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Old 19-08-2018, 07:38 AM
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Gemini error message

Hi there....
last night I noted an error message on my Gemini handset I had not seen before.
'WD reset'
Occurred in the middle of a Sequence Generator Pro alignment/platesolve sequence. The mount slewed, adjusted, then started a very low volume, short, intermittent beep, with the error on the handset. It also seemed to be bricked. I powered it off, restarted cold and it then worked perfectly.

There seems to be very little out there about this message, and it doesn't appear in the manual.

Any ideas?
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Old 25-08-2018, 10:56 AM
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wasyoungonce (Brendan)
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WD timer is usually a problem with mcp450 telling the system internal +5V is low. The cause could be many but usually it’s the detector itself. It’s not a problem unless you see this often. There are other causes but I’d need to consult my notes .... been in hospital for last 2+ months will be out Monday 23 aug.
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Old 25-08-2018, 11:21 AM
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2 months.... I hope you're ok.....
I've seen it twice now in the past 10d or so. The mount has been idle for 4 years, I replaced the CMOS battery before reactivating it.
After reading what I could find online yesterday (not much!) I disconnected the battery for a few hours and restarted. Haven't used it since.... fingers crossed!
If it recurs a lot, can this be repaired economically?
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Old 25-08-2018, 12:33 PM
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wasyoungonce (Brendan)
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Lee thanks just paying for a zestfull youth. I’m ok.... collecting lots of precious metal to take to my grave!

Yes from memory a CMOS reset can help.

I’ll be home Monday and be better able to answer all this I have a full list of causes.
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Old 25-08-2018, 05:29 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wasyoungonce View Post
Lee thanks just paying for a zestfull youth. I’m ok.... collecting lots of precious metal to take to my grave!

Yes from memory a CMOS reset can help.

I’ll be home Monday and be better able to answer all this I have a full list of causes.
Take care.... and thanks in advance!
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Old 28-08-2018, 03:21 PM
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Ok FWIW...WD timer info:


WD = Watch Dog, in general is a mechanism for monitoring the CPU state, both for lock ups or a program is getting lost, ....not clearing the watchdog timer. Watchdog timers are used to bring microprocessors out of an endless loop. It resets the microprocessor if the timer is not reset. A normal running program will keep the watchdog timer cleared. If it is not cleared, it will time out, give an error message and reset the processor to a known starting position.


Some causes:
U3, MCP-450. In Gemini I know it monitors the voltage of the power supply +5V to the CPU - if it goes too low it resets the processor. You can remove this U3 for testing.



One cause can be the F2 resettable fuse dropping too much voltage (usually when a peripheral is plugged into the serial port), but this depends on which version PCB. The older versions had no F2 so D10 could be suspect.


If you have an older unit then this fuse F2 (re-settable polyfuse) probably needs replacing.


Check and make sure that your battery is fresh. Make sure that the EPROM is firmly seated into it's socket. Also make sure your power supply is supplying at least 12V.



You could have a bad battery, or maybe a EPROM going bad.
I have sen one fixed with a new programmed EPROM.





Also the RTC and SRAM both share the same data bus and both can spoil the other's operation and cause a WD reset if faulty.


Thus if you see it once...ok ....but if its happens all the time...clear SRAM data and re-enter data to clear the WD reset on power up.



regards


Brendan
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Old 28-08-2018, 05:59 PM
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Thanks for that Brendan.... mine is the most recent Gemini-1 board. I'll keep an eye on it, I'm planning on firing her up after the kids are in bed tonight. The battery is new (old stock - bought as spare in 2013), so should be good. I do have a spare EPROM squirrelled away also, so that might come in handy too....
I hope you are on the mend!
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Old 28-08-2018, 11:05 PM
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Lee batteries in storage will lose capacity and voltage. The only way to tell is measure it or a new one from a teptuable source. eBay has too many fakes.

Sorry for typos I’m back in hospital again
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Old 23-11-2018, 08:33 AM
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I thought I'd add - after leaving out the CMOS battery for several hours, the mount has behaved perfectly, might be a solution..... simply replacing the battery didn't seem to help. Presumably there are capacitors in there that need to discharge for the full reset to take effect??
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Old 23-11-2018, 09:05 AM
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No once the battery is removed the SRAM and RTC loose their contents....instantly. Putting a battery back in means you have SRAM reset message you need to re-input your local data etc.


Gemini ASCOM is very handy to do this but it won't save PEC data I think.
More than likely as its a recent PCB ver then it'll be F2 or U3, MCP809.


It could be a 5V issue but that's what U3 is looking at.
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