G11 with Gemini2 issues with Go To
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Hi, I purchased a used G11 with the older Gemini 2 Go To. The mount worked great for the first few weeks, then it started going nutty. Pointing in strange places I did not tell it to go. I looked up the problem in the videos and found I needed a new battery. I replaced the battery, and at the same time I updated all the firmware, except the videos. I have been able to get the mount to work on my bench occasionally, but other times it points in the wrong direction. I noticed that whenever I restart the mount the date is wrong. It is 12/18/00. I change the date and hit the set button and it holds, but still points in the wrong direction. It appears to point opposite of the object I want to find. I have the mount running off of ethernet, but tonight the ethernet stopped working. Usually the ethernet connections works fine. Windows just updated, so I suspect I will need to reset the connection. The ethernet is not a problem, but I just wanted to include this info in case you need it to diagnose the problem.
Also, my coordinates are correct in the system. I have a GPS and I confirm every time that the coordinates are correct. What can I be doing wrong? |
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Hi James, Things to try... consider them beginners notes.... 1.? ?Any time you change the date or time or latitude, longitude, etc: after you enter the new values you must power off the Gemini, then restart it.? ?It uses the values it reads from the SRAM with when it booted up.? It won't use the new values that you save in the SRAM, apparently because in the calculations it never goes back to read the new stored values.? [I'm guessing that, as nobody outside the Losmandy company has the source code to try and fix this.? Perhaps, if it used new values it might not know how to park...but again that would be in the (unknown to me) software design. ]? 2. The Gemini date and time entry may be tricky if you are entering them by hand.? The format for the date and time are given in the Gemini1 manual (I'll attach it for you) UTC Date/Time: So would be for 2020, Feb 6, 06:15:25 am you'd enter. You take the 20 is the last 2 digits from 2020, the 02 is February, ...: For time after noon like 14:00 = 2pm enter like Link here works: Or full link: ________ 3. Pointing into the ground is reported by many, and I see this problem from time to time on my Gemini1 units.? It is certainly a weird behavior.? ?The cause is most often a bad "Model" which is the "Tmodel" or telescope pointing model.? It seems to happen if you get a bad alignment point, and the Gemini can't get a good solution, and the result is one or more very large "correction" factors are in the calculated Model.?? You can see the Gemini unit Model values using the Gemini.net Advanced panel, pressing the Model button and downloading them from Gemini into Gemini.net, seeing them displayed. The reset button makes the displayed values zero, but the tiny curly arrow Upload to Gemini button does not work in the Model inset.? Instead use the big bottom buttons on the Advanced panel to Send to Gemini.? Then press Yes...that works to reset the Gemini unit model values to zero.?? Better: ??The easy solution is to park at CWD, then power off and do a Cold Boot.? Again, the bad Model fit is a software code issue as the code does not sense a ridiculously bad model value and tell the user "hey! that last entry gives a bad fit!...I'm rejecting it!" The Gemini.net applet gives great access to the Gemini settings, and is worth it's weight in gold.? But that applet also does not review the Model data and warm you: "Your Model data has very high error values!? Your polar alignment (or cone angle or other error factors) are way off!? Recommend you Cold Boot and make a new model!".? ?I see the need for such a capability in the Gemini applet to save us from these nutty point at the ground behaviors. 4.? Be sure your Longitude is set correctly.? When the (older) Gemini(-1) boots up, mine says "latitude 122.2 W" but the handset entry will be -122.2.? so west is entered as a negative number.? Same if course for the latitude setting of mounts south of the equator. 5. Speaking of latitude and longitude. You see the dot "." in the hand entry.? That is not a decimal point.? It is a (USA usage) comma.? The entry after the dot is the Minutes...before the dot is Degrees.? The format is European style.?? [ Loving to digress as I do ... I can only say the great Daniel Webster did this to us in the USA!? With the intent to make America distinct from England, he changed the spellings of many words (colour became color, etc) but he also changed the punctuation marks.? That's also why the period goes inside a quotation marks in the US but outside for UK writers.? She said she was "...hungry for power." vs "...hungry for power".? ] Anyway, I hope these "beginners notes" help you out, after you verify the backup battery voltage is over 3 volts. ( I test that battery voltage while the battery is in the Gemini socket, because the terminal voltage under current load will drop vs the open circuit value when the battery is removed. Ideally the current should be so small it does not matter.? But if the circuit board has a tiny short, it will matter.) [Looking at the code section at the back of the manual, I just discovered a possible reason my GoTos from Stellarium don't exactly center on my target.? Gemini has a High Precision Mode that gets the degrees, minutes, and seconds position. The low precision mode accepts degrees and minutes only.? Maybe the Gemini is set to Low Precision mode?? I'll have to try setting it in the High precision mode. I guess with the Model checker in mind too, it's time for me to try writing my own Gemini app.? ] Best of luck, have fun,? stay well and safe, Michael On Tue, Aug 4, 2020, 4:11 AM Brendan Smith <brenatlilydale@...> wrote: James |
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Thank you Michael,
You mentioned the issues with Gemini 1. I have the Gemini 2 but with the first version of the control board. Will the above advice work for my version as well, and the attached manual is for the Gemini 1 and 2? I am going to try all of your suggestions today and see if I can get some consistency from the mount. Also, is there a factory reset? Maybe just starting as though the mount is brand new with all new info would be helpful, if it is reading cinfusing data? Thanks for your indepth response, James |
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Thank you Brendan,
When I had the mount connected to the web interface, the voltage was good. last night I was not able to connect through the ethernet (blaming on the new windows update), so my only information was from the hand set. When I installed the new battery the clip was very tight, but will check it again and use a volt meter at the battery. I have a couple of spare batteries and will check all of them today. I am not sure how to check the ascom connection, but I will figure that out today, aswell. Thanks for everything, James |
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Hi James, I'm one one the rarities in this group: I only have Gemini1 units so far.? Many of them.... So I cannot say explicitly that your Gemini-2 is exactly?the same as what I wrote.? You will have to see, or another owner with a G2 may tell us.?? I understand that there was only a PDF Gemini-1 manual, but not a PDF Gemini-2 manual.? I think the behavior and code are essentially the same between the two units, but the G-2 has more modern settings for new mounts.? The G-1 does not have the GM811 version listed, but is handled by using the Custom mount entries...and that is how I also handle McLennan metal gearbox mod that reverses the RA direction.? The G-2 would have the GM811 listed.? (And....try the Cold Boot first to see if it fixes your pointing at the ground problem!) All the best, Michael On Tue, Aug 4, 2020, 9:23 AM James B <jamiboothe@...> wrote: Thank you Michael, |
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Hi Brian, I followed your instructions and out of about 20 times, once it pointed correctly. I have tried inputting the information myself, and allowing the GPS to input the data. I also tried resetting the handset as shown in your videos, and still noting different. When it points it looks like it is about 7 or 8 hours off. I tried adjusting the GMT time to 00:00, and that did not work either.
I also checked the battery with my volt meter and it was reading 3.03 volts, same as the original that I replaced recently. So, I replaced it with another brand new one that was at 3.29 volts. I will still need some help, if you don`t mind. James |
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Hi Brendan, i checked the voltage on the new battery I recently installed. It was 3.03v, almost the exact voltage of the battery i replaced. I installed a brand new battery with 3.29v. I am still having the same issues. I currently cannot connect to the computer for some reason through ethernet or USB.? I don't know why the computer is not recognizing the mount. I have had both working a month ago. So obviously I cannot check ASCOM. The battery clip is also fine on the board.?
I tried different ways of inputting my time date and location multiple times. One time it did work, out of 20 or more attempts. Thanks for any help, James |
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Hi Brian, that is exactly what I had been trying to do. The amount the mount is off is enormous. Probably 7 or 8 hours of arc off. However, once out of about 20 attempts of re inputting my info it worked as it should. Sometimes the the date would revert back to 12/09/00 and sometimes it would retain the date. All other info stayed the same, even when i would do the reset.
How do i contact tech support? James |
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Hi Brenden,?
I reconfigured the ethernet settings and now the computer is recognizing the mount. It also seems to be storing my site and date information. However, when I do a go to, it is still slewing to the opposite side of where the object is located in the sky. I have been running the mount on my bench with a rough north alignment. My go to`s have been to the planets, so I can see if it is pointing in the general direction of the target, but no luck. I also checked that the telescope/mount configuration is correct in the fields that pop up when the configuration option is selected from the Gemini 2 computer settings. All that data matches my hand control info. I went to advanced settings and checked the box to send the information to the Gemini mount/hand control. At least there is some progress, but the main issue is still remaining James |
James B
Michael Herman