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

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

Driver OnStep (LX200 like) for INDI

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Alian/James_Lan

I fixed it, what i did was that there were still packages which must be upgrade. i only did a update :-( Sorry

Now i played a little with the medrian, but i have not yet a good feeling if its working wel
I used the following configuration
Onstep both site are defined 1 degree to flip this means 4 minutes after medium the flip wil start
in the OnStep indi driver it show 4 minutes (iNDI Control Pannel) this is 0,0667h. I use 0.08 for HA In Ekos (4.8 minutes when the flip must kick in)
HA describes (command a medrian flip if the hour angel exceeds the specified value. Capture and guiding will suspend)

What happend is that my capture is still running but the medrian flip kicks in on the OnStep 4 minutes. but it should wait until the capture is stopped.


after the capture is finished the medrian flip start but will never end, see screen shot? So what setting is wrong or....?
I had also situation that flip was in progress, then the capture was finished. medrian flip started after HA and told it was finished which caused that the slew to where the flip started was aborted.

Chris
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Last edit: 5 years 2 months ago by Chris Alberts.
5 years 2 months ago #34227
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@Chris,
There is no synchronization between Eko and the driver (all the drivers not only OnStep)
The principle it to set HA so that Ekos sends a slew command resulting in an meridian flip in OnStep.
If OnStep does the meridian Flip before then Ekos gets lost.

So HA setpoint must be lower than OnStep setpoint for meridian flip trigger
Last edit: 5 years 1 month ago by Alain Zwingelstein. Reason: some typos, my English get worse and worse
5 years 2 months ago #34230

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Mmm, i understand i will do some more tests this evening.

Chris
5 years 1 month ago #34243

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Alain, James, Jasem

I did the test with the indi OnStep default settings

Minutes Passed meridian 5m both site (#Set)
Autoflip = On
HomePause:Off #No idea what this is doing
Preferred Pier Side = East. (#set)
HA in ekos on 0.00, direct after passing the Meridiaan, the Flip is initiate but waits until exposure is finished than flip started. It does for the OnStep Mount

The Log of the Capture Module
2019-01-29T22:11:51 Capturing 300,000-second image...
2019-01-29T22:11:51 Telescope completed the meridian flip. #Stops the meridian flip but not on position yet
2019-01-29T22:11:49 Retrying meridian flip again... #Meridian flip Is still running
2019-01-29T22:11:49 Telescope meridian flip timed out. Please make sure your mount supports meridian flip. #Meridian flip Is still running
2019-01-29T22:10:19 Current hour angle 0,07 hours exceeds meridian flip limit of 0,00 hours. Auto meridian flip is initiated.
2019-01-29T22:10:19 Received image 2 out of 10.

on the moment the Telescope completed the meridian flip and the start new capture. The flips is not finished but stops slewing on the moment it tels in the log that it is finished which is not the case.

it looks like my mount in this case is to slow to finish the flip in the Ekos defined Time Out. To fix this I must be able to define the flip time out in ekos, I think this is something we need to request jasem to add this as variable. When I look to his Video his scope is much faster than my scope.
Hoop this setting can be added some where. It would be handy also to have HA also visible in the mount / alignment tab (first tab of ekos) how much time to to the meridian flip will be initiated but this is nice to have. I think we are there almost when we can define the time a meridian flips take, this value differents depending on the mount speed.

For Astrophotographer this must be working and is essential ;-)


Chris

PS the image show where it stops OnStep, Aurigae was the star where the flip start and and point
Last edit: 5 years 1 month ago by Chris Alberts.
5 years 1 month ago #34273
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@Calberts: Thanks for helping with testing! :)
5 years 1 month ago #34278

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@Chris,

II experiences this timeout too as well as Ekos believing flip is foinished right before slewing ended.
This is the consequence of unsynchronized process running in Ekos on one side and OnStep on the other side.

Since there is no command to initiate a flip and not command to check is if is in progress Ekos relies on coordinates, which is the reason of Ekos thinking it is done and OnStep still slewing.
I have to check how Ekos really does the thing and if the timeout could solve this synchonization issue.

This means diving into Ekos code, a new challenge :-)

here the code where Ekos checks if flipping, now I understand why we are still sleawing when Ekos consideres flip is done
====================================
case MF_FLIPPING:
{
double ra, dec;
currentTelescope->getEqCoords(&ra, &dec);
double diffRA = getInitialMountCoords().ra().Hours() - ra;
// If the mount is actually flipping then we should see a difference in RA
// which if it exceeded MF_RA_DIFF_LIMIT (4 hours) then we consider it to be
// undertaking the flip. Otherwise, it's not flipping and let timeout takes care of
// of that
// Are there any mounts that do NOT change RA while flipping? i.e. do it silently?
// Need to investigate that bit
if (fabs(diffRA) > MF_RA_DIFF_LIMIT /* || nvp->s == IPS_OK*/)
meridianFlipStage = MF_SLEWING;
}
========================================

and here where timeout is defined (unfortunately #DEFINED, no way to set it currently
========================================
#define MF_TIMER_TIMEOUT 90000
#define GD_TIMER_TIMEOUT 60000
#define MF_RA_DIFF_LIMIT 4
========================================
and the code to check timeout, at least there are three retries at 90s before giving-up, leaves 270 seconds to do the flip
========================================
void Capture::checkMeridianFlipTimeout()
{
if (meridianFlipStage == MF_NONE)
return;

if (meridianFlipStage < MF_ALIGNING)
{
appendLogText(i18n("Telescope meridian flip timed out. Please make sure your mount supports meridian flip."));

if (++retries == 3)
{
//KNotification::event(QLatin1String("MeridianFlipFailed"), i18n("Meridian flip failed"));
KSNotification::event(QLatin1String("MeridianFlipFailed"), i18n("Meridian flip failed"), KSNotification::EVENT_ALERT);
abort();
}
else
{
if (executeMeridianFlip())
appendLogText(i18n("Retrying meridian flip again..."));
}
}
}
=================================
Last edit: 5 years 1 month ago by Alain Zwingelstein.
5 years 1 month ago #34297

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Alain

I think here we need definitely the help of guys like Jasem, I dont know who this is working in the forum should we ask hem to add the Flip duration which will be result in timout settings in above code?

How can we ping him in to this discusion to understand his view?


Chris
5 years 1 month ago #34304

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I am not sure if this would work, but worth a try ...

Once Ekos initiates the meridian flip, it should wait for a timeout period (configurable), and for two conditions to be true before it considers the flip complete.

The two conditions are:
- is the OTA east of pier (pointing west)? and
- is the mount tracking?

The timeout period will be something by trial and error depending on the slew rates for the mount. It should be measured and then configured in Ekos.
5 years 1 month ago #34321

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Chris,
The right way to have this changed is to change the code, test it and then pull request to Jasem.

I believe the subject is already covered here: indilib.org/forum/ekos/1170-auto-meridia...ure-module.html#7917
Considering the code as it is today and that it suppports not only Onstep, if we change something we must ne sure it does not break functionality for other mounts.

For the moment I see only the way of having MF_TIMER_TIMEOUT beeing a default value, and introduce a new variable that could be set-up in Ekos UI.
Changing only the default value may break functionality for other mounts.

regards
5 years 1 month ago #34322

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@Khalid,

I succeeded to have a TimeOut Field an it seems to work.
Have a little bit more trouble finding out how to get telescope stratus but it's on the way.

After some tests it seems working well when I set the time slightly over the time required by OnStep (may test fiirmware is an Arduino Mega so is slow).
When I reduce the time, I get the timeout and after third trial it goes to abort
here the screenshot of the modified interface.
I will do more tests tomorrow and also try so have the entered values saved for later reuse.
Last edit: 5 years 1 month ago by Alain Zwingelstein.
5 years 1 month ago #34341
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Alain

You are so cool ,top

I feel so .... That i only have question not can help with programming

Chris
5 years 1 month ago #34374

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Chris,

no everybody is programmer, myself I am really a nut in computer programming ...
I just try to survive :-)

I hope I can issue a pull request for that during next week.

It seems the change is already obsolete. see phabricator.kde.org/D18235
Last edit: 5 years 1 month ago by Alain Zwingelstein.
5 years 1 month ago #34375

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