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INDI Library v2.0.6 is Released (02 Feb 2024)

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

problems with guiding

  • Posts: 27
  • Thank you received: 2
Hi,

I am still new to Kstars/Ekos. I was happy to successfully connect my mount and CCD to Ekos on Linux.
For quite a time now I am trying to make Ekos to work and I had no success so far. I found few online tutorials and docs but unfortunately most of them are outdated.
I have decided to write here, maybe somebody could guide me or point me to proper resources.

So I have Celestron Nextstar mount with ZWO CCD. I am able to move mount left and right via ekos and I am able to get a preview from CCD. But that would be it.

Guiding.
In outdated videos and docs, I saw examples of capturing image, calibrating, selecting a star/planet and clicking guide, which just works.
First of all, I don't see any calibrate button/tab under the guide panel (maybe one of outdated features? or moved somewhere?)
When I capture image, select a star/planet, hit guide - i am getting slight mount movement for a second (usually away from selected point) and nothing happens - Image gets updated, star/planet goes away from the view, mount is not tracking, drift graph is not plotting any data.
I am also getting an impression that image in that view is much more zoomed in then in "live preview" and I am not sure what I can do to reset it.



I will appreciate any help!
Last edit: 5 years 11 months ago by Albert Szostkiewicz.
5 years 11 months ago #25256
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Replied by Jasem Mutlaq on topic problems with guiding

Hopefully I'll upload more videos after I fix my observatory's roof in the next few days. Calibration is now done automatically. Do you have Auto-Star selected in option or you're selecting the star manually yourself? It looks that whatever you selected in there (Jupiter?) is too large to fix in the guide box.
5 years 11 months ago #25260

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Replied by Alfred on topic problems with guiding

Calibration is the next thing we have to sort out. Since the internal guider most of the time didn't work for me, I resorted to guiding via lin_guider "plugin" in ekos which does the job well. Yesterday I got a new ASI 0294 with ST4 guide port so I wanted to quickly connect it to indi, use it as a "luxury guider" and enjoy the huge field of view. It didn't work. Just as it was the case with my QGuider most of the time, the damn thing would not calibrate. It starts moving in RA but once the movement is reverted, the star just stops moving, or even moves in a 90 degree angle to its previous movement (and that happens well before movement in DEC is activated). I'm sure the mount (Alt 5) is not to blame since it works very reliably and doesn't suffer from backlash or similar issues. The symptom is the same for both guiders. I'll provide logs as soon as possible.
5 years 11 months ago #25275

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Replied by Jasem Mutlaq on topic problems with guiding

Are you 100% the mount is tracking?? Are the RA/DE values constant or changing with time? Does it say tracking? is it tracking sidereally?
5 years 11 months ago #25276

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I've tried with jupiter moons and other small starts and got same issue. If that helps, I can create video step by step of my process to present the issue.
Last edit: 5 years 11 months ago by Albert Szostkiewicz.
5 years 11 months ago #25278

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Replied by Jasem Mutlaq on topic problems with guiding

Sure, anything that helps, but include with that as well the log (with guide logging turned on).
5 years 11 months ago #25284

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Just created video presenting the issue.

5 years 11 months ago #25578

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One thing I noticed at the start of the video when you click on the pencil icon in Ekos to show what drivers you have selected, is that you are using the default telescopes defined in Ekos. You need to enter the details of your telescope(s) by clicking the + button at the lower right of the popup screen and another popup will come where you can enter the details like this



Then in the Guide tab you need to select the telescope that you are using for guiding. I cannot add a screenshot of that because I don't have my equipment connected.
5 years 11 months ago #25580
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Replied by Jasem Mutlaq on topic problems with guiding


The mount is not aligned! You must align you mount first before you can use it in KStars. This is why it was showing 12 hours RA and 0 degrees DEC. I think I'll add an explicit warning for this. You cannot guide unless your mount is aligned first.

Also, what's your mount model exactly?
Last edit: 5 years 11 months ago by Jasem Mutlaq.
5 years 11 months ago #25581

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Thank you guys for replies!

This is Celestron Nexstar Evolution 6" 1500mm F/10
www.celestron.com/products/nexstar-evolution-6

@knro - I misunderstood the idea. I thought that without align it will just move mount in a direction of software tracked object
5 years 11 months ago #25584

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Replied by Jasem Mutlaq on topic problems with guiding

Mount must be aligned for it to respond to any commands. Please also attach the log I'd like to know the mount type detected.
Last edit: 5 years 11 months ago by Jasem Mutlaq.
5 years 11 months ago #25589

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sure thing! attached.
edit: re-attached with verbose level
Last edit: 5 years 11 months ago by Albert Szostkiewicz.
5 years 11 months ago #25590
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