*
My attempts to get the laptop, AWR, ASCOM-AWR, Stellarium and StellariumScope to work together was fraught to say the least. None of the software would recognise each other's presence. It seemed I had lost the plot during my transfer of the ASCOM-AWR driver over to the Laptop from the PC. Fortunately Tim Long, the author of the ASCOM-AWR driver, was able to help and provided a replacement driver as a zip file. Moments later I was seeing the AWR driver at work in Stellarium running virtual Gotos. It was rather surprising that AWR can still run without the motors. Rather like a very slow computer game. Presumably it thinks the motors are still connected and in their original stator position and rotation count.
Hopefully it will all still be working tomorrow when I connect up the motors on the mounting. I shall have to do some homework on the AWR's IDS manual to ensure I have the mounting set up correctly first. Unless the system knows where the telescope is pointing it might as well be blind. It could wrap the telescope around the pier into a tight knot. The AWR stepper system monitors the position of the motors to ensure it knows EXACTLY where the OTA is pointing. Crossing the Central Meridian is a problem with Goto and German Equatorial Mountings. It wants to do a telescope flip onto the other side of the PA to avoid collisions with its own mounting. There is usually some leeway each side of the Meridian so this needs to be registered in the AWR menus.
More tomorrow:
Despite my best efforts to mess it up I managed a few slews of the mounting. Inputting the declination setting into the handset is easy. Set the saddle horizontal and enter 0° 0' 0" but make sure which end the virtual aperture should point. The RA setting requires adding 6 hours to LST. I subtracted 6 hours first time then kept getting "Below Horizon" messages and beeps. I tried a meridian "Flip" but it lost the plot and went the "wrong way." Weights up and the saddle wrapped behind the north side of the pier. I wouldn't leave me in charge of a remotely controlled telescope just yet!
The motor direction of rotation didn't match at first either. That'll teach me to play with the Factory Menus! The way I had loaded the saddle with weights and G-cramps was fine in see-saw mode but wasn't well balanced in rotation. So at certain points the Dec wormwheel clutches would slip. Which lost my carefully input AWR pointing settings. Motor slewing only. Lessons learned: Ensure any OTA is well balanced in all planes.
The next step will be to mount the 7" folded refractor OTA and balance it carefully. Though I really should put the mounting on a taller, but much more stable, slotted angle iron, test pier first. I need a much bigger footprint before risking the OTA. Adding an OTA and matching counterweights raises the mass and the center of gravity. Causing greatly increased risk of toppling.
Lifting the mounting onto the new pier will require careful planning. I'd better remove the massive Dec shaft and saddle. Then fit them by hand after the mounting is resting safely on its new pier. Or even dismantle the mounting into its major components. It is tempting to imagine how the OTA will move around the pier but it is arguably an exercise in futility.
Important Notice: Stellarium was proving a problem with my UHD laptop screen.
I couldn't find an easy way to balance the text size with the sky and the objects shown.
Fortunately Alexander Wolf came to my rescue on my Cloudy Nights discussion on the problem.
So:
Right click on the Stellarium desktop shortcut and select Compatibility.
Now select Properties > Disable display scaling on high DPI settings.
Click Apply, then enjoy.
Many thanks, Alexander.
Despite my best efforts to mess it up I managed a few slews of the mounting. Inputting the declination setting into the handset is easy. Set the saddle horizontal and enter 0° 0' 0" but make sure which end the virtual aperture should point. The RA setting requires adding 6 hours to LST. I subtracted 6 hours first time then kept getting "Below Horizon" messages and beeps. I tried a meridian "Flip" but it lost the plot and went the "wrong way." Weights up and the saddle wrapped behind the north side of the pier. I wouldn't leave me in charge of a remotely controlled telescope just yet!
The motor direction of rotation didn't match at first either. That'll teach me to play with the Factory Menus! The way I had loaded the saddle with weights and G-cramps was fine in see-saw mode but wasn't well balanced in rotation. So at certain points the Dec wormwheel clutches would slip. Which lost my carefully input AWR pointing settings. Motor slewing only. Lessons learned: Ensure any OTA is well balanced in all planes.
The next step will be to mount the 7" folded refractor OTA and balance it carefully. Though I really should put the mounting on a taller, but much more stable, slotted angle iron, test pier first. I need a much bigger footprint before risking the OTA. Adding an OTA and matching counterweights raises the mass and the center of gravity. Causing greatly increased risk of toppling.
Lifting the mounting onto the new pier will require careful planning. I'd better remove the massive Dec shaft and saddle. Then fit them by hand after the mounting is resting safely on its new pier. Or even dismantle the mounting into its major components. It is tempting to imagine how the OTA will move around the pier but it is arguably an exercise in futility.
Important Notice: Stellarium was proving a problem with my UHD laptop screen.
I couldn't find an easy way to balance the text size with the sky and the objects shown.
Fortunately Alexander Wolf came to my rescue on my Cloudy Nights discussion on the problem.
So:
Right click on the Stellarium desktop shortcut and select Compatibility.
Now select Properties > Disable display scaling on high DPI settings.
Click Apply, then enjoy.
Many thanks, Alexander.
*
No comments:
Post a Comment