Re: Upgrading Gemini L6 to L6.02 or L6.12
Chip,
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I'm using N.I.N.A for imaging software with PHD2 for guiding.? Here is my imaging setup
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GSO RC10 f8 @ 2000FL
ZWO Off Axis Guider with ZWO ASI174mini
ZWO ASI2600MM Pro Imaging Camera
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Let me know if you need any information.
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As stated above, the guiding and imaging was working fine with the Gemini Level 6 version of the driver.? I was guiding error of about 0.6 & 0.7 arcsec Total error using the Level 6 driver.? ?The only change to the setup was Gemini Firmware version.? However after upgrading to Level 6.02 or 6..12, I could not get it to guide because the DEC axis kept guiding to the North or South and the guide pulse were not able to keep up with the shift of the guide star until the guide star was lost.? It almost like the guide pulses need to be much larger with the new software but I don't understand why that would be.? ?The polar alignment did not change between firmware changes.? Reinstalling Level 6.0 firmware seems to be the only solution that I have been able to identify.
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Re: Losmandy Polar scope and elusive "second star"
Greetings,
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To help see the "elusive second star", after aligning the Cassiopeia and Ursa Major constellations in the reticle to where they are in the sky, adjust the mount so that Polaris is within the line gap, then rotate the RA clutch knob (and thus the polarscope) back-n-forth by about 5 - 10 degrees several times while looking in the area where the second star is supposed to be in the reticle. It helps make the second star visibly noticeable.
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Cheers,
Ed
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Re: Upgrading Gemini L6 to L6.02 or L6.12
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Hi Michael,
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What does your main imaging and guiding hardware setup consist of?? Are you guiding with an OAG or piggyback?? There are many potential issues which ones to consider depend entirely on the gear being used.? List your full configuration and let's go from there.?
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Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?
Astrospheric - South Pasadena, CA?
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Re: Losmandy Polar scope and elusive "second star"
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In a Bottle 2/3 area these are very easy to see targets.? Just remember to get the mount reasonably well aligned before you try to PA.? Use a phone GPS app with a compass and remember to use true north not magnetic.??
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I don't know if you have your mount setup like this but the polar scope needs to be configured.correctly.? First the reticle must be well aligned / centered in the polar scope.? By this I mean the center point where the reticle lines all intersect should be the center of the field of rotation and should not move as the scope is rotated in a pair of V-blocks.? There are instructions on the manual that is downloadable online on how to do this.??
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The other thing is that the polarscope retaining ring should be installed loose enough to allow the polar scope to rotate smoothly and easily.? You need to be able to rotate the polarscope to allow a rough orientation of the constellation on the reticle with what you see in the night sky above you.??
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Once you have this it will be easy to get all three stars into position on the reticle which will give you a surprisingly good polar alignment.? Take your time.and you'll be rewarded with accurate GOTOs.??
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Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?
Astrospheric - South Pasadena, CA?
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Re: Losmandy Polar scope and elusive "second star"
Thanks.? Yes that is very helpful.? It was my hunch that in my 5 bortle skies and doing it too early in the evening was the reason I wasn't seeing it.? I'm hoping to do a session tomorrow night at a 2/3 Bortle dark site and will see if it/they show up.
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Re: Losmandy Polar scope and elusive "second star"
On Wed, Apr 16, 2025 at 03:38 PM, <freeparticle@...> wrote:
I'm starting to get the hang of the Gemini 2 / G 11 but in the half dozen or so sessions I've had so far I've simply been unable to find the elusive "second star" in the polar scope.? I'm a visual guy so getting Polaris in its slot and subsequent modeling works quite well but wondering if someone can help me find that second star.? There are no other visible stars in the polar scope as far as I can tell.? I admit I do my alignment in twilight due to the fact I don't want to start sessions too late in the evening (for now).?
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A lot depends on where you are observing from.? You'll never see the 2nd or 3rd stars if observing in the city.? The first star is Polaris a bright 2nd mag
?star, Polaris should be the obvious bright star in the polar scope's field of view if you are pointed reasonably close to the NCP.? But if you misidentify Polaris or miss Polaris with the polar scope which is surprisingly easy to do with the slightly narrow FOV of the polar scope you'll never see the other two stars.??
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The second star Delta Ursa Minor is about a visual Mag 4 star so just slightly harder to find if you are in a urban-city area.? In a relatively dark sky area it should be the other obvious star if you have identified and positioned Polaris correctly in the polar scope.??I'm less than 9 miles as the crow flies out of downtown Los Angeles in a low lying area that is very well shielded.from the city light glow to the west.? My driveway observation spot rates at Bortle 7/8 depending on the transparency in the L.A. basin.? On a moonless night after astronomical sunset I can see the second star though it is faint it is solidly there.??
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The third star is 51 Cep a dimmer 5th Mag star that can likely only be seen if you are in a sort of dark sky area, Bortle 6 or better.? I can easily see 51 Cep at the club dark sky site (Bortle 2+) but I have only rarely seen it in the suburbs (Bortle 7/8) where I live through the small polar scope.?
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Hope this helps.??
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Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?
Astrospheric - South Pasadena, CA?
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Losmandy Polar scope and elusive "second star"
I'm starting to get the hang of the Gemini 2 / G 11 but in the half dozen or so sessions I've had so far I've simply been unable to find the elusive "second star" in the polar scope.? I'm a visual guy so getting Polaris in its slot and subsequent modeling works quite well but wondering if someone can help me find that second star.? There are no other visible stars in the polar scope as far as I can tell.? I admit I do my alignment in twilight due to the fact I don't want to start sessions too late in the evening (for now).?
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Upgrading Gemini L6 to L6.02 or L6.12
I have been operating my Losmandy G11 using the original Level 6 release in since about mid-2023 without any issues that I'm aware.? But after upgrading to telescope to a longer focal length, I determine that it may be beneficial to upgrade to a version that supported the latest PEC enhancements.? So, I jumped all in upgrading the firmware to Level 6.12.? I also generated a PEC curve using PEMPro Version 3.10.14.
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Since the telescope was already Polar Aligned and the PHD2 was already calibrated, I tried running Guiding Assistant but observed that the DEC axis would shift like it was not getting any guiding pulses.? I checked for cables snag but found none.? I then thought that maybe the firmware update had enabled TVC but found that is was still set to Zero on the HC and Gemini Telescope.? I was also unable to re-run the PHD2 calibration.? So I reinstalled Level 6.0 and was able to perform my Guiding Assistance and imaging for the remainder of the night.
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So I than tried to just upgrade to the Level 6.02 but had the same issue that I observed with Level 6.12, so I once again downgraded to Level 6 and was able to do guiding assistance and imaging for the remainder of the night.
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After reviewing most of the feedback about the firmware upgrades to Level 6.02 and 6.1; I was unable to determine anybody having similar issue, so I'm at a lost to the solution.? Does anybody have any ideas as to what could be causing this issue?
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Thanks,
Michael
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Re: Autoguider Recommendations
Chuck,
? I¡¯m sure you will receive lots of good advice from members on this forum. I have taken the path of using ZWO cooled cameras (for deep sky objects) and un-cooled cameras with high frame rates for high magnification planetary imaging.?
Off-axis guiding using PHD guiding will minimize blurring due to tracking errors in the mount.?
NINA is a very popular astroimaging software package supported by the astro-imaging community. There are plenty of YouTube tutorials.?
These are all things which students could quickly master, and in doing so, gain valuable hands-on experience in scientific research. Inviting them to help you utilize your resources might motivate some to pursue a career in the physical sciences, maybe even becoming professional astronomers!
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Re: Autoguider Recommendations
I also have a C14 on a G11. They are great but not perfect by any means.?
I have a hyperstar system. I use this always. I have it paid with a DSc10TEC. I'm by no means know what I'm doing,? only by the help of all here.
For long exposures the hyperstar will greatly aid your students. Taking a 3 minute exposure down to 20 seconds. Plus you'll see more of the sky. The camera is so good that 300% zoom is clearly achieved. Once and a great while I will try it out at its native F11. Plants... yes.? A few galaxies.... yes. The rest no, it's fov is too little.? Plus I hate moving to rebalance.?
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For guiding I use a piggy back skywatcher 50ED. Camera is either a ZWO mini or DSc287.?
This mount and PHD2 work easily. This should get you what you are asking for.? In my experience with this mount you really have to be on top of things to start getting really long exposures.?
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Chuck Gehrke
Florence, AZ
StarliteObservatory on Twitch.
Starlite Starbrite Observatory on YouTube.
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Re: Gemini BOOTLOADER update available
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It should boot noticably faster.??
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Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?
Astrospheric - South Pasadena, CA?
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Re: Gemini BOOTLOADER update available
On Mon, Apr 14, 2025 at 06:59 PM, Oberon510 wrote:
My upgrade appeared OK. Is there a way to double check the new bootloader is actually in (apart from the Keil OK and Finished messages)?
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Thanks,
Ken
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Sounds like it was updated, Ken. The main thing to notice is the faster boot time. From the time you flip the power switch to the time the HC is initialized.
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Re: Gemini BOOTLOADER update available
On Mon, Apr 14, 2025 at 04:05 PM, Oberon510 wrote:
One other thing. Has anyone had any ticking sounds coming from the unit (Gemini-2) afterwards? Mine now ticks every second or so.
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Ignore, it was just that RA/DEC cables were not plugged in when the upgrade happened.
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Re: Autoguider Recommendations
Hello again!? Didn¡¯t mean to sound like I was pouting my way out before.? I honestly wanted to make sure I was prepared to answer the questions folks had, and running our observatory isn¡¯t as big a part of
my job as I wish it was, so it took me a while to get time to come back to it.
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Here¡¯s some more info about our equipment and what I¡¯m hoping to do.
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2 years ago, I took over as lab manager for NIU¡¯s physics dept, including their observatory which had been out of service for some years. ?We have a Celestron C14 and a Televue 60mm refractor mounted on a
25yo G11 mount under a rotating dome.? There was another very old guiding system installed that was no longer working when I started, so I replaced it with a new Gemini II system, which I love.? We currently control everything using a SkyFi connection to a
tablet running Sky Safari, along with the Gemini hand controller.? I have quite a bit of experience using smaller telescopes and have always enjoyed astronomy, but as for the more technical side of things, I¡¯m figuring a lot out as I go.? I consider myself
a passionate amateur who is now pushing their boundaries (in a good way.)?
The observatory is only used for community outreach currently, and while we have gained quite a community following over the last 2 years, ?I would also love to start incorporating more ways for the students
to make better use of the equipment up there.
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One of the things I am interested in trying out is long-term exposure photography, hence the interest in autoguiders.? As I understand it, they can also help with the accuracy of the scope¡¯s go-to movements,
which would be an added bonus. ?I was thinking this might be a good way to reach out and get the astronomy students and maybe even some photography students more engaged.? And it could provide images that we could use to further promote the observatory. (And
it¡¯s something I¡¯ve always kind of wanted to learn to do anyway.)? However, I know next to nothing about how to choose the right autoguider.? We currently have a MallinCam Solarcam 8.? It works great for short exposure Sun and Moon shots, but I think we might
also want another camera that¡¯s better suited for deep space and planetary viewing.? My main concern when purchasing the current camera was the upcoming (at that time) solar and lunar eclipses that I knew we wanted to capture.? Now we¡¯re ready to go deeper,
and summer is when I have time to work on upgrades.
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So that¡¯s a bit more about our equipment and my immediate goals for it.? If anyone has any questions, suggestions for autoguiders or cameras, warnings, words of wisdom, soup recipes, etc. they¡¯d like to share,
I¡¯m here for it.?
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Thanks!
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Jeremy Benson
Keeper of Keys and Labs
NIU Department of Physics
NASA Solar System Ambassador
La Tourette 202A
815.753.1953
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From: [email protected] <[email protected]>
On Behalf Of Mtn Goat via groups.io
Sent: Monday, April 7, 2025 2:03 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Gemini-II_io] Autoguider Recommendations
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With my G11, for medium size stuff I use a 60mm Orion guidescope (love it) with a Zwo 120mm (full body not mini) for my 2000mm 10¡± RC I use my William Optics G71 as a guide scope w/ a full body Zwo 290mm. I have sold the 120mm and use my
290 on everything.
What you guide with depends on what you are imaging with.
On Apr 7, 2025, at 12:58?PM, Jonathan via groups.io <jkaiser3000@...> wrote:
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Hi Jeremy, I¡¯m not sure exactly what you are looking for but, a simple guidescope and guide camera would be a start. I am currently using a cheap 50mm guidescope from astromania with an ASI178MM camera but, depending on your setup you can
get by with an even cheaper, 30mm guidescope. Any camera would work really, but the newer generations are better (as they always tend to be lol).
On the other hand, if you have a long focal length scope or one that suffers from mirror flop, then an off axis guider may be the better option.
Also, on the controlling software side, if you are using a PC PHD2 guiding is your goto option for connecting and guiding the mount, otherwise an ASI Air or similar should get you going.
If you give us a better description of your setup and your needs we may offer better, more tailored options.
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Re: Gemini BOOTLOADER update available
One other thing. Has anyone had any ticking sounds coming from the unit (Gemini-2) afterwards? Mine now ticks every second or so.
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Thanks,
Ken
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Re: Gemini BOOTLOADER update available
My upgrade appeared OK. Is there a way to double check the new bootloader is actually in (apart from the Keil OK and Finished messages)?
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Thanks,
Ken
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On Mon, Apr 14, 2025 at 03:34 PM, <freeparticle@...> wrote:
Paul sorry to bug you again but I've watched the videos on "PAC" and also read the manual but I still have a question.? If this strictly visual guy decides to get OCD about alignment, after completing the PAC process it says I have to do modeling again.? Do I start from the position I'm in or manually return the scope to CWD position before starting the modeling process?
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IIRC, you just start from the position you're in. The model should be reset automatically, so you just need to start building a new one from where the mount is.
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Paul sorry to bug you again but I've watched the videos on "PAC" and also read the manual but I still have a question.? If this strictly visual guy decides to get OCD about alignment, after completing the PAC process it says I have to do modeling again.? Do I start from the position I'm in or manually return the scope to CWD position before starting the modeling process?
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Perfect!? Thanks!? That explains it!
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Michael Broyles
Chip Louie
Chuck Gehrke
Paul Kanevsky