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

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

Internal Guider Changes--please read if you use it

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I was going to describe the issue with the RA graph corrections being revered (just the graph, not the actual pulses), but Kevin beat me to it. Also, I too found the same problem with disabling the RA/DEC corrections, that it disables the graph completely.

 
2 years 6 months ago #75205
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Just pushed a fix for #1 in Git. Perhaps Hy can check the rest hopefully soon. Thank you for the great feedback!
The following user(s) said Thank You: Kevin Ross
2 years 6 months ago #75208

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Thanks for the feedback Kevin and Peter.
I took a quick look running with the simulator on the latest software. 

1) I saw that the RA pulses are on the same side as the RA error on the guide graph (though they are on opposite sides on the Analyze graph). Dec looked fine on both. This is true for the internal guider. When I tried PHD2 with the simulator, I saw the same thing. Do you know for sure which are on the wrong side? (whether its the correction pulses or the guide error)

2) I tried to set binning to 2x2 and  then switch to another tab, and then switch back to the guide tab. When I did that, I saw no issue--if I set it to 2x2 in guide, then moved e.g. to the capture tab, then moved back to the guide tab, it still displayed 2x2.  What exactly do you do to expose the issue? Can you re-create it with the simulator and describe specifically what you did? Are you setting binning before you start guiding, or during guiding when you see the issue?

3) Unchecking those boxes hasn't been in my workflow. 
I assume you're talking about the RA and DEC checkboxes in the section labelled "Directions" a few rows below the big button that starts guiding (i.e. not the RA and DEC checkboxes below the guide graph). When.I disable them, it seems to remember the last error and pulse and contiinues to plot those values (though I'm not 100% sure but I assume it stops actually issuing those pulses). Clearly that behavior is bad.  What do you think it should do--e.g. I assume you're saying it should continue to compute and plot the errors, but not plot nor issue correction pulses for the axis or axes that are disabled. Is that right?

Hy



 
2 years 6 months ago #75209

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Hy was curious why I used such long guide exposures.  It has to do with the way the CEM120 EC2 hi-res dual encoders fight with autoguide pulses.  Here's an example, where I started off with 1 second exposures, then switched to 4 and finally got good results after 6 seconds.  With my mount there is little difference between 8 and 15 second exposures.  It certainly helps when using an OAG as my fields are filled with stars!   But when my polar alignment is off a tad, or it's windy, or very poor seeing, these long exposures are not the best.  In those cases, I would get better results if I could adjust the exposure length SEPARATE from the exposure FREQUENCY.  For example, a 3 second exposure every 10 seconds - vs long 10 second exposures.  

 
2 years 6 months ago #75211
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Haha - no, you didn't.  I did think I'll have to, and you told me I won't.  So I first had tried that, and indeed the old one works.  
That's why I concluded the guiding still works as before, and if something is bad, it must be during calibration, not from guiding...
 
2 years 6 months ago #75212

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1) I saw that the RA pulses are on the same side as the RA error on the guide graph (though they are on opposite sides on the Analyze graph). Dec looked fine on both. This is true for the internal guider. When I tried PHD2 with the simulator, I saw the same thing. Do you know for sure which are on the wrong side? (whether its the correction pulses or the guide error)

I don't know if it's the error or the corrections that are incorrect, sorry. I just know that the error and the corrections are shown on the same side of the line, and that is clearly not right. :)

2) I tried to set binning to 2x2 and then switch to another tab, and then switch back to the guide tab. When I did that, I saw no issue--if I set it to 2x2 in guide, then moved e.g. to the capture tab, then moved back to the guide tab, it still displayed 2x2. What exactly do you do to expose the issue? Can you re-create it with the simulator and describe specifically what you did? Are you setting binning before you start guiding, or during guiding when you see the issue?

Jasem says he made a fix for this, I'm building KStars now and will test it out later.

3) Unchecking those boxes hasn't been in my workflow.
I assume you're talking about the RA and DEC checkboxes in the section labelled "Directions" a few rows below the big button that starts guiding (i.e. not the RA and DEC checkboxes below the guide graph). When.I disable them, it seems to remember the last error and pulse and contiinues to plot those values (though I'm not 100% sure but I assume it stops actually issuing those pulses). Clearly that behavior is bad. What do you think it should do--e.g. I assume you're saying it should continue to compute and plot the errors, but not plot nor issue correction pulses for the axis or axes that are disabled. Is that right?


Yes, the checkboxes under the section labeled Directions. When the checkboxes are unchecked, it should continue to compute and plot the error, but not issue (or plot) any corrections.
2 years 6 months ago #75214

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pushed a fix for #1 in Git. Perhaps Hy can check the rest hopefully soon. Thank you for the great feedback!

I just finished building KStars. That seems to have done the trick, thanks Jasem!

-- Kevin
2 years 6 months ago #75216

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One of the issues I had with calibration was that somehow the DEC Backlash setting was turned on after the new upgrade.  That's a huge no-no for EC2 mounts, as is the GPG RA guider.  Both of those options cause havoc with CEM120 EC2 encoders.  
2 years 6 months ago #75219

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Interesting.  I only have an CEM60EC, so no encoder for DEC.  But while I have similar issues in RA with guiding cadence (I run at around 6.5s, faster it will start to oscillate wildly), I don't have any issues with GPG.  My (total) guide RMS is between 0.25 and 0.35 arcsec, worse only when (too much) wind comes up...

Unfortunately I can't test things at the moment - having 40-50km/h wind here.  Guess it must be New Moon!? 
2 years 6 months ago #75220

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@Kevin: I found the 2 other issues and sent a fix to Jasem. If you are good at getting code off of git repos, and want to test this before it hits the main repo, then "git clone   invent.kde.org/murveit/kstars.git " and go to the guider-fix10 branch (git checkout guider-fix10), and compile that. It is currently at HEAD with this mod. I've done simulator testing, and it seemed to fix up the two remaining issues.

Hy
 
2 years 6 months ago #75233

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Hy,

Thanks, it's building now. It takes a while on my Rock Pi. I'll test it out tonight, it's supposed to be at least partially clear tonight.

-- Kevin
2 years 6 months ago #75234

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Well, the guide pulses are still showing on the same side of the line as the guide error. So that hasn't changed.

The Direction checkboxes now work like they used to. Turning off the guiding output still allows the graph to show the error. Great.

Now the really bad news. The guiding algorithm doesn't seem to take binning into account. I verified this by turning off the guiding output, and measuring the periodic error of my mount, with both 1x1 and 2x2 binning. The periodic error goes from about 36" pk-pk when binned at 1x1, to 18" pk-pk when binned 2x2. So that isn't right.

Periodic error when binning 1x1:

 

Periodic error graph when binning 2x2:

 
The following user(s) said Thank You: Jean-Claude JESIOR
2 years 6 months ago #75242
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