Re: Nexus DSC and Argo Navis Encoders
Paul, ? I am using Peter’s 32bit ASCOM driver.? ? Richard ?
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From: [email protected] < [email protected]> On Behalf Of Paul Abel Sent: Sunday, December 17, 2023 5:41 PM To: [email protected]Subject: Re: [ServoCAT] Nexus DSC and Argo Navis Encoders ? As Bob mentions above, I had to replace my Nexus DSC with the Argo Navis in order to control my Dob with either ASCOM driver.? My scope has the 40k step encoders and I can confirm that the AN works just fine with those encoders.? There is a special setting in the AN to allow it to work with 40k encoders, I don't remember what it is but it is explained quite clearly in the AN user guide.
By the way, for the other people reporting using the ServoCat ASCOM driver, which driver are you using -- Peter's or George's?? I was beta testing George's driver for him and in the last version I got from him, the scope moved in the wrong direction when I did a Plate Solve/Sync/Center in SharpCap 4.0 (Sharpcap 4.0 was not able to move the scope at all after a Platesolve/Sync/Center with Peter's driver).? Now that I have upgraded to SharpCap 4.1, Peter's driver appears to work correctly -- SharpCap 4.1 is able to move the scope in the right direction after a Platesolve/Sync/center.? I have not yet gotten around to testing George's driver in SharpCap 4.1.? I would be interested in learning about the experiences of the other ASCOM users.
Paul
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Re: Nexus DSC and Argo Navis Encoders
As Bob mentions above, I had to replace my Nexus DSC with the Argo Navis in order to control my Dob with either ASCOM driver.? My scope has the 40k step encoders and I can confirm that the AN works just fine with those encoders.? There is a special setting in the AN to allow it to work with 40k encoders, I don't remember what it is but it is explained quite clearly in the AN user guide.
By the way, for the other people reporting using the ServoCat ASCOM driver, which driver are you using -- Peter's or George's?? I was beta testing George's driver for him and in the last version I got from him, the scope moved in the wrong direction when I did a Plate Solve/Sync/Center in SharpCap 4.0 (Sharpcap 4.0 was not able to move the scope at all after a Platesolve/Sync/Center with Peter's driver).? Now that I have upgraded to SharpCap 4.1, Peter's driver appears to work correctly -- SharpCap 4.1 is able to move the scope in the right direction after a Platesolve/Sync/center.? I have not yet gotten around to testing George's driver in SharpCap 4.1.? I would be interested in learning about the experiences of the other ASCOM users.
Paul
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Re: Nexus DSC and Argo Navis Encoders
Hello Filippo,
I have emailed you a new firmware for Nexus DSC that should solve your problems using the ASCOM driver for ServoCAT written by George Hilios.
Best Regards, Serge Antonov, Astro Devices.
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On 17 Dec 2023, at 8:48 pm, Filippo Scopelliti <filiscoop@...> wrote:
Hello everybody,
it seem that there is no way to let me control via Ascom my SC/Nexus DSC (not pro). People that can do that they use Argo Navis. It is OK for me to replace my Nexus with the Argo Navis to control the system with Ascom but in my current system I have the 40.000 steps encoder. If I replace my Nexus with the Argo Navis is it necessary to change the encoders also?
Thank you for your help.
Filippo
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Re: Backlash which is probably not backlash :)
Filippo,
If the wheel moves snd the structure does not you must have a problem. ?That was the same symptom I had when I discovered the broken gear. ?The wheel would move and not turn the shaft it was mounted on. ?I confirmed the gear would turn and the brass wheel (and the steel shaft) would not turn. ?I exaggerated the problem when i over tightened the set screws. ?I must have had multiple degrees of backlash before i noticed cracks in my gear. ?Please confirm that both the gear and the brass wheel move at the same time.
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Re: Making mosaics with the aid of the ServoCAT ASCOM virtual hand pad
Thank you Richard in fact a gigantic thank you. Now I can moved forward because I'm another ServoCat email chain it seems that the 40k DSC work with either Argo or Nexus. I will be leaning on you in the near future.
Thanks again
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On Dec 17, 2023, at 9:03?AM, Richard <rmille64@...> wrote:
?Mickey,
i think your suspicion is correct. ?The combination of the Argo Navis + ServoCAT + the ASCOM driver enables the connection. ?When I load Stellarium the ASCOM virtual hand pad then loads automatically. Stellarium then places a fudical type cursor overlay on the map indicating where the scope is pointing. ?Argo Navis is the source of information that is fed to Stellarium via the ServoCAT ASCOM driver.
I am guessing you need Argo Navis.
Richard
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Re: Making mosaics with the aid of the ServoCAT ASCOM virtual hand pad
Mickey,
i think your suspicion is correct. ?The combination of the Argo Navis + ServoCAT + the ASCOM driver enables the connection. ?When I load Stellarium the ASCOM virtual hand pad then loads automatically. Stellarium then places a fudical type cursor overlay on the map indicating where the scope is pointing. ?Argo Navis is the source of information that is fed to Stellarium via the ServoCAT ASCOM driver.
I am guessing you need Argo Navis.
Richard
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Re: Nexus DSC and Argo Navis Encoders
Filippo, The Argo Navis will work fine with 40K encoders. My scope has 40K encoder and I have both the Nexus and Argo Navis. I regularly switch between them. I no longer have a Servocat so I can’t test the driver myself. There was a thread with Paul Abel a while back concerning the ServoCat driver and the Nexus. What it came down to that Paul finally broke down and bought an Argo Navis to control his scope and the ServoCat driver works well with Argo Navis. He is doing astrophotography. He showed me some of his photos a few days ago. If you get the Argo, check to see if you still get the delay when changing directions. That has me interested. I am doing a project the involves using the RS232 ports. On the Argo Navis comms work well. On the Nexus there are some communication problems when using the actual RS232 on the Nexus. The USB>Serial seems at this point to work fine. Just throwing that out there in case anyone want to investigate. Bob ?
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From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Filippo Scopelliti
Sent: Sunday, December 17, 2023 2:48 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [ServoCAT] Nexus DSC and Argo Navis Encoders? Hello everybody,
it seem that there is no way to let me control via Ascom my SC/Nexus DSC (not pro). People that can do that they use Argo Navis. It is OK for me to replace my Nexus with the Argo Navis to control the system with Ascom but in my current system I have the 40.000 steps encoder. If I replace my Nexus with the Argo Navis is it necessary to change the encoders also?
Thank you for your help.
Filippo
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Re: Making mosaics with the aid of the ServoCAT ASCOM virtual hand pad
Hello Richard, are you able to use the ascom driver in servocat because you have the Argo Nav and not the Nexus? If this is not the case please describe how you are connecting to the Ascom driver in the ServoCat Gen 3. You know I have been trying to figure this out.?
Thank you
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On Dec 16, 2023, at 9:23?PM, Richard <rmille64@...> wrote:
?Hi all, My Obsession UC18 telescope is able to be remote controlled via the ASCOM driver for the ServoCAT. For mosaics of large objects (>5x my field of view) I use the virtual hand pad of the ASCOM driver to bump over to the next part of the target (by about a half of the field of view to provide overlap from one frame to the next). The Rosette required 30 or so frames (and I still need more) using my Mallincam DS10cTEC camera. I really enjoy my ServoCAT gen3 and the ASCOM driver remote control of my DOB. <Rosette4.jpg> Richard
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Nexus DSC and Argo Navis Encoders
Hello everybody,
it seem that there is no way to let me control via Ascom my SC/Nexus DSC (not pro). People that can do that they use Argo Navis. It is OK for me to replace my Nexus with the Argo Navis to control the system with Ascom but in my current system I have the 40.000 steps encoder. If I replace my Nexus with the Argo Navis is it necessary to change the encoders also?
Thank you for your help.
Filippo
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Backlash which is probably not backlash :)
Hello Gary and everybody,
I would like to ask a question about a problem I described in the past.
I tried to optimize my system for astrophotography. I recognized some backlash in my system. Gary gave me some very important advices so the problem is less important than before but there still is something wrong. The gears have no backlash and also the reductions, in my opinion they work well. When the system is still and I try to move the shaft with my hands everything seems strong with a very small amount of backlash, absolutely acceptable, so I could not explain the reason why when at low speed I change the direction, I have to wait 15 or more seconds to see a changing in the directions. The .dat file has been updated as Gary told me so the problem does not depend on it. I have a theory and I want to share it with you.
I show you a video (please let me know if you can see it properly). When I change direction (here is at high speed) the gear moves in the other direction quite quickly with a very small amount of backlash. The problem is that even if the gear starts to move in the opposite direction the structure starts to move after a certain amount of time. This “angle” when the roller rotates but the structure is still, is the reason that let me wait several seconds before I see in the ocular or in the camera the movement. In the video the roller starts to rotate in the opposite direction but the telescope starts after a while. I really don’t know what is the reason of that but in my opinion this is something that I believed was backlash of the gears, but actually it is not. Probably it depends on my structure. There is a sort of delay between the movement of the roller and the action on the structure. What do you think about it?
Thank you for your help.
Have a good day.?
Filippo
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Making mosaics with the aid of the ServoCAT ASCOM virtual hand pad
Hi all, My Obsession UC18 telescope is able to be remote controlled via the ASCOM driver for the ServoCAT. For mosaics of large objects (>5x my field of view) I use the virtual hand pad of the ASCOM driver to bump over to the next part of the target (by about a half of the field of view to provide overlap from one frame to the next). The Rosette required 30 or so frames (and I still need more) using my Mallincam DS10cTEC camera. I really enjoy my ServoCAT gen3 and the ASCOM driver remote control of my DOB.  Richard
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Re: For sale - last few items - ServoCAT Gen3 HC's
I've had a number of inquiries on this - just to be clear these are only for Gen3 ServoCAT's. A Gen3 can be distinguished by looking at the front panel - left side - there is a USB PC USB port (vs. on a Gen2 that port is labeled PC PORT).?
Gary?
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For sale - last few items - ServoCAT Gen3 HC's
I have 10 of these left. It is a new Gen3 Hand Controller with nice plastic card showing functions as well as an extra long coiled connection cable. Original price $199. Christmas Sale: $159. Write to me at k9rx@...?for info or to order one. Priority Mail shipping in the US should be around $14 and should have it there in just a few days. Picture on request. Gary Myers, StellarCAT
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Re: ServoCAT system repaired and working great!
I remember years ago ... I was out one night with the 30" in Arizona... I remember it was a nicely transparent night with good seeing and I happen to be cruising around at 500X... and I happened upon this GORGEOUS object... it was listed as an NGC number... I didn't recognize the number ... but was utterly stunned at the beauty and complexity of the object. I always had excellent color vision, I've seen red surrounding M82, and color in planetaries is common place - a real show... and this one was showing me hints of color.. I studied it for some time as I was wont to do ... just incredible... went back over to Megastar and took a look..."OH - of course - M76!" ... if you can see this one under very good+ conditions at higher power... take the time - its well worth it.
And superb image Richard - congrats!
Gary Myers
StellarCAT
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Re: ServoCAT system repaired and working great!
All very good news!
And nice shot.
BC
On 11/20/2023 2:06 PM, Richard wrote:
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I am amazed by how well my UC18 is tracking now that I replaced
the broken plastic gear.
Makes me wonder how long it had been at least partially damaged.
I figured out that it is so important not to over tighten (stress
out) the set screws through the plastic part onto the steel
shaft.? Just snug rather than "tight".
My idea is that I damaged the part by not being careful with my
accessories under the VMB and allowed an interference to occur.
I have reorganized my accessories to prevent any chance of
interference to the path of the primary mirror as it travels over
the rocker.
Here is M76 (a difficult target for me) from my UC18.
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ServoCAT system repaired and working great!
I am amazed by how well my UC18 is tracking now that I replaced the broken plastic gear. Makes me wonder how long it had been at least partially damaged. I figured out that it is so important not to over tighten (stress out) the set screws through the plastic part onto the steel shaft.? Just snug rather than "tight". My idea is that I damaged the part by not being careful with my accessories under the VMB and allowed an interference to occur. I have reorganized my accessories to prevent any chance of interference to the path of the primary mirror as it travels over the rocker.  Here is M76 (a difficult target for me) from my UC18.
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Gary,
When I installed the slotted teflon slide to support ServoCAT I wondered if the UC would benefit if both sides had the slotted teflon and perhaps wider slots.
Richard
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Richard,
Note that wasn't necessarily specifically addressed to you re balance... but I will add this caveat to UC owners out there.
The UC is a different beast in that it has full length Teflon pads on the ALT axis. This was done by Dave to prevent a visible bump when the part of the foldable ALT bearing hit the edge of the pad (if normal length, i.e. shortened). BUT that adds a good deal of stiction. Contrary to belief Teflon is not friction-less.... it is just low friction. You add a thin layer of dust to it and it starts to add up. The bottom line is it is not unusual for an imbalanced scope to "appear" balanced if you just move the axis and let go - and it stays stationary. That tests does not apply here (of course if you do that and it moves then you might seriously consider checking the real balance!). Its best to use a force gage to confirm what the friction is.?
Gary Myers
------ Original Message ------
Date 11/7/2023 2:42:59 PM
Subject Re: [ServoCAT] Dont do what I did!
I "can't" turn the VMB 90 deg due to my addons so I just shortened the counter weight tube and remove the secondary to fit into the Pelican case.
I am going to follow the rule in boy scouts to make sure you can't hit anything with your axe before you start to swing.
I think I have the scope balanced well, so my issue is to just make sure there is clearance to stuff on my deck and under the VMB in the rocker.
Richard
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I "can't" turn the VMB 90 deg due to my addons so I just shortened the counter weight tube and remove the secondary to fit into the Pelican case.
I am going to follow the rule in boy scouts to make sure you can't hit anything with your axe before you start to swing.
I think I have the scope balanced well, so my issue is to just make sure there is clearance to stuff on my deck and under the VMB in the rocker.
Richard
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Yes indeed!?
The 18UC was a difficult design for fitting a ServoCAT as the criteria given to me by Dave at the time, when he dropped off the prototype, was that it not only had to "work" as normally set up - but that it also had to be able to go in to a pelican case for transport.?
That ultimately meant there were TWO designs. One for normal use - and one where the user picked up the VMB, turned it 90 degrees, and set it down on top of the rocker which was in the case. WITHOUT damaging or impacting anything else. This was not an easy task.?
The end result is the pulley design for the ALT will work perfectly well in a normal usage. But when people start to overload that axis without considerations of counterweights - and/or when they do something to stop the axis mechanically - it can damage that pulley.?
I was never able to find a metal one for that use.?
Gary Myers
------ Original Message ------
Date 11/7/2023 1:29:26 PM
Subject [ServoCAT] Dont do what I did!
Dont let your scope hit anything while slewing! ?And dont over tighten the set screw.
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bobrose500
Filippo Scopelliti