Gene,
Sorry, here's the logfile with everything checked. I stopped the logging after a while since it was continuing to log the current position.
Mike

Hi Mike,

Hmmmm

How are you cabled into your Celestron Focuser, direct USB serial or through the AUX port on the mount?

The response packet causing the error, I am clueless.

If you have time and are so inclined, try a startup with your Ekos profile only having the AUX driver and say CCD Simulator, then connect.
Would be interesting if you see the error this way.
It does look like on startup your system is quite busy.

The last command executed was a get AZM encoder position
[2022-11-22T20:28:28.010 UTC : "[CAUX] CMD <MC_GET_POSITION> APP -> AZM "
[2022-11-22T20:28:28.048 UTC : "[CSER] CMD <50 01 10 01 00 00 00 03> "

Then it spits out
[2022-11-22T20:28:28.716 UTC : "[ERROR] Resp. char 4 is 00 ascii "
[2022-11-22T20:28:28.718 UTC : "[ERROR] RES <2C F7 AB 88 55 00 00 00>

This response cannot be parsed so it is bit bucketed, no harm done

Then it asks for ALT
[2022-11-22T20:28:28.720 UTC : "[CAUX] CMD <MC_GET_POSITION> APP -> ALT "
[2022-11-22T20:28:28.764 UTC : "[CSER] CMD <50 01 11 01 00 00 00 03> "

Which gets no response and times out

Then starts the normal 1 second polling interval for ALT and AZ

[2022-11-22T20:28:30.767 UTC : "[CAUX] CMD <MC_GET_POSITION> APP -> AZM "
[2022-11-22T20:28:30.817 UTC : "[CSER] CMD <50 01 10 01 00 00 00 03> "
[2022-11-22T20:28:30.817 UTC : "[CSER] RES (8 : <3B 04 10 20 01 00 00 00> "
[2022-11-22T20:28:30.818 UTC : "[CSER] Got 4 bytes: ; payload length field: 4 ; MSG: "
[2022-11-22T20:28:30.818 UTC : "[CSER] [00 04 10 20 01 00] "
[2022-11-22T20:28:30.818 UTC : "[CAUX] RES <MC_GET_POSITION> AZM -> APP [00 00 00] "
[2022-11-22T20:28:30.818 UTC : "[CAUX] CMD <MC_GET_POSITION> APP -> ALT "
[2022-11-22T20:28:30.874 UTC : "[CSER] CMD <50 01 11 01 00 00 00 03> "
[2022-11-22T20:28:30.874 UTC : "[CSER] RES (8 : <3B 04 11 20 01 00 00 04> "
[2022-11-22T20:28:30.875 UTC : "[CSER] Got 4 bytes: ; payload length field: 4 ; MSG: "
[2022-11-22T20:28:30.875 UTC : "[CSER] [00 04 11 20 01 00] "

Gene,
Thanks for looking at this. I am connected through the USB port on the Nexstar + HC. I will do as you suggest and simplify to the CCD simulator and the mount. I'll take the PPBA out of the picture which is where the two cameras and the focuser are connected. The mount is connected separately to the RPi. I couldn't get the mount to connect when plugged into the PPBA.
Mike

Gene,
Attached is the log file for just the mount, the HC, a CCD simulator, and Astrometry. Looks like the error messages are the same. Well at least the PPBA isn't causing the problem!


I do have the necessary hardware to build a direct PC interface so I think that will be my next step and rid myself of the HC altogether. Is it possible to have the direct interface and the HC in parallel through another AUX port or am I asking for trouble?
Mike

Mike,

Let me load up HC version 5.34, I am currently on 5.31. My motor cards are the same 5.14.

Here is what I see on mine, notice the GET_VER on BAT, which there is none on the SE mount, which times out but I get correct response to the
CAUX 159.155312 sec : CMD <MC_GET_POSITION> APP -> AZM

INFO 155.636941 sec : Celestron AUX Wedge is online.
CAUX 155.639705 sec : CMD < GET_VER> APP -> AZM
CSER 155.690014 sec : CMD <50 01 10 FE 00 00 00 04>
CSER 155.690207 sec : RES (9 : <3B 05 10 20 FE 05 0E 00 00>
CSER 155.690264 sec : Got 5 bytes: ; payload length field: 48 ; MSG:
CSER 155.690312 sec : [30 30 00 00 FE 05 0E]
CAUX 155.690362 sec : RES < GET_VER> AZM -> APP [05 0E 00 00]
CAUX 155.690416 sec : CMD < GET_VER> APP -> ALT
CSER 155.740633 sec : CMD <50 01 11 FE 00 00 00 04>
CSER 155.740811 sec : RES (9 : <3B 05 11 20 FE 05 0E 00 00>
CSER 155.740869 sec : Got 5 bytes: ; payload length field: 48 ; MSG:
CSER 155.740916 sec : [30 30 00 00 FE 05 0E]
CAUX 155.740965 sec : RES < GET_VER> ALT -> APP [05 0E 00 00]
CAUX 155.741018 sec : CMD < GET_VER> APP -> GPS
CSER 155.791207 sec : CMD <50 01 B0 FE 00 00 00 02>
CAUX 156.792358 sec : CMD < GET_VER> APP -> WiFi
CSER 156.842588 sec : CMD <50 01 B5 FE 00 00 00 04>
CAUX 157.843727 sec : CMD < GET_VER> APP -> BAT
CSER 157.893957 sec : CMD <50 01 B6 FE 00 00 00 04>
INFO 159.154863 sec : Mount is unparked.
DEBUG 159.154988 sec : InitPark Axis1 0.00 Axis2 0.00
DEBUG 159.154988 sec : InitPark Axis1 0.00 Axis2 0.00
DEBUG 159.155038 sec : Setting Default Park Axis1 to 0.00
DEBUG 159.155067 sec : Setting Default Park Axis2 to 0.00
INFO 159.155101 sec : GUIDE not supported on MC version 5.14
CAUX 159.155312 sec : CMD <MC_GET_POSITION> APP -> AZM
CSER 159.205509 sec : CMD <50 01 10 01 00 00 00 03>
CSER 159.205651 sec : RES (8 : <3B 04 10 20 01 00 00 00>
CSER 159.205692 sec : Got 4 bytes: ; payload length field: 4 ; MSG:
CSER 159.205724 sec : [00 04 10 20 01 00]
CAUX 159.205756 sec : RES <MC_GET_POSITION> AZM -> APP [00 00 00]
CAUX 159.205801 sec : CMD <MC_GET_POSITION> APP -> ALT
CSER 159.256014 sec : CMD <50 01 11 01 00 00 00 03>
CSER 159.256253 sec : RES (8 : <3B 04 11 20 01 00 00 00>


Gene

Gene,Is
I notice in my log file that the errors occur before the location data is read. Is what we are seeing some sort of negotiation between the driver and the mount to ensure that each knows that the mount is a wedge? And the errors are an indicator that the orientation is not ALT-AZ?
Mike

Mike,

The AUX driver is agnostic to the mount type or motor cards install.

This issue seems to be a hand controller firmware version 'error'
My HC was version 5.31, I saw no errors like yours
I updated to v5.34 and now I see the error in the same place.

The AUX driver uses the handcontroller's 'passthrough' commands.
The message goes to the HC but the message contains info as to what device to talk to inside the mount.
The device to talk to is the third byte in the command sent
If the device does not exist the HC should just blindly timeout and not return anything to the driver.
Seems in v5.34 something changed in the HC firmware so now this message spits out.
Here is what I see now
CAUX 128.286470 sec : CMD < GET_VER> APP -> BAT
CSER 128.336883 sec : CMD <50 01 B6 FE 00 00 00 04>
INFO 129.343382 sec : Mount is unparked.
DEBUG 129.343611 sec : InitPark Axis1 0.00 Axis2 0.00
DEBUG 129.343719 sec : Setting Default Park Axis1 to 0.00
DEBUG 129.343783 sec : Setting Default Park Axis2 to 0.00
INFO 129.343854 sec : GUIDE not supported on MC version 5.14
CAUX 129.344254 sec : CMD <MC_GET_POSITION> APP -> AZM
CSER 129.394555 sec : CMD <50 01 10 01 00 00 00 03>
ERROR 130.061836 sec : Resp. char 4 is 03 ascii ^C
ERROR 130.061939 sec : RES <00 16 BF E8 F0 00 00 00>

I mentioned the AUX driver is mount agnostic, the following commands are executed looking for various component firmware versions:
getVersion(AZM);
getVersion(ALT);
getVersion(GPS);
getVersion(WiFi);
getVersion(BAT);

The GPS/WIFI/BAT should all just timeout if there is no hardware at that address inside the mount listening

I would consider this issue closed as there is nothing else in any logs that indicate this is causing problems.

Gene

Thanks, Gene! I really appreciate you looking at this and getting to the bottom of the problem, or in this case a non-problem. Now I can continue with confidence.
Mike

One more time, I tried Celestron AUX through the NexStar + HC in a real situation tonight and got the same result that I have been getting since the beginning. The capture and solve with slew to target is never able to converge on the target. The program just endlessly tries to move the mount to the target and fails. I will try the Skyportal wifi module to see if the HC is causing a conflict.
Mike

Mike,

When it tries to converge, does it just seem to get closer in the same direction but never get there or does it oscillate around the target, first over then undershoot?
Does the lack of convergence happen in only one axis or both?

What are your backlash settings for both AZM and ALT?

Gene

Gene,
It never gets close. My recollection is that it is declination that has the very large error (the first number in the table of results from alignment). RA is off too, but not as large an error, about two orders of magnitude worse in declination. I have no backlash compensation on, just letting PHD2 handle that.
Mike

Mike,

Have you built a mount model or just did a sync at a plate solve first location then try a GoTO?

Gene