Ah, I'd have to disagree and say that although it may physically work,
you don't want to do it.

Mike - to do what you want, you should connect the ASCOM guiding app
and the ASCOM planetarium to an ASCOM hub (e.g. POTH), then connect
that hub to the mount through a single serial connection.
This means you only have a single instance of the AP ASCOM driver
running, which will save any conflict headaches down the line.

Using ASCOM, there's no need to run two serial cables, even if they
would work correctly.

John

Thanks for the help, all that answered my posts.
It looks like I have a motor problem!
The RA motor controll runs the dec axis fine. The RA motor is not
fine.
I will have to contact AP for a fix.
Again,
Thanks all
George


















--- In ap-gto@..., chris1011@... wrote:

In a message dated 10/13/2008 12:25:32 AM Central Daylight Time,
J.Zeglinski@... writes:

If the RA cable was snagged,

RA cable cannot be snagged. If anything it would have to be a Dec

cable. On

the other hand, if the scope hit the pier, the cable could NOT be

snagged

because the scope never got beyond vertical!

Plug the RA cable into the Dec motor box. Turn on power. Press the

E-W

buttons to see if the motor slews at 600x. If it works, then the

Servo electronics

are fine. Next plug the RA cable into the RA motor box. Press E-W

buttons. If

the stall light comes on, then the motor may be damaged. Call AP

for further

instructions.

Rolando

Rolando


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How do dual serial ports on the GTOCP3 interface with ASCOM? I have
only used one of them in the past, so it's rather intuitive how it
would be setup. If I went and put a second serial connection to the
mount, am I able to control the AP1200 from both (for example) an
ASCOM compatible pulseGuiding application AND an ASCOM planetarium
application at the same time?

yes.

Rolando

Thanks!

Does it act exactly as a 2nd AP1200 mount from the ASCOM point of view?

How do dual serial ports on the GTOCP3 interface with ASCOM? I have
only used one of them in the past, so it's rather intuitive how it
would be setup. If I went and put a second serial connection to the
mount, am I able to control the AP1200 from both (for example) an
ASCOM compatible pulseGuiding application AND an ASCOM planetarium
application at the same time?

I read this thread quickly but if you're using The Sky 6 then you can define in there a park position and if they park via TheSky6 then it should go wherever you defined it - reliably.

Stuart

Hi Elizabeth,



While you cannot have a custom "park" location with any of the current
keypad firmware versions, you can with PulseGuide. To avoid potential
problems (that would be too much detail to write out), simply use an
azimuth of 179 and an altitude of 1 in PulseGuide's user defined park
position. That should have you pointing at the south wall, and still
able to close the roof. You would always use PulseGuide to park the
mount, but you could start your next session from either PulseGuide or
the keypad. If starting from the keypad, simply resume from park. Do
NOT resume from Reference Park 1. If your keypad firmware is as old as
it sounds, you probably don't have the reference park position anyway in
your initialization menu. PulseGuide is a free download at:

http://www.pulseguide.com/



Call me at Astro-Physics if you would like further assistance.



Mag. 7 skies!



Howard Hedlund

Astro-Physics, Inc.

815-282-1513

________________________________

From: ap-gto@... [mailto:ap-gto@...] On Behalf
Of Elizabeth
Sent: Monday, October 13, 2008 5:06 PM
To: ap-gto@...
Subject: [ap-gto] Re: redefining or creating a new park position

Hello,

We have a C14 on an AP1200. We primarily use the keypad to control
it... very rarely use a computer (The Sky)...

We normally use park1 as that is the only position in which the roof
doesn't hit the telescope as it closes. We've recently installed a

new

flatfield screen on the south side of the room, basically 180deg

from

the park 1 position.

There are no other park positions in the keypad. The 3 positions are
calculated from present RA/DEC. They are not fixed numbers. The RA

varies from 0hrs to

24 hrs during a complete 24 hour cycle. Therefore the Park position

numbers

also vary the same way.

I would assume that Park 1 would be the lowest position of the scope

in your

case, where the roof would not hit the scope, since it would be

pretty much

parallel to the ground and to the Dec axis. What other park position

would be

lower? How low is your roof anyhow?

Rolando

Hi Roland,
I know there are no other park positions on the keypad. That's why I
want to know if we can redefine one of them.

Yes, we normally use park 1. And I understand that it is calculating
an RA and Dec. What we would like is to redefine what it calculates so
that instead of calculating an RA/Dec that is towards the north and
the telescope is horizontal to the ground, we want to basically have
it calculate the coordinate towards the south and horizontal.

Park 2 and Park 3 are useless for us since we can't use them.However,
if there was a way for us to redefine one of them...

Elizabeth

Hello,

We have a C14 on an AP1200. We primarily use the keypad to control
it... very rarely use a computer (The Sky)...

We normally use park1 as that is the only position in which the roof
doesn't hit the telescope as it closes. We've recently installed a new
flatfield screen on the south side of the room, basically 180deg from
the park 1 position.

There are no other park positions in the keypad. The 3 positions are
calculated from present RA/DEC. They are not fixed numbers. The RA

varies from 0hrs to

24 hrs during a complete 24 hour cycle. Therefore the Park position

numbers

also vary the same way.

I would assume that Park 1 would be the lowest position of the scope

in your

case, where the roof would not hit the scope, since it would be

pretty much

parallel to the ground and to the Dec axis. What other park position

would be

lower? How low is your roof anyhow?

Rolando

Hi Roland,
I know there are no other park positions on the keypad. That's why I
want to know if we can redefine one of them.

Yes, we normally use park 1. And I understand that it is calculating
an RA and Dec. What we would like is to redefine what it calculates so
that instead of calculating an RA/Dec that is towards the north and
the telescope is horizontal to the ground, we want to basically have
it calculate the coordinate towards the south and horizontal.

Park 2 and Park 3 are useless for us since we can't use them.However,
if there was a way for us to redefine one of them...

Elizabeth

Hello,

We have a C14 on an AP1200. We primarily use the keypad to control
it... very rarely use a computer (The Sky)...

We normally use park1 as that is the only position in which the roof
doesn't hit the telescope as it closes. We've recently installed a new
flatfield screen on the south side of the room, basically 180deg from
the park 1 position.

I've searched the archives and I understand that we can arbitrarily
park the telescope anywhere and turn it off. That is fine if you have
a single user who knows what is going on. But we have multiple users
(students) and it would be safer (much safer!!) if we could define a
new park position.

First, I'm guessing we would need to update the firmware in the keypad
(which we've been avoiding because everything works and the how-to
manual that we have for the students would then also need to be
revised...).

What firmware version do we have? Don't know... my office and the
observatory are not in the same place... I will check when I head out
there for class tonight. But I've been working there for 6 years and
it has not been updated any during that time!

I can understand the simplicity of arbitrarily 'parking' the
telescope, but inevitable some student will leave it in some position
where the telescope would get hit by the roof. And the students, when
opening up, would get nervous about how to start back up if they find
the scope in some odd position that they're not used to. So if we can
define a new park position on the keypad, that would be the simplest
for us.

Clear Skies!
Elizabeth

In a message dated 10/13/2008 7:21:59 PM Central Daylight Time,
mike@... writes:

How do dual serial ports on the GTOCP3 interface with ASCOM? I have
only used one of them in the past, so it's rather intuitive how it
would be setup. If I went and put a second serial connection to the
mount, am I able to control the AP1200 from both (for example) an
ASCOM compatible pulseGuiding application AND an ASCOM planetarium
application at the same time?

yes.

Rolando


**************
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destination. Dining, Movies, Events, News & more. Try it out
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In a message dated 10/13/2008 5:06:21 PM Central Daylight Time,
adastragrl@... writes:

I know there are no other park positions on the keypad. That's why I
want to know if we can redefine one of them.

You cannot. It is a calculation which is part of the software. It is not
accessible to the outside world, unfortunately.

Roland


**************
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destination. Dining, Movies, Events, News & more. Try it out
(http://local.mapquest.com/?ncid=emlcntnew00000002)

In a message dated 10/13/2008 4:32:12 PM Central Daylight Time,
adastragrl@... writes:

Hello,

We have a C14 on an AP1200. We primarily use the keypad to control
it... very rarely use a computer (The Sky)...

We normally use park1 as that is the only position in which the roof
doesn't hit the telescope as it closes. We've recently installed a new
flatfield screen on the south side of the room, basically 180deg from
the park 1 position.

I've searched the archives and I understand that we can arbitrarily
park the telescope anywhere and turn it off. That is fine if you have
a single user who knows what is going on. But we have multiple users
(students) and it would be safer (much safer!!) if we could define a
new park position.

First, I'm guessing we would need to update the firmware in the keypad
(which we've been avoiding because everything works and the how-to
manual that we have for the students would then also need to be
revised...).

What firmware version do we have? Don't know... my office and the
observatory are not in the same place... I will check when I head out
there for class tonight. But I've been working there for 6 years and
it has not been updated any during that time!

I can understand the simplicity of arbitrarily 'parking' the
telescope, but inevitable some student will leave it in some position
where the telescope would get hit by the roof. And the students, when
opening up, would get nervous about how to start back up if they find
the scope in some odd position that they're not used to. So if we can
define a new park position on the keypad, that would be the simplest
for us.

Clear Skies!
Elizabeth

There are no other park positions in the keypad. The 3 positions are
calculated from present RA/DEC. They are not fixed numbers. The RA varies from 0hrs to
24 hrs during a complete 24 hour cycle. Therefore the Park position numbers
also vary the same way.

I would assume that Park 1 would be the lowest position of the scope in your
case, where the roof would not hit the scope, since it would be pretty much
parallel to the ground and to the Dec axis. What other park position would be
lower? How low is your roof anyhow?

Rolando


**************
New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your
destination. Dining, Movies, Events, News & more. Try it out
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In a message dated 10/13/2008 12:25:32 AM Central Daylight Time,
J.Zeglinski@... writes:

If the RA cable was snagged,

RA cable cannot be snagged. If anything it would have to be a Dec cable. On
the other hand, if the scope hit the pier, the cable could NOT be snagged
because the scope never got beyond vertical!

Plug the RA cable into the Dec motor box. Turn on power. Press the E-W
buttons to see if the motor slews at 600x. If it works, then the Servo electronics
are fine. Next plug the RA cable into the RA motor box. Press E-W buttons. If
the stall light comes on, then the motor may be damaged. Call AP for further
instructions.

Rolando

Rolando


**************
New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your
destination. Dining, Movies, Events, News & more. Try it out
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In a message dated 10/12/2008 9:06:28 PM Central Daylight Time,
J.Zeglinski@... writes:

If I can add my 2 cents - have you tried swapping the motor cable ends -
let the DEC motor run as RA, and see if it will slew. Maybe the RA cable
connector got pulled too hard and is damaged,

The RA cable can never be pulled. It is stationary.

Rolando


**************
New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your
destination. Dining, Movies, Events, News & more. Try it out
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While I agree that a DMM might be helpful, I wonder if a continuity test
is sufficient.

Yes. I only mention DMM cuz most DMMs have a continuity beeper built
in.

Hi Jeff,

While I agree that a DMM might be helpful, I wonder if a continuity test is sufficient. If the RA cable was snagged, and one of the wires was strained enough to pull "partially" out of its solder cup (or crimp), that wire (one of the phases), might be driving a lot of current through just one strand. The DMM would indicate a connection, and even a wire resistance measure might be too low to show significant difference.

Since the DEC motor slews properly, I suggested that this half of the cable be used with the RA motor to see if it would slew properly O(never mind the LED colour). In fact the DEC motor doesn't have to be powered for the first part of this test. If the swapped half of the cable makes the RA motor slew, at all, then we can assume the other half was marginal, or failed. Next step, driving the DEC motor with what was the RA half would confirm a faulty cable.

This should be done using an A/C power supply just to eliminate the battery. Even so, if the battery has no problem providing full power for a DEC motor slew, it probably isn't a power problem.

Anyway, that's my guess.
Joe

My vote would be damaged cable. When I broke a DEC cable, it did similar
things.. yellow light and iirc no slew.
The cable end is not hard to take apart. Unfortunately, a broken wire might
not be obvious, and you might need to test it w/ the DMM.
In my case, I was able to find the broken wire, resoldered it, and all was
fine. (I then purchased a spare Y cable.)

-----
I'm Jeff Crilly, and I approve this message.


_____

From: ap-gto@... [mailto:ap-gto@...] On Behalf Of
Derrick Farley
Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2008 6:42 AM
To: ap-gto@...
Subject: Re: [ap-gto] Mount hit pier last night... fell asleep! Now the
yellow light is on !



George it is possible that the Y-cable was stretched and damaged, you
can find a document on troubleshooting and repairing this motor cable on
the AP website in the Tech Support section
HTH
Derrick

georgeh630 wrote:

Make sure the drive worms can be moved by hand as per teh instructions
for eliminating backlash. I realize you said that you removed the
covers and have to help them along to slew but leave the power
disconnected and make sure that they turn by a full 360 degrees hand
without binding.

Rick.

Hi,

If I can add my 2 cents - have you tried swapping the motor cable ends - let the DEC motor run as RA, and see if it will slew. Maybe the RA cable connector got pulled too hard and is damaged, or marginal.
Reverse the motor functions, and see if the problem moves to the other (DEC) motor.
Hope that is it - that would be an easy fix.

Good luck,
Joe

OK, things are not looking good!
Verified 12.69 volts at the mount input (ruled out the cord).
.46 amps at startup,hand control says motor stall in status menu.
The yellow light is on.
The dec motor moves for a second or two before stopping when
requested.
The RA motor will not move unless you unscrew the cover and twist it
in the direction of movement.
It will not run again after it has stopped without help!

The motor sounds normal when it is running, but will not start by
itself. I have loosened the motor housing to rule out a gear lash
problem.
Not sure what to try next,
George


ok<

batteries are going to be lower voltage than the charger will....

maybe 13.6 V from the charger and closer to 12v from the battery

my batteries tend to age and I have switched to AC powered power

supplies George

Get some sleep and try it with a fresh perspective. I am optimistic

that no harm was done....

it is easier to sort out after resting

Thanks for the kind words George
rdc


----- Original Message -----
From: georgeh630
To: ap-gto@...
Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2008 7:50 AM
Subject: [ap-gto] Re: Mount hit pier last night... fell asleep!

Now the yellow light is on !

I will recheck everything after I get some sleep!
Thanks for all your input so far.
I will get my DVM from work to test everything.
I have the battery charger on all the time so I can assume it is
charged,but can't rule that out yet, although not likely.
It is showing a charge of a few amps,so it should be working.

BTW Richard, your images inspire me to try much harder!

George

--- In ap-gto@..., "Richard Crisp" <rdcrisp@> wrote:
>
> the very last line of your statement is symptomatic of the

power

supply voltage being too low
>
> that may be a stall condition of the motor
>
> it is possible that the RA motor was damaged when you struck

the

pier, but they are pretty robust
>
> When you cycle the power, turn it off and give it 10 seconds

off

before reapplying the power
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: georgeh630
> To: ap-gto@...
> Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2008 7:15 AM
> Subject: [ap-gto] Re: Mount hit pier last night... fell asleep!
Now the yellow light is on !
>
>
> Richard,
> I unplugged the mount and plugged it back in several time.
> One time I got a red light,when I went to setup/status in the
hand
> control
> it said all systems go.
> I tried to slew,it did nothing and the yellow light came back

on.

> Possibly I cycled the power too fast to check the motors or
somthing
> (if that is possible).
> All other times I power up the yellow light comes on right away.
> The slew speed is on 1200x as well as the move speed.
>
> When I plug the mount in and the yellow light comes on, the

hand

> controll does not go past the APversion screen.
>
> George
>
> --- In ap-gto@..., "Richard Crisp" <rdcrisp@> wrote:
> >
> > can you slew with the hand control?
> >
> > did you power cycle the mount yet George?
> >
> > when you power cycle the mount does the hand controller

display

> look normal?
> >
> > and what is the state of the power light on the GTOCP2 box on
the
> mount: is it red or yellow?
> >
> > finally, what is the slew speed you are using on the hand
control?
> If it isn't 1200x or 600x maybe the mount is working OK but is
just
> running slowly?
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: georgeh630
> > To: ap-gto@...
> > Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2008 6:06 AM
> > Subject: [ap-gto] Mount hit pier last night... fell asleep!

Now

> the yellow light is on !
> >
> >
> > GTOcp2 controll.
> > I don't keep the clutches very tight.
> > I have checked the battery voltage to be good.
> > The mount will not slew anywhere.
> > It is still reading out changing coordinates to starry night
and
> the
> > poth hub, but the RA axis does not seem to be moving(before I
> lost
> > Capella to the daylight).
> > Is there a reset feature?
> > I'm pretty sure the motors have overload protection?
> > WHAT HAVE I DONE!!!!
> >
> > Please tell me some good news,
> > George H
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Thank you John. I did not realize that it was also Abel 85, I'll update my web information.

Jim