and slew speeds were enough to trigger AEB on the RA axis which prevented it from slewing.

 

The aggressiveness of AEB can be adjusted but I was perfectly content to lower the slew speeds to 2.5 degrees per second which are now slow enough that AEB s not triggered. Easy solution, thank goodness for that.

 

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and help!  

[lattitrail]

Although my mount isn't carrying a lot of weight, the weight it is carrying is not balanced. With no counterweights and higher slew speeds, the torque load was enough to trigger the factory AEB settings. I assume that less sensitive AEB settings will not provide as much protection in the event of a collision, so one is left to choose between faster slew speeds or more sensitive collision protection.  

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[MaxN]

That Autonomous Emergency Braking sounds like a really good idea!