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PEMPRO 3.0 quit working
I have had a couple of versions of PEM PRO upgraded from the one shipped with my AP1100/CP4. mount. They always worked fine including the 3.0 until recently when I try to open it, the program shows on the screen for about 4 seconds and than goes away. Wondering if this is a new problem caused by some updates in Windows 10, ASCOM, etc. I tried removing the program and it does the same thing. I also tried starting it as an Administrator and still no luck. I am running via serial port. Can it be run via USB and if so is that preferred? Any clues to what I am doing wrong or is this a known issue lately. Bob Berta
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Re: CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding
Steven
Your respect for Chris is well-and-truly obvious - mine should be too, in every way.
I'm still ROF laughing, Thanks Joe, I look fwd to more. We all surely know the high quality of the AP gear, and one thing I like about AP in general is that Rolando and his staff actually listen to their customers. That's the main thing - and we know it!
Mind the vog,
Steve
From: ap-gto@... on behalf of 'Joseph Zeglinski' J.Zeglinski@... [ap-gto]
Sent: Tuesday, 9 October 2018 11:21 AM To: ap-gto@... Subject: Re: [ap-gto] CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding You’re welcome Elliot. Glad you enjoyed some of the tongue-in-cheeky commentary.
The post came out of a lot of frustration over the past three years of using the new CP4 , but in any narrative, one can always add sugar to the vinegar.
I have always had a very high regard for Chris, and continue to value his opinion, but some conjectures can be misguided. Then again, wouldn’t surprise me if there is regular contractual or personal exchange with AP on engineering matters, for a second
opinion.
I will continue to trust that there wasn’t “acidic corrosion” – being produced from infiltrated “humid” outdoor air, and certainly dew water, entering the case. Nor should there be very much dried acid, remaining from the board manufacturing process
and latent acidic manufacturing chemicals not having been washed away properly upon completion of board assembly. Otherwise, my washing down of the milky residue with “PCB cleaner” – on the second drowned CP4 circuit board, (with Marj’s permission and guidance)
– would have exposed obviously corroded fiberglass strands on the board’s substrate, leading to further damaged components. My belief is that it was mostly the result of major short circuiting from the visibly obvious “rust” from the RJ-45, dissolved in
the water, even though “distilled dew water” could have done almost as much.
To quote the great American - Ben Franklin:
Likewise with CP4 “Waterproofing” or lack thereof, and AP’s production – for want of a toothpick-sized dab of RTV or similar rubber calk around the leak prone Ethernet RJ-45 connector ... a CP4, or two, actually so far at least four now known ... to
be lost. Hopefully such laggard disregard won’t damage AP’s “competitive kingdom” in the marketplace.
But really, as long as everyone has their CP4 vertically positioned, with all dew respect there shouldn’t be many more repeats of such disasters.
Of course, that excludes being struck by mild showers from open domes or direct hits from sprinklers ... on any CP4.
Joe
From: Steven Elliott steven447@... [ap-gto]
Sent: Tuesday, October 9, 2018 4:55 AM
To: ap-gto@...
Subject: Re: [ap-gto] CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding
Hi Joe,
You are a very funny man, my friend, now I truly appreciated your post, and I'm saving it! Thank You for the enjoyment.
Steve
(PS, you probably realize that vog is a legit met term nowadays? Doesn't matter if you don't know, I still LOVE your reply, it made my day) From: ap-gto@...
Sent: Tuesday, 9 October 2018 1:47 AM To: ap-gto@... Subject: Re: [ap-gto] CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding Chris,
I don’t know who at AP has been “talking you up” on this “CP4 corrosion myth”, since I only had Marj posit that theory to me, and she not being technical, probably heard it from someone else on staff, tossing it around the table – likely, the so-called
“servo engineer” who declared the first drowned CP4 was definitely not “caused by water corrosion”. Marj then countermanded his errant opinion – actually, she is way smarter than most. So, it was definitely just “plain drowning”. The high water mark, an inch-wide
white scum mark, rubs off easily, like chalk, the copper traces were unaffected, thus the PCB surface was NOT corroded. I just took it for granted that Marj uses the term “corrosion” someone loosely, as offhand non-technical parlance, signifying nothing
other than there was a swath, demarcating the depth of dew built up inside the CP4 case, over a few nights of viewing time – but neither of which had bottom corner DRAIN holes, for the CP4 ..... to “relieve itself”.
Now, as you reported in another post’s reply below, as a professional engineer you are quite familiar with and have regularly experienced “acid rain corrosion”, such as at your observatory near the Hawaiian volcanoes. Although you attempted to apply
your own circumstance to my pristine site here in Canada, you should realize that if there had actually been ANY outward sign of “acid rain corrosion” causing the CP4’s to burn out, then the same “acidic dew” would have been raining down on my “nylon tarp”,
covering the scope over the past 6 years, (from May 2012). The nylon tarp would be a very delicate “lace cloth” by now.
You remember, Chris --- my nylon “HINDENBURG Tarp”, as you recently referred to - covering my AP-1200, with its 900 WATT automatic dew heater underneath the tarp, keeping it at 60% relative humidity, 24/7/365, when it is not open for a few short
hours during a session. Yes ..... the tarp is still quite intact, didn’t burn up as you expected, doing well, with not even a single pin-prick hole in its large nylon surface – from anything like acid rain. Besides, Chris, if there were a molecule of sulphuric
acid in the dew downpour entering my leaky CP4 – actually BOTH of them - then the AP-1200 paint job would have yellowed or burned off in spots by now, as would the primary mirror coating, my backyard lawn wouldn’t be the rich green colour it has been all
summer as in every year, the beautiful flowers bloomed in my garden a few feet away, fruit trees nearby didn’t prematurely shed their leaves even until now in the fall, and there wasn’t one single dead bird in the yard – i.e. no equivalent sure-tell “Coalmine
Canary”, if you please.
Is that enough evidence to contradict AP’s cockamamie assumption your contact is espousing, about “corrosion from acid rain” causing my CP4’s to fail – BOTH of them – rather than ending up as a one inch deep baptismal font? I can’t see it being your
own professional, well-considered, engineering conclusion – without evidence.
I assume your own CP4, at the occasionally volcano gassed, “Waikoloa Hawaii, is on a “new AP model” mount, rather than being attached at your site’s local Latitude angle on top of the RA axle. So I find your claim quite interesting ... that with
all the “sulphuric acid rain” occasionally hitting YOUR own CP4, it still has not corroded (inside or outside), and yet you presume that MY far cleaner Canadian skies have an even stronger sulphuric acid content than your VOG in Hawaii. This is Canada ...
not VENUS !
You really should check out the pretense your friends at AP may been trying to foist on you – if that really was the case. Unlike the “vog” (volcanic fog, as you called it) near your site, the only “smell of sulphur” here on the North American mainland,
might be emanating from someone’s oval-like office, or more recently coming from under ... “a Bench” ;-)
Clear non-VOG skies, Chris -
Joe Z.
From: 'Christopher Erickson' christopher.k.erickson@... [ap-gto]
Sent: Sunday, October 7, 2018 7:21 PM
To: ap-gto@...
Subject: RE: [ap-gto] CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding
There aren't any corrosive gasses or particulates on the top of Mauna Kea. It is way above the inversion layer. And the humidity at 14,000' is usually
around 20-30%.
Mauna Loa does get "gassed" by sulfur dioxide blown up from Kilauea from time to time. And when mixed with water becomes sulfuric acid.
My home is in Waikoloa, on the dry side of the island. Once in a great while we get a visible cloud of vog (volcanic fog) rolling through, which is
corrosive. Most of the time it is the East side of the island that suffers from constant humidity, rain and corrosion.
Although I live in Hawaii and regularly have 60-80% humidity outside, I have NEVER had corrosion problems with my CP4's. And about every other month
I am setting up my scopes within a stone's throw of the ocean.
-Christopher Erickson
Observatory engineer Summit Kinetics From: ap-gto@... [mailto:ap-gto@...] Sent: Sunday, October 7, 2018 6:05 PM To: ap-gto@... Subject: Re: [ap-gto] CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding Hi Chris,
Good advice.
Question: Do you have any concerns about the salty corrosive atmosphere on the mountain? Trade winds blow right up the hill, eh?
Steve E NZ
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Re: CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding
Roland Christen
Just so there's no confusion, the CP4 in question had a deposit of low ohmic value surrounding the pins of the Auxiliary input. This Aux input is used to stop mount motion in the 2 axes when the appropriate pins are shorted to common. If enough water accumulates inside and enough stuff gets deposited between the pins, then the stop motion is triggered. There was no corrosion of any kind on the board itself or any of the electronic components. A simple cleaning of the pins restored the normal operation of the CP4.
There is no Aux input on the CP3, so we never saw any of this in the older servo controller.
Normally the CP4 is mounted on the side of the mount where rain cannot enter the connectors. If it's left face up and it rains, then you probably will get water inside. We get a lot of heavy dew conditions here just about every clear night. I have had my own scope and mount so covered with water from dew that it literally runs off the tube like a spigot. Never ever had the CP4 accumulate any moisture inside.
Rolando
-----Original Message----- From: 'Joseph Zeglinski' J.Zeglinski@... [ap-gto] To: ap-gto Sent: Tue, Oct 9, 2018 10:25 am Subject: Re: [ap-gto] CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding You’re welcome Elliot. Glad you enjoyed some of the tongue-in-cheeky
commentary.
The post came out of a lot of frustration over the past
three years of using the new CP4 , but in any narrative, one can always add
sugar to the vinegar.
I have always had a very high regard for Chris, and continue to value his
opinion, but some conjectures can be misguided. Then again, wouldn’t surprise me
if there is regular contractual or personal exchange with AP on engineering
matters, for a second opinion.
I will continue to trust that there wasn’t “acidic
corrosion” – being produced from infiltrated “humid” outdoor air, and certainly
dew water, entering the case. Nor should there be very much dried acid,
remaining from the board manufacturing process and latent acidic manufacturing
chemicals not having been washed away properly upon completion of board
assembly. Otherwise, my washing down of the milky residue with “PCB cleaner” –
on the second drowned CP4 circuit board, (with Marj’s permission and guidance) –
would have exposed obviously corroded fiberglass strands on the board’s
substrate, leading to further damaged components. My belief is that it was
mostly the result of major short circuiting from the visibly obvious
“rust” from the RJ-45, dissolved in the water, even though
“distilled dew water” could have done almost as much.
To quote the great American - Ben Franklin:
Likewise with CP4 “Waterproofing” or lack thereof, and
AP’s production – for want of a toothpick-sized dab of RTV or similar rubber
calk around the leak prone Ethernet RJ-45 connector ... a CP4, or two, actually
so far at least four now known ... to be lost. Hopefully such laggard disregard
won’t damage AP’s “competitive kingdom” in the marketplace.
But really, as long as everyone has their CP4
vertically positioned, with all dew respect there shouldn’t be many more repeats
of such disasters.
Of course, that excludes being struck by mild showers from open domes or
direct hits from sprinklers ... on any CP4.
Joe
From: Steven Elliott steven447@... [ap-gto]
Sent: Tuesday, October 9, 2018 4:55 AM
To: ap-gto@...
Subject: Re: [ap-gto] CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY
suseptible to DEW flooding
Hi Joe,
You are a very funny man, my
friend, now I truly appreciated your post, and I'm saving it! Thank You for the
enjoyment.
Steve
(PS, you probably realize that
vog is a legit met term nowadays? Doesn't matter if you don't know, I still LOVE
your reply, it made my day)
From: ap-gto@...
gto@...> on behalf of 'Joseph Zeglinski'
J.Zeglinski@... [ap-gto] gto@...>
Sent: Tuesday, 9 October 2018 1:47 AM To: ap-gto@... Subject: Re: [ap-gto] CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding Chris,
I don’t know who at AP has been “talking you up”
on this “CP4 corrosion myth”, since I only had Marj posit that theory to me, and
she not being technical, probably heard it from someone else on staff, tossing
it around the table – likely, the so-called “servo engineer” who declared the
first drowned CP4 was definitely not “caused by water corrosion”. Marj then
countermanded his errant opinion – actually, she is way smarter than most. So,
it was definitely just “plain drowning”. The high water mark, an inch-wide
white scum mark, rubs off easily, like chalk, the copper traces were unaffected,
thus the PCB surface was NOT corroded. I just took it for granted that Marj uses
the term “corrosion” someone loosely, as offhand non-technical
parlance, signifying nothing other than there was a swath,
demarcating the depth of dew built up inside the CP4 case, over a few nights of
viewing time – but neither of which had bottom corner DRAIN holes, for the CP4
..... to “relieve itself”.
Now, as you reported in another post’s reply below, as a
professional engineer you are quite familiar with and have regularly experienced
“acid rain corrosion”, such as at your observatory near the Hawaiian volcanoes.
Although you attempted to apply your own circumstance to my pristine site here
in Canada, you should realize that if there had actually been ANY outward sign
of “acid rain corrosion” causing the CP4’s to burn out, then the same
“acidic dew” would have been raining down on my “nylon tarp”, covering the
scope over the past 6 years, (from May 2012). The nylon tarp would be a very
delicate “lace cloth” by now.
You remember, Chris --- my nylon “HINDENBURG
Tarp”, as you recently referred to - covering my AP-1200, with its 900 WATT
automatic dew heater underneath the tarp, keeping it at 60% relative humidity,
24/7/365, when it is not open for a few short hours during a session. Yes .....
the tarp is still quite intact, didn’t burn up as you expected, doing well, with
not even a single pin-prick hole in its large nylon surface – from anything like
acid rain. Besides, Chris, if there were a molecule of sulphuric acid in the dew
downpour entering my leaky CP4 – actually BOTH of them - then the AP-1200
paint job would have yellowed or burned off in spots by now, as would the
primary mirror coating, my backyard lawn wouldn’t be the rich green colour
it has been all summer as in every year, the beautiful flowers bloomed in my
garden a few feet away, fruit trees nearby didn’t prematurely shed their leaves
even until now in the fall, and there wasn’t one single dead bird in the yard –
i.e. no equivalent sure-tell “Coalmine Canary”, if you please.
Is that enough evidence to contradict AP’s cockamamie
assumption your contact is espousing, about “corrosion from acid rain”
causing my CP4’s to fail – BOTH of them – rather than ending up as a one inch
deep baptismal font? I can’t see it being your own professional,
well-considered, engineering conclusion – without evidence.
I assume your own CP4, at the occasionally volcano
gassed, “Waikoloa Hawaii, is on a “new AP model” mount, rather than being
attached at your site’s local Latitude angle on top of the RA axle. So I find
your claim quite interesting ... that with all the “sulphuric acid rain”
occasionally hitting YOUR own CP4, it still has not corroded (inside or
outside), and yet you presume that MY far cleaner Canadian skies have an
even stronger sulphuric acid content than your VOG in Hawaii. This is
Canada ... not VENUS !
You really should check out the pretense your friends at
AP may been trying to foist on you – if that really was the case. Unlike the
“vog” (volcanic fog, as you called it) near your site, the only “smell of
sulphur” here on the North American mainland, might be emanating from
someone’s oval-like office, or more recently coming from under ... “a Bench”
;-)
Clear non-VOG skies, Chris -
Joe Z.
From: 'Christopher Erickson'
christopher.k.erickson@... [ap-gto]
Sent: Sunday, October 7, 2018 7:21 PM
To: ap-gto@...
Subject: RE: [ap-gto] CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY
suseptible to DEW flooding
There aren't any corrosive gasses or particulates on the top
of Mauna Kea. It is way above the inversion layer. And the humidity at 14,000'
is usually around 20-30%.
Mauna Loa does get "gassed" by sulfur dioxide blown up from
Kilauea from time to time. And when mixed with water becomes sulfuric
acid.
My home is in Waikoloa, on the dry side of the island.. Once in
a great while we get a visible cloud of vog (volcanic fog) rolling through,
which is corrosive. Most of the time it is the East side of the island that
suffers from constant humidity, rain and corrosion.
Although I live in Hawaii and regularly have 60-80% humidity
outside, I have NEVER had corrosion problems with my CP4's. And about every
other month I am setting up my scopes within a stone's throw of the
ocean.
-Christopher Erickson
Observatory engineer Summit Kinetics From: ap-gto@... [mailto:ap-gto@...] Sent: Sunday, October 7, 2018 6:05 PM To: ap-gto@... Subject: Re: [ap-gto] CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding Hi Chris,
Good advice.
Question: Do you have any
concerns about the salty corrosive atmosphere on the mountain? Trade winds blow
right up the hill, eh?
Steve E
NZ
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Re: CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding
Joe Zeglinski
You’re welcome Elliot. Glad you enjoyed some of the tongue-in-cheeky
commentary.
The post came out of a lot of frustration over the past
three years of using the new CP4 , but in any narrative, one can always add
sugar to the vinegar.
I have always had a very high regard for Chris, and continue to value his
opinion, but some conjectures can be misguided. Then again, wouldn’t surprise me
if there is regular contractual or personal exchange with AP on engineering
matters, for a second opinion.
I will continue to trust that there wasn’t “acidic
corrosion” – being produced from infiltrated “humid” outdoor air, and certainly
dew water, entering the case. Nor should there be very much dried acid,
remaining from the board manufacturing process and latent acidic manufacturing
chemicals not having been washed away properly upon completion of board
assembly. Otherwise, my washing down of the milky residue with “PCB cleaner” –
on the second drowned CP4 circuit board, (with Marj’s permission and guidance) –
would have exposed obviously corroded fiberglass strands on the board’s
substrate, leading to further damaged components. My belief is that it was
mostly the result of major short circuiting from the visibly obvious
“rust” from the RJ-45, dissolved in the water, even though
“distilled dew water” could have done almost as much.
To quote the great American - Ben Franklin:
Likewise with CP4 “Waterproofing” or lack thereof, and
AP’s production – for want of a toothpick-sized dab of RTV or similar rubber
calk around the leak prone Ethernet RJ-45 connector ... a CP4, or two, actually
so far at least four now known ... to be lost. Hopefully such laggard disregard
won’t damage AP’s “competitive kingdom” in the marketplace. But really, as long as everyone has their CP4
vertically positioned, with all dew respect there shouldn’t be many more repeats
of such disasters.
Of course, that excludes being struck by mild showers from open domes or
direct hits from sprinklers ... on any CP4.
Joe
From: Steven Elliott steven447@... [ap-gto]
Sent: Tuesday, October 9, 2018 4:55 AM
To: ap-gto@...
Subject: Re: [ap-gto] CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY
suseptible to DEW flooding Hi Joe,
You are a very funny man, my friend, now I truly appreciated your post, and I'm saving it! Thank You for the enjoyment.
Steve
(PS, you probably realize that vog is a legit met term nowadays? Doesn't matter if you don't know, I still LOVE your reply, it made my day) From: ap-gto@...
on behalf of 'Joseph Zeglinski'
J.Zeglinski@... [ap-gto]
Sent: Tuesday, 9 October 2018 1:47 AM To: ap-gto@... Subject: Re: [ap-gto] CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding Chris,
I don’t know who at AP has been “talking you up”
on this “CP4 corrosion myth”, since I only had Marj posit that theory to me, and
she not being technical, probably heard it from someone else on staff, tossing
it around the table – likely, the so-called “servo engineer” who declared the
first drowned CP4 was definitely not “caused by water corrosion”. Marj then
countermanded his errant opinion – actually, she is way smarter than most. So,
it was definitely just “plain drowning”. The high water mark, an inch-wide
white scum mark, rubs off easily, like chalk, the copper traces were unaffected,
thus the PCB surface was NOT corroded. I just took it for granted that Marj uses
the term “corrosion” someone loosely, as offhand non-technical
parlance, signifying nothing other than there was a swath,
demarcating the depth of dew built up inside the CP4 case, over a few nights of
viewing time – but neither of which had bottom corner DRAIN holes, for the CP4
.... to “relieve itself”.
Now, as you reported in another post’s reply below, as a
professional engineer you are quite familiar with and have regularly experienced
“acid rain corrosion”, such as at your observatory near the Hawaiian volcanoes.
Although you attempted to apply your own circumstance to my pristine site here
in Canada, you should realize that if there had actually been ANY outward sign
of “acid rain corrosion” causing the CP4’s to burn out, then the same
“acidic dew” would have been raining down on my “nylon tarp”, covering the
scope over the past 6 years, (from May 2012). The nylon tarp would be a very
delicate “lace cloth” by now.
You remember, Chris --- my nylon “HINDENBURG
Tarp”, as you recently referred to - covering my AP-1200, with its 900 WATT
automatic dew heater underneath the tarp, keeping it at 60% relative humidity,
24/7/365, when it is not open for a few short hours during a session. Yes ....
the tarp is still quite intact, didn’t burn up as you expected, doing well, with
not even a single pin-prick hole in its large nylon surface – from anything like
acid rain. Besides, Chris, if there were a molecule of sulphuric acid in the dew
downpour entering my leaky CP4 – actually BOTH of them - then the AP-1200
paint job would have yellowed or burned off in spots by now, as would the
primary mirror coating, my backyard lawn wouldn’t be the rich green colour
it has been all summer as in every year, the beautiful flowers bloomed in my
garden a few feet away, fruit trees nearby didn’t prematurely shed their leaves
even until now in the fall, and there wasn’t one single dead bird in the yard –
i.e. no equivalent sure-tell “Coalmine Canary”, if you please.
Is that enough evidence to contradict AP’s cockamamie
assumption your contact is espousing, about “corrosion from acid rain”
causing my CP4’s to fail – BOTH of them – rather than ending up as a one inch
deep baptismal font? I can’t see it being your own professional,
well-considered, engineering conclusion – without evidence.
I assume your own CP4, at the occasionally volcano
gassed, “Waikoloa Hawaii, is on a “new AP model” mount, rather than being
attached at your site’s local Latitude angle on top of the RA axle. So I find
your claim quite interesting ... that with all the “sulphuric acid rain”
occasionally hitting YOUR own CP4, it still has not corroded (inside or
outside), and yet you presume that MY far cleaner Canadian skies have an
even stronger sulphuric acid content than your VOG in Hawaii. This is
Canada ... not VENUS !
You really should check out the pretense your friends at
AP may been trying to foist on you – if that really was the case. Unlike the
“vog” (volcanic fog, as you called it) near your site, the only “smell of
sulphur” here on the North American mainland, might be emanating from
someone’s oval-like office, or more recently coming from under ... “a Bench”
;-)
Clear non-VOG skies, Chris -
Joe Z.
From: 'Christopher Erickson'
christopher.k.erickson@... [ap-gto]
Sent: Sunday, October 7, 2018 7:21 PM
To: ap-gto@...
Subject: RE: [ap-gto] CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY
suseptible to DEW flooding There aren't any corrosive gasses or particulates on the top
of Mauna Kea. It is way above the inversion layer. And the humidity at 14,000'
is usually around 20-30%.
Mauna Loa does get "gassed" by sulfur dioxide blown up from
Kilauea from time to time. And when mixed with water becomes sulfuric
acid.
My home is in Waikoloa, on the dry side of the island. Once in
a great while we get a visible cloud of vog (volcanic fog) rolling through,
which is corrosive. Most of the time it is the East side of the island that
suffers from constant humidity, rain and corrosion.
Although I live in Hawaii and regularly have 60-80% humidity
outside, I have NEVER had corrosion problems with my CP4's. And about every
other month I am setting up my scopes within a stone's throw of the
ocean.
-Christopher Erickson
Observatory engineer Summit Kinetics From: ap-gto@... [mailto:ap-gto@...] Sent: Sunday, October 7, 2018 6:05 PM To: ap-gto@... Subject: Re: [ap-gto] CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding Hi Chris,
Good advice.
Question: Do you have any concerns about the salty corrosive atmosphere on the mountain? Trade winds blow right up the hill, eh?
Steve E NZ
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Mount initialization options for SkySafari
Hemant Hariyani
Hello all, Sorry if this has been asked and answered before. I use APCC to initialize my 1600 CP4/AE mount and The SkyX and/or SkySafari to control my mount. Everything works just fine. The problem is that since I do not have a hand controller, even for small observing sessions outside of my permanent setup, I need to carry my laptop etc. I use the (brilliant) daytime polar alignment method to get setup before it gets dark. I would love to be able to do the initialization and alignment using my mobile. I know that SkySafari can initialize the mount with location, time etc but I am not sure how I would go about polar aligning it using pre-defined park positions. Any suggestions? I guess a simpler (in the longer term) solution would be to have a simple dedicated app to do this. If one doesn't yet exist, I can try and write one - at least for Android. I will really appreciate if I can get help with some of the questions related to this - - What are coordinates of 4 park positions? I guess I need to slew to park positions and then park the scope. Since park4 and park1 point north/south along the horizon, I guess this needs pier side information as well - right? - Since alignment involves four axes (RA/Dec/Alt/Az), shouldn't encoders remove/reduce the need to align RA/Dec? If I am roughly polar aligned using a compass and known latitude, and if location and date/time are sec correctly, shouldn't the mount slow to correct RA/Dec axes positions irrespective of weather the axes were moved by hand or not? Am I missing something here? - Can someone summarize initialization sequence? Regards Hemant
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Re: Weird interaction between Maxim and AP900
Roland Christen
You would have to record what is being sent to the mount via the serial port in order to determine what is the cause for the errant moves.
Rolando
-----Original Message-----
From: ghsmith45@... [ap-gto] To: ap-gto Sent: Tue, Oct 9, 2018 12:32 am Subject: [ap-gto] Weird interaction between Maxim and AP900 Background: I have a dark sky, permanent setup to which I go over every new moon period. I normally guide by the "telescope" option in MaximDL. For the last few months I have found that after guiding successfully for a period the mount may (or may not) suddenly begin oscillating in RA--typically 10 arc seconds. Restarting the guide camera sometimes settles things down, or if not, restarting Maxim often works. The problem usually occurs once, or rarely, twice in a full night session. The oscillations are obvious in the guide star window.
Now for the really weird part.The problem was more persistent two nights ago, so I started trying to investigate exactly what was happening. I switched off guiding and just started loading continuous 3sec exposures from the guide camera.There was an obvious jitter from image to image. Then I disconnected the mount from the computer. From then on the images were completely steady!
Reconnecting the mount (via keyspan serial port adapter) brought back the jitter. So somehow, the connection from Maxim to the mount was sending pulses to the mount.
This happened with both Maxim5 and Maxim6.
So I tried recalibrating the guider. After a few false starts I got a good calibration. The mount then guided problem free for the next 4 hours.
Suggestions welcome!
Geoff
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Re: CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding
wow - of course I didn't real 98% of it. Past government employee?
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Re: CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding
Ray Gralak
Hi Joe,
The site is a backyard, 20 feet from the house, in the middle of a major city of 4 million people on Lake Ontario –I don't know what caused the problems with your two CP4's, but in all fairness almost all cities have major pollutants. Even Toronto it seems: https://www.torontoenvironment.org/smog_facts Best regards, -Ray Gralak Author of APCC (Astro-Physics Command Center): http://www.astro-physics.com/index.htm?products/accessories/software/apcc/apcc Author of PEMPro V3: https://www.ccdware.com Author of Astro-Physics V2 ASCOM Driver: https://www.siriusimaging.com/apdriver -----Original Message-----
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Re: CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding
Steven
Hi Joe,
You are a very funny man, my friend, now I truly appreciated your post, and I'm saving it! Thank You for the enjoyment.
Steve
(PS, you probably realize that vog is a legit met term nowadays? Doesn't matter if you don't know, I still LOVE your reply, it made my day)
From: ap-gto@... on behalf of 'Joseph Zeglinski' J.Zeglinski@... [ap-gto]
Sent: Tuesday, 9 October 2018 1:47 AM To: ap-gto@... Subject: Re: [ap-gto] CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding Chris,
I don’t know who at AP has been “talking you up” on this “CP4 corrosion myth”, since I only had Marj posit that theory to me, and she not being technical, probably heard it from someone else on staff, tossing it around the table – likely, the so-called
“servo engineer” who declared the first drowned CP4 was definitely not “caused by water corrosion”. Marj then countermanded his errant opinion – actually, she is way smarter than most. So, it was definitely just “plain drowning”. The high water mark, an inch-wide
white scum mark, rubs off easily, like chalk, the copper traces were unaffected, thus the PCB surface was NOT corroded. I just took it for granted that Marj uses the term “corrosion” someone loosely, as offhand non-technical parlance, signifying nothing
other than there was a swath, demarcating the depth of dew built up inside the CP4 case, over a few nights of viewing time – but neither of which had bottom corner DRAIN holes, for the CP4 .... to “relieve itself”.
Now, as you reported in another post’s reply below, as a professional engineer you are quite familiar with and have regularly experienced “acid rain corrosion”, such as at your observatory near the Hawaiian volcanoes. Although you attempted to apply
your own circumstance to my pristine site here in Canada, you should realize that if there had actually been ANY outward sign of “acid rain corrosion” causing the CP4’s to burn out, then the same “acidic dew” would have been raining down on my “nylon tarp”,
covering the scope over the past 6 years, (from May 2012). The nylon tarp would be a very delicate “lace cloth” by now.
You remember, Chris --- my nylon “HINDENBURG Tarp”, as you recently referred to - covering my AP-1200, with its 900 WATT automatic dew heater underneath the tarp, keeping it at 60% relative humidity, 24/7/365, when it is not open for a few short
hours during a session. Yes .... the tarp is still quite intact, didn’t burn up as you expected, doing well, with not even a single pin-prick hole in its large nylon surface – from anything like acid rain. Besides, Chris, if there were a molecule of sulphuric
acid in the dew downpour entering my leaky CP4 – actually BOTH of them - then the AP-1200 paint job would have yellowed or burned off in spots by now, as would the primary mirror coating, my backyard lawn wouldn’t be the rich green colour it has been all
summer as in every year, the beautiful flowers bloomed in my garden a few feet away, fruit trees nearby didn’t prematurely shed their leaves even until now in the fall, and there wasn’t one single dead bird in the yard – i.e. no equivalent sure-tell “Coalmine
Canary”, if you please.
Is that enough evidence to contradict AP’s cockamamie assumption your contact is espousing, about “corrosion from acid rain” causing my CP4’s to fail – BOTH of them – rather than ending up as a one inch deep baptismal font? I can’t see it being your
own professional, well-considered, engineering conclusion – without evidence.
I assume your own CP4, at the occasionally volcano gassed, “Waikoloa Hawaii, is on a “new AP model” mount, rather than being attached at your site’s local Latitude angle on top of the RA axle. So I find your claim quite interesting ... that with
all the “sulphuric acid rain” occasionally hitting YOUR own CP4, it still has not corroded (inside or outside), and yet you presume that MY far cleaner Canadian skies have an even stronger sulphuric acid content than your VOG in Hawaii. This is Canada ...
not VENUS !
You really should check out the pretense your friends at AP may been trying to foist on you – if that really was the case. Unlike the “vog” (volcanic fog, as you called it) near your site, the only “smell of sulphur” here on the North American mainland,
might be emanating from someone’s oval-like office, or more recently coming from under ... “a Bench” ;-)
Clear non-VOG skies, Chris -
Joe Z.
From: 'Christopher Erickson' christopher.k.erickson@... [ap-gto]
Sent: Sunday, October 7, 2018 7:21 PM
To: ap-gto@...
Subject: RE: [ap-gto] CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding
There aren't any corrosive gasses or particulates on the top of Mauna Kea. It is way above the inversion layer. And the humidity at 14,000' is usually
around 20-30%.
Mauna Loa does get "gassed" by sulfur dioxide blown up from Kilauea from time to time. And when mixed with water becomes sulfuric acid.
My home is in Waikoloa, on the dry side of the island. Once in a great while we get a visible cloud of vog (volcanic fog) rolling through, which is corrosive.
Most of the time it is the East side of the island that suffers from constant humidity, rain and corrosion.
Although I live in Hawaii and regularly have 60-80% humidity outside, I have NEVER had corrosion problems with my CP4's. And about every other month I
am setting up my scopes within a stone's throw of the ocean.
-Christopher Erickson
Observatory engineer Summit Kinetics From: ap-gto@... [mailto:ap-gto@...] Sent: Sunday, October 7, 2018 6:05 PM To: ap-gto@... Subject: Re: [ap-gto] CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding Hi Chris,
Good advice.
Question: Do you have any concerns about the salty corrosive atmosphere on the mountain? Trade winds blow right up the hill, eh?
Steve E NZ
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Re: CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding
Joe Zeglinski
Chris,
I don’t know who at AP has been “talking you up”
on this “CP4 corrosion myth”, since I only had Marj posit that theory to me, and
she not being technical, probably heard it from someone else on staff, tossing
it around the table – likely, the so-called “servo engineer” who declared the
first drowned CP4 was definitely not “caused by water corrosion”. Marj then
countermanded his errant opinion – actually, she is way smarter than most. So,
it was definitely just “plain drowning”. The high water mark, an inch-wide
white scum mark, rubs off easily, like chalk, the copper traces were unaffected,
thus the PCB surface was NOT corroded. I just took it for granted that Marj uses
the term “corrosion” someone loosely, as offhand non-technical
parlance, signifying nothing other than there was a swath,
demarcating the depth of dew built up inside the CP4 case, over a few nights of
viewing time – but neither of which had bottom corner DRAIN holes, for the CP4
... to “relieve itself”.
Now, as you reported in another post’s reply below, as a
professional engineer you are quite familiar with and have regularly experienced
“acid rain corrosion”, such as at your observatory near the Hawaiian volcanoes.
Although you attempted to apply your own circumstance to my pristine site here
in Canada, you should realize that if there had actually been ANY outward sign
of “acid rain corrosion” causing the CP4’s to burn out, then the same
“acidic dew” would have been raining down on my “nylon tarp”, covering the
scope over the past 6 years, (from May 2012). The nylon tarp would be a very
delicate “lace cloth” by now.
You remember, Chris --- my nylon “HINDENBURG
Tarp”, as you recently referred to - covering my AP-1200, with its 900 WATT
automatic dew heater underneath the tarp, keeping it at 60% relative humidity,
24/7/365, when it is not open for a few short hours during a session. Yes ...
the tarp is still quite intact, didn’t burn up as you expected, doing well, with
not even a single pin-prick hole in its large nylon surface – from anything like
acid rain. Besides, Chris, if there were a molecule of sulphuric acid in the dew
downpour entering my leaky CP4 – actually BOTH of them - then the AP-1200
paint job would have yellowed or burned off in spots by now, as would the
primary mirror coating, my backyard lawn wouldn’t be the rich green colour
it has been all summer as in every year, the beautiful flowers bloomed in my
garden a few feet away, fruit trees nearby didn’t prematurely shed their leaves
even until now in the fall, and there wasn’t one single dead bird in the yard –
i.e. no equivalent sure-tell “Coalmine Canary”, if you please.
Is that enough evidence to contradict AP’s cockamamie
assumption your contact is espousing, about “corrosion from acid rain”
causing my CP4’s to fail – BOTH of them – rather than ending up as a one inch
deep baptismal font? I can’t see it being your own professional,
well-considered, engineering conclusion – without evidence.
I assume your own CP4, at the occasionally volcano
gassed, “Waikoloa Hawaii, is on a “new AP model” mount, rather than being
attached at your site’s local Latitude angle on top of the RA axle. So I find
your claim quite interesting ... that with all the “sulphuric acid rain”
occasionally hitting YOUR own CP4, it still has not corroded (inside or
outside), and yet you presume that MY far cleaner Canadian skies have an
even stronger sulphuric acid content than your VOG in Hawaii. This is
Canada ... not VENUS !
You really should check out the pretense your friends at
AP may been trying to foist on you – if that really was the case. Unlike the
“vog” (volcanic fog, as you called it) near your site, the only “smell of
sulphur” here on the North American mainland, might be emanating from
someone’s oval-like office, or more recently coming from under ... “a Bench”
;-)
Clear non-VOG skies, Chris -
Joe Z.
From: 'Christopher Erickson'
christopher.k.erickson@... [ap-gto]
Sent: Sunday, October 7, 2018 7:21 PM
To: ap-gto@...
Subject: RE: [ap-gto] CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY
suseptible to DEW flooding There aren't any corrosive gasses or particulates on the top
of Mauna Kea. It is way above the inversion layer. And the humidity at 14,000'
is usually around 20-30%.
Mauna Loa does get "gassed" by sulfur dioxide blown up from
Kilauea from time to time. And when mixed with water becomes sulfuric
acid.
My home is in Waikoloa, on the dry side of the island. Once in
a great while we get a visible cloud of vog (volcanic fog) rolling through,
which is corrosive. Most of the time it is the East side of the island that
suffers from constant humidity, rain and corrosion.
Although I live in Hawaii and regularly have 60-80% humidity
outside, I have NEVER had corrosion problems with my CP4's. And about every
other month I am setting up my scopes within a stone's throw of the
ocean.
-Christopher Erickson
Observatory engineer Summit Kinetics From: ap-gto@... [mailto:ap-gto@...] Sent: Sunday, October 7, 2018 6:05 PM To: ap-gto@... Subject: Re: [ap-gto] CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding Hi Chris,
Good advice.
Question: Do you have any concerns about the salty corrosive atmosphere on the mountain? Trade winds blow right up the hill, eh?
Steve E NZ
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Weird interaction between Maxim and AP900
Geoff Smith
Background: I have a dark sky, permanent setup to which I go over every new moon period. I normally guide by the "telescope" option in MaximDL. For the last few months I have found that after guiding successfully for a period the mount may (or may not) suddenly begin oscillating in RA--typically 10 arc seconds. Restarting the guide camera sometimes settles things down, or if not, restarting Maxim often works. The problem usually occurs once, or rarely, twice in a full night session. The oscillations are obvious in the guide star window. Now for the really weird part.The problem was more persistent two nights ago, so I started trying to investigate exactly what was happening. I switched off guiding and just started loading continuous 3sec exposures from the guide camera.There was an obvious jitter from image to image. Then I disconnected the mount from the computer. From then on the images were completely steady! Reconnecting the mount (via keyspan serial port adapter) brought back the jitter. So somehow, the connection from Maxim to the mount was sending pulses to the mount. This happened with both Maxim5 and Maxim6. So I tried recalibrating the guider. After a few false starts I got a good calibration. The mount then guided problem free for the next 4 hours. Suggestions welcome! Geoff
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Re: CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding
Dale Ghent
On page 6 of the CP4 documentation[1], under the heading of Environmental Considerations, the tolerance to liquids is rather explicitly stated:
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
"We strive to make our control boxes moisture and dew resistant; however, they are not waterproof! Please be responsible to shield them from excessive dew and condensation." And further: "The GTOCP4 control box and optional Keypad are not waterproof and should be protected from rain and excessive condensation." I suppose it's up to the reader to determine what excessive condensation means to them within the context of their own operations and take any appropriate actions. But that's the extent to any claims of water resistance that are made for the CP4. There are certainly no stated adherence to an industry standard regarding contaminant resistance, such as DSM&T's IP (Ingress Protection) rating system. The root cause you described is basically water splashing onto the unit, almost the equivalent of someone spilling their drink onto it. Per the instructions, it would follow that you'd want to devise a way - appropriate for your setup and operations - to prevent that. Yeah, it would be nice if A-P could both have a better-sealed design and maybe even assign an IP rating, but those things cost money to do. To boot, waterproof RJ45F sockets require a male mate with the appropriate housing around it in order to screw together and make a sealed connection. You just can't solder a female waterproof RJ45 jack to the pcb and call it a day. To do it proper, it's an actual system. As for RTV? I'd expect that answer from my roofer. [1] http://www.astro-physics.com/tech_support/mounts/servo/GTOCP4-Servo-Control-System-manual2.pdf
On Oct 8, 2018, at 12:31 AM, 'Joseph Zeglinski' J.Zeglinski@rogers.com [ap-gto] <ap-gto@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
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Re: CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding
Joe Zeglinski
Chris,
We are both professional electrical engineers, and your
points here, are so waaaaay off.
An expensive and professional level electronics product
like the CP4 ... should NOT require a paper or plastic bag on it, to
operate properly.
Putting a bag over the CP4 – while that would be an appropriate look for
its present state – would be difficult with all the attached cables in the
way. A “dew heater patch” under it, if there actually were enough space between
its backside and its cradle to still lock it down, might work – I doubt there
is. There is probably enough heat given off by the enclosed electronics, to be
equivalent to using a dew heater patch.
However, I was thinking about integrating a “Liquid
level sensor” inside the CP4, based on its present case design status.
All that AP had to do was simply to put some RTV around
just that ONE leaky RJ-45 connector, or use a proper water proof Ethernet
connector, similar to ALL the others on the panel, or even just stipulate that
it NOT be attached on top of the RA axle of old model mounts, and
the CP4 would be “water proofed” – but they DID NOT, couldn’t be bothered to
make the effort, and AP’s “legal disclaimer” on water resistance was an
easier out, for the company.
Don’t know why you assumed my CP4 and telescope is
installed inside an “observatory” – I thought I made it perfectly clear,
it was NOT. You must be skim-reading, or confusing the post with some
other case.
The site is a backyard, 20 feet from the house, in the
middle of a major city of 4 million people on Lake Ontario – not out in the deep
woods or farmer’s field. We don’t have “corrosive air pollution” like many
places in the US or China. People in the US, and most of the world consider
Toronto as one of the cleanest cities, air, streets, etc. on the planet,
and we don’t wear medical face masks when walking outdoors. – Ever been
here? – Try again, Chris.
The only way it would be corrosion, from
(distilled) water “dew”, is if the circuit board wasn’t PROPERLY RINSED during
manufacture, to neutralize solder paste acid, etc. and THAT acidic
water solution would definitely make the incoming dew water, corrosive.
So, perhaps it is a case of poor AP manufacturing practices? But, I wouldn’t
expect that.
Mainly, it is simply a case of plain
drowning, and the circuits were blowing from a string of “orange rust”, obvious
in the photo, between several pins along the bottom of the PCB. That is also
evidenced by a huge wide swath of “rust stain” along the case inside
bottom ledge, at the base of the circuit board, about 2 inches long – that’s
REALLY significant rusting. Would you care to see Marj’s photo of the first
damaged board, and mine of the second drowning?
It was just normal average city dew, perhaps a bit heavier on
one night, than average. Good grief Chris, it “wasn’t raining”
from dew at the time – the skies were pristine, since I was imaging
without problems. It also happened to TWO CP4 boards – and by the way,
NEVER happened to my original two CP3 boards, after over a decade of use, in the
exact same spot. But then ... CP3’s don’t leak – CP4’s can easily leak, if
facing skyward, rather than being vertical.
And yes, the 14.5 inch primary mirror is doing just
fine, no corrosion or dulling, nice and shiny, even after more than 7 years
since re-coating, and the ASUS laptop sitting right beside it, exposed to
the same environmental dew conditions, (covered by a LAPDOME, but not closed
up) didn’t short out ... so please don’t go spinning cobwebs about
corrosive air around here.
Don’t know why you think the circuit board is “dip
sealed”, it certainly isn’t “Potted” which would be overkill.
Perhaps you actually mean “Conformal Coated PCB Traces” - but obviously
the solder joints are NOT – they, and all IC’ pins are bare solder,
fully exposed to water and being short circuited by water and the iron in the
rust, even if the PCB circuit traces themselves, are (green) conformal
coated.
The CP4 needs proper water proofing, more than your
suggestion of just relying on its “PCB conformal coating”, since
Astronomical Telescope electronics are ACTUALLY MEANT to be exposed and used
outdoors, at night, even in winter conditions of wind blown snow dusting. Even
some lowly porch and garage lamps are especially required to be UL/CSA
rated for water penetration, before allowed to be sold to the public.
What makes “astronomy accessories like the CP4” ... UL/CSA
exempt?
I would surprised if the CP4 could have passed UL or CSA
certification – didn’t find it stated in the documentation – only the FCC
radio emission standards.
Joe
From: 'Christopher Erickson'
christopher.k.erickson@... [ap-gto]
Sent: Sunday, October 7, 2018 7:00 PM
To: ap-gto@...
Subject: RE: [ap-gto] CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY
suseptible to DEW flooding If you have a condensation problem with your CP4, simply put a
plastic, paper or cloth bag over it. Or put a dew heater patch on the back of
the CP4.
More importantly, if you are getting this kind of profound
volumes of dew inside of your observatory or around and on the rest of your
observing site and equipment while observing, you have other problems that
urgently need to be dealt with. Serious problems. All of the rest of your
electronics will be much-more vulnerable to corrosion than the CP4 electronics.
Not to mention OTA parts and delicate optical surfaces.
The circuit board in the CP4 is dip-sealed and dew is, by
definition, non-corrosive, distilled-water. However if your observing location
atmosphere has potentially-corrosive gasses or particulates in it, like
car/truck/furnace/propane/butane exhaust, that could be, when mixed with water,
the source of your corrosion issues.
My suggestion is to stop fixating on the CP4 and start
evaluating your entire setup location and see what-all is vulnerable and what
can be done about the condensation and corrosive gasses and particulates. Your
cameras, optics, computers and everything else are at serious risk, not just the
CP4.
I have seen people use a big binder clip to wrap a beach towel
around the lower half of their mounts and all of the electronics. Not high-tech
and it doesn't involve new holes and machine tools, but is very
effective.
I hope this helps.
-Christopher Erickson
Observatory engineer Summit Kinetics From: ap-gto@... [mailto:ap-gto@...] Sent: Sunday, October 7, 2018 4:50 PM To: ap-gto@... Subject: Re: [ap-gto] CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding Hi, One further note of observation, on my
original post on CP4 dew water entry.
I should emphasize that the CP4’s “Achilles
Heel” – the CP4 Ethernet RJ-45 connector – is most prevalent for those who
“Upgrade their CP3 on one of their OLD AP mounts” and choose to continue
using the new CP4 still attached, angled upward on top of their RA axle.
This leaves the gaps in the panel around the RJ-45 fully exposed to its
own dew condensation as well as the excess dripping down off the OTA
surface. There would still remain a slight risk of water going straight down the
center plug’s hole, to the circuits inside.
The best avoidance is to attach it vertically to the
AP-900 or AP-1200 pier or tripod, rather than on the RA
axle. This will make the CP4 as well protected as on the current
model mounts – (AP-MACH-1, AP-1100 and AP-1600, etc.) ... in their vertically
oriented position.
You should still “RTV or Silicone rubber seal” around
the Ethernet (and possibly a bit around the Guider) panel connector gaps, and
either unplug the corner rubber stoppers from the new CP4 (black) models, or
drill the two missing corner DRAIN holes in the first few years released CP4
(white) model versions, case bottom edge,
backsides.
Upon closer examination, I notice that WHEN the CP4
is mounted “vertically”, there is an... additional BONUS in dew
protection. The “upper front cover” (the one with the antenna stick),
sticks out in front of the connector panel by 3/4 inch, compared to the old CP3
which stuck out slightly less, (1/2 inch). Although not likely intended, this acts
as an “OVERHANGING ROOF”, protecting the panel of connectors below it, from
being hit directly by dripping dew from above, such as dew streaming off the far
greater OTA surface. Thus, the Ethernet connector’s oversized hole’s gaps
(approx. 0.030 inch), would not endure a direct
splash, in this configuration. Furthermore, if you still wanted a bit
more protection, you could even glue a square dowel or piece of
wood/plastic, 6-1/4 inches long by whatever extra thickness you like,
along the upper cover’s bottom edge, to provide an even further outward
diversion of the dew, away from the connector panel. Ideally, you could even
locate a triangular prism cross section dowel, or just use a small piece of
plastic or metal strip, to angle outward from just slightly above the CP4 top
cover’s lower edge, which would divert the water drips even further away,
with a smoother run-off – while presumably still not interfering with the
mount’s cabling.
All of the remaining panel connectors, (except for
the Ethernet and the Guider), are seen to be bolted VERY securely from beneath
their panel surface, making those connectors very likely “water
tight”, to begin with. Along with the YOUR now properly
sealing the Ethernet connector, and “opened” DRAIN holes (for insurance),
the CP4 should then be truly “water resistant” ... if not finally
.... “WATER PROOFED” - ready in its vertical attachment
position, to challenge dew, unexpected rain showers, and errant
sprinkler blasts. Joe Z.
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Re: CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding
There aren't any corrosive gasses or particulates on the top
of Mauna Kea. It is way above the inversion layer. And the humidity at 14,000'
is usually around 20-30%.
Mauna Loa does get "gassed" by sulfur dioxide blown up from
Kilauea from time to time. And when mixed with water becomes sulfuric
acid.
My home is in Waikoloa, on the dry side of the island. Once in
a great while we get a visible cloud of vog (volcanic fog) rolling through,
which is corrosive. Most of the time it is the East side of the island that
suffers from constant humidity, rain and corrosion.
Although I live in Hawaii and regularly have 60-80% humidity
outside, I have NEVER had corrosion problems with my CP4's. And about every
other month I am setting up my scopes within a stone's throw of the
ocean.
-Christopher Erickson
Observatory engineer Summit Kinetics
From: ap-gto@... [mailto:ap-gto@...] Sent: Sunday, October 7, 2018 6:05 PM To: ap-gto@... Subject: Re: [ap-gto] CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding Hi Chris, Good advice. Question: Do you have any concerns about the salty corrosive atmosphere on the mountain? Trade winds blow right up the hill, eh? Steve E NZ From: ap-gto@...
on behalf of 'Christopher Erickson'
christopher.k.erickson@... [ap-gto]
Sent: Sunday, 7 October 2018 7:00 PM To: ap-gto@... Subject: RE: [ap-gto] CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding If you have a condensation problem with your CP4, simply put a
plastic, paper or cloth bag over it. Or put a dew heater patch on the
back of the CP4.
More importantly, if you are getting this kind of
profound volumes of dew inside of your observatory or around and on the
rest of your observing site and equipment while observing, you have other
problems that urgently need to be dealt with. Serious problems. All of the rest
of your electronics will be much-more vulnerable to corrosion than the CP4
electronics. Not to mention OTA parts and delicate optical
surfaces.
The circuit board in the CP4 is dip-sealed and dew is, by
definition, non-corrosive, distilled-water. However if your observing
location atmosphere has potentially-corrosive gasses or particulates in it, like
car/truck/furnace/propane/butane exhaust, that could be, when mixed with
water, the source of your corrosion issues.
My suggestion is to stop fixating on the CP4 and start
evaluating your entire setup location and see what-all is vulnerable and what
can be done about the condensation and corrosive gasses and particulates. Your
cameras, optics, computers and everything else are at serious risk, not just the
CP4.
I have seen people use a big binder clip to wrap a beach towel
around the lower half of their mounts and all of the electronics. Not high-tech
and it doesn't involve new holes and machine tools, but is very
effective.
I hope this helps.
-Christopher Erickson
Observatory engineer Summit Kinetics From: ap-gto@... [mailto:ap-gto@...] Sent: Sunday, October 7, 2018 4:50 PM To: ap-gto@... Subject: Re: [ap-gto] CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding Hi, One further note of observation, on my
original post on CP4 dew water entry.
I should emphasize that the CP4’s “Achilles
Heel” – the CP4 Ethernet RJ-45 connector – is most prevalent for those who
“Upgrade their CP3 on one of their OLD AP mounts” and choose to continue
using the new CP4 still attached, angled upward on top of their RA axle.
This leaves the gaps in the panel around the RJ-45 fully exposed to its
own dew condensation as well as the excess dripping down off the OTA
surface. There would still remain a slight risk of water going straight down the
center plug’s hole, to the circuits inside.
The best avoidance is to attach it vertically to the
AP-900 or AP-1200 pier or tripod, rather than on the RA
axle. This will make the CP4 as well protected as on the current
model mounts – (AP-MACH-1, AP-1100 and AP-1600, etc.) ... in their vertically
oriented position.
You should still “RTV or Silicone rubber seal” around
the Ethernet (and possibly a bit around the Guider) panel connector gaps, and
either unplug the corner rubber stoppers from the new CP4 (black) models, or
drill the two missing corner DRAIN holes in the first few years released CP4
(white) model versions, case bottom edge,
backsides.
Upon closer examination, I notice that WHEN the CP4
is mounted “vertically”, there is an... additional BONUS in dew
protection. The “upper front cover” (the one with the antenna stick),
sticks out in front of the connector panel by 3/4 inch, compared to the old CP3
which stuck out slightly less, (1/2 inch). Although not likely intended, this acts
as an “OVERHANGING ROOF”, protecting the panel of connectors below it, from
being hit directly by dripping dew from above, such as dew streaming off the far
greater OTA surface. Thus, the Ethernet connector’s oversized hole’s gaps
(approx. 0.030 inch), would not endure a direct
splash, in this configuration. Furthermore, if you still wanted a bit
more protection, you could even glue a square dowel or piece of
wood/plastic, 6-1/4 inches long by whatever extra thickness you like,
along the upper cover’s bottom edge, to provide an even further outward
diversion of the dew, away from the connector panel. Ideally, you could even
locate a triangular prism cross section dowel, or just use a small piece of
plastic or metal strip, to angle outward from just slightly above the CP4 top
cover’s lower edge, which would divert the water drips even further away,
with a smoother run-off – while presumably still not interfering with the
mount’s cabling.
All of the remaining panel connectors, (except for
the Ethernet and the Guider), are seen to be bolted VERY securely from beneath
their panel surface, making those connectors very likely “water
tight”, to begin with. Along with the YOUR now properly
sealing the Ethernet connector, and “opened” DRAIN holes (for insurance),
the CP4 should then be truly “water resistant” ... if not finally
..... “WATER PROOFED” - ready in its vertical attachment
position, to challenge dew, unexpected rain showers, and errant
sprinkler blasts. Joe Z.
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Re: CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding
Steven
Hi Chris,
Good advice.
Question: Do you have any concerns about the salty corrosive atmosphere on the mountain? Trade winds blow right up the hill, eh?
Steve E NZ
From: ap-gto@... on behalf of 'Christopher Erickson' christopher.k.erickson@... [ap-gto]
Sent: Sunday, 7 October 2018 7:00 PM To: ap-gto@... Subject: RE: [ap-gto] CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding If you have a condensation problem with your CP4, simply put a plastic, paper or cloth bag over it. Or put a dew heater patch on the back of the CP4.
More importantly, if you are getting this kind of profound volumes of dew inside of your observatory or around and on the rest of your observing site
and equipment while observing, you have other problems that urgently need to be dealt with. Serious problems. All of the rest of your electronics will be much-more vulnerable to corrosion than the CP4 electronics. Not to mention OTA parts and delicate optical
surfaces.
The circuit board in the CP4 is dip-sealed and dew is, by definition, non-corrosive, distilled-water. However if your observing location atmosphere has
potentially-corrosive gasses or particulates in it, like car/truck/furnace/propane/butane exhaust, that could be, when mixed with water, the source of your corrosion issues.
My suggestion is to stop fixating on the CP4 and start evaluating your entire setup location and see what-all is vulnerable and what can be done about
the condensation and corrosive gasses and particulates. Your cameras, optics, computers and everything else are at serious risk, not just the CP4.
I have seen people use a big binder clip to wrap a beach towel around the lower half of their mounts and all of the electronics. Not high-tech and it
doesn't involve new holes and machine tools, but is very effective.
I hope this helps.
-Christopher Erickson
Observatory engineer Summit Kinetics From: ap-gto@... [mailto:ap-gto@...] Sent: Sunday, October 7, 2018 4:50 PM To: ap-gto@... Subject: Re: [ap-gto] CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding
Hi,
One further note of observation, on my original post on CP4 dew water entry.
I should emphasize that the CP4’s “Achilles Heel” – the CP4 Ethernet RJ-45 connector – is most prevalent for those who “Upgrade their CP3 on one of their OLD AP mounts” and choose to continue using the new CP4 still attached,
angled upward on top of their RA axle. This leaves the gaps in the panel around the RJ-45 fully exposed to its own dew condensation as well as the excess dripping down off the OTA surface. There would still remain a slight risk of water going straight down
the center plug’s hole, to the circuits inside.
The best avoidance is to attach it vertically to the AP-900 or AP-1200
pier or tripod, rather than on the RA axle. This will make the CP4 as well protected as on the current model mounts – (AP-MACH-1, AP-1100 and AP-1600, etc.) ... in their vertically oriented position.
You should still “RTV or Silicone rubber seal” around the Ethernet (and possibly a bit around the Guider) panel connector gaps, and either unplug the corner rubber stoppers from the new CP4 (black) models, or drill the two missing
corner DRAIN holes in the first few years released CP4 (white) model versions, case bottom edge, backsides.
Upon closer examination, I notice that WHEN the CP4 is mounted “vertically”, there is an...
additional BONUS in dew protection.
The “upper front cover” (the one with the antenna stick), sticks out in front of the connector panel by 3/4 inch, compared to the old CP3 which stuck out slightly less, (1/2 inch).
Although not likely intended, this acts as an “OVERHANGING ROOF”, protecting the panel of connectors below it, from being hit directly by dripping dew from above, such as dew streaming off the far greater OTA surface. Thus, the
Ethernet connector’s oversized hole’s gaps (approx. 0.030 inch), would not endure a direct splash, in this configuration.
Furthermore, if you still wanted a bit more protection, you could even glue a square dowel or piece of wood/plastic, 6-1/4 inches long by whatever extra thickness you like, along the upper cover’s bottom edge, to provide an even
further outward diversion of the dew, away from the connector panel. Ideally, you could even locate a triangular prism cross section dowel, or just use a small piece of plastic or metal strip, to angle outward from just slightly above the CP4 top cover’s lower
edge, which would divert the water drips even further away, with a smoother run-off – while presumably still not interfering with the mount’s cabling.
All of the remaining panel connectors, (except for the Ethernet and the Guider), are seen to be bolted VERY securely from beneath their panel surface, making those connectors very likely “water tight”, to begin with.
Along with the YOUR now properly sealing the Ethernet connector, and “opened” DRAIN holes (for insurance), the CP4 should then be truly “water resistant” ... if not finally ..... “WATER PROOFED” - ready in its vertical attachment
position, to challenge dew, unexpected rain showers, and errant sprinkler blasts.
Joe Z.
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||
|
Re: CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding
If you have a condensation problem with your CP4, simply put a
plastic, paper or cloth bag over it. Or put a dew heater patch on the
back of the CP4.
More importantly, if you are getting this kind of
profound volumes of dew inside of your observatory or around and on the
rest of your observing site and equipment while observing, you have other
problems that urgently need to be dealt with. Serious problems. All of the rest
of your electronics will be much-more vulnerable to corrosion than the CP4
electronics. Not to mention OTA parts and delicate optical
surfaces.
The circuit board in the CP4 is dip-sealed and dew is, by
definition, non-corrosive, distilled-water. However if your observing
location atmosphere has potentially-corrosive gasses or particulates in it, like
car/truck/furnace/propane/butane exhaust, that could be, when mixed with
water, the source of your corrosion issues.
My suggestion is to stop fixating on the CP4 and start
evaluating your entire setup location and see what-all is vulnerable and what
can be done about the condensation and corrosive gasses and particulates. Your
cameras, optics, computers and everything else are at serious risk, not just the
CP4.
I have seen people use a big binder clip to wrap a beach towel
around the lower half of their mounts and all of the electronics. Not high-tech
and it doesn't involve new holes and machine tools, but is very
effective.
I hope this helps.
-Christopher Erickson
Observatory engineer Summit Kinetics
From: ap-gto@... [mailto:ap-gto@...] Sent: Sunday, October 7, 2018 4:50 PM To: ap-gto@... Subject: Re: [ap-gto] CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding Hi, One further note of observation, on my
original post on CP4 dew water entry.
I should emphasize that the CP4’s “Achilles
Heel” – the CP4 Ethernet RJ-45 connector – is most prevalent for those who
“Upgrade their CP3 on one of their OLD AP mounts” and choose to continue
using the new CP4 still attached, angled upward on top of their RA axle.
This leaves the gaps in the panel around the RJ-45 fully exposed to its
own dew condensation as well as the excess dripping down off the OTA
surface. There would still remain a slight risk of water going straight down the
center plug’s hole, to the circuits inside.
The best avoidance is to attach it vertically to the
AP-900 or AP-1200 pier or tripod, rather than on the RA
axle. This will make the CP4 as well protected as on the current
model mounts – (AP-MACH-1, AP-1100 and AP-1600, etc.) ... in their vertically
oriented position.
You should still “RTV or Silicone rubber seal” around
the Ethernet (and possibly a bit around the Guider) panel connector gaps, and
either unplug the corner rubber stoppers from the new CP4 (black) models, or
drill the two missing corner DRAIN holes in the first few years released CP4
(white) model versions, case bottom edge,
backsides.
Upon closer examination, I notice that WHEN the CP4
is mounted “vertically”, there is an... additional BONUS in dew
protection. The “upper front cover” (the one with the antenna stick),
sticks out in front of the connector panel by 3/4 inch, compared to the old CP3
which stuck out slightly less, (1/2 inch). Although not likely intended, this acts
as an “OVERHANGING ROOF”, protecting the panel of connectors below it, from
being hit directly by dripping dew from above, such as dew streaming off the far
greater OTA surface. Thus, the Ethernet connector’s oversized hole’s gaps
(approx. 0.030 inch), would not endure a direct
splash, in this configuration. Furthermore, if you still wanted a bit
more protection, you could even glue a square dowel or piece of
wood/plastic, 6-1/4 inches long by whatever extra thickness you like,
along the upper cover’s bottom edge, to provide an even further outward
diversion of the dew, away from the connector panel. Ideally, you could even
locate a triangular prism cross section dowel, or just use a small piece of
plastic or metal strip, to angle outward from just slightly above the CP4 top
cover’s lower edge, which would divert the water drips even further away,
with a smoother run-off – while presumably still not interfering with the
mount’s cabling.
All of the remaining panel connectors, (except for
the Ethernet and the Guider), are seen to be bolted VERY securely from beneath
their panel surface, making those connectors very likely “water
tight”, to begin with. Along with the YOUR now properly
sealing the Ethernet connector, and “opened” DRAIN holes (for insurance),
the CP4 should then be truly “water resistant” ... if not finally
.... “WATER PROOFED” - ready in its vertical attachment
position, to challenge dew, unexpected rain showers, and errant
sprinkler blasts. Joe Z.
|
||
|
|
||
|
Re: CP4 is definitely NOT water tight - VERY suseptible to DEW flooding
Joe Zeglinski
Hi, One further note of observation, on my
original post on CP4 dew water entry.
I should emphasize that the CP4’s “Achilles
Heel” – the CP4 Ethernet RJ-45 connector – is most prevalent for those who
“Upgrade their CP3 on one of their OLD AP mounts” and choose to continue
using the new CP4 still attached, angled upward on top of their RA axle.
This leaves the gaps in the panel around the RJ-45 fully exposed to its
own dew condensation as well as the excess dripping down off the OTA
surface. There would still remain a slight risk of water going straight down the
center plug’s hole, to the circuits inside.
The best avoidance is to attach it vertically to the
AP-900 or AP-1200 pier or tripod, rather than on the RA
axle. This will make the CP4 as well protected as on the current
model mounts – (AP-MACH-1, AP-1100 and AP-1600, etc.) ... in their vertically
oriented position.
You should still “RTV or Silicone rubber seal” around
the Ethernet (and possibly a bit around the Guider) panel connector gaps, and
either unplug the corner rubber stoppers from the new CP4 (black) models, or
drill the two missing corner DRAIN holes in the first few years released CP4
(white) model versions, case bottom edge,
backsides.
Upon closer examination, I notice that WHEN the CP4
is mounted “vertically”, there is an... additional BONUS in dew
protection. The “upper front cover” (the one with the antenna stick),
sticks out in front of the connector panel by 3/4 inch, compared to the old CP3
which stuck out slightly less, (1/2 inch). Although not likely intended, this acts
as an “OVERHANGING ROOF”, protecting the panel of connectors below it, from
being hit directly by dripping dew from above, such as dew streaming off the far
greater OTA surface. Thus, the Ethernet connector’s oversized hole’s gaps
(approx. 0.030 inch), would not endure a direct
splash, in this configuration. Furthermore, if you still wanted a bit
more protection, you could even glue a square dowel or piece of
wood/plastic, 6-1/4 inches long by whatever extra thickness you like,
along the upper cover’s bottom edge, to provide an even further outward
diversion of the dew, away from the connector panel. Ideally, you could even
locate a triangular prism cross section dowel, or just use a small piece of
plastic or metal strip, to angle outward from just slightly above the CP4 top
cover’s lower edge, which would divert the water drips even further away,
with a smoother run-off – while presumably still not interfering with the
mount’s cabling.
All of the remaining panel connectors, (except for
the Ethernet and the Guider), are seen to be bolted VERY securely from beneath
their panel surface, making those connectors very likely “water
tight”, to begin with. Along with the YOUR now properly
sealing the Ethernet connector, and “opened” DRAIN holes (for insurance),
the CP4 should then be truly “water resistant” ... if not finally
... “WATER PROOFED” - ready in its vertical attachment
position, to challenge dew, unexpected rain showers, and errant
sprinkler blasts. Joe Z.
|
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Re: ASCOM Driver Beta - v5.20.04
topboxman
I just like it better. I usually manually position the mount to Park 3, load equipment, position to Park 5 and go from there. When I was using Park 4, after loading equipment in Park 3 and then position to Park 4, sometimes I would rotate Dec axis in one direction and other times to opposite direction to point the scope to south, the cables inside the mount can get twisted and recently they were twisted so I had to untwist them. Using Park 5 from Park 3, it's easy to rotate Dec axis in only one direction to point scope to North because rotating Dec axis to opposite direction to point the scope to North is much longer so it's obvious to rotate Dec axis much shorter direction and avoid cables get twisted inside the mount. I hope I am making it clear. It's mainly a personal preference and easy not to get cables twisted inside the mount from Park 3 to Park 5. Peter ---In ap-gto@..., <bill@...> wrote : What is the advantage?
From: ap-gto@... <ap-gto@...> on behalf of pnagy@... [ap-gto] <ap-gto@...> Sent: Saturday, October 6, 2018 7:03 PM To: ap-gto@... Subject: [ap-gto] Re: ASCOM Driver Beta - v5.20.04 Just wanted to say that Park 5 works well. Will use this park position from now on. Thanks Ray. Peter ---In ap-gto@..., <groups3@...> wrote : Hello all, Here is new beta version of the AP V2 ASCOM driver. If you see any problems please report them here or to me via private email. https://www.gralak.com/apdriver/AstroPhysics_V2_Setup_5.20.04.exe Changes since v5.20.02: V5.20.04 - 2018-Oct-01 Beta - Ray Gralak ------------------------------------------------------------------- - IMPROVEMENT - Park/Unpark positions will not change because of the new Park 5 position. - Update documentation for various features, including Time synchronization options. - Change wording of sync time during initialization. - BUG FIX - Change RA/DEC AxisRates from 0-5, to -5-5 degrees/sec. V5.20.03 - 2018-Sep-24 Beta - Ray Gralak ------------------------------------------------------------------- - NEW FEATURE - Added Park 5 - BUG FIX - Dec MoveAxis was always setting Rate=0 - Removed extra "PEC" label from the Handbox - When Encoder tracking is enabled on encoder-equipped mounts, disable PEM Enable/Disable buttons, and hide PEM Record button -Ray Gralak Author of APCC (Astro-Physics Command Center): http://www.astro-physics.com/index.htm?products/accessories/software/apcc/apcc Author of PEMPro V3: https://www.ccdware.com Author of Astro-Physics V2 ASCOM Driver: https://www.siriusimaging.com/apdriver
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Re: ASCOM Driver Beta - v5.20.04
Bill Long
What is the advantage?
From: ap-gto@... on behalf of pnagy@... [ap-gto]
Sent: Saturday, October 6, 2018 7:03 PM To: ap-gto@... Subject: [ap-gto] Re: ASCOM Driver Beta - v5.20.04 Just wanted to say that Park 5 works well. Will use this park position from now on.
Thanks Ray.
Peter
---In ap-gto@..., wrote : Hello all,
Here is new beta version of the AP V2 ASCOM driver. If you see any problems please report them here or to me via private email. https://www.gralak.com/apdriver/AstroPhysics_V2_Setup_5.20.04.exe Changes since v5.20.02: V5.20.04 - 2018-Oct-01 Beta - Ray Gralak ------------------------------------------------------------------- - IMPROVEMENT - Park/Unpark positions will not change because of the new Park 5 position. - Update documentation for various features, including Time synchronization options. - Change wording of sync time during initialization. - BUG FIX - Change RA/DEC AxisRates from 0-5, to -5-5 degrees/sec. V5.20.03 - 2018-Sep-24 Beta - Ray Gralak ------------------------------------------------------------------- - NEW FEATURE - Added Park 5 - BUG FIX - Dec MoveAxis was always setting Rate=0 - Removed extra "PEC" label from the Handbox - When Encoder tracking is enabled on encoder-equipped mounts, disable PEM Enable/Disable buttons, and hide PEM Record button -Ray Gralak Author of APCC (Astro-Physics Command Center): http://www.astro-physics.com/index.htm?products/accessories/software/apcc/apcc Author of PEMPro V3: https://www.ccdware.com Author of Astro-Physics V2 ASCOM Driver: https://www.siriusimaging.com/apdriver
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Re: ASCOM Driver Beta - v5.20.04
topboxman
Just wanted to say that Park 5 works well. Will use this park position from now on. Thanks Ray. Peter ---In ap-gto@..., <groups3@...> wrote : Hello all, Here is new beta version of the AP V2 ASCOM driver. If you see any problems please report them here or to me via private email. https://www.gralak.com/apdriver/AstroPhysics_V2_Setup_5.20.04.exe Changes since v5.20.02: V5.20.04 - 2018-Oct-01 Beta - Ray Gralak ------------------------------------------------------------------- - IMPROVEMENT - Park/Unpark positions will not change because of the new Park 5 position. - Update documentation for various features, including Time synchronization options. - Change wording of sync time during initialization. - BUG FIX - Change RA/DEC AxisRates from 0-5, to -5-5 degrees/sec. V5.20.03 - 2018-Sep-24 Beta - Ray Gralak ------------------------------------------------------------------- - NEW FEATURE - Added Park 5 - BUG FIX - Dec MoveAxis was always setting Rate=0 - Removed extra "PEC" label from the Handbox - When Encoder tracking is enabled on encoder-equipped mounts, disable PEM Enable/Disable buttons, and hide PEM Record button -Ray Gralak Author of APCC (Astro-Physics Command Center): http://www.astro-physics.com/index.htm?products/accessories/software/apcc/apcc Author of PEMPro V3: https://www.ccdware.com Author of Astro-Physics V2 ASCOM Driver: https://www.siriusimaging.com/apdriver
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