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Thanks for the replies and suggestions.? Responses below.

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I made no changes to the power supplies I've been using successfully for a while with the AN and the ServoCat units, so it wasn't anything to do with polarity reversal.? (I also checked the fuse in the ServoCat when I was switching the jumpers to the Sky Commander, and the fuse is not blown.).

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Gary Myers wrote:

Thanks for the information about the baud setting.? Just some history: previously, I used the Sky Commander with my old Gen3 ServoCat Jr unit.? That stopped working last year, and I had purchased a new (regular) ServoCat from Bill earlier this year.? (Both were black, Gen3 units.). Do I need to change any baud settings?? (And if so, how?)

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Yes, both lights on the HC come on.

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I also tried connecting my PC via the USB port.? The ServoCat-Sky program does connect/disconnect with the ServoCat unit.? However, the ASCOM program (ServoCAT ASCOM) does not connect anymore (it used to until last week, before things stopped working, and now just says "timed out" after a while).? Not sure if that provides any additional clues.

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Bill Conrad wrote:

That is possible.? A few weeks ago, one of the yellow buttons (for lowering ALTitude) popped off the HC.? I couldn't figure how to put it back, so I was using the HC without it (the other 3 buttons were working fine).? Is there a way I can check the HC cable?? What type of cable is it?

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Gary Kopff wrote:

Thanks for the tip.? I'll try replacing the lithium battery and see if that helps.

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Thanks again to everyone who chimed in to help - I really appreciate it!

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Best,

- Rajeev

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As Gary Myers requested, let us resolve Rajeev's issue please.?

You have done this before in other forums and it is unhelpful. Gary Myers and I are both across our respective products. We have designed and manufactured them in their thousands and interact daily with customers across the globe. Including yourself who I believe I met in person when you came from the east coast of Russia to Australia to attend the OzSky star party some years back?

You want to speak with authority that you are working on "mathematical probability" and "probable cause" against the backdrop of two people who have lived and breathed these products daily and nightly over many years, who know them inside out and who created every schematic and line of code in them.?

So, case in point, on the release notes for Argo Navis Firmware Version 3.0.4 here :-

it says,

• More reliable first-time power-up when real-time clock coin cell battery becomes depleted or is replaced.

So when you say, "This is not black", you are not telling me anything I don't know, because the display in fact at times can display no information when the coin cell is depleted.
Hence the bug fix to minimize the chance of that.
The reason for it is a little complex but related to the long start-up time for the RTC when the oscillator completely stops, the fact the RTC provides the heartbeat tick to the real-time OS, the fact that the RTC's oscillator stops the chip is designed to perform an internal reset, the fact that the internal reset state has the heartbeat 1000-times faster than the nominal heartbeat rate, the fact that that high an interrupt rate will preempt the scheduler and that we detect such a condition, issue a panic() call and put out a traceback on SERIAL1 before the OS has time to put information on the display and so on. Add into the mix of probabilities is there are five revisions of the hardware, differing crystals across revisions, multiple firmware revisions, residual capacitance within the PCA when the coin cell is removed that may keep the oscillator continuing to run for hours, that the residual capacitance is also a function of temperature, that the oscillator startup time is related to temperature as well as aging and so on and so on. None of which is helpful to Rajeev or to Gary Myers or I.

So please refrain from posting further.


--

Gary Kopff

Managing Director

Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.

20 Kilmory Place

Mount Kuring-Gai NSW 2080

Australia

Phone +61-2-9457-9049

sales@...

https://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

"The DSC light has to come on if you are connected to a DSC. If not then its a wrong/bad (rare fault) cable or internal jumper setting or setup of the DSC. The DSC light should not blink red if the DSC is off - this might indicate noise being picked up by the DSC cable (unplug the cable from the front of the ServoCAT and see if it stops blinking). If it continues to do so then its generally a bad serial chip inside the ServoCAT."

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Well, it's not like that for me. It blinks red when I connect the Nexus DSC and this DSC shows normal Com port test. The same with Argo, when I connect it to Com1. I don't remember if there is a Com port test there.
As far as I remember, it stops blinking when a successful Align occurs.
But this is a digression from the topic. I think the fastest test for module functionality is to click the on/stop switch and look at the green indicator.
I think this information will be useful to the author of the topic. But in any case, my apologies if I did something wrong or did not follow the unspoken rules of this chat.
Waiting for the author's response.

There are no differences in the ServoCAT's (except through different firmware version levels and Generation levels).?

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The AUX light is a red light - IF you have programmed the latest version firmware in. It is a yellow light if it is a Gen2 and it has older firmware.?

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Note: there are no orange lights on the ServoCAT. Only yellow (green and red).?

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The HC light on the ServoCAT is yellow. The lights on the actual hand controller are green (GOTO), red (speed buttons) and yellow (SYNC and reverse indicators) [Gen3]. If you unplug the cable the yellow indicator light on the ServoCAT goes out - indicating indeed it's not connected (not being seen if connected but a bad connection). The lights on the actual HC would of course go out.?

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The DSC light has to come on if you are connected to a DSC. If not then its a wrong/bad (rare fault) cable or internal jumper setting or setup of the DSC. The DSC light should not blink red if the DSC is off - this might indicate noise being picked up by the DSC cable (unplug the cable from the front of the ServoCAT and see if it stops blinking). If it continues to do so then its generally a bad serial chip inside the ServoCAT.?

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If you don't mind - let me resolve Rajeev's issue please. I don't want him to be confused.?

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regards,

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Gary?

Rajeev,?

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Focusing on the ServoCAT only - please let me know the answers to the questions I've asked and I can go from there to help resolve this.?

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Note:

-Its clear that the ServoCAT is working at least mainly since you indicate there are proper lights. Focus on what I've asked you please.?

-The ServoCAT is extremely rugged internally... although it's possible it is unlikely there's an internal fault.?

-For now the key is the HC and its corresponding light on the ServoCAT (and on the handpad/hand controller). Let me know please.

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Gary Myers

Designer of the ServoCAT

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I decided to check this version. I disconnected the internal lithium battery. Argo displayed the inscription RTC battery flat on the second attempt and then suggested entering the date. This is not black.
I would suggest the author not to ignore any recommendations. I am always wary of a number of coincidences purely from mathematical probability and I first consider the more probable cause.

Hi Rajeev,

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With your Argo Navis, it could simply be that the lithium coin cell has depleted and needs replacing.

A blank display when the unit is brought up in normal mode is one possible symptom of the coin cell having depleted.

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As discussed in our recent email correspondence, until you get back to Aruba where the scope is located and run the BOOT LOADER check

as a diagnostic, any further discussion is essentially moot at this point. By way of background. even when the coin cell is depleted, it will always

come up in BOOT LOADER mode when you power it ON with the EXIT button depressed.

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What I would do before flying out on the weekend is take with you a CR-1220V coin cell.

Better chance finding one in California than on the island.

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If it comes to replacing it, see Appendix F of the User Manual starting on page 233.

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Ignore any comments in this thread about accidental reverse polarity.?
Argo Navis has full reverse-polarity protection and in any case I saw nowhere where you ever even mentioned having reversed the polarity so commentary on that is a bum steer.

Drop me an email when you get to the island.

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--

Gary Kopff

Managing Director

Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.

20 Kilmory Place

Mount Kuring-Gai NSW 2080

Australia

Phone +61-2-9457-9049

sales@...

https://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

Maybe. Like a sequence of random coincidences. Argo burned out, then Servocat stopped working due to a broken cable HC, then the user incorrectly installed the jumper on SkyCommander. Although it worked for him before. It is easier to assume a single source of the problem. It is stated above.

You may have a faulty hand controller cable. The hand controller may be getting power and ground but failing to transmit data to the ServoCAT.

I just had this happen on my own telescope.

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BC

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Are you certain you have a good 12v supply?

My apologies - I only read the first line about the Sky Comm not being recognized.?

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Which version ServoCAT do you have - is the hand pad connected using a thin round cable with a straight plug at each end? If so this is a Gen1 or Gen2 ServoCAT.?

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If not, if it is connected with a flat cable and phone type plugs at each end this is a Gen3.?

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In either case - if I'm reading this correctly after the green SLEW light comes on the yellow HC light remains off - correct??

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If so IF it is a Gen3 are the lights on the HC on (red light by GUIDE fast, green light by the GOTO led)??

If a Gen2 is the red light on (slide the speed switch all the way up to be sure)??

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g.

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The problem is that his device does not respond to the motors control buttons. I do not know how this is connected to the internal fuse. Perhaps it only switches off the motor control chips, but this is also doubtful. But this does not depend on the connection speed with DSC.

see my reply to Rajeev re reversed power.?

Gary

Hello Rajeev,

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Sorry for the late reply.?

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So as to why the AN isn't working I can't directly address that. If you accidentally powered it up with reverse voltage I believe it would have been damaged. The ServoCAT has a built in protection device and fuse that would have blown (the fuse) had power been reversed to it. Replacing the fuse (there's an extra one supplied with the unit as it is non-standard sized) would have brought it back up.?

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As for the Sky Commander not working. Was it working previously? Depending on the version of the Sky Commander - the full white box can use 19200 baud. The newer model with a black box uses 9600 max. So if it is the latter there is another jumper that has to be switched that forces the ServoCAT to communicate using 9600 baud. Right to me direct if you need a copy of the instructions on how to do this if you need to. Also confirm the Sky Commander is set to these appropriate baud.?

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Gary Myers

StellarCAT

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I'm looking for help in trying to figure out an issue with my (newly replaced) Servocat unit.? Everything was working until a few days ago, when my Argo Navis unit seems to have suddenly died.? (I've tried with a couple of external 12v supplies, and with fresh batteries, and the unit doesn't turn on at all; the display stays dark.). So I went back to my old Sky Commander unit (which seems to be working as before), and switched the jumpers inside the Servocat to the "SC" setting.

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But the unit still does not detect the Sky Commander (the "DSC" light never comes on).? I then disconnected the DSC and tried manually slewing using the hand controller, but neither of the ALT or AZ motors seem to respond anymore.? I've unplugged and replugged all cables, but had no luck.? When I turn on the unit (with or without DSC plugged in), the HC light goes green and the AUX light is orange briefly.? Then the AUX light turns off, and the Slew light turns green.

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Any ideas on what the problem could be, or anything else I can do to diagnose the issue?

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Thanks,

- Rajeev

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