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Last updated: 26 April 2005
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Last updated: 26 April 2005 |
Subject: RE: Autostar spouting code rather than information Sent: Monday, April 25, 2005 02:04:50 From: Laurence Sillars (Laurence.Sillars@tate.org.uk) Dear Mike and Dick Many thanks for your previous email. It appears as though it is just the information on Dubhe that is amiss -- whenever I select this object (regardless of whether or not I have slewed to it) it spouts the same code -- I guess it is just a programming error, but it would be good to know if it appears on your handsets. I now seem to be facing another problem -- a complete inability to make the telescope align. Although this was done with ease the first few times I used it, the last couple of times I have tried it just didn't work. From my back yard there have been three stars visibly bright enough to align on over the last week or so (Dubhe, Arcturus and Regulus). I have tried all methods of aligning on a combination of these on an Alt/Az mount but to no avail -- it either says align failed or claims that it has been successful but then obviously isn't when I select another object at it goes hugely wide of the mark. I have double checked the stars are what I think they are on Starry Night and am confident that my initial placing of the scope in 'home position'/north was good. Feeling a little depressed but will keep trying! All best to you both, LaurenceMike here: What happens when you let the Autostar pick the stars? Is the alignment successful? Keep in mind that when picking stars manually they should be about 90 degrees apart and ideally not near the celestial equator nor pole.
And:
For the last few days it has picked Arcturus first. The next two or three generally aren't visible from my garden so I go to the 3rd, 4th or even 5th -- Pollox or Dubhe. I guess it gets less accurate each time you stop it moving by scrolling down to the next option. However, even if I do centre on a second alignment star it says 'align successful' but it obviously isn't. Should I try a reset? Many thanks again Mike!Mike here: If your HOME position is very accurate, then you can select the stars as centered as centered, especially the second one, even if you can't see them. The more accurate the starting point the more accurate the alignment will be in this case. You can RESET, but then you will need to CALIBRATE MOTORS and TRAIN DRIVES again.
And:
From: Richard Seymour (rseymour@wolfenet.com) >... However, even if I >do centre on a second alignment star it says 'align successful' but it >obviously isn't. This is a bug/"feature" i've noticed (to put it mildly) in v33El (and 33Ef, for that matter... i haven't chased it further back)... It appears to be almost (if not truly) impossible to get it to declare "Alignment Failed, Check Stars" > Should I try a reset? It won't help in the slightest.... As Mike said: align as accurately as you can, and an accurate (barrel level and due north for Alt/Az) starting position helps. have fun --dick
Subject: Sent: Sat, 23 Apr 2005 18:47:40 From: "Damp" (damp@skye98.freeserve.co.uk) I don't know if it's correct requesting help here but my heart is pounding with panic! I was updating the Autostar hand set on my new ETX125 and the PC crashed mid way, my hand set now shows a blank screen and my PC can't see it via the com port to upgrade, what can I do to sort this out? Denton Prior, Isle of Skye.Mike here: Just found out that your email was rejected due to the blank subject. Apologies for that but it is discussed in the Email Etiquette on the ETX Home Page. Please read that item. Thanks.
And:
Thank you for your super quick response, now I can take a breath, 20% and rising. I was in a panic when I fired off the first email, I then found the 'Email Etiquette' and so followed the request. Thank you again for your help, much obliged. I've wanted a telescope for years (I'm 44) but could never justify the expense but three weeks ago I gave in and got the ETX125 (I wanted the LX200 but need to build my house first!). A nice optical device. I've looked at your fantastic web site and downloaded details on rectifying mechanical problems. The reason I attempted a reload was that I received a warning about motor error last night and the tracking was odd, jerky. The hand controller was acting very oddly too when I went outside to look,blinking dull, bright. Battery low was my first thought as I was deliberately running down the rechargeable. This morning I was looking at the Sun using a power supply and noticed that the tracking was still 'jerky'. When I brought the equipment inside I could hear a 'clunk-clunk' as the scope was tracking. I figured that the low battery could have caused some corruption and so 'attempted' to reload. I've treated the device like a jewel since I received it and hope that the problem is simple. 100% Update complete, problem solved. Thank you once more for you quick help, Yours is the best ETX web site in the world, I've already got images of the classic Jupiter, Saturn and moon and when I'm happy that its the best I can get out of the ETX I'll send some in. Denton Prior, Isle of Skye, Scotland.
Subject: re: Autostar spouting code rather than information Sent: Friday, April 22, 2005 22:48:47 From: Richard Seymour (rseymour@wolfenet.com) Laurence Sillars said: >Many thanks to you both -- I will let you know what happens (although, >looking at the clouds through the window, probably not tonight!). LS ??why wait?? I always recommend testing this kind of thing =indoors= in the warm (or cool) and dry... why wait until a (rare) good observing night to find out the Autostar is coughing hairballs? Your symptoms certainly don't need real stars for testing. have fun, good luck --dick
Subject: Question about ETX 125AT Sent: Friday, April 22, 2005 04:04:09 From: Philippos (philip@philippos.net) I am a new user of Meade ETX 125AT and I have some questions. The most experienced person that can answer me these questions is you. Here are my questions: 1. What Daylight savings means. What the telescope performs when this function is switched to Yes and what when it is switched in No. 2. When I am trying to align it no bright star appear in the eyepiece. All the stars have the same brightness. Thanks Philippos Isaia email:philip@philippos.net http://www.philippos.netMike here: Some countries (like the United States and Great Britain) will change times during the year. Sometimes they will move an hour ahead, then six or so months later, move an hour back. The Autostar allows for the local time correction. If your locale does not change times then just select NO. The alignment stars will normally be the brightest star in the sky in the area that the telescope is pointing. If you HOME position is close to correct and the date/time/site location are correct, then the first star should be fairly close to being where the telescope is pointed. Don't look through the eyepiece yet; look through the finderscope (which you should have aligned to the telescope first). Center the brightest star in the finderscope. Then you can center it in the eyepiece on the telescope.
Subject: ETX-105, w/ MUF for autostar 497 Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2005 20:57:42 From: NanaOmai@comcast.net (NanaOmai@comcast.net) inside during daylight I believe I aligned, calibrated and trained the drives. The autostar automatically selected Sirius and Aldebran, I selected the Moon The time was: 5:31pm PDT, the RA read 20 over 4, the Dec. was 60. I had to put the TV on mute and even then I could almost faintly hear the motor humming. The time was 7:31pm PDT, the RA read 15 over 6, the Dec. was 37. Does all of this mean that if it were dark outside I would be able to see the moon and the telescope would be tracking it in the night sky using the autostar as the guide? I was so excited, I picked up the controller and the coil came loose, I plugged the coil back into the controller and watched it go through the initialization process all over again. This time autostar selected Sirius and Arcturus and I once again selected the moon. The time was 8:56pm PDT, the RA read 13 over 12 and the Dec. was 25, once again it was tracking, at 9:51pm PDT the scope started moving on its own as if it was searching & centering in on a object. The controller read: motor unit fault, autostar detected motor failure, NEEDS TO BE RE-ALIGNED before you can resume viewing, it said to press "mode", the controller then read Testing motors, then proceeded with the Sun Warning. I turned off and unplugged the controller, I went to the web site and started searching and reading all my eyes could take on motor unit failure, by then the time was 11:30pm. Question: When the coil came loose from the controller should I have did the re-set, re-align, calibrate and drive trainning all over again before I allowed the autostar to select Sirius and Arcturus, was this what caused the MUF message? What is the proper way to write (record) the RA on paper? Does the controller remember what was being tracked, the RA and Dec numbers before it came loose? The ETX-105 and the autostar 497 seems a lot more complicated than the little ETX-70 or is it because it is larger and cost more. I'm still having fun with my Xmas purchase and no I have not read the manuals 3 times yet. I read a little from the manuals then view again the subjects on our web site, then I practice on the telescope. Tonight I will start all over again and try 8 brand new fresh batteries. I look forward to reading your reply. Pam Berkeley, CAWhen the Autostar loses power (from either the ETX being turned off OR the cable comes loose, it starts back at the initialization stage. So you need to realign again. When power is interrupted by the cable coming out it is possible that the Autostar memory can become corrupted. If the connection is intermittent the MUF can occur. So, there can be many causes of what you were experiencing but a RESET should clear out any problems as well as restore the Autostar to factory defaults. You will need to do a CALIBRATE MOTORS and TRAIN DRIVES again. As to Right Ascension, it is normally written as either 19:12:30 or 19h12m30s.
Subject: RE: AutoStar freezing up & a new question Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2005 12:24:33 From: JAMES BESTON (james.beston@btopenworld.com) I found the Moon - easy when you know how!! - Thanks Dick. Have you any thoughts on the new wirelss Autostar?? It would be great if, in addition, you could connect between the telescope (ETX or LX200) and a laptop wirelessly. Is it possible? Kindest Regards JimAnd:
From: Richard Seymour (rseymour@wolfenet.com) Certainly... just throw money. You can use "Bluetooth" serial links to do it. (about $150) (limited range: 30 meters) In the not-too-distant future the ZigBee (or is it ZeeBig?) technology will provide greater range. There have also been pre-Bluetooth serial links available for (literally) decades. $100 to $300 price range. You can also attach an El Cheapo laptop/desktop to the scope, and use normal wireless networking to reach it from elsewhere. Lotsa ways. have fun --dick
Subject: Motor Unit Fault after having been powered at 21 Volts Sent: Tuesday, April 19, 2005 11:55:06 From: Vagelis Tsamis (vtsamis@aegean.gr) By mistake I have powered my ETX125 with 21 Volts DC for about 10 minutes! Then suddenly I heard some weerd noises and switched to 12V. After that, I have a systematic "Motor Unit Fault" message at every align attempt. Symptoms: a- When ETX needs to move left to find the 2nd allignmentt star, it simply doesn't move at all. Then I get the "motor unit fault" error message. b- the Left arrow does not work at all when I try to move around the tube with the handbox (non-alligned). Up-Down-Right arrows work ok. I would appreciate any help from you, Mike, as soon as possible. I need to operate the telescope at a public observing session in 24 hrs from now. Any chances? Thank you in advance. Vagelis Tsamis, Greece.Mike here: You might be alright. Do a CALIBRATE MOTORS and reTRAIN DRIVES.
And the bad news:
No use. Left Arrow (<) does not work = motor can not move left. What next?Mike here: Well, you may have fried some component on the circuit board of either the ETX or the Autostar. If your ETX was an EC model and you have the standard handcontroller you might want to try that just to see if you can slew the telescope.
And:
I will check with another autostar tomorrow. But I am afraid I have fried smth in the motor circuits. In that case I have to contact the dealer in Greece, right? Can it easily been fixed here or should it be sent to a Meade factory? Thanx, Vagelis.Mike here: If the problem isn't in the Autostar (which I suspect it isn't) then a repair trip will be necessary.
Subject: LX200 SCOPES Sent: Tuesday, April 19, 2005 10:32:56 From: shirley m feickert (sfeickert@earthlink.net) Do You know where the web site is to do Hand Controller updates? I know Meade has one for LX200 GPS units. As always JIM F.Mike here: If you mean the Autostar or the Autostar II, that is at:
And:
Yes Sorry, I was referring to the Classic.
Subject: RA/Az problem in a 90EC Sent: Tuesday, April 19, 2005 06:07:40 From: Tom & Barbara Andrews (tombps@bigpond.com) greetings from a land of naked eye globular clusters. I have a 90EC plus Autostar, bought second-hand. On first use of the whole setup tonight, some problems were immediately evident: On beginning to train the drive, I found the scope wouldn't move horizontally, though the drive was making a noise like a stuck pig. Sometimes it would slew after many seconds, but it would take off hell for leather regardless of what speed I had chosen. I ended up turning the lock to what felt like uncomfortable tightness. It seemed then to go at the chosen speed, but the first press and each change in direction would mean a delay of at least 10 seconds of motor noise before it started turning. Needless to say, I don't think the drive was trained correctly, as little or no movement happened when the scope slewed for the Az training. The GOTO slewing seemed to be fine, though not as accurate as I'm used to. As soon as I selected the object, horizontal slewing began immediately. When it came time to manually find and centre the object, the drive played up as described above. It seemed that pressing the Az buttons would sometimes result in some vertical movement downward before the horizontal movement began. Long story short, the noise and delay seem to happen when under manual control, when non-GOTO slewing is involved such as with the drive training, and (I think) when I tried a spiral search by pressing GOTO after slewing to an object was complete. Apart from looking for a solution, I'm also just baffled about how a problem in the gears could be apparently fine when normal slewing is taking place. Look forward to hearing from you. Cheers, TomMike here: Did you do a CALIBRATE MOTORS before doing the TRAIN DRIVES? If so, I would suggest doing a RESET, check the telescope model and mounting mode, CALIBRATE MOTORS, and then TRAIN DRIVES.
And:
Thank you for the quick response. Are you on the East Coast? I had done all those steps. Did them again in the light of morning which didn't help the problem, but I can now be a bit more specific. The delay in Az slewing still happens (if the direction is different to the previous movement), but it seems that the length of the delay is inversely proportional to the selected speed. At max speed, it takes over a second to start moving; at 1 deg/sec it's close to 3 seconds; at 0.5 deg/sec it was around 6 seconds; 64X took more than 10 seconds, etc. This explains why GOTO slewing seemed to be normal last night. There was actually a slight delay in horizontal GOTO slewing, but only a short one as it was slewing at max speed. And if it was in the same direction as the previous movement, there was no delay at all. When I was slewing manually, it was usually at a slower speed for centering, so it was those times I noticed the long delay. So, it seems that the Az gears are making noise for a while before they "take up" and move the scope. If it helps, the noise is different and louder than with the Alt slewing. The lock lever feels like it's at normal tightness when it's just over half way around, but it doesn't slew. It feels like I'm over-tightening in order to get it to slew at all. In calibration it made noise but didn't move horizontally. During Az drive training it slewed itself a little in the second direction (must have been the same direction it tried going during the calibration), but it hadn't moved in the first direction. And there is definitely a very slight downward motion (apparent when looking through the scope) during the grinding that takes place before it begins to move. Sorry about being pedantic. I'm trying to get everything in as the time difference sometimes makes quick communication difficult. Cheers, TomMike here: Nope, West Coast. Sounds like you are now talking about "backlash". You can adjust the "percentages" to change the amount of backlash. See the articles "Saving Backlash Percentages" and "Setting Percentages For Better Tracking" on the Helpful Information: Autostar Info page.
And:
Hi again. Sorry, didn't work after following directions to the letter. I had high hopes though, as the problem described in the instructions about slow response on changing directions seems to be exactly what I have. The frustrating thing is when I watch it calibrating, and see no movement to the right even though there's noise. At a high percentage I did see evidence of more jerkiness, but the delays were still just as long. Cheers, TomMike here: Rats. Lets try one more thing. Maybe the encoders are dirty or the lubrication needs to be redistributed. Sometimes this will fix that: unlock both axes and move the telescope tube slowly by hand, back and forth, hard stop to hard stop. Repeat it several times for both axes. If more serious cleaning would be required for the encoders, you will have to disassemble the base.
And:
That didn't work, so I think the next step is to take it to our local Meade dealers in Sydney city. I know they're good. I'm terrified of taking precision instruments apart (unless you can convince me otherwise). It does feel fairly stiff in Az, even when completely unlocked. When I tried it after that last method, I started with the Az lock only half way around, though that was still quite tight. In one of the directions, as I had my fingers on the lock lever, I felt it tighten a little as the movement began. Anyway, I'll let you know when I've got it nailed. Cheers and thanks again, Tom
Subject: Autostar spouting code rather than information Sent: Tuesday, April 19, 2005 05:28:43 From: Laurence Sillars (Laurence.Sillars@tate.org.uk) I would be most grateful for you advice with an autostar problem. I bought an ETX105 a couple of months ago (not the PE) and, although mostly fine, the autostar handset occasionally spouts code in the section where it normally gives information on an object. Last night I was looking at Dubhe and instead of words I got something like 'SV=23 a ls 4965 Pta' -- this is not an exact transcription but it was along these lines and 5 times as long. The handset wasn't too cold, I had plenty of power, etc etc so I can't think what might be causing it other than a software glitch. I have also had one Proc Trap 2 message although this hasn't come back. I haven't tried a reset or uploading any thing from the Meade website. Any thoughts would be much appreciated. Many thanks, Laurence (p.s anyone in Merseyside/Wirral UK who reads this I would be very pleased to hear from you)And from our resident Autostar expert:
From: Richard Seymour (rseymour@wolfenet.com) If the handset continues to operate properly, and if it's not repeatable (i.e. choose something other than Dubhe, then come -back- to Dubhe... is it still garbage?) then i'd tend to suspect the socket the display module's cable is (supposedly) seated in. Or a loose bit of something conductive rattling around in the Autostar's case If the -only- symptoms are non-repeatable display errors: suspect the display. (or its connector). If the non-repeatable errors don't affect operation (other than the display), suspect the display. If the errors are repeatable, suspect the memory or processor. (hence try a Reset and, if that doesn't cure it, a firmware reload) One Proc Trap 2 in a few months of operation is not to be -expected-, but it's not -all- that much of a rarity, either (and a flakey connector or a loose bit rattling around could cause it). If a Proc Trap appears every time you do a certain sequence of operations, then tell us about it (so we can see if we can triggero one too, making it a firmware bug). If we can't replicate it, then it's a sign to reload your firmware. If it's -still- there, then it points to a hardware (flakey memory or internal data transmission) problem... which you should sort out before the warranty expires... The display connector is a "zero insertion force" connector: there is a plastic sleeve which is moved about 1mm in and out of the main body which serves as a clamp for the flat cable itself. If that sleeve isn't fully seated, the cable can have intermittent contact. The photo at: http://www.weasner.com/etx/autostar/as_schematic.html shows the cable and connector. have fun --dickAnd:
Many thanks to you both -- I will let you know what happens (although, looking at the clouds through the window, probably not tonight!). LS
Subject: Daylight savings Sent: Monday, April 18, 2005 21:16:11 From: Raven50@aol.com (Raven50@aol.com) Greetings once again, I've ignored this for a while, but i thought i might ask finally. I am in the US, East Coast region. When the Autostar is setting up, what should i be entering for Daylight savings time. YES, or NO at this time of year. Ive never been positive and i think this is affecting my prealignment slewing. When i select stars to align to, it is usually pretty wrong. Correct region, but not nearly in the viewfinder. Once i center it, the same happens for the second star. After this, if the alignment is successful i usually dont have a problem. Not quite sure though. Could this be just wrong DST settings? Thanks once again. TonyMike here: If your location changes time (Spring forwward, fall back) then you need to change the Daylight Savings setting accordingly. So, right now that would be "Yes".
Subject: does autostar have information on titan Sent: Monday, April 18, 2005 15:24:18 From: MailAc - gnwb.com (t.poppy@gnwb.com) I read a little on titan today and with it being a good clear evening here I thought I would ask my autostar to locate titan for me as I am a newbie. I was unable to locate titan in the autostar, does it or is it supposed to hold this information. I have a rough Idea where titan is located but sadly I am not that good yet at co-ordinates. Regards Terry Swindon UKMike here: Nope. You could manually enter its Right Ascension and Declination or you could just GOTO Saturn and use a star chart showing the position of Titan for that date/time.
Subject: Autostar Latitude input failure Sent: Monday, April 18, 2005 06:56:52 From: Thomas Sprlein (t.spoerlein@online.de) I'm using Autostar 33El and want to input my current site information (50.7670N, 7.0330E). When it comes to inputting the latitude, the Autostar gives me a beep signal and won't accept the data. Longitude data is no problem. Trying out a few other latitudes, I discovered that Autostar will let me input latitudes up to 50.59 only, then again from 51 on. I know the difference between 50.77 and 50.59 is no biggie, but I just don't get why Autostar won't accept the data. Any ideas? Best regards, Thomas SpoerleinMike here: The decimal is not a decimal in this case; it is a divider. That is why it jumps from 59 minutes to the next whole degree.
Subject: Autostar Tracking, without alinment. Sent: Sunday, April 17, 2005 14:39:49 From: Stanley Fisher, Ph.D. (drstanf@verizon.net) I live in NYC and through my apartment window I get excellent views of the Sun and some of the planets. Is there anyway to set up Autostar on my ETX90AT so I can have it tract Sun, Moon or planets without going through an Autostar alignment, which would almost be impossible in the apartment. Thanks. Stanley Fisher, Ph.D.Mike here: Two ways: Fake the alignment by going though the alignment process and accept the alignment stars as centered. The better the HOME position the more accurate the results. Or you can put the telescope in Polar Mode and select Astronomical from the Targets menu item.
And:
Thanks for the information. Stan F.
Subject: Updating the AutoStar 497 Handcontroller?? Sent: Sunday, April 17, 2005 00:03:24 From: Dan Hait - Real Estate Traffic Pros (dan@listingclosers.com) My name is Dan Hait, and I know you're busy, but I'm hoping you can fill in the missing blank for me. I am brand knew to astronomy and bought an ETX-90PE w/UHTC. I have 2 problems (so far), one being trying to find the red dot in the SmartFinder, but I haven't finished trying all the tips from your 2/23/05 update, so I won't ask for your help on that "yet". My problem now is that I'm trying to upgrade the AutoStar to version 33EI. I am connecting the cable to the AutoStar and the other to my computerwhere the problem comes in. My laptop doesn't have a serial port to use, so I am trying to connect it to the modem jack directly. I'm above average knowledge on the computer, but I'm stuck on this silly one. I can't get the ASU Software to recognize a COM port, much less, do I know how to make sure the settings are as described. Is this a necessary update? Can you please help me if it is? You can respond back to this email address and use an alternative CC to dhait@wi.rr.com (just in case). Lastly, I saw a reference to a video you made, but I can't find it on your site.do you have that link? Thanks in advance, Dan HaitMike here: As you know, the modem port is NOT a RS-232 port. That's why the serial cable connection to the Autostar is not working for you. You will need to get one of the serial-USB adapters (Meade, Belkin, Keyspan; I use a Keyspan one with my Macintosh). Regarding the SmartFinder red dot, see my PE comments linked from the top of the current ETX Premier Edition feedback page; I have a photo there which may help. The LNT demo video is available on from my review.
And:
Yep...I found it tonight. Also fixed the Smartfinder as you said. It works, but my red dot is more of a red line...is that normal? If not, any ideas? I also just did a complete setup test INSIDE and all went well. I'm about to go outside and give it a try...and can't wait. Thanks again, Dan HaitMike here: There is a report and fix for a "dash" red-dot on the current ETX Premier Edition feedback page.
And:
OK....first night out "on auto pilot" was a total flop. Every time I did an automatic alignment it was pointing to different stars with the same name, ie. It said the first one was Artchuas, but it pointed to 3 different stars each time I aligned. Then when I finally got an alignment complete, I did a GoTo the Moon, and I got one of those messages you got, that the Moon doesn't rise until 6:13am. It was right about my head and very clear!! I did 2 resets and 6 auto aligns and finally gave up. I'm not sure what the next step is.Mike here: That sounds similar to the Autostar problem I reported in my PE comments. If you used a zipcode, try a nearby city name.
Subject: slewing the ETX 105EC during alignment issue Sent: Saturday, April 16, 2005 13:15:19 From: MailAc - gnwb.com (t.poppy@gnwb.com) Firstly many thanks for the excellent site, I am totally new to this and the site is a godsend. Could I raise a query for any help please? I have set up my 105 easy align, the telescope slews as required but the documentation says that the arrow buttons need to be used to centre the object in the FOV. However when the telescope stops slewing and I hear the beeps I am unable to get the telescope to move using the arrow buttons. Are there any seasoned pro's out there who maybe able to help. I have checked all clutch locks and they are tight. Regards Terry Swindon, UKMike here: Have you tried increasing the slew speed with the number keys? I usually use a 7 for fast slewing and 3, 4, or 5 for smaller movements.
And:
Thanks for the advice, it now allows me to slew after finding a star Regards Terry
Subject: Autostar question Sent: Saturday, April 16, 2005 11:45:48 From: Paul (pacawston@blueyonder.co.uk) Hoped you might add this Question to relevent section. Will any Autostar hand controller work with any scope? I am looking to buy one for my ETX 125ec and I believe the Meade number for this one is #497, however I have seen a few around on Ebay and I'm tempted to go for one second hand to limit the cost! One in particular is a #494, the question is will it work with my 125? Thanks, PaulMike here: As noted on Meade's Autostar Update page (http://www.meade.com/support/auto.html), the #494 has a limited set of telescopes it works with. The #497 works with more telescope models. Check that page for the specifics.
Subject: Unable to Complete Autostar Update Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2005 13:58:20 From: ls4503@bellsouth.net I've been attempting to do an Autostar Update on my ETX 105 EC. Can't seem to be able to do it. Current Autostar Version is 30E I downloaded the ASU software to my DeskTop. When I click on Upgrade Autostar Update Now I get an Error message: Could not connect to Autostar. ASU will perform search of all COM Ports. I then get another Error message: Could not find COM Port, Check connection & try again. This happens when I connect the 9 Pin cable to the back of the computer and when I use a USB adapter. What am I doing wrong ? Thank You. In prior message I forgot to sign it. Thanks. Larry Schlaefer Jupiter , FlMike here: Sounds like a possible port conflict with some other software, typically fax software. Check that.
Subject: Autostar and Servo drives Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2005 01:40:48 From: Coppola Luigi (loucoppola@yahoo.com) I am an happy owner of an ETX and Autostar #497. I am so satisfied by the Autostar that I would like to use it on 20" Dobson. I am realising the movimentation of the Dobson with an intelligenmt servo system, that may accept any speed or position commands and may deliver any feedback. I can freely program the interface on this system (Digital I/O and serial). I am looking for informations about the communication between Autostar and ETX in order to implement the same interface as in the ETX in my telescope. Who could help me? Thanks, Bye, LouMike here: There is a lot of information on the Autostar on the Helpful Information: Autostar Info page. In particular you might want to look at the link "Steve Bedair's "Go To" Mounts" that is there.
And:
Thanks, I'll give a look. Bye, Luigi
Subject: RE: AutoStar freezing up
Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2005 12:42:02
From: JAMES BESTON (james.beston@btopenworld.com)
As promised in my reply to yourselves, in my mail of 27th March, I have
had another couple of sessions with my Autostar II and LX200GPS and can
report as follows:
1) Problem with freezing
It did lock up again when aligning on Dubhe but got going again
after a while!
However last Sunday it would not slew to the, clearly visible,
moon. - I was careful to press "enter" after selecting the Moon and
before pressing "Goto".
It would slew to everything else though. A bit of a puzzle,
maybe a reload (or update) of the Autostar II software is required?
2) Alignment - I find I have completely trashed my Calibrate Sensor
settings I forgot that I, a) Had to turn off and on after doing the
calibration and then align and b) I also forgot I had to turn the smart
mount on! This despite Dick enumerating all the steps in his reply to my
mail in the Yahoo LX200GPS group on October 30th last!!
3) GPS - after failing on four seperate occasions to get a GPS fix in
the last two outings there has been no trouble at all.
Best Regards and thanks again for all your help!
Jim
And:
From: Richard Seymour (rseymour@wolfenet.com) JAMES BESTON wrote: >1) Problem with freezing >It did lock up again when aligning on Dubhe but got going again after a while! I still haven't a clue, since mine doesn't do that. >However last Sunday it would not slew to the, clearly visible, moon. - I >was careful to press "enter" after selecting the Moon and before pressing >"Goto". ..but what did it show on the -display- when you did that? Did it show the proper calculated RA/DEC for the moon at that point? > It would slew to everything else though. A bit of a puzzle, maybe a reload >(or update) of the Autostar II software is required? Possibly... but i'd like more data (such as the above "what did it show?") before saying Yea or Nay. >2) Alignment - I find I have completely trashed my Calibrate Sensor settings I >forgot that I, a) Had to turn off and on after doing the calibration and then >align and b) I also forgot I had to turn the smart mount on! This despite Dick >enumerating all the steps in his reply to my mail in the Yahoo LX200GPS group on >October 30th last!! Smart Mount makes a miniscule contribution... Cal Sensors can correct a very large (15 degrees and more) error. >3) GPS - after failing on four seperate occasions to get a GPS fix in the last >two outings there has been no trouble at all. I still vote for local interference and/or satellite positions as being the culprit. have fun --dick
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Thanks for your replies. I'll keep an eye an the freezing and see if I can gather more info! As far as I can remember the display just said "Moon" I don't think it gave any co-ordinates but I'll check again next time out. I agree with you on the satellite positions - could be interference if they were behind my house wall etc. I only had a 60? field of view from where the scope was positioned at the time. Thanks again. JimAnd:
>As far as I can remember the display just said "Moon" I don't think it gave >any co-ordinates but I'll check again next time out. Then you hadn't really "selected" the moon, and it simply slewed to the last target you'd given it. In the LX200gps, it actually takes -two- [enter]s to get the Moon selected. The LX200gps sequence is (display: top line/bottom line) Select/Solar System [enter] Solar System/Mercury [scroll up 4 times] Solar System/Moon [enter] Moon/Overview [enter] Moon/Calculating... --> Moon/RA hh:mm Dec dd:mm *now* it's really selected and calculated, and a [GoTo] will actually get there. >I agree with you on the satellite positions - could be interference if they >were behind my house wall etc. I only had a 60? field of view from where the >scope was positioned at the time. Quite possibly... GPS positioning works best with low-angle satellites, so a major chunk of obstructed horizon can hurt. have fun --dick
Subject: Starpatch Error Question Sent: Tuesday, April 12, 2005 18:17:52 From: Train, Dave (dtrain@ckgppw.com) I get the following error message when I try to update my Autostar 497 with the latest (33FA) download: "Invalid R parameter at line 44 while applying the "GPS Setup" patch RBAD0000000". I have since successfully used the Meade ASU to update my Autostar but the error message keeps on appearing and preventing the StarPatch update to proceed. My Autostar statistics indicates that it has version 33E1 loaded. The Autostar and the ETX-90 both seem to be working OK but I can't use my StarGPS! Please let me know if you can help diagnose my problem. Thanks, David TrainMike here: I'm not familiar with a 3.3Fa version.
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From: Richard Seymour (rseymour@wolfenet.com) It's quite simple... You need to download a new version of StarPAtch from Chris' site http://www.stargps.ca A few versions back, Meade changed the way the firmware was arranged in the Autostar, and the old StarPatch couldn't safely handle it.. so Chris laid a trap (the invalid R) in his newer patch files which the new versions of StarPatch will avoid, but the old versions will fall over. At which point the user would visit www.stargps.ca to read about the error, and download the new version. have fun --dickAnd:
Chris changes the version numbers to help track updates... "33fa" is Meade's 33Ef plus Chris's version "a" of our combined patches. There'll be a new version along RealSoonNow to match Meade's recently release v33El. I assume Chris will call it 33la have fun --dickAnd: