Thanks Brian for the help
So I have both
a USB to powered hub to computer and
Gemininet via ethernet to pwered hub
both connected and running at the same time and usually without error messages ( but occ and esp last night night - my wife insisted I turn off my laptop monitoring by team viewer due to thexcessive " communications error !! "
but the mount chugged flawlessly around 1 RMS error on PHD for many hours despite these intermittent error messages

so need to update ASCOM version
and HC V 1.2 is current?
Thanks
Ron

Thanks Paul for your response

Gemini 2?

Funny I’m listening to it now on my windows PC and invariably proceeds to a “command time down”.?The Gemini status pops up but guiding continues good

I have Gemini 2?connected by USB 2?powered hub to my PC

Funny all quiet now

I?also ?have?Gemini net installed but have not turned it on during this session

Ron

On Sunday, January 23, 2022, 5:39 PM, Paul Kanevsky <yh@...> wrote:

Hi Ron,

Communications error is usually a timeout error on delivering a command to Gemini. It's an indication of a poor or noisy connection, bad cable, or sometimes a poor serial/usb/ethernet or other converter you're using.

What version of Gemini are you using and how is it connected to the PC?

Regards,

? ? ?-Palu
On Sat, Jan 22, 2022 at 10:44 PM, Ron wrote:

Can somebody explain to me the sources of my reoccurring ?“Communications error”
I get a pause in my PhD but things will resume just fine, stacking continues … nevertheless I get intermittent communication error messages
please help me track down the causes of this error message
Ron

Sorry Paul

V 1.20

Ron?

On Sunday, January 23, 2022, 5:39 PM, Paul Kanevsky <yh@...> wrote:

Hi Ron,

Communications error is usually a timeout error on delivering a command to Gemini. It's an indication of a poor or noisy connection, bad cable, or sometimes a poor serial/usb/ethernet or other converter you're using.

What version of Gemini are you using and how is it connected to the PC?

Regards,

? ? ?-Palu
On Sat, Jan 22, 2022 at 10:44 PM, Ron wrote:

Can somebody explain to me the sources of my reoccurring ?“Communications error”
I get a pause in my PhD but things will resume just fine, stacking continues … nevertheless I get intermittent communication error messages
please help me track down the causes of this error message
Ron

Hello all,
?I have a Gemini 1 controlled Losmandy G11. For reasons unknown, my power cable has gone AWOL. Losmandy has none in stock so I’m going to have to beg, borrow, steal or fabricate my own.?

If anyone has an old or spare cable they are willing to part with, I shall be happy to pay costs.?

I am reasonably certain that I could fabricate the cable myself. Misfortunately, I don’t have a wiring diagram or the part number for the Gemini end plug. It appears to be a 6 pin DIN. If this brain trust could supply me with said wiring diagram and part number for the plug, I would be most appreciative.?

Many thanks,
paul

>>> I'm experiencing the same issue after running the mount in a remote installation. I'm becoming more confident in that the mount just isn't cutout for this work. Bugs everywhere..

?

?

Daniel I run 4+ Losmandy mounts remotely , virtually every night, unattended and powered on 24/7. I don’t have any issues with parking, as I must park each mount at CWD every night, and startup from CWD as well (power is left on, so I’m not restarting the mount every time. I do power cycle the entire setup from time to time)

?

Of course I’m not there with you so I can’t see what exactly is happening with your mount, but based on some of the things you mentioned, it’s worth looking at how you are using it with Voyager.

?

Better yet, if you have ascom and voyager logs from any of the times that behavior has happened, that would be ideal. Data is always a great help to hunting down questions

?

?

Thanks

?

Brian

?

Brian Valente

Losmandy Astronomical

?

Losmandy.com

Tutorials and vids at

?

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Daniel Judge
Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2022 7:47 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Gemini_users_io] Parking to Home position failing

?

[Edited Message Follows]
[Reason: corrected typos]

Was this one ever resolved?

I'm experiencing the same issue after running the mount in a remote installation. I'm becoming more confident in that the mount just isn't cutout for this work. Bugs everywhere..

With the mount powered on for two days, it's suddently not able to park to CWD.
I have been powering on from CWD, Cold Start. I will plate solve and sync to 4-5 stars covering the West/East of the Meridian and then do my imaging run, which does it's own plate solve and sync on repositioning during the imaging run.

For two days it has finished the session, run the HOME command, then PARK command. And everytime it slews to CWD position and goes into Park mode.
Now just on the third night.. at the end of the session, HOME command just stopped the mount in it's last position when the last image was taken; pointing at the Western horizon and parked itself in the same position. If I unpark, then from the Gemini.net hand controller go to Park at CWD, it just parks itself in the same position.

Is there a limit to the amount of saved positions in RAM. I'm wondering if the saved position for Park mode is being overwritten, or returning null. I need to go through the logs later and see if I can work out if it's something obvious or not.

Where can I find that Beta ?? I am about to rebuild my G11 and would like to install that..

Derek

?

---

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of graeme@...
Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2022 4:17 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Gemini_users_io] Parking to Home position failing...

?

If you have the ability to plate solve, and to remotely power cycle, you can reset the optimal CWD position (to within a few minutes in both RA/DEC) by the following?process;

• I get the mount roughly in the right place (I do this via CCTV, but eyeball would be fine to?your?tape marks) and Cold/Warm Start it.
• Do? a slew to somewhere just to the east of the meridian, near the celestial equator
• Do a?plate?solve?and sync.
• Park back at?CWD.
• With tracking stopped, slew manually in dec (note, from parked, a manual slew will start tracking going again so you need to stop it again) – at this point look at the hour angle – Ideally should be very close to +/- 6hrs.
• If it is not, work out which way the mount needs to move when at?CWD?to achieve this. (I find this the hardest step, and invariably get it wrong – try a small movement first!). Park at?CWD?and do this movement manually using the hand control while watching the HA/RA values.
• Immediately Reboot/Power cycle and do a *Warm Start*
• Repeat the process, by slewing to near the meridian. Hopefully, the HA should be closer to +/-6. If not, you made the correction in the wrong direction.
• Repeat corrections as needed to get closer to the right HA value – I can usually get to almost the right position in 1 or 2?iterations – certainly close enough to allow meridian flips to work (I flip at 12min past meridian – safety limit is 20min past).

?

The position will be slightly different if you plate solve from the west in step 2/3 - I choose east because this is where a flip starts.

?

Runaway slews: I know of 2 causes - a) On the Gemini 2 firmware, there were issues with short corrective slews (eg for centering after platesolve) - the beta (still??) from 2018 solved this. b) broken cable/dry solder joint on the relevant port resulting in lack of encoded feedback as Michael describes. I've experienced the latter with a remote G2 - it's bad luck.?

?

Graeme

?

From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Daniel Judge
Sent: 13 January 2022 10:30
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Gemini_users_io] Parking to Home position failing...

?

I have placed tape markers on the RA and DEC arms when I manually tightened the clutches with the scope in the best CWD position. If I need to realign CWD I can do this via manual slewing via remote camera to align my markers then remote power off the mount and then power back on with cold start. This *should* remove all modelling and restore the alt/az position for CWD.

?

I’ll cold start again and see if I can get the same behaviour to occur.

?

I’m thinking I might platesolve 6-8 stars around the sky to build a model, but in imaging sequences ensure platesolves don’t add additional syncs to the model to rule out model getting warped.?

?

I’m not to concerned if it won’t do things properly as I have a new premium mount coming soon, but would prefer not to have collisions or bad accidents in the interim. It’s kind of a learning experience to see what can and can’t be done here for now..

?

On 13 Jan 2022, at 17:20, graeme@... wrote:

?

Do *not* plate solve at (or near) the pole – this can lead to all kinds of issues (a very small pointing error can be many hours of RA out) and this can throw the pointing model out entirely.

?

Graeme

?

From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Derek C Breit
Sent: 13 January 2022 05:28
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Gemini_users_io] Parking to Home position failing...

?

A Possible solution.. Maybe.. Plate Solve at the pole, then select Park Here.. Cycle the power, and then cold start and you be much closer to CWD / The startup position you seek.. Maybe Sharcap’s Polar Routine would be useful..

?

Synching to a known object and then Parking at CWD should also work.. if not the above might..

?

I have read that remote operators use video to monitor where their scopes are pointed / view the bubble level in the saddle, etc so they don’t have to physically return to “fix things”..

?

I am always at my scope, so these are just logical solutions, but might help..

?

Derek

?

---

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Michael Herman
Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2022 8:18 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Gemini_users_io] Parking to Home position failing...

?

Hi Daniel,

?

You are using a Park feature that I've read about in the Gemini manual, but never tried.??

?

That is the ability to set your own Home park position that is separate from the CWD position.??

?

Reading your description, it seems possible the system got "set" so the Home position was to the Western position you were last pointing to.? Then after that, each time you tell it to go Home, it just goes to or stays at that location.? However, if you tell it to go Park to CWD, it should go to CWD as a universally known position.??

?

Anyway, if I've misinterpreted your message, I apologize.? I would say though that unattended operation of the Gemini system can be hazardous and should be carefully monitored.??

?

One reason for the caution is that there have been reports of runaway slews.? The causes have not been resolved.? The Gemini detects only the motor rotation by getting electrical pulses from the motor's optical encoder.? If those signals don't get received, it seems that the Gemini can keep DC motor power going without any "time out" protection.? This happened to another owner recently, and that slew (when it was supposed to Park I think,) wrapped his DEC cable and broke his gearbox.??

?

Best of luck resolving your Park / Home issue,

?

Michael

?

?

?

On Wed, Jan 12, 2022, 7:47 PM Daniel Judge <dan@...> wrote:

Was this one ever resolved?

I'm experiencing the same issue after running the mount in a remote installation. I'm becoming more confident in that the mount just isn't cutout for this work. Bugs everywhere..

With the mount powered on for two days, it's suddently not able to park to CWD.
I have been powering on from CWD, Cold Start. I will plate solve and sync to 4-5 stars covering the West/East or the Meridian and then do my imaging run, which does it's own plate solve and sync on repositioning and imaging run.

For two days it has finished the session, run HOME command, then PARK command. And everytime it flews to CWD position and goes into Park mode.
Now just on the third night.. at the end of the session, HOME command just stopped the mount in it's last position pointing at the Western horizon from it's last image run, and parked in the same position. If I unpark, then from the Gemini.net hand controller go to Park at CWD, it just parks itself in the same position.

?

?

Virus-free.

?

?