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New to me AP1100GTO setup

John Rogers
 

I recently purchased a used AP1100GTO equipped with the GTOCP4/Absolute Encoder upgrade.  I purchased an Intel NUC computer for interface at the mount, accessed via TightVNC on a remote computer.  I have installed NINA and the required AP/ASCOM drivers for primary control.  Everything appears to work nominally, although I have not had a clear sky for first light.

The telescope came with two CD-ROMS.  One contains PEMPro v.2.x.  It references the GTOCP3 on the cover, so I am inclined to believe that it is obsolete and of no use with the GTOCP4 upgrade.  The second CD-ROM has the APAE v2.0 utility.  Is there any reason I should install that on my computer or was its main purpose for initial setup?
Brian Valente
 

Hi John

For an absolute encoder mount, PEC is not used at all (the version of PEMPro is separate from the controller version). It sounds like the 1100 was originally with a CP3 and then upgraded. 

The AE2.0 utility has been absorbed into APCC so that is no longer needed either

Personally I would still keep them, just in case and/or for resale. You might have a license number on the CD Rom case?

Brian

On Tue, Mar 21, 2023 at 10:35 PM John Rogers <contact.johnrogers@...> wrote:

I recently purchased a used AP1100GTO equipped with the GTOCP4/Absolute Encoder upgrade.  I purchased an Intel NUC computer for interface at the mount, accessed via TightVNC on a remote computer.  I have installed NINA and the required AP/ASCOM drivers for primary control.  Everything appears to work nominally, although I have not had a clear sky for first light.

The telescope came with two CD-ROMS.  One contains PEMPro v.2.x.  It references the GTOCP3 on the cover, so I am inclined to believe that it is obsolete and of no use with the GTOCP4 upgrade.  The second CD-ROM has the APAE v2.0 utility.  Is there any reason I should install that on my computer or was its main purpose for initial setup?



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John Rogers
 

Thanks Brian.  The original mount was purchased in 2013 and upgraded in 2018.  The original owner never owned a license for APCC.  Apparently providing one with a new mount is a fairly new policy that did not apply to the upgrade route.

I don't have a plan to use APCC since the previous owner didn't need it and I am not sure what benefit it will bring me.  There is no license information on the CD-ROMs.  Is one required?  If so, where would it be located?  I have most of the original purchase receipts and documentation, but have not found any reference to a software license.

The GTOCP4 operating instructions states that the utility is required to turn on/off the Absolute Encoders and to adjust the Home and Limit settings, through an RS-232 port.  The previous owner  had an extension cable between his laptop and mount with only a USB and Ethernet cable.  It does not seem that he needed the utility to be running while imaging.

The documentation further refers to a mini utility (APAEMINIUTIL) that can be used to turn the encoders on and off, with instructions to contact AP if it is needed.  It does not specify if an RS-232 connect is required to use it.

I should also point out that the mount came with the hand controller.  I am investigating, but it appears that the APCC-type modeling can be achieved through the hand controller?

Regards,


John Rogers
Brian Valente
 

Hi John

Okay that all makes sense. I really do recommend you look into at least APCC standard. All the encoder capabilities you mentioned are moved into APCC and it's much easier user interface. You will also get the benefit of additional features such as custom meridian tracking limits that also set a variable encoder limit. I don't think that is an option in the AE utility. The AE utility is discontinued. With an encoder mount you pretty much never want to disable the encoders unless it's for diagnostic or troubleshooting purposes. 

Regarding APCC< I don't know what is the licensing consideration for older mounts but visiting the AP website, the standard version is $249 and pro $499. There is a 30 day evaluation option also. Personally I would go for the Pro version and add sky modeling to improve tracking and pointing accuracy among other things. Yes you can model in the keypad (you may need a newer version of the keypad software), although APCC offers more options and a graphical interface for doing modeling. If you use something like NINA you can also automate modeling sessions and other features via the NINA-APCC plugin

hth Brian

On Wed, Mar 22, 2023 at 7:40 AM John Rogers <contact.johnrogers@...> wrote:
Thanks Brian.  The original mount was purchased in 2013 and upgraded in 2018.  The original owner never owned a license for APCC.  Apparently providing one with a new mount is a fairly new policy that did not apply to the upgrade route.

I don't have a plan to use APCC since the previous owner didn't need it and I am not sure what benefit it will bring me.  There is no license information on the CD-ROMs.  Is one required?  If so, where would it be located?  I have most of the original purchase receipts and documentation, but have not found any reference to a software license.

The GTOCP4 operating instructions states that the utility is required to turn on/off the Absolute Encoders and to adjust the Home and Limit settings, through an RS-232 port.  The previous owner  had an extension cable between his laptop and mount with only a USB and Ethernet cable.  It does not seem that he needed the utility to be running while imaging.

The documentation further refers to a mini utility (APAEMINIUTIL) that can be used to turn the encoders on and off, with instructions to contact AP if it is needed.  It does not specify if an RS-232 connect is required to use it.

I should also point out that the mount came with the hand controller.  I am investigating, but it appears that the APCC-type modeling can be achieved through the hand controller?

Regards,


John Rogers






--

Jeff Rothstein
 

Hi John. I bought a used Mach1 early this year without APCC and was told it was unnecessary. I researched the issue at length and concluded that for me, it was.  Happy to discuss further offline if you’d like.  


Best,

Jeff
--
Jeff Rothstein
Tucson, AZ

A-P Traveler and Mach1GTO; Pegasus Motor Focus Kit and UPBv2; ASI 2600MC PRO; ZWO EFW; Optolong UV/IR, L-Pro and L-Enhance filters; NINA, PHD2 and PixInsight
Worsel
 

John

I agree with the others that APCC is a valuable addition.

I bought my non-AE 1100 in the fall of 2015.  The ASCOM driver was included on a CD along with PEMPRo 2 and manuals...no license needed for any of that.  At that time, APCC (Std or Pro) were additional.  I don't recall when the switch was made to include APCC with the 1100 etc.

I did purchase APCC Pro (and license) in the spring of 2016 along with the GTOCP4 upgrade with a goal of un-guided imaging.  APCC Pro and the CP4 along with an APPM model have allowed un-guided frames for 10 minutes on a non AE mount.  I have never regretted that purchase.  Depending upon equipment, this is for an image scale of 0.6 - 1"/pxl.

While this doesn't apply to you as you have the keypad already, I should note that I do not have the keypad (I am semi-remote) and have never felt I was missing something, given the modelling (and many other) functions in APCC Pro. 
Bryan.
John Rogers
 

Thanks Bryan.

This will be a multi-phased approach for me.  I will first perform a series of evaluations to establish a baseline performance and go from there.   I will eventually take advantage of the 30 day trial to see if APCC is worth the cost to benefit my observing program.  I would be interested to hear from observers who switched from modeling through the keypad to APCC to get an idea of what to expect.

I have confirmed that the keypad modeling license is active in the GTOCP4 running VCP4-P02-13 software.   A printed manual for the GTO Keypad v5.0.010 came with the package, so I am confident that the previous owner had everything fine tuned for his location.

In the meantime, I am waiting for clear skies to proceed further!

Regards,


John Rogers

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