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

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

AstroPysicsExperimental Invalid Pier Side error.

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I would recommend testing with USB if possible. There was one user who made some changes to help with Ethernet use but I don't know how well it did. I only use USB.

From the log it appears things went off the rails early and a buffer wasn't flushed so the code is getting the response from the previous command to the mount. When I have some time I will have to review the code to make sure the buffer is flushed as appropriate to prevent this problem.
5 years 2 weeks ago #36412

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Michael,

Yes that fixed it. Partial log of startup attached after switching to usb.
Thank you.
/Tom
5 years 2 weeks ago #36422
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I am glad you found a workaround. I don't know when I'll have time to look at the Ethernet code but apparently something isn't right with it now. I've always used USB so that is what gets the most tested!
5 years 2 weeks ago #36427

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Might be best not to spend too much time on it until it can be reproduced more consistently.
I have used Ethernet for some months without issues. Last night running over USB, I did an hour or so of test images using ST4 guiding. This morning I was feeling suspicious that underlying communication channel would garble the data to always fail in the same routine. To add to the confusion.

Just switched back to Ethernet and it also works.

Yesterday between days of failing and starting to work, all I did was string a USB cable to the mount and make the change to the connection panel. No other option or file changes.

I'll run this way (using Ethernet) to see if the problem shows up again.
5 years 2 weeks ago #36451

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haha and you just got me to switch to eithernet ;-) So far it's okay but I am having a HORRINDOUS time trying to keep it set to Park3. Or forcing a Park3. I set last parked and park three and I rarely if ever can cilck PARK and have it go to Park3. It wants to lay down and point horizontally. (as if at the balance it position). OR it just goes off the rails and I abort as weights go up.

How can I just tell it "ALWAYS" when I park - go to park3. ?
AP Mach1 / CP4 APCC & PEMpro.
EXP SCI - ED152cf APO - Celestron 11" RASA - Stellarvue 80mm
Baader F2 HS NB filters, Lodestar X2 guide camera / OAG - ZWO 290mm mini
ZWO ASI1600MM Pro / ASI174M (solar) / ASI094MC
NEXDome, CLoudwatcher, AVX mount/ASIair and Stellarmate

5 years 2 weeks ago #36460

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Well since we've seen the ethernet driver do odd things I would certainly be hesitant to use it.

And there is a reason I wanted the driver labeled 'experimental'. We really need Astro-Physics to be involved with the driver development at an official level, or at a minimum release and updated document (only protocol document is over a decade old) for best practices with modern mounts.

The recommendation I have is when you park the mount is to power cycle it so you start with a fresh initialization of the mount each time the driver loads.

That said I haven't experienced the problem of parking and unparking when I am testing so I'm not sure what issue you might be experiencing.

I'm not currently using the AP driver much (been experimenting with some more complete automation software options under Windows) so it might be awhile until I have time to play with it again.
5 years 2 weeks ago #36471

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The problem happened again, I thought it happened last night but it had actually started
in the afternoon. Invalid pier side/unable to confirm initialization.
Running on a single NUC i5 machine local to the mount over ethernet, OAG/pulse guiding.
As before restarting KStars, and powering everything down did not help.

Usage: was installing a new guide camera hoping to improve guiding. Seemingly KStars had
been left running from the previous day. During the day I was physically installing the
new camera and cabling. For some reason while the mount was parked, in the guide panel I
tried taking a dark for the new camera as a kind of test. The subsequent calibration
that kicked off after taking the dark is when the problem occurs.
[2019-04-06T15:28:44.521 EDT INFO ]
The problem is reproducable while the mount is parked, in the guide panel start calibration,
I was doing it with dark checked.

How to recover is not known they all seem like red herrings. I was down several days the
first time. Now I know to be more careful.
- The first time connecting over USB appeared to get it working.
- This time the ~/.indi/AstroPhysicsExperimental_config.xml was missing the entries for:
TELESCOPE_INFO and SCOPE_CONFIG_NAME. I copied those entries over from the
.xml.default file. Started KStars and it came up. But those entries again disappeared on
their own without an issue showing up.
- When reproducing the problem, just stopping including KStars and power down/up the mount
and it came back up. I am not going to push my luck with it a second time.
4 years 11 months ago #37468
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