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

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

polar alignment assistant: total disaster

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FYI I used the Polar Alignment Tool three nights ago in Ekos 2.9.8 and it worked like a charm.

I regularly guide using PHD in Ekos with everything connected via INDI, but have never tried the PHD polar alignment tool.
5 years 3 months ago #32744

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Are you 100% sure? Have you tried the assistant 3 times in a row to make sure you get consistent results?
When I tried yesterday, the actual process works no issue with this, it's to do with the alignment results which is completely off.
5 years 3 months ago #32746

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alright, I have now managed to get this PHD thing to work, well at least connect to the Indi server and some info back (picture) from the QHY5.
I shall try this evening to PHD the mount.
5 years 3 months ago #32747

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PHD2 has 3 polar alignment tools. I wrote two of them: Static Polar Align (SPA) and Polar Drift Align (PDA)and there are video tutorials on those at www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQvmVoMS3...AaiIzIGwbutr2z_yabD8
I'd recommend to start with PDA as it is quick and easy to get a "pretty good" alignment. Note: make sure you are tracking at sidereal rate when using the tool.
Then use either SPA or classic drift alignment to fine tune. You might find SPA most like the EKOS PA tool as it operates at the pole and uses the rotation of the mount to determine the alignment but unlike EKOS is uses a kind of "human plate solve". Classic drift alignment requires taking a drift at two points on the celestial equator so take a bit longer.
All PHD2 tools can use either guide camera or imaging camera as long as they are INDI compatible.
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5 years 3 months ago #32803

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After chatting to Jasem over Hangouts, it could have been that the mini-guider wasn't properly aligned to the mount itself.
So, I've taken drastic measures....








All I need is a clear night now...
5 years 3 months ago #32822
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I ran into this a few months back. I switched telescopes a couple of week back and had to realign, and didn't run into the problem, so I assumed it was fixed. I don't think the fix is trivial. The work-around is to attempt an alignment - if the results are worse, then simply change the direction and line up the purple line backwards by a lining up the endpoint of the line with the star and move the star in the to the other side of the line (Does that makes sense>? ...)

You'll lose the time it takes to perform one attempt, but it works - I've had results between 8 and 20 arcseconds in just a matter of minutes. This is one of the best modules in EKOS.

jmh
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5 years 3 months ago #32838

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PHD2 works very well with EKOS on Windows, Mac and Linux. Use the INDI driver for the camera. My guide camera is a QHY5L-II and PHD+INDI+QHY5L-II has been flawless since I moved to a rock64 instead of Raspberry PI 3b+. I used to get dropped frames, but that's all gone away. And use good quality cables, esp. at sub-zero temp - cheap cables get rigid and can cause guiding and connection issues. Use cables with ferrite cores too - I've had problems I've blamed on the cameras and it turned out to be crappy cables.

Astrophotography is a rough sport ...

jmh
5 years 3 months ago #32839

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At the moment, all I can do is wait for a clear night (6 days to go until I go back home...). I have placed my mini-guider in a way that it's perfectly aligned to the mount.... hopefully that will do the trick.
5 years 3 months ago #32845

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Are you using the guider camera for alignment? And if so, are you doing so because the FOV of your imaging camera is too small? Why not use your image camera?

jmh
5 years 3 months ago #32850

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5 years 3 months ago #32851

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I'm thinking of getting a Polemaster for my HEQ5, with the adaptor. At least this camera will be true to the mount axis.
5 years 3 months ago #32889

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Not entirely. Any camera could be misaligned but the Polemaster is of course going to be potentially less misaligned. The PHD2 tutorials include a method using SPA to adjust the camera to be properly aligned. You could do the same with Ekos when it works. Basically the offset of the centre of rotation from the centre of the sensor consists of a component of Declination and a component of cone error. Adjusting for the declination offset is just a case of moving in Dec. The cone error offset should be easy to correct with a finder guider, less so with an imaging scope.
5 years 3 months ago #32896

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