CDC and CCDciel do not use a static list of driver, drivers.xml or other, but instead they connect to a already running indiserver to retrieve the list of devices currently loaded and use this DRIVER_INTERFACE property to know the capability of the driver. Then the selection box for each device type is filled with only the matching devices.
I don't know why it worked in Ekos without that, maybe Ekos directly watch some other properties like FOCUS_ABSOLUTE_POSITION ?

Patrick

Thank you Patrick,

As soon I will have some time I will try to use CDC (Need to compile, Debian packages are always a bit outdated) to be in position to see how it works.

Encore Merci

Hoi Alle

I don't know if this is the richt subject but i discover that the auto medrian flip is not initiated to the OnSteps
Is this function supported.

2019-01-20T22:59:11 Retrying meridian flip again...
2019-01-20T22:59:11 Telescope meridian flip timed out. Please make sure your mount supports meridian flip.
2019-01-20T22:57:41 Current hour angle 0,02 hours exceeds meridian flip limit of 0,02 hours. Auto meridian flip is initiated.

When median Flip if HA> 0.02 a median flip is initiated from Indi. but now i need to wait until on step starts.

Does OnStep support this function?

Chris

What I think you are doing is that you are configuring meridian flips in Ekos (from the Capture tab?).

For this to work, INDI must issue an :MN# command. As far as I can tell there is no such command in the OnStep driver, nor do I know what generic command is sent from Ekos to INDI to indicate that a meridian flip is required.

There is a workaround though: Make OnStep do the flipping automatically.

To do this you need the following configuration variables:

#define REMEMBER_AUTO_MERIDIAN_FLIP_ON
#define MERIDIAN_FLIP_SKIP_HOME_OFF

#define MinutesPastMeridianE 1
#define MinutesPastMeridianW 1

Then the first time you use this, from the Android App or INDI, set Meridian Flip to Auto, and the mount will flip when you are 1 minute past the meridian.

The downside is that Ekos does not know, and imaging will continue and autoguiding will be confused. For capture, this means you will lose one or two exposures. For autoguiding, I am hoping that it will recalibrate and continue.

Not ideal of course, but maybe that will work for you.

@Chris

thnak you for the report. could we get a bit more information about the circumstances.

@ Khalid,

I have to dive in the code to see how this mechanism works.
I suppose the changes for reversed Altcoo and AZmcoo can wait a bit, they are working but I didn't yet a pull request.

Alain & Khalid

The way how Ekos works in relation to medrian flip during exposure can be found in the following youtube video

Replaying this procedure i discovered yesterday during clear sky that this is not working with the OnStep.
It looks like that a initiate Median flip is not send to the mount which caused the following error

2019-01-20T22:59:11 Retrying meridian flip again...
2019-01-20T22:59:11 Telescope meridian flip timed out. Please make sure your mount supports meridian flip.
2019-01-20T22:57:41 Current hour angle 0,02 hours exceeds meridian flip limit of 0,02 hours. Auto meridian flip is initiated.

0.02 is less the the 1 degree I defined in the OnStep to initiate an automatic medrian flip. After the 1 degree is passed the Median flip from the OnStep and Kicks In and start to slew to the center object to the other site of the pier. See als statement of Khalid.

How ever i think we phasing a OnStep bug or missing function it better defined "The command Initiate Medrian Flip"

The LX200 Command Mf# 0
Result 1Object below horizon.#
3Manual Control.#
4Position unreachable.#
Explained Do a meridian flip and slew to the current coordinates.

Found on gemini-2.com/web/L5V2_1serial.html

Today i did a debug of the situation in dry test on iNDI

[2019-01-21T18:24:05.274 CET DEBG ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - LX200 OnStep : "==> Update OnsTep Status "
[2019-01-21T18:24:06.176 CET INFO ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - "FITS" file saved to "/Users/chris/INDI/indi-pictures/Light/magweg_Light_007.fits"
[2019-01-21T18:24:06.179 CET INFO ][ org.kde.kstars.fits] - Loading FITS file "/Users/chris/INDI/indi-pictures/Light/magweg_Light_007.fits"
[2019-01-21T18:24:06.256 CET WARN ][ org.kde.knotifications] - Audio notification requested, but sound file from notifyrc file was not found, aborting audio notification
[2019-01-21T18:24:06.291 CET DEBG ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - LX200 OnStep : "==> Update OnsTep Status "
[2019-01-21T18:24:06.776 CET INFO ][ org.kde.kstars.fits] - Loading FITS file "/Users/chris/INDI/indi-pictures/Light/magweg_Light_007.fits"
[2019-01-21T18:24:06.776 CET INFO ][ org.kde.kstars.ekos.capture] - "Received image 2 out of 20."
[2019-01-21T18:24:06.821 CET INFO ][ org.kde.kstars.ekos.capture] - "Current hour angle 0,02 hours exceeds meridian flip limit of 0,02 hours. Auto meridian flip is initiated."
[2019-01-21T18:24:06.866 CET DEBG ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - ISD:Telescope: TRACK
[2019-01-21T18:24:06.867 CET DEBG ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - ISD:Telescope sending coords RA: "01h 45m 17s" ( 1.75472 ) DE: " 61° 58' 50\"" ( 61.9806 )
[2019-01-21T18:24:06.972 CET INFO ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - LX200 OnStep : "[INFO] Slewing to RA: 1:45:17 - DEC: 61:58:50 "
[2019-01-21T18:24:07.345 CET DEBG ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - LX200 OnStep : "==> Update OnsTep Status "
[2019-01-21T18:24:08.354 CET DEBG ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - LX200 OnStep : "==> Update OnsTep Status "
[2019-01-21T18:24:09.385 CET DEBG ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - LX200 OnStep : "==> Update OnsTep Status "
[2019-01-21T18:24:10.421 CET DEBG ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - LX200 OnStep : "==> Update OnsTep Status "
etc.......
[2019-01-21T18:25:36.264 CET DEBG ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - LX200 OnStep : "==> Update OnsTep Status "
[2019-01-21T18:25:36.889 CET INFO ][ org.kde.kstars.ekos.capture] - "Telescope meridian flip timed out. Please make sure your mount supports meridian flip."
[2019-01-21T18:25:36.925 CET DEBG ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - ISD:Telescope sending coords RA: "01h 45m 17s" ( 1.75472 ) DE: " 61° 58' 50\"" ( 61.9806 )
[2019-01-21T18:25:36.925 CET INFO ][ org.kde.kstars.ekos.capture] - "Retrying meridian flip again..."
[2019-01-21T18:25:36.985 CET DEBG ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - LX200 OnStep : "Slew aborted. "
[2019-01-21T18:25:37.098 CET INFO ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - LX200 OnStep : "[INFO] Slewing to RA: 1:45:17 - DEC: 61:58:50 "
[2019-01-21T18:25:37.293 CET DEBG ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - LX200 OnStep : "==> Update OnsTep Status "
[2019-01-21T18:25:38.354 CET DEBG ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - LX200 OnStep : "==> Update OnsTep Status "
[2019-01-21T18:25:47.632 CET DEBG ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - LX200 OnStep : "==> Update OnsTep Status "
etc.........
[2019-01-21T18:28:06.224 CET DEBG ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - LX200 OnStep : "==> Update OnsTep Status "
[2019-01-21T18:28:07.245 CET DEBG ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - LX200 OnStep : "==> Update OnsTep Status "
[2019-01-21T18:28:08.279 CET WARN ][ default] - QDBusAbstractAdaptor: Cannot relay signal MountAdaptor::pierSideChanged(ISD::Telescope::PierSide): Unregistered input type in parameter list: ISD::Telescope::PierSide
[2019-01-21T18:28:08.279 CET DEBG ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - LX200 OnStep : "==> Update OnsTep Status "
[2019-01-21T18:28:09.359 CET DEBG ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - LX200 OnStep : "==> Update OnsTep Status "
etc.......
[2019-01-21T18:29:36.198 CET DEBG ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - LX200 OnStep : "==> Update OnsTep Status "
[2019-01-21T18:29:37.233 CET DEBG ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - LX200 OnStep : "==> Update OnsTep Status "
[2019-01-21T18:29:38.269 CET DEBG ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - LX200 OnStep : "==> Update OnsTep Status "
[2019-01-21T18:29:39.302 CET DEBG ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - LX200 OnStep : "==> Update OnsTep Status "
[2019-01-21T18:29:40.308 CET INFO ][ org.kde.kstars.ekos.capture] - "Telescope completed the meridian flip."
[2019-01-21T18:29:40.347 CET INFO ][ org.kde.kstars.ekos.capture] - "Capturing 120,000-second image..."
[2019-01-21T18:29:40.382 CET DEBG ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - LX200 OnStep : "==> Update OnsTep Status "
[2019-01-21T18:29:40.420 CET INFO ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - GPhoto CCD : "[INFO] Starting 120 seconds exposure. "
[2019-01-21T18:29:41.361 CET DEBG ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - LX200 OnStep : "==> Update OnsTep Status "
[2019-01-21T18:29:42.391 CET DEBG ][ org.kde.kstars.indi] - LX200 OnStep : "==> Update OnsTep Status "


The question is can this be fixed in the Indi OnStep driver or must we asked first howard to take action to add this function in the OnStep code.

Let me know if this information is oke or you need more you can test this in dry run. Point to a star at the East near the medrian, telescope at west site of the pier. Start imagining session of 120 sec until the star pass the medrian and indi wil initiate flip

Setting in indi

median Flip if HA> 0.02

Settings OnStep
Medrian both site on 1 degree

Let me know how we coordinate to get this function in between the indi OnStep driver or the OnStep firmware and the OnStep Forum

Thanks on forhand

Chris

@calberts

First, there is no :Mf# command in OnStep. It seems like a Gemini specific command.

There is :MN#, which is close. It switches the scope to east of pier, to the same RA and DEC. That should do what you want, since a meridian flip will always be from west of pier to east of pier.

Second, I think that it relies on syncing the scope's auto meridian flip wth the Ekos HA limit. I say that because there is no :Mf# in the Gemini driver in INDI.

Also, see Jasem's reply to a similar query . Basically, he is saying that you synchronize the telescope's auto meridian flip with Ekos' HA settings.

So you can do what you want, using the settings I explained earlier within OnStep, and set the HA in Ekos accordingly, per Jasem's description.

Here is the code for KStars Ekos Capture , for the HA meridian flip:

See the function Capture::checkMeridianFlip() line 2981.

All it does, after checking that it is beyond the HA limit, is this:

So there is no command to specifically flip, rather, it does a slew and relies on the mount to do the right thing and go east of pier, depending on its own settings (sync'ed to Ekos HA).

Just as a note, on my to fix list is the meridian flip settings, which while there exist buttons, don't work. I've got it working. I submitted a pull request to azwing's repository.

One setting which should probably be added if people want is the preferred pier side (East/West/Best) I'll probably not do that tonight, though.

Looking in OnStep, I don't think there's a way to trigger a manual one. The closest would be changing settings on when to flip, which I think is defined at compile time, unless I'm missing something. The :MN# is closest, but still follows those limits. Actually, quickly looking at it, I think it just sets preferred pier side, then does a goto. (While the function is a flip, it has an option to only try to go W>E (So as things cross the meridian) which is the only way it seems to be called in the code based on grepping of alpha.

I was missing something, minutesPastMeridianE/minutesPastMeridianW are settable as well, and are stored in nvram (not sure that's always been the case.) :SXE9 and EA / :GXE9/EA for E/W.

So on my todo list:
(things not rememebered until they bite me)
Add in Preferred Pier Side
Add in Meridian Limits (I don't think INDI has any way to communicate this to/from Ekos, but I'll double check.)

@James,

Silent but busy and efficient as usual
Just merged and will do some tests.

@ Khalid,

thank you for the link to the code and all the explanations. Make the things more clear on how all works together.

Most probably I will pull request James changes to master soon.

Khalid

Oke :MN# if this does wat you say oke, but how can i start that, i think Ekos must trigger the OnStep driver which initiate the :MN# so this is something we must request to Alain, do you also think or does it work different

Anyway the other suggestion is good i will give it a try. what are your limit setting of OnStep and EKos Capture?

Chris

It is not possible. Ekos does not issue a command to the mount specifically for going east of pier. All it does is issue a slew command to the same RA/DEC as it is on now, and relies on the mount's meridian limits and that it will do the right thing and perform an automatic meridian flip.

I don't use an HA setting. But you can choose whatever will not throw your mount out of balance (dangerous!)

Start with a safe value, e.g. 2 minutes past the meridian, and set the HA accordingly, per Jasem's reply in the other thread.