Re: Strange behavior of my G-11 Gemini-1
Hi Michael, David and Brendan,
Thank you for your quick reply.? Maybe it's unlikely, but I've asked Losmandy whether there is any upgrade program to Gemini-2.
If such path is not available, I will have my unit to be repaired.? I might request Michael in the U.S. or Brendan in Australia.
I will check with my nearest post office about the cost and delivery time of EMS first.? I don't mind the time because I have a Gemini-2 unit for my another G-11, but if the delivery cost is high, I need to reconsider the new Gemini-2.
?
Thanks in advance,
masami
|
Re: Strange behavior of my G-11 Gemini-1
Yamada
If it’s “cycling” it Initially it sounds like the HC “menu” button is stuck or shorted. ? But this does not explain why it reset nor garbage characters. ?Even with a bad battery your system will run fine until you shut it down. Next boot it will then show “SRAM reset”.
Garbage characters .....comes straight from CPU and EEPROM.?
I suggest the issue is CPU related thus your Gemini unit needs repair. ?You can see if Losmandy is exchanging G1’s in an upgrade programme but I doubt it. ?It’s a long way to send a G1 to me (Australia) for repair? ? Yes I can repair them but the post could be costly.?
Cheers
--
Brendan
|
Re: Strange behavior of my G-11 Gemini-1
Yamada san – you should consider sending your Gemini-1 to Brendan Smith in Australia for repair: ?
? David ?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of YAMADA masami
Sent: 11 October 2020 17:32
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Losmandy_users_io] Strange behavior of my G-11 Gemini-1 ? Hi,
My G-11 Gemini-1 system, which is more than 15 years old, showed strange behavior last night.
While capturing the Mars image, suddenly the image went somewhere out of the FoV of my ASI224MC.
I powered down the system, and restart it, then I found the SRAM was reset somehow.? I noticed that because the location info were zero, and the mount type became Titan.
After several restart attempts, now I cannot control the mount via deluxe HC nor PC, because the menu on the HC was cyclically changing and sometimes shows garbage characters.? The system does not accept any interruption.? I replaced a CR2354 battery and EPROM.? But no avail.
I'm afraid my Gemini-1 seems broken.? Maybe is it time to upgrade to Gemini-2?
masami
Gifu-city, Japan
?
|
Thank you Brian.? I was not sure if that was same as the Gemini 2 system used on the Losmandy G11.? Really appreciate your help.
|
Re: Height of G11G on folding tripod
Wes,
Oh man, I’d love to go to the Eldorado SP. ?When I lived in Austin that was one of my favorites.
If anyone has a G11 with the legs extended and can make the measurement, I’d appreciate it. ?However, if it is 51” collapsed, I suspect I will be fine.
Bill On Oct 11, 2020, at 10:38 AM, wes Bolin < k5apl41@...> wrote:
Sorry Bill.? Just packed it up for Eldorado Star Party.? The legs were minimum height.? And I have the G11T model. Wes On Sun, Oct 11, 2020 at 9:44 AM Bill Tschumy < bill@...> wrote: On Sun, Oct 11, 2020 at 07:41 AM, wes Bolin wrote:
My "flimsy" tape measure shows 50.5 inches with the legs at minimum length.? Measured from the floor to the separation of the two clamp pieces.? Hope that is close enough. Wes,
Yes, that is accurate enough.? This is with the legs at “minimum” length?? That seems higher than expected.? Do you know what it is with the legs extended?
Basically, I’m thinking of putting a TEC 180 on it and want to make sure I’m not totally sitting on the floor when looking near zenith.
Bill
--? Bill Tschumy Otherwise -- Longmont, CO
|
Re: Strange behavior of my G-11 Gemini-1
Yamada-san,
Contact expert repairer Brendan Smith, who is closest to you, in Australia, at:
He knows the Gemini-1 inside out and I'm sure will get it back to health.
Best, Michael
On Sun, Oct 11, 2020, 9:32 AM YAMADA masami < yamada@...> wrote: Hi,
My G-11 Gemini-1 system, which is more than 15 years old, showed strange behavior last night.
While capturing the Mars image, suddenly the image went somewhere out of the FoV of my ASI224MC.
I powered down the system, and restart it, then I found the SRAM was reset somehow.? I noticed that because the location info were zero, and the mount type became Titan.
After several restart attempts, now I cannot control the mount via deluxe HC nor PC, because the menu on the HC was cyclically changing and sometimes shows garbage characters.? The system does not accept any interruption.? I replaced a CR2354 battery and EPROM.? But no avail.
I'm afraid my Gemini-1 seems broken.? Maybe is it time to upgrade to Gemini-2?
masami
Gifu-city, Japan
?
|
Re: Height of G11G on folding tripod
Sorry Bill.? Just packed it up for Eldorado Star Party.? The legs were minimum height.? And I have the G11T model. Wes
On Sun, Oct 11, 2020 at 9:44 AM Bill Tschumy < bill@...> wrote: On Sun, Oct 11, 2020 at 07:41 AM, wes Bolin wrote:
My "flimsy" tape measure shows 50.5 inches with the legs at minimum length.? Measured from the floor to the separation of the two clamp pieces.? Hope that is close enough.
Wes,
Yes, that is accurate enough.? This is with the legs at “minimum” length?? That seems higher than expected.? Do you know what it is with the legs extended?
Basically, I’m thinking of putting a TEC 180 on it and want to make sure I’m not totally sitting on the floor when looking near zenith.
Bill
|
Strange behavior of my G-11 Gemini-1
Hi,
My G-11 Gemini-1 system, which is more than 15 years old, showed strange behavior last night.
While capturing the Mars image, suddenly the image went somewhere out of the FoV of my ASI224MC.
I powered down the system, and restart it, then I found the SRAM was reset somehow.? I noticed that because the location info were zero, and the mount type became Titan.
After several restart attempts, now I cannot control the mount via deluxe HC nor PC, because the menu on the HC was cyclically changing and sometimes shows garbage characters.? The system does not accept any interruption.? I replaced a CR2354 battery and EPROM.? But no avail.
I'm afraid my Gemini-1 seems broken.? Maybe is it time to upgrade to Gemini-2?
masami
Gifu-city, Japan
?
|
Re: Height of G11G on folding tripod
Hi Bill,
You may very well want to add a 12" Pier Extension.
It was a great accessory that also allowed me to extend my safety limits, for greater range of movement, as well as a very convenient place to attach stuff...
(I used home-depot 2" wide double sided non-sticky velcro, wrapped tightly with the hook side against the mount) wrapped edge to edge,
giving me velcro loops over nearly the entire height of the extension, to place nearly everything I needed to attach, anywhere around the?
extension.) It doesn't slip, and leaves no adhesive residue to clean off.
You *CAN* also remove the standard 4" (extension ?) that comes with the tripod, and actually only have the 12" extension, or simply add it to the top and get 16" of height between the tripod and bottom of RA.
I would be concerned however with a long(er) heavier scope using the tripod without extending the legs at least a little, for a wider footprint to prevent any possibly of tipping.
I usually extend my tripod legs about 12-16 inches, that accomplishes two things, it provides a wider footprint and raises the leg adjustment knobs so I don't have to bend over as much.
The legs extend a long way. Most of the height of the tripod.
I have used a 12" LX200 with metal dewshield, 120mm guide scope and all the trimmings, using (3)? 21# counterweights with absolute stability. The FHD tripods are incredibly sturdy and stable.
Thanks,
Astronut Tim
|
Re: Astronomy software & capture software
Tony,
?
Part of the answer to your question depends on what you want to do with your equipment. Since you also ask about capture software, I am assuming you want to do astrophotography.
?
However, astrophotography can take you in at least two different directions. Do you want to capture “pretty pictures” of the universe, or do you want to contribute to the ever-expanding frontiers
of science? Astronomy is one area of science where amateurs can make valuable contributions. The main areas of contribution concern astrometry and photometry; but there are also contributions through the observation of occultations and spectroscopy. I am not
making any value judgements here. You might spend all day working in a scientific area and would like to spend your leisure time exploring the aesthetic; or perhaps it is the reverse.
?
One of the first advantages of astronomical software is that you can have a visual map of the night sky which is highly accurate, and if you have go-to hardware/firmware such as the Gemini 1 or 2,
you can connect the software, click on a target in the software’s visualization of the night sky, and the mount will use the software to point the telescope at that target. Provided you have the mount properly polar-aligned, the target should then appear in
the field of view of your camera. The connection between the software and your mount is made with a driver. The best way to go is with the ASCOM Gemini driver which is free.
?
There are various offerings of astronomical software ranging from free to paid for. You might start off with the free stuff and then want a paid-for one with greater capability. I use Software Bisque’s
TheSkyX software for this click and point task. You can add your own specialized databases to TheSkyX if you want. TheSkyX comes in various levels with the possibility of upgrading at any time.
?
If you are doing planetary imaging, you won’t need guiding. You need to take a lot of very fast exposures and pick out the good ones, which are unaffected by transient atmospheric distortion. However,
if doing astrophotography of deep space, you will need to guide the mount throughout a time exposure. This requires a guide camera as well as a main imaging camera. That brings us to camera software.
?
Most camera software can control both imaging and guiding cameras. A person’s preference may be more subjective, as well as be determined by the extent to which they have read the manual. They may
have results the opposite of that of others. Taking all that into account, here is my two-cents worth. I use both Software Bisque’s TheSkyX Camera Add-On and Diffraction Limited’s MaxImDL. TheSkyX Camera Add-On can control a range of different cameras. Working
together with the TheSkyX program it has some great features: First, you can take a photo of the sky and do an Image Link which will tell you exactly where the telescope is pointing. This will sync your telescope to the sky so that you will never be “lost
in space”. Second, the focusing routine - @Focus3 – is great. While it is always better to begin focusing close to the expected focal point, if you are out a bit, @Focus3 will slide up and down focus positions and find the right spot. MaxImDL can control a
range of different cameras. MaxImDL also has some great features: First, you can throw all of your calibration images – darks, flats, biases – into one folder and MaxImDL will automatically select the right calibration frames for the current image and do calibration
as you download. Suppose you are exposing frames and you realize you need to change the time-length of the exposure. No hassles, MaxImDL will adjust calibration for you. Second, I think the guiding in MaxImDL is better than all others. You’ll get others who
will disagree with this and come up with other software offerings. But hopefully this explains the basics for you.
?
If you go the scientific path, I think the best astrometric and photometric software is MPO Canopus. Sometimes I come up with a suggestion for improvement of this software, only to find that it already
does what I seek. For pretty pictures, PixInsight seems to be the name of the game these days.
?
Hope this helps.
?
Greg
?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
From: [email protected] <[email protected]>
On Behalf Of Tony Gabriele via groups.io
Sent: Thursday, 8 October 2020 7:51 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Losmandy_users_io] Astronomy software & capture software
?
I would like to hear from my fellow Losmandy users as to what they deem the best astronomy software that is most compatible with Gemini 2 to control the telescope, and which capture software is also the most compatible.
|
Hi Russ
look under the telescopes/mount section of ASCOM site
you will see Gemini Telescope.net ascom driver and app
Hopefully getting my new G11G later this week to replace my LX200.? Since I have been using ACP/MaxIm DL over the years, was not sure which drivers I should be using with G11G.? Looked at the ASCOM site and did not see any native drivers for Losmandy.? Therefore, I am assuming it will just need ASCOM drivers????
-- Brian?
Brian Valente portfolio
|
Hopefully getting my new G11G later this week to replace my LX200.? Since I have been using ACP/MaxIm DL over the years, was not sure which drivers I should be using with G11G.? Looked at the ASCOM site and did not see any native drivers for Losmandy.? Therefore, I am assuming it will just need ASCOM drivers????
|
Re: Height of G11G on folding tripod
On Sun, Oct 11, 2020 at 07:41 AM, wes Bolin wrote:
My "flimsy" tape measure shows 50.5 inches with the legs at minimum length.? Measured from the floor to the separation of the two clamp pieces.? Hope that is close enough.
Wes, Yes, that is accurate enough. ?This is with the legs at “minimum” length? ?That seems higher than expected. ?Do you know what it is with the legs extended? Basically, I’m thinking of putting a TEC 180 on it and want to make sure I’m not totally sitting on the floor when looking near zenith. Bill
|
Re: Height of G11G on folding tripod
Bill Its closer to 51 inches from floor to top of saddle clamps. Wes
Bill My "flimsy" tape measure shows 50.5 inches with the legs at minimum length.? Measured from the floor to the separation of the two clamp pieces.? Hope that is close enough. Wes
On Sat, Oct 10, 2020 at 9:47 PM Bill Tschumy < bill@...> wrote: I have been unable to find the height from the ground to the center of the saddle for a G11G when on the folding HD tripod.? Could someone provide me with that number?
|
Re: Height of G11G on folding tripod
Bill My "flimsy" tape measure shows 50.5 inches with the legs at minimum length.? Measured from the floor to the separation of the two clamp pieces.? Hope that is close enough. Wes
On Sat, Oct 10, 2020 at 9:47 PM Bill Tschumy < bill@...> wrote: I have been unable to find the height from the ground to the center of the saddle for a G11G when on the folding HD tripod.? Could someone provide me with that number?
|
Re: Pre purchase questions GM811G
Been a tad busy . . . . ordering that new GM811GHD from Tanya!? Should ship in a couple of weeks.? Oh man, like a kid waiting for Christmas.
Shout out to:
Brian for answering all of my pesky questions.? I suggested to Tanya that she let Scott know that you deserve a big raise.? 8- )
Chip and Sonny for their helpful comments.? Nice to have 'mandy buddies as a newbie owner.
P.S.? Chip, yes, I recently downloaded BYEOS PE and suffered through Guylain's interminable (but helpful) YouTube video.
|
Cheers,
I do have a 492 DDS unit that I do not use, remote and one wiring to steppers (this is just rj11 cable) however I live in EU. If you don't find anything close to you I believe we can arrange shipping.
KR,
Dominik
|
Re: Moving Ahead With My Losmandy G11 / Gemini-1
That is a beautiful system!? Very clean wiring. Use it in good health!
Once the power is switched on there is no need to access the front of the Gemini unit until shut-down. So the cloth will keep some of the moisture at bay. I'm just surprised that my moist maritime (salty) air hasn't been much of a problem. But my wife's scrap of midnight blue cloth should help it last as long as possible. Even if an electronic component degrades, the Gemini-1 seems to be quite repairable as long as things haven't gotten too corroded.
I'm not too worried about anyone stealing the mount. A big 4-inch water pipe sticking up in the vegetable garden with a garbage can upended over it doesn't seem too attractive. But you never know. It does take quite a lot of effort with just the right allen-wrench to make off with it. That mount wouldn't seem to be the sort of thing that the wandering addict would steal to sell for his next fix. The Gemini electronics would be easy to remove, even if the they wouldn't ?know what to do with it.
Michael, I couldn't think of any clever color for the cloth. "Event horizon blues" sounds too ominous. So your "midnight blue" seems to be a better fit.?
|
Re: Moving Ahead With My Losmandy G11 / Gemini-1
Once the power is switched on there is no need to access the front of the Gemini unit until shut-down. So the cloth will keep some of the moisture at bay. I'm just surprised that my moist maritime (salty) air hasn't been much of a problem. But my wife's scrap of midnight blue cloth should help it last as long as possible. Even if an electronic component degrades, the Gemini-1 seems to be quite repairable as long as things haven't gotten too corroded.
I'm not too worried about anyone stealing the mount. A big 4-inch water pipe sticking up in the vegetable garden with a garbage can upended over it doesn't seem too attractive. But you never know. It does take quite a lot of effort with just the right allen-wrench to make off with it. That mount wouldn't seem to be the sort of thing that the wandering addict would steal to sell for his next fix. The Gemini electronics would be easy to remove, even if the they wouldn't ?know what to do with it.
Michael, I couldn't think of any clever color for the cloth. "Event horizon blues" sounds too ominous. So your "midnight blue" seems to be a better fit.?
|
Re: Moving Ahead With My Losmandy G11 / Gemini-1
Hello Russ,
Very nice, I never thought of covering the Gemini box while it is in use. The silicone plugs came up a couple of years ago here on the forum and have worked out well. I found that the roll up throw away ear plugs work great for the power receptical.
Dew is a huge issue in my neck of the woods here in Florida.
?I always set up and breakdown after a session. Too many thieves around. Glad you have everything sorted out with your mount enjoy it Friend.
HAPPY SKIES TO YOU AND KEEP LOOKING UP Deric
Sent from my Galaxy Tab A
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
-------- Original message --------
From: russmilt@...
Date: 10/10/20 8:50 PM (GMT-06:00)
Subject: Re: [Losmandy_users_io] Moving Ahead With My Losmandy G11 / Gemini-1
Since my recent problems resulted from efforts to deal with moisture on the G11/Gemini-1 mount, I have decided to institute some changes in how it is used. No longer will I leave the electronics outside, but covered when finished with observing for the
night. This had lead to my misguided efforts to deal with dew that had accumulated during the observing session. While the use of Calcium-Chloride crystals to absorb the trapped moisture was effective, it only took one instance of spilling that corrosive (and
sticky) solution to necessitate an extensive repair.?
But after Michael Herman resurrected the dead/dying Gemini-1 chassis, I have decided to do the following:
- Cover any unused data ports with silicone plugs to exclude moisture.
- Remove the Gemini-1 chassis safely indoors after observing has ended for the night. This will allow any moisture to evaporate and prevent any theft of that expensive piece of electronics.?
- During use the chassis will be covered with a cloth to exclude most of the dew that would otherwise collect on the front panel.?My wife made a nice polyester cover to prevent dew settling on the chassis.
?
This cloth can be folded around any of the cables to minimize contact with moist air. These efforts should be most beneficial improvements for longevity of the Losmandy G11/G-1. While such a quality product is not inexpensive, I've learned that "cheap isn't
..."
Best Regards,
Russ
|
David C. Partridge
Bill Tschumy
Michael Herman
Russell Milton