I can't get the iOptron Smart EQ Pro+ mount to guide within reasonable tolerances with the internal guider.

With PhD2 it works.... kind of.

Not great, really, but at least I can keep the total RMS below 2.5 ". Not with the internal guider. That goes all over the place and constantly loses the guide star. The resulting frames look like a masterpiece by a seriously inebriated Picasso, but not like an astro photograph.

When I use PhD2 to guide within Ekos instead of the internal guider, KStars crashes after 1 or 2 frames. PhD2 works standalone, i.e. not integrated into Ekos, but that means that I would have to babysit the mount all night.

This is all happening on a Pi3, have not yet tried it on a mini PC, but the entire point of the exercise is anyway that I need this to work on a Pi for field deployment because of the lower power consumption of the Pi.

Any ideas on how this could be fixed?

Thanks,

Jo

What camera do you use?

I've just added a ZWO ASI 120MM as guide camera to my SmartEq Pro setup. I'm using a ZWO 30mm Mini guide scope on top of a William Optics Z61.

On a fresh Pi3+ with Raspbian and the latest INDI I can keep the RMS between 1.0 and 2.0 using the internal guider. I've not updated the firmware on the ASI yet but the combination still seems to run very stable here (two hours in a row tonight). I took a few long exposure test shots and they looked good too. I've not messed with the parameters, they were all default apart from the telescope settings.

I've yet to test this setup in a real world situation but up to now this looks very promising.

That's almost the identical setup I am using, except for an ASI120MM-S (USB3) version of the guidecam and that I am using Ubuntu MATE on the Pi3 instead of Raspbian. Also, is yours an EQ Pro or a Pro+?
Are you using the internal guider? At what settings? And what driver are you using for the mount? I found that the SmartEQPro driver is not working for my Pro+, I have to use the CEM60 driver. That could be the key difference, since guiding works with PhD2, just not the internal guider.

Thanks for responding, this is very encouraging!

Jasem, could that problem be rooted in a difference between these two drivers? That the guide signals are processed differently?

Unfortunately, this problem persists. I have now also tried this with an Orion SSAG, a QHY5 camera. Same results.
Running the SmartEQPro+ unguided gives me nice round stars at exposures of <60s. As soon as I guide using the internal guider, the stars jump all over the place and the mount starts to drift.
The SmartEQPro+ uses the same driver as the CEM60, but there must a few parameters that are specific to the Smart EQ that affect guiding. Everything else works with the CEM60 driver.
I need to guide to get rid of the washboard pattern that come with OSC imaging. I have to dither to achieve that. And that requires guiding.
Anyone else having more luck?
Jo

I thought I was the only one having such problems with my setup. I have different equipment - a CEM25p with an 80mm APO, and I get round stars @120secs unguided. But using the internal guider, the mount flops around. I can still get good images, but toss about 2/3 due to movement. I've since been experimenting with phd2 and it does seem better.

FWIW, I *think* you can do *unguided* dithering in Ekos! Go to the Options/Guide and check the non-guide dither box.

Good luck!