Hi

Could be something I'm doing, but my NEQ6 hooked up to EKOS on an rPi just doesn't seem to be tracking as it should. Everything is working perfectly, however I always use guiding. Which seems to work quite hard, but it's effective. However when I turn guiding off to photograph for example the moon, even though it says that tracking is on, it moves across the frame over the space of a few minutes. The mount is polar aligned through SharpCap to within seconds. This happens even when I have done a plate solve or two earlier in the session.

Would appreciate any guidance, can't think of any other detail I can give.

Thanks

Paul

Just brainstorming with you... If your guiding is working hard, then I would think you would have to first really rule out your polar align. You could confirm either with Ekos or with PHD2. I assume you've set the tracking rate to lunar rate (as opposed to sidereal) right? Are you using an ST4 cable or direct guiding (via Pi/cam)? If you're using a long cable via powered hub (for example), I've heard there could be command speed / lag issues to deal with. I'd ditch an ST4 approach and go more direct from Pi/Cam if possible. Last thought is backlash. When you manually drive (hand controller or mount control), do you notice a lot of backlash? Guiding and backlash can be problematic. I know for instance that you can't enable backlash in the mount on a Celestron and have guiding work correctly (they conflict). I'd start by ruling out these possibilities, and then move to HW issues (motors/play in gears, etc.). If you continue to struggle, I would definitely recommend switching to PHD2 so you can analyze guiding better. You can always switch back after you find/fix the issue.

Hi dmsunmmers

Thanks for the comprehensive checklist and guidance. I'll definitely work through your suggestions and let you know.

Appreciate the help

Paul