argo issues.

[Amunous]

i seem to be having a lot of trouble getting the argo to work.
i have installed all the mounts and what not as per instructions.
i go out on the first night with printed out instructions to test everything and get it all dialed in.
ok..... i nearly threw the argo. beleive me it took a LOT of self control not to.
now im sure the issue lies with me and not with the argo itself.
i did the alt ref at start no dramas.
performed a 2 star alignment.
tried to find something with the argo that i knews location in the sky. no luck.
checked star maps to make sure i aligned to the right star. yep no probs.. might do it again.
nope still cant dial in on anything.
everytime i align on the same stars it sends me in different directions.
first time it said orion was on the opposite side of the sky to where it actually was.
second time it was like orion was in reverse.
third time i actually got orions neb in the eyepeice.. but it was a bit off center. no dramas that didnt worry me too much i can just nudge the dob over. tried to find something else no chance.. i even tried to get it to show me where the 2 stars i used to align it were.. (considering i had told the unit where they were in the sky) and it couldnt even do that.
after the fourth attempt i nearly kicked the whole lot over and set it on fire i was so frustrated.
im sure its not the unit, possibly something to do with the mounting?
i made sure it had the right base set and all... and i just couldnt get it to find anything.

im using the 12" skywatcher collapsable dob. followed all mounting instuctions and i still cant get it to work properly.

[gmbfilter]

Sounds like one or both of your encoder direction sense is wrong
Very frustrating but easy to fix

Page 16 of the manual has a good discussion on whats going on

Myself I just keep changing the encoder directions until I get it right.
I use a low power wide field eyepiece, 35 mm Panoptic to center the alignment star....even the red dot finder alone...easy to see that I'm in the wrong part of the sky!

[acropolite]

Gary Kopf inhabits the aether and will usually pop up with a suggestion at at the mere utterance of the words argo navis.

If this doesn't happen soon I suggest you PM gary (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/member.php?u=224) or send him an email, he is always ready to help.

[erick]

No problem Michael - I'll take the Argo and encoders of your hands for $50 - save you the frustration! :D

When everything is right, the Argo works well. When one or two things are wrong - it can be very frustrating.

A few times, in a rush, I have incorrectly identified alignment stars - I kick myself when I work out I've been calling Alpha Centauri, "Acrux" :rolleyes: When I do that and get the other alignment star correct, objects are not far enough out to think major problems, but you start to suspect some minor encoder slippage - you don't want to go down that path of thinking when you are out in the dark cold field!

The manual takes you through all the necessary steps. Yes, it often looks very straightforward and one can be inclined to jump ahead and skip a few steps - I suggest that you don't. The Argo can also give you very useful diagnostic information - on every setup, I will always flick it to show "encoder steps" and work the tube from horizon to zenith and around a full 360 deg of azimuth to check nothing looks odd.

Though it is probably one simple thing - like one encoder sense reversed as Geoff suggests - best if you start from the beginning - eg. daytime encoder test - and work through all the steps.

It'll work and you will love it. :thumbsup:

[Amunous]

when i have the dob in 90d alt. and i move it down to the horizontal position should the numbers be saying + or -?... moving the scope down i would think that the number should be going -89 -88 etc till 0.00 at horizontal?
would this affect the alignment?

[Barrykgerdes]

Assuming you have followed the initial set up procedure.

With the Argo connected place your OTA in the horizontal position pointing north.

Turn the Argo on. Rotate the knob CW until it shows MODE ENCODERS. Press enter.

The left numbers are Azm and the right Alt. They should both be reading zero.

Rotate the telescope towards the east. The AZM should increase from 0 to 359.99 then flip over to 0 when you are exactly back to where you started.

Rotate the OTA upwards. It should increase from 0 to 90.00 with the OTA vertical then continue upwards with positive readings as the OTA goes through the vertical position

If the numbers go the wrong way go back to SETUP up and change the sign.

If the numbers don't correspond to the angle of rotation you have the wrong value for the number of steps.

Barry

[GeoffW1]

Cheek :lol::lol::lol: :sadeyes:

[garin]

Try the Yahoo group http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/argo_navis_dtc/

Gary Kopf is a regular on the forum and his help is in valuable.

Keep at it Michael as it gets easier each time you do it.

I have Argo fitted to my LB16 and my skywacher 10" dob
and it works brilliantly. It now only takes me 5/10 minutes to do my alignment and start viewing.

[Amunous]

ok you guys were right seems the alt encoder had the incorrect + should have been - once i sorted that out it seems to be working fine now. just have to do a quick align every couple of hours on what im looking at and its working sweet now.

thanks for all the PMS and help
you guys are tops

lol saved me setting the scope and argo on fire.. (kidding i would never :wink2: )

[gary]

Hi Michael,

Thanks for the post.

Also thanks to those who kindly provided the helpful follow-up posts and great
to hear the encoder direction sense signs are sorted.

Don't forget that you can also receive support by emailing sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Phone +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au