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Gemini 2 handset will not connect to Gemini 2
13
In January I retrofitted my old G-11 to Gemini 2. The Gemini 2 worked the first two times I had it out but tonight it failed during startup. It made it past recognizing the (Losmandy's) GPS unit but hung when I pushed "Next". On turning the power switch off and back on, it made it past initializing the hand controller, but after a few seconds of trying to connect to the gemini, the controller screen went black, and then the colored start-up screen appeared, just as if I had cycled power. This behavior repeats indefinitely no matter what I do -- initialize, fail to connect to Gemini, back to start-up screen, repeat ... I have turned the Gemini power switch off and on many times and also disconnected and reconnected the battery many times. I have tried three different batteries and two different power cords. I also disconnected and reconnected all cables many times, and tried it without the GPS unit connected. No luck. I have not yet opened either case for any purpose: The unit has the same internal battery, the same SD cards (thus far un-reseated by me) and the same software as when Losmandy delivered it. I thought I should ask advice before I proceeded further. Any suggestions? -- Jay Reynolds Freeman--------------------- Jay_Reynolds_Freeman@... http://JayReynoldsFreeman.com (personal web site)
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What Coordinate System is Gemini Using?
5
While using Sky Safari to track down SAO Numbers to add to my Double Star list, so I can use Gemini HC SAO catalog, I found that Sky Safari uses RA(2025.3)/Dec(2025.3). Searching for Beta Mon, I learned that it is SAO 133317, but it is also STF 919, which is in the Gemini HC Struve catalog. The RA/DEC coordinates in Sky Safari and Gem Struve don't match. What coordinate system is Gemini using? Gem Struve Catalog RA 06:28:48, Dec -07:02:00 Sky Safari 2025.3 RA 06:30:03, Dec -07:03:00 Kevin
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Losmandy Hand Controller problem
7
My hand controller is displaying a solid white screen, with no text or images. I am running Gemini-2 with version 6.12. These are the steps completed. Cycled power. Checked for night mode, but nothing is displayed, even when its dark. I went through the online documentation on troubleshooting. I took the HC apart to reseat the memory card. No issues identified. Re-flashed the HC to version 6.02, with no change in behavior. The reflash did not have any errors, i'm thinking taht it may be an issue with the display. Does anyone have an idea on how to troubleshoot this. I am willing to purchase a new HC, but would love to fix this. The unit is only 1 year old. Is the display card available for purchase at a reasonable price? I am also considering not replacing the HC given that I can still image w/o the unit. Any help is appreciated.
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Catalog Explanations
G'morning, After building a model and setting limits last wknd., I was able to get some observing in last night. My Goto's were putting my object in the FOV of an 8mm/122x eyepiece. Although not quite centered. No biggie, as I'm awaiting some parts to do maintenance, clean, regrease, etc. I'll re-model, PA, and balance then. But here is my query. I wanted to go to Beta Monoceritis, a very pretty triple star. In the catalogs I didn't know where to look for it. I didn't know the SAO number or the STF designation for it. Thanks to Sky Safari on my phone I was able to get that info and away I went. Many of my Double Star lists, Atlases don't have SAO's or are not in the STF( STT, Bu ) Anyway, is there a catalog for Bayer designations, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, etc.? Most of the catalogs in the HC are easy( I am not connected to a PC yet, HC only ), Messier, NGC, Caldwell, but what are "Combined_Constellation_Stars", or PN( Planetary Nebula? ) catalogs? An explanation of the various catalogs would be a nice feature on the Gem 2 Website and a tutorial on how to use them. I do a lot of outreach and right now it is Galaxy season. Unless you have a light bucket, Galaxies are boring to show/look at. While double stars are a fun objects to show people, especially with different/contrasty colors. Iota Cas is another good one. I guess my question really is, Which catalog do I look for Bayer designations in? I know I can build my own catalogs, but I'm not ready to do that. Kevin
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Losmandy Polar scope and elusive "second star"
5
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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Greetings everyone! Apologies if this has been discussed already (I did a quick but not exhaustive search through past posts), but I am looking for suggestions for a good entry level autoguiding system to go along with our G11 mount and Gemini II system. Autoguiding is something I¡¯m completely new to, so I¡¯m looking for something simple to set up and learn to use, and any advice or guidance would be appreciated. The ioptron iguider is one I¡¯ve been looking at. We have an ioptron polar scope and I love it, so theirs was one of the first I¡¯ve checked out. Thanks in advance! Jeremy Benson Keeper of Keys and Labs NIU Department of Physics NASA Solar System Ambassador La Tourette 202A 815.753.1953 www.niu.edu/clas/physics From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Paul Kanevsky via groups.io Sent: Sunday, March 23, 2025 1:09 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Gemini-II_io] Starlight Xpress AO Connections On Sun, Mar 23, 2025 at 11:31 AM, Rick Scott wrote: I have the original large Losmandy Gemini 2 controller and have been using the Ethernat port for pulse guiding with PHD2. I¡¯m adding Starlight Xpress AO unit to my system and need to know which Gemini port to use for the bump command from the AO and how to set it up. Thanks in advance, Rick Hi Rick, I think that will depend on the software you use to control the autoguider. I see that SX AO unit has an autoguider output, so I assume the native SX software can use that port to bump the mount. You'll then want to connect the RJ11 port on the AO to the Autoguider input on Gemini-2 and calibrate it using SX software. Alternatively, if you use some other software that can control SX AO and that supports ASCOM telescope interface for guiding, then you can use the Ethernet port to bump using theASCOM pulse guiding commands, just like you do today with PHD2. Regards, -Paul
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Hello all, A particular binary was recommended for viewing this month namely Tegmine in Cancer (Zeta Cancri A) and my app Sky Guide provided the following catalogue designations which I wasn't able to find under the catalogue menu on the HC. Am I missing something?
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Hi, Last weekend got my G-11 Retro-kit installed but rain kept me from doing Cold Start. Did Quick Start got the Time/Location all set. Last night I was back out, rolled the roof and got ready for Cold Start. Set CWD using level, flipped on Gemini and my 1st chore was to set my Custom Home Park position. Slewed to my custom position, Pier Side W, Set Home Here. No problems so far. My next chore was to set my limits. My mount is in my custom home, so I press Park At CWD. The mount slews fine in RA all the way to CWD, but the Dec starts and stops, giving me a Dec Stall message. I tried manually pressing the Dec buttons, the Dec moves to the W, but when I press the East it beeps and says Dec Stall. I did not try and set the Custom Home to Pier Side E to see if I get the same behavior. One thing, while installing the Retro-fit kit I lost one of the grub/set screws for the Dec Worm Cover. Could this be the problem? Anyone know what size it is so I can get one from the hardware store?
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I woke up to my telescope as shown in this picture. Somewhere around 11PM the mount disconnected - second time this has happened recently. But what troubles me is that the mount continues to track and ignores the safety limit. Shouldn't it stop tracking if it reaches the limit? This is an ethernet connected mount, and it's worked fine except for the occasional disconnect like this. Luckily I don't think it hit the pier (this time). Any idea why this is happening?
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Hi all, My Reverse RA & DEC options are enabled, causing my mount to slew to the opposite side of the pier than my target. Ive tried to reset the HGM parameters and then re-setup the Gemini II with latest firmware, but after connecting my INDI driver to it and I check the hand controller, I see the two checkboxes are enabled. Im not sure about when they get enabled, but the INDI developers tell me it is not the driver because the Reverse function is internal to the Gemini II. I took pictures to illustrate the situation. My goal is to never have the checkboxes enabled. I dont know if is related, but often I see in INDI my longitude displayed as approximately 260, not -119, as is the standard format. Clear Skies, Paul
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Hi, Now that I am here I have a curiosity question. Those who knew from the times before 2018 back to >2008 when I still had my Losmandy G11-RS, know that I like to tinker, and improve?? (maybe make things worse :-0 ), everything I have. I have two mounts, big mounts with 52kg capacity(counterweights not included), with stepper motors and encoder discs (big glass discs glued on the worm gear) on the RA and DEC axis Worm gear with 360 teeth and 216mm ?. According to the producer the resolution of the encoder is 0.035" (arcseconds). Is it possible to use Gemini 2 with Stepper motors and the encoder discs? Rainer NHSA Observatory Mexico (in order to not create confusion) :-)
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Level 6.1 , HC 1.63/ Changelog
12
Greetings, folks! After what felt like an eternity of clouded skies, we finally had a night of clear skies here in germany. I was pumped to finally test the new firmware. So, with full enthusiasm, a few buddies and I trekked out to the field, set up our gear -myself the G11 with Gemini2 and all that jazz- and i started the alignment process. And then... disaster. The G11 decided to slew in completely the wrong direction. I checked the GPS coordinates and time, like a good little astronomer. Nope, still wrong. G11 was off doing its own thing. I double-checked all settings, including ASCOM. Restarted. Nada. G11 was still moonwalking in the wrong direction. By this point, my friends were already having a blast while I was having a personal meltdown,. In the end, I threw in the towel for the night. Next day, I decided to calm down and take a look at everything at home. In the changelog of HC v1.63, there it was something about: "Checkbox to invert the direction of gearboxes in Mount->Gearing (for McLennan gearboxes, for example)." Found the checkboxes in the HC... but why on Earth were these two checkboxes already ticked ... by default!? Guys, I spent one full night out there, and it turns out that two tiny little checkboxes that had me chasing my tail. Classic. Honestly, those checkboxes should really be left unchecked by default so no one else ends up barking up the wrong tree for an entire night over something so tiny. ;-) cheers /Rainer
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Gemini 2 with stellarmate PRO
2
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? Thanks!
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Well, bust my buttons....
After a computer reset, regaining everything is a PITA. So, one of the last things has been getting my GM811G to slew to park at the end of a NINA session. I know Paul has helped me with this before. But this time I figured it out in the virtual hand control by going to the Park>Configure Park Position>Slew to CWD before parking. A rather DUH moment, but for once I figured it out without asking. (It defaults to No slew before parking. Why do I care?) I have a little WiFi camera on the back fence I use with my cell phone to monitor the mount during the night. If it's parked, I know it completed. If it isn't parked, I don't know if it completed. I need to get 7 hours on my CPAP every night. So remote operation is a benefit to me. Thanks again Paul for the past help! -- Sonny Edmonds GM811G HD
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I don't understand why Losmandy disabled the port for the axis encoders
15
I don't understand why Losmandy disabled the port for the axis encoders on the Gemini II. It was present on the Gemini I, so Losmandy wouldn't have to reinvent the wheel. The reason: There would be so few users who would use encoders, a really great reason. If I understand correctly, you can connect the Nexus devices in parallel and use the encoders. I control the mount via Cartes de Ciel, i.e., via Ascom? The Nexus devices are also capable of being controlled via Ascom, so will the parallel installation work? Regards, Edwin
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Hello, So let's say I've set up the mount correctly re polar alignment and modeling and the pointing accuracy is good. I select a target from the database and it takes me there. After observing the target I decide to wander around the neighborhood of the target slewing here and there, does the Gemini stay with me and not lose modeling/pointing accuracy if I return to the database for a new target? Will it know where it is after I slew away from the target? Thanks in advance.
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First Time Set-up and Use
10
Hi Folks, My name is Kevin, and this is my first time posting to the Group. I took delivery of the Retro-fit kit for my G-ll on Monday and am planning on doing the basic set-up before installation onto my mount. I've been watching all the tutorials on Gemini that Brian has posted to You-tube, and am slowly wrapping my head around it. My goal is for visual at this time, but I'll be doing some imaging later. I've found through watching the vids that it is pretty straight forward with Lat/Lon, but when entering the time I have a question about Daylight Savings Time(pita). I am in the EST zone so my off set is -5, but we are in DST so the offset is -4, right? Also, when in the Fall, do I have to do a Cold Start and change the offset back to -5 again? Basically, I'm just asking for clarification that my thinking about the offset is correct and setting it for DST is correct? Everytime the time changes I will have to change the offset. BTW, any tips you might have for installing the hardware, or first time start-up and use are appreciated. Thanks, Kevin
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Hi folks, An updated version of Gemini firmware L6.12 is now available. This fixes the reported issue where PEC, once programmed, can't be turned off and must be cleared to disable. Update your Gemini using the usual methods: in GFU select L6.12 and click Start to update, or download and copy the files to the SD card from here: /g/Gemini-II/files/Latest%20Firmware%20Files/Gemini%20Firmware%20L6.12 When flashed, the version should read: Note that the HC firmware version didn't change, and remains at v1.64. Regards, -Paul
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Good morning, Just came across something this AM and curious if anyone else can replicate: Gemini2: 6.11 ASCOM: 7.0 When I deselect the PEC container while PEMPro is connected, it immediately reselects. I've tried: Deselecting PEC on Configure PEC page (turning off PEC playback) Deselecting PEC on main Hand Controller window Deselecting PEC on Advanced Settings Page. I noticed this originally when I was trying to record a few cycles this morning before sunrise with PEMPro and the PEC OFF command didn't work. But I tried it with and without PEMPro open and the status of PEMPro did not matter (open or closed) so PEMPro does not seem to be causal. I tried a cold start from the desktop hand controller and a power recycle with the power switch on the Gemini 2, reattempting all three of the above options after the cold start and power recycle. No change. I've attached a log file Here in the Files Section Can anyone else replicate? or is it just a matter of ghosts in my machine? My mount does seem slow to connect and lately fails the first attempt from NINA and then works on the second try. I'm using a direct connection with a crossover cable and a USB-Ethernet dongle. If no one else can replicate, then I will start troubleshooting connections. Thanks Ryan
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Starlight Xpress AO Connections
5
I have the original large Losmandy Gemini 2 controller and have been using the Ethernat port for pulse guiding with PHD2. I¡¯m adding Starlight Xpress AO unit to my system and need to know which Gemini port to use for the bump command from the AO and how to set it up. Thanks in advance, Rick
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Sat 8:39am
Sat 8:39am