I am aware of your mount but not familiar with it. Do you use EQMOD? I was just wondering if there was anything in this thread that might be helpful....

indilib.org/forum/mounts/961-eqmod-align...le.html?limitstart=0

--Jon

thanks for the link, I shall read it all.
Yes I use the indi_eqmod_telescope driver and a "HitecAstro EQDIR adapter for EQMOD" to connect to the mount.

read the thread, it might be related I would say.
not sure what to do really....

There was also this pertaining to the AZ-EQ5....
indilib.org/forum/mounts/960-new-az-eq5.html?start=6#6511

I really don't know if this is helpful either as I really know nothing at all about EQMOD or SYNSCAN mounts. Hopefully i'm not bugging you with these references. I know how frustrating it is when something was working and now isn't.....

--Jon

Hi,
I quickly had a look at the video and the log: does the log correspond to the video sequence ?
By the way, in the log, there is a first goto to polaris (2016-03-13T19:11:02: Starting Goto RA=2.84214 DE=89.3367) followed with a sync
(2016-03-13T19:13:30: Align Pointset: added point 0 alt = 49.2188 az = 353.537) which yields to a 2 hours alignment error in RA
2016-03-13T19:13:30: Align Sync: point added: lst=7.20451629 celestial RA 0.55550200 DEC 85.72210000 Telescope RA 2.84263331 DEC 89.33672872
Then another goto to polaris using this alignment point (2016-03-13T19:13:38: Starting Goto RA=2.84214 DE=89.3367 (current RA=2.84263 DE=89.3367)
so the correction gives a 2 hour difference in RA (2016-03-13T19:13:38: GOTO ALign Nearest: delta RA = 2.287131, delta DEC = 3.614629).
The mount should so perform this aligned goto
2016-03-13T19:13:38: Aligned Eqmod Goto RA=5.12927 DE=92.9513 (target RA=2.84214 DE=89.3367)
with a DEC over 90 deg, and it seems that it just stays where it is as the iterative goto ends to its limit:
2016-03-13T19:14:00: Iterative Goto Limit reached (6 iterations): RA diff = 43201.10 arcsecs DE diff = 21249.57 arcsecs
The subsequent sync (2016-03-13T19:14:41: Align Pointset: added point 1 alt = 50.2128 az = 358.858) should have "killed" the pointing model
2016-03-13T19:14:41: Align Sync: point added: lst=7.22428524 celestial RA 1.71426000 DEC 89.26300000 Telescope RA 17.12967088 DEC 87.04867021
as you could see a 16 hours diff in RA (this may seem however correct as there is the initial 2 hours error, followed by another 2 hours + 12 hours error when the mount did not perform the over 90 deg goto).
So I wonder why the mount did not perform the aligned goto, but you should consider to reset everything when an iterative goto fails. Secondly I also wonder if this is a good idea to perform sync near Polaris (I actually never tried as I do not see the CP): a small error here would give a much greater error near the equator.
Otherwise did you try to use the alignment subsystem in place of align-eqmod ?

Hi,
Thanks for looking into this. Yes the log is from the video. Maybe my box has been accidentally moved since I've aligned the mount last summer.
One thing to note is that the park put the telescope in an horizontal position like in the following picture:

After I unpark the mount, I send the telescope in what I would call the home/start position which is pointing straight at Polaris.
Now at this point, the telescope is way off Polaris, this might be the 2 hours alignment error in RA.

Once the telescope is the home position, I do the following sequence:
take a 5 sec image, it shows that I am not looking at Polaris despite the crosshair being at Polaris
'plate solver control' > 'capture and solve' with the option 'Slew to target' in 'GOTO Mode'.
Astrometry is set to local with the option 'Update Coords' enabled.
the telescope will slew over to what was in the original picture.
I then do another 'capture and solve' but this time in the 'GOTO Mode' I set 'Sync'.
I do see after a successful solve, the white rectangle where the red crosshair is. I take another 5 sec image to confirm, so far all good.
I slew the telescope to Polaris and do another 'capture and solve' with 'Sync'. Another 5 sec image, I get Polaris aligned correctly.
I then repeat the 'Sync' process on multiple targets near Polaris, all good.

However after a few solve/sync, this is where my issue comes in.


Under the EQmod tab, I have the Alignment move set to N-Star.
Could you please explain where can I set/use the alignment subsystem in place of align-eqmod ?

I've just spotted the alignment tab in EQmod Mount driver, wow, didn't pay attention do that one before.
Do we have a how-to use it anywhere?

Beware that the home position of a telescope is the Celestial Pole, not Polaris. When you install it it should be the place it points when you power on the mount for the first time. I think this is what you meant by aligning the mount. And you use Polaris as your start position (go there after unpark).
After the first sync in your video, it seems that the aligned coords required a flip of the mount and it did not perform at all (I should have a look at this). Actually your lst (7.20) + RA of Polaris(2.84) + Ra align error (2.29) = 12.32. So this is related to the issue referred in a precedent post here. Maybe we should consider to use points in the same quadrant when aligning. But what would that mean in this case ? Anyway I would advice not to use stars near the (mount) meridian when syncing, there is also no need to use Polaris.
Concerning the alignment subsystem, it has been developed by Roger James. It is a great generalization of what align-eqmod is supposed to do. You may find the description in the indi API (www.indilib.org/api/md_libs_indibase_ali...ent_white_paper.html). You may jump from align-eqmod to this alignment subsystem simply by toggling the align method button. Its use is (at a basic level) the same as align-eqmod, simply add sync points and the system constantly performs needed coords corrections. Actually you may use both systems at the same time as they both receive your sync points. So it is easy to compare their corrections.

thanks for the link and explanation, when I power up the mount it is in park position (as seen in the posted picture) due to lack of space in my sub mini observatory indilib.org/forum/general/1014-post-your-indi-setup.html#7313

Would be in the mentioned position when I power up the mount be an issue with the sync?
I'll look into that celestial position and not Polaris this evening as there is a clear night today later on.

I will run another test this evening, as in taking video and logs. I'm either doing something wrong or there is something wrong somewhere lol.
thanks for the help and support so far.

tbc.....

What I mean with home position is described in this eqmod document . The procedure has to be performed once when you align the mount. It supposes the pier and mount base to be leveled and should set your scope in alignment with the mount. After (or before) that step you may align the mount to NCP using the polarscope and mount alt/az bolts, so your scope should finally point to the NCP. Only then you may power up the mount and it is considered to be in home position: RA lst+6h00 and 90 DEC (rename your ParkData file or leave it unparked when powering off before aligning). Now everything will be relative to that home position. When you park the mount it simply records the mount indexes before powering off, and restores them on next power up so you don't loose the home position (the mount firmware always start at constant index values 0x800000 on power up). So parking your mount should not be an issue with sync.

I understand the home position, I think I've read this document a while ago.
If next week-end the weather is kind as in no cloud, I will reset the observatory... as in re-align the mount, reset the park data etc...