Just to clarify, I get the reading only on a way, if I invert the polarity reading on the meter I always get a 0. I don't know if it's normal, but just to be sure.

It's a transformer made by the famous technician / repairer that made the EQMod cable.

Well, I don't know if this can matter, but at this moment most probably I think it does: I bought this mount used and I firstly used it with a 3A transformer that had no ground connection; on the very first use probably by a very unlucky event, the mount phisically burned the controller and also part of the handbox. The person I bought the mount from works for a very very famous european webshop and gave me the contacts for the technician that works with them but also on his own and he's very famous, at least in the italian astronomical community. He changed the controlled, as it was burned beyond repair, but verified that the other electronics, including motors, worked fine; he made the 7A transfomer robust enough to withstand any electrical problem and the EQMod cable. Since then the mount works absolutely fine, except for these errors I found thank to you, but I don't know if there were before the accident and if this event relates to the errors

Hi Valero,

At this point I personally would contact the person that gave it a clean bill of health previously, now that you know one of the major symptoms and can repeat at will.

Gene

Have you tried to see if it works with the hand controller and/or other Software than ekos/Indi? Also another computer may be worth a try. Also make sure there is zero stain on them power cable, my problem was a loose plug. Rewiring and changing the power connector helped me.

the person I contacted knows Windows system, so it would be good to see if there's any way to get these log under ASCOM, do you know if there's any way to have the same activities logged under Win so to get the error?

The mount works fine both with handbox and with Windows software, as said I usually polar align with NINA/ASCOM on Win10 as it's much faster and reliable than the Ekos one, but I never guide or take pictures because using the laptop near the mount would be very uncomfortable for temperature and cable lenght, that's why I turned to Astroberry. It's about two weeks that now I get very weird behaviour in NINA too: the mount (on ASCOM) randomly disconnects, I get messages that the mount didn't move the expected 10° but only 6° or the mount always moves eastward even if in the plugin I set to move westward.

Have you access to a 12 volt car battery to test the system on a pure DC voltage?

I use 12.5 volt 10 amp home built power supplies without issue. I have found that old fashioned analogue voltage regulation is less noisy than inverter power supplies, the downside to this is they're not as efficient and generate a lot of heat.

Hi Valerio,

Ok, here is something to try for ASCOM windows
Note: Since I do not have an EQMOD, I disabled EQMOD logging as below and let ASCOM do logging.


Windows
Start->EQMOD->ToolBox
CLick ASCOM Connect
(assumes have already done all setup for driver previously, ASCOM EQMOD knows your mount)

Expand EQMOD handbox window (Near top right, wrench>>>)
At far right middle, CommsLog, click the square box to disable internal logging)
Back on the Tookbox window, click ASCOM Disconnect

Now launch ASCOM Diagnostics
Start->ASCOM Platform X (X is your version)
Select ASCOM Diagnostics
Click Trace
Select 'Serial Trace Enabled'
Click Exit

Now back on the EQMOD Toolbox window
CLick ASCOM Connect

Do some stuff in the ASCOM handbox window

Back on the EQMOD toolbox window, click ASCOM Disconnect


Now on my system, ASCOM Diags are writing a serial log file to:
C:\Users\YOURWINDOWSNAME\Documents\ASCOM\Logs DATE
In this directory I see files, select one of the newest ones, you should see comms
Ex: (using my Nstep focuser as example)
08:40:32.336 New Worker thread synchronisation by: WaitForSingleObject
08:40:39.567 Port Set to: 9
08:40:39.567 Speed Set to: ps9600
08:40:39.567 ReceiveTimeout Set to: 2 seconds
08:40:39.570 Set Connected True
08:40:39.571 Set Connected Using COM port: COM9 Baud rate: ps9600 Timeout: 2000 DTR: True ForcedDTR: False RTS: False ForcedRTS: False Handshake: None Encoding: 1252
08:40:39.571 Set Connected Transmission format - Bits: 8 Parity: None Stop bits: One
08:40:39.577 Set Connected Reading COM port through Interrupt Handling
08:40:39.691 ConnectedWorker Port connected OK
08:40:39.693 ClearBuffersWorker Completed
08:40:39.693 TransmitWorker > #
08:40:39.696 TransmitWorker >
08:40:39.696 ReceiveCountedWorker 1 < S
08:40:39.703 TransmitWorker > :CS010#
08:40:39.713 TransmitWorker > :RQ0
08:40:39.714 ReceiveCountedWorker 7 < +000000
08:40:39.732 TransmitWorker > :RQ1
08:40:39.733 ReceiveCountedWorker 7 < +019864
08:40:39.750 TransmitWorker > :RQ2
08:40:39.751 ReceiveCountedWorker 7 < +000000

I followed your instructions but logging does not start and I don't know why. When I click to "ASCOM Connect" it creates a file in the log folder named i.e. "ASCOM.Serial.1803.204490.txt" but the content is only as follows:

18:03:20.449 New                       Worker thread synchronisation by: WaitForSingleObject
18:03:20.449 New                       Minimum Threads: 4 4
18:03:20.449 New                       Maximum Threads: 1000 1000
18:03:20.449 New                       Available Threads: 1000 1000

Nothing else is written or added.

I tried to save the comms trace log in the EQMod window that I disable first in your instructions, at least there's some info in it, that I attach. Am I missing something or doing something wrong?

 

Hi Valerio,

Sorry the ASCOM tracing did not work for you but the trace provided does not show errors directly but does show retries at least on the J1 command

16:51:48.613 TX :J1

16:51:48.629 RX =

16:51:48.632 TX :j1

16:51:48.645 RX =1D0080
And

16:51:51.394 TX :J1

16:51:51.400 RX =

16:51:51.509 TX :j1

16:51:51.510 RX =587F80

Ok, so at least what is wrong on Ekos is wrong on Ascom too. I'll wait for the new cable on monday and will try again!

Little update: I received the new EQMod cable. At first it seemed it solved the problem, as in the cold run there were no errors in the log, but I'm trying it right now on actual shoooting and I still see jumps... so cable is innocent!

If you have the ability, i would try this power mod
www.myastroscience.com/eq6powerupgrade

Solved my go-to problems.

Things you don't expect to happen: I had a good opportunity to upgrade the mount and got a wonderful HEQ5 with Rowan kit that came with a brand new EQMod cable and guess what? Still jumping!!! As I just tried to take some pictures, I didn't turn on the debugging log and decided to have a full reinstallation that I'm running right now, etching the SD for a lot of unexpected problems that still happen, such as the ASI 120 mini switching to 8 bit for no apparent reason.
As said, I'll try with a brand new install, anyway any suggestion on how to tackle the issue that is still here?