Re: Autoguider Recommendations
Hi,
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There are two ways of guiding.
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Piggyback guide scope and Off Axis Guider.
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Depending of your setup up eg. camera and other accessories like maybe Filter wheel and optical accessory be it a reducer, flattenner or extender optic.
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OAG guiding is the best as as you avoid flexing differences between guide scope and Imaging scope.
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When you decide for Piggyback guiding then the ratio between the guide scope and the Imaging scope should not be more then 1:2 and really max. 1:2.5 maybe but really not more then 1:3.?
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I do guide 560mm with a 420mm piggyback and 3200mm with OAG. In both cases I do use guide cameras with an IMX249 sensor.
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when OAG guiding a G11-RS mount i achieved round stars troublefree with my Mewlon 250S at 3200mm focal length on 10 minute exposure on my favourite Galaxies which are the ARP's.
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I would say F.X. Flinn's results is the exception to the rule. I do not know what imaging focal length he has.
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IMHO Rainer
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Re: Autoguider Recommendations
My G11T is so good I don't bother with autoguiding. I've mostly been using a TSA-120 reflector with a ZWO2600 and an ASIAir, and if my polar alignment is solid I have no trouble with 300 second exposures. Since most of my targets have been pretty standard ones that are fairly bright or large, an hour or two worth of 60 second exposures has provided excellent data files. Now if I could only find the time to process them with PI...
I've experimented with OAG autoguiding but my experience is that it creates unnecessary moves. I am probably doing something wrong but given how good the mount is once it's PA'd and the fact that I haven't found a target yet that I need to stay on for extended exposure ... I decided not to worry about it.
Hi Jeremy,
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I wanted to jump in and mention a couple things as a new (actually born again) hobbyist.? I did basic visual stuff for many years with a Celestron CPC1100.? Recently retired (for sure this time) I decided to re engage and invest in an equatorial mount.? After lots of reading I decided to go with a Losmandy G11G and talked with Tanya.? I was so excited to find a company that is clearly very proud of their products, work, and customers.? What a great experience it has been for me so far.? The quality and craftsmanship is unbelievable.? And USA built to boot¡.
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Now the boxes show up and it¡¯s time to get this all set up.? Listened to all the videos and got lots of stuff done but still always more questions.? It¡¯s only been a month or so for me but I¡¯ve come a long way from where I started.? Chip Louie has helped me with tons of questions and given great advice.
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I had the exact same question as yours and will investing in a guiding scope and camera soon.? I hope you continue posting so we can all learn together.
?
Thanks to Losmandy, this forum, and especially Chip for helping me get out of the gate.? I¡¯m sure this is only the beginning, but I look forward to learning this new hobby.
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Re: Autoguider Recommendations
Hi Jeremy,
?
I wanted to jump in and mention a couple things as a new (actually born again) hobbyist. ?I did basic visual stuff for many years with a Celestron CPC1100. ?Recently retired (for sure this time) I decided to re engage and invest in an equatorial mount. ?After lots of reading I decided to go with a Losmandy G11G and talked with Tanya. ?I was so excited to find a company that is clearly very proud of their products, work, and customers. ?What a great experience it has been for me so far. ?The quality and craftsmanship is unbelievable. ?And USA built to boot¡.
?
Now the boxes show up and it¡¯s time to get this all set up. ?Listened to all the videos and got lots of stuff done but still always more questions. ?It¡¯s only been a month or so for me but I¡¯ve come a long way from where I started. ?Chip Louie has helped me with tons of questions and given great advice.
?
I had the exact same question as yours and will investing in a guiding scope and camera soon. ?I hope you continue posting so we can all learn together.
?
Thanks to Losmandy, this forum, and especially Chip for helping me get out of the gate. ?I¡¯m sure this is only the beginning, but I look forward to learning this new hobby.
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Re: Gemini BOOTLOADER update available
On Mon, Apr 7, 2025 at 02:31 PM, Paul Kanevsky wrote:
Hi Folks,
?
¸é±ð²Ô¨¦, as usual, has been busy with Gemini improvements. The new Bootloader is an update to the original one that was created when 2GB SD cards were all that was available :)
?
The new bootloader isn't required if your Gemini is working fine. You can skip it if you don't care about the benefits listed below, or if you feel uncomfortable performing the update.
?
The update process itself is about as complicated as the L6 upgrade to the new servo firmware, and requires:
?
- A 20 pin ULINK2 emulator/programmer -- about $30 from Amazon
- Keil ULink-2 software (runs on Windows)
- MB_BL_2024.uvproj bootloader project file
?
Detailed Instructions can be found here:
?
The new bootloader is based on a modern version of Keil middleware and helps with the following:
- Faster boot-up time for Gemini
- Better compatibility with different types and larger size SD cards
- Resolves the issue with the dreaded M:Curr_Gem.bin file for those who have experienced it
?
Be careful if you decide to update your Gemini. Follow instructions!
?
Regards,
?
? ? -Paul
?
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My favorite little birdy told me about this a couple weeks ago.? I think it is worth doing if you are one of the impatient people or like me (okay so I'm impatient) just want to keep up to date on code revisions.? I'm a sucker for the latest and greatest LOL.?
?
--
Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?
Astrospheric - South Pasadena, CA?
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Re: Autoguider Recommendations
On Tue, Apr 8, 2025 at 06:41 AM, Jeremy Benson wrote:
Thanks to everyone who responded to my question about autoguiders.
It seems I¡¯m so new to the whole thing I didn¡¯t even know the right questions to ask.? I¡¯ll do a little more research on exactly what I want to do and come back with my specs and a better idea of what I¡¯m looking for.
?
Thanks!
Jeremy Benson
Keeper of Keys and Labs
NIU Department of Physics
NASA Solar System Ambassador
La Tourette 202A
815.753.1953
?
?
Hi Jeremy,
?
It's not that complicated.? The way the autoguiding apps work like the free standing PHD2 guiding or an integrated system like ASIAIR etc. require certain conditions to be met in order to work well.? We know you are working with a Losmandy G11G and Gemini 2 controller which is great but in order to help determine your best options for autoguiding we need to know what your imaging optic(s) and camera(s) used to image with.? Many of us have and use more than one imaging setup to cover more of the sky at the desired scale. Give us the main telescope and imaging camera and I'll walk you through the process to determine what your best options are and why.? Come on, this is how our little community gets it done.??
?
?
--
Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?
Astrospheric - South Pasadena, CA?
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Re: Gemini BOOTLOADER update available
On Tue, Apr 8, 2025 at 08:29 AM, criscopenneys wrote:
Question-After updating the bootloader, do I just need to power up Gemini and then that M: file issue will resolve itself?
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I know that the M: file will no longer be created by the firmware update process, but I don't know for sure if you'll be able to just delete it after the bootloader update (¸é±ð²Ô¨¦, do you know?)?
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If you can't remove it, you may need to format the SD card, and then you can update it directly from GFU with all the files (or copy them to the card). After that one time, you should be able to flash new firmware without the M: file reappearing.
?
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Re: Autoguider Recommendations
Thanks to everyone who responded to my question about autoguiders.
It seems I¡¯m so new to the whole thing I didn¡¯t even know the right questions to ask.? I¡¯ll do a little more research on exactly what I want to do and come back with my specs and a better idea of what I¡¯m
looking for.
?
Thanks!
Jeremy Benson
Keeper of Keys and Labs
NIU Department of Physics
NASA Solar System Ambassador
La Tourette 202A
815.753.1953
?
?
?
?
?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
From: [email protected] <[email protected]>
On Behalf Of Chip Louie via groups.io
Sent: Monday, April 7, 2025 11:01 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Gemini-II_io] Autoguider Recommendations
?
[Edited Message Follows]
[Reason: Ttypo ]
It is highly dependant on what your imaging system looks like.? You want the guide scope and camera combination ideally to have a 1:3? or worst case 1:5 ratio relative to your main imaging scope and camera image scale.??
You can play with various scenarios using the astronomy.tools calculator here:
remember, the closer you get to 1:3 the better but as low as 1:5 will also give acceptable
results.?
Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?
Astrospheric - South Pasadena, CA?
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Re: Gemini BOOTLOADER update available
I am one of those people with the M:? file issue so I will definitely be doing this update.
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Question-After updating the bootloader, do I just need to power up Gemini and then that M: file issue will resolve itself?
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Already placed my Amazon order for the connector.
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And again, thanks to all that provide ongoing support for Gemini.
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Chris N
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Re: Gemini BOOTLOADER update available
Daniel,
The 8 GB was chosen by Tanya Kennelly since it works w/o any
problems for the new boards she upgraded. You can give your old SD
card a chance and report here.
Regards,
¸é±ð²Ô¨¦
Am 08.04.25 um 13:42 schrieb Daniel via
groups.io:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
I
doubt you could brick a Gemini by bad or interrupted
programming. I assume it's possible if you don't align the
connector pins the right way. If you do connect it
correctly, you should be able to reprogram the bootloader
even after a failed attempt. I updated three Gemini units
this way, and one had a corrupted bootloader when it was
sent to me and would not start. The reprogramming fixed it
right up.?
?
?
Thanks for your answer. In instructions it is specified that
a microSD card higher than 8Gb is needed. I assume that this
implies that the new bootloader do not work for smaller cards,
including those delivered by the Gemini II. In this case is
enough to just copy one card to the another using a PC ???
Furthermore, is there? any file format restriction to the larger
microSD or can we use just a single partition FAT32 formatted?
?
Regards,
Daniel
?
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Re: Gemini BOOTLOADER update available
I doubt you could brick a Gemini by bad or interrupted programming. I assume it's possible if you don't align the connector pins the right way. If you do connect it correctly, you should be able to reprogram the bootloader even after a failed attempt. I updated three Gemini units this way, and one had a corrupted bootloader when it was sent to me and would not start. The reprogramming fixed it right up.?
?
?
Thanks for your answer. In instructions it is specified that a microSD card higher than 8Gb is needed. I assume that this implies that the new bootloader do not work for smaller cards, including those delivered by the Gemini II. In this case is enough to just copy one card to the another using a PC ??? Furthermore, is there? any file format restriction to the larger microSD or can we use just a single partition FAT32 formatted?
?
Regards,
Daniel
?
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Re: Gemini BOOTLOADER update available
Thanks!
On 2025-04-07 23:32, Paul Kanevsky
wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Everything, including the Amazon link, is in the
instructions. Here¡¯s the link:
?
ULINK2 Emulator Original Firmware Support for MDK5.0 Cortex
M4 Gold Plating 11 x 5.5cm
?
?
Detailed Instructions can be found here:
?
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Re: Gemini BOOTLOADER update available
Everything, including the Amazon link, is in the instructions. Here¡¯s the link:
?
ULINK2 Emulator Original Firmware Support for MDK5.0 Cortex M4 Gold Plating 11 x 5.5cm
?
On Mon, Apr 7, 2025 at 11:16 PM, Michael A. Covington wrote:
Can someone share a link to the exact programming device needed?? I went to Amazon just now, and it was far from obvious.
?
On 2025-04-07 17:31, Paul Kanevsky wrote:
Hi Folks,
?
¸é±ð²Ô¨¦, as usual, has been busy with Gemini improvements. The new Bootloader is an update to the original one that was created when 2GB SD cards were all that was available :)
?
The new bootloader isn't required if your Gemini is working fine. You can skip it if you don't care about the benefits listed below, or if you feel uncomfortable performing the update.
?
The update process itself is about as complicated as the L6 upgrade to the new servo firmware, and requires:
?
- A 20 pin ULINK2 emulator/programmer -- about $30 from Amazon
- Keil ULink-2 software (runs on Windows)
- MB_BL_2024.uvproj bootloader project file
?
Detailed Instructions can be found here:
?
The new bootloader is based on a modern version of Keil middleware and helps with the following:
- Faster boot-up time for Gemini
- Better compatibility with different types and larger size SD cards
- Resolves the issue with the dreaded M:Curr_Gem.bin file for those who have experienced it
?
Be careful if you decide to update your Gemini. Follow instructions!
?
Regards,
?
? ? -Paul
?
--
Michael A. Covington, Ph.D.
Consultant, Covington Innovations, Athens, Georgia, USA
|
Re: Gemini BOOTLOADER update available
Can someone share a link to the exact programming device needed??
I went to Amazon just now, and it was far from obvious.
On 2025-04-07 17:31, Paul Kanevsky
wrote:
Hi Folks,
?
¸é±ð²Ô¨¦, as usual, has been busy with Gemini improvements. The
new Bootloader is an update to the original one that was created
when 2GB SD cards were all that was available :)
?
The new bootloader isn't required if your Gemini is working
fine. You can skip it if you don't care about the benefits
listed below, or if you feel uncomfortable performing the
update.
?
The update process itself is about as complicated as the L6
upgrade to the new servo firmware, and requires:
?
- A 20 pin ULINK2 emulator/programmer -- about $30 from Amazon
- Keil ULink-2 software (runs on Windows)
- MB_BL_2024.uvproj bootloader project file
?
Detailed Instructions can be found here:
?
The new bootloader is based on a modern version of Keil
middleware and helps with the following:
- Faster boot-up time for Gemini
- Better compatibility with different types and larger size SD
cards
- Resolves the issue with the dreaded M:Curr_Gem.bin
file for those who have experienced it
?
Be careful if you decide to update your Gemini. Follow
instructions!
?
Regards,
?
? ? -Paul
?
--
Michael A. Covington, Ph.D.
Consultant, Covington Innovations, Athens, Georgia, USA
|
Re: Gemini BOOTLOADER update available
On Mon, Apr 7, 2025 at 07:36 PM, Daniel wrote:
Big thanks to ¸é±ð²Ô¨¦, Paul, David and all the Gemini team for providing such support to the system. I have not encountered the M: file issue, and do not know what this issue is, may be because my Gemini II is still on L6.02, thus in principle I should stay away from this. The computer engineer inside me however is curious about the update process. Can this update be fatal and the Gemini II be bricked if not performed exactly or if power fails during the process ?? When you use a JTAG connector is because easier software based firmware updates have failed so, I think that even if the Gemini II gets bricked it could be recovered using a JTAG programmer (much as it happens when programming a FPGA), but I am not sure if this is the case.
I doubt you could brick a Gemini by bad or interrupted programming. I assume it's possible if you don't align the connector pins the right way. If you do connect it correctly, you should be able to reprogram the bootloader even after a failed attempt. I updated three Gemini units this way, and one had a corrupted bootloader when it was sent to me and would not start. The reprogramming fixed it right up.?
?
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Re: Level 6.1 , HC 1.63/ Changelog
On Mon, Apr 7, 2025 at 09:56 PM, Rainer wrote:
Thanks Paul but I do not own any Losmandy with Gemini anymore
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I realize that, Rainer, but even without a Gemini, it's still nice to see you! :)
?
Regards,
?
? ?-Paul
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Re: Level 6.1 , HC 1.63/ Changelog
Thanks Paul but I do not own any Losmandy with Gemini anymore
?
regards Rainer
?
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Re: Gemini BOOTLOADER update available
Big thanks to ¸é±ð²Ô¨¦, Paul, David and all the Gemini team for providing such support to the system. I have not encountered the M: file issue, and do not know what this issue is, may be because my Gemini II is still on L6.02, thus in principle I should stay away from this. The computer engineer inside me however is curious about the update process. Can this update be fatal and the Gemini II be bricked if not performed exactly or if power fails during the process ?? When you use a JTAG connector is because easier software based firmware updates have failed so, I think that even if the Gemini II gets bricked it could be recovered using a JTAG programmer (much as it happens when programming a FPGA), but I am not sure if this is the case.
?
Regards,
Daniel??
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Re: Gemini 2 with stellarmate PRO
I understand and have experienced the clicks when the motors are not connected. This is normal behavior.
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Dave
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Re: Gemini BOOTLOADER update available
Thank you Paul and ¸é±ð²Ô¨¦!
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Gemini 2 with stellarmate PRO
I am away on work in Carlsbad NM and intend to bring back my setup next time I go home. I also bought a stellarmate pro controller. I actually like the interface/app. So what I have done was brought just the Gemini 2 v6 with me by itself. I go to power it up. When do, I hear an occasional clicking sound coming from it. It's a 15v center positive supply. Should I be concerned or is that normal?
?
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Thanks!
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Rainer
Chip Louie
Paul Kanevsky
Ryan Noonan