Help Needed Gemini 2 Slew Limits

[Ross G]

Hello,

I have finally set up my new Losmandy G11 with Gemini 2, a whole new world compared to my old HEQ5Pro.

However I am having problems setting the slew limits so the mount doesn't crash into itself. No matter what I try it wants to do the "big bang" with the RA motor and gearbox.

Can anyone who has the Gemini 2 working please help me.


Ross.

[mill]

Hi Ross what is the firmware you have running?
The latest firmware can be uploaded with a program from this site -->> http://www.gemini-2.com/GeminFileuploader.phpthis will automatically download and update the newest firmware that is available.
You can slew to the limit you want and then set in the hand controller "set limit here".

Cheers

Martin.

[mill]

PS, go here for the limits setting page --->>> http://www.gemini-2.com/limits.php

[Ross G]

Hi Martin,

Thanks for the quick reply.

I think my firmware is the latest. It think it has "March 30, 2012 Build". Bintel installed it for me a couple of weeks ago.

I have tried slewing to the limit I want and then pressing "Set Limit Here" on the hand controller. However, when I then test it, the mount slews past the limit points.

I have also gone to the Gemini 2 website you mentioned and went to the Set Limits page. However I don't get it. One of the diagrams for the Southern Hemisphere shows and angle of 114 degrees for the west limit, but if go more than about 95 degrees to the west the mount head would hit the RA motor.

I know I'm missing something, but it's just not clicking!

Thanks again.

Ross.

[mill]

I have mine set to 95 degrees West and 112 degrees East.
The numbers on the website are not very save.
Also the latest firmware is from April 25th and not March 30.
Now it beeps when reaching the limits.
Time to do a update :)
Be sure to do a Sram reset when having done the update.

Cheers

Martin.

[Ross G]

Hi Martin,

I will get the firmware updated, but the I think the slew limits should work even with the older firmware.

Am I able to enter the East and West limits you mentioned manually or do I have to go through the "Set Limit Here" routine?

Thank you.

Ross.

[mill]

You can set them manually in the web interface and in the hand controller.
When you use the Ascom. net driver, you also have to set the correct limits in the Ascom driver or else the Ascom settings get send to the Gemini and will set the limits to the wrong value (maybe this is happening to you ? ).
The web interface just says Left and Right and the hand controller will say East and West.

Cheers

Martin.

[mill]

To make it easy here is a jpg of my settings.
I have McLennan gearboxes installed so my mount is set to MI-250 because the motors have to turn the other way.

[Ross G]

Hi Martin,

I went out to the garage and entered your settings into the hand controller (..I am not using a computer with the mount, just the hand controller..)

I got it working, but I had to enter your "West" setting of 95 into the "Eastern Position" on the hand controller and likewise, your "East" limit of 112 into the "Western Position".

Another thing I noticed was that when the mount reached the limit points ans stopped, if I pressed the hand controller slew buttons a couple of extra times, the mount would start moving again past the limit points. Is this normal?

Thanks.

Ross.

[mill]

Hi Ross.

That is not normal, my mount beeps angrily at me and tells me to get lost :P
I have to move back first and then i can track and slew again.
Just do the firmware upgrade and check again :thumbsup:

Martin.

[Ross G]

Thanks for all your help Martin.

You've set me on the right track. I'll do the update tomorrow.


Take care.

Ross.

[midnight]

Ross, I noticed the same thing. I set my "WEST" limit to about 105 and my "EAST" limit to 95. I enter mine manually and the mount indeed stops at these limits.
I also had the same issue the other night. The mount stopped tracking in RA (at EAST limit correctly) and I accidently tapped the hand controller twice and it continued past the limit and then crashed and I got a motor stall.



I too find the "SET LIMIT HERE" does not work properly. I don't use this and just enter the limits manually after close visual inspection and this works fine for me.

I updated my firmware last week from the Yahoo Tech groups site and Gemini 2 is certainly maturing nicely.

Cheers,
Darrin...

[TrevorW]

Martin what is the SRAM reset you refer to.

I updated the firmware the same way as I always do so, that is took the card out of the main unit, deleted the old files uploaded new via a card reader etc, so is this step necessary or is this part of the upload program

Cheers

[mill]

Hi Trevor.

The Sram reset is to make syre no settings from the older firmware stay behind and it makes sure that the new firmware runs without problems.
You can reset the Sram by putting a bit of paper under the battery or from within the web interface.
Since you take the card out, it is easy to just put some paper under the battery.

Cheers

Martin.

[Ross G]

Hi Darrin,

Thank you.

I feel a bit better knowing that the weird things my mount is doing are "normal".

I had my firmware updated to the latest version today by Don at Bintel who has been very helpful....and very patient with my ignorance.

I still have not taken the mount outside yet, still testing it in the garage.
Do you know how to get it to do a meridian flip? If it is tracking and hits the western limit, does it do a meridian flip or does it just stop?

Thanks.

Ross.

[TrevorW]

Thanks Martin, I do that with the MU battery as standard, so I'm doing the right thing then which is good.

All the best with your mount Ross, once you've get over that learning curve I'm sure you will be happy with it

[Ross G]

Hi Trevor,

Thanks.
However, I feel the learning curve is getting steeper.
After having the latest firmware loaded today, I found tonight I had to reverse my East and West slew limits so that the mount wouldn't crash into itself!
I'm still trying to work out how to get the mount to do a meridian flip.


Ross.

[midnight]

Sorry Ross, I have not tried a Meridian flip yet. But I believe when you select your target in the HC or webpage, you check the meridian flip checkbox before GOTO and it should flip when the time comes. Martin (mill) may be able to confirm this for you as he has far more knowledge on Gemini. Check too on the Yahoo tech groups (group is "Gemini II"). Plenty of resources there & I pretty much learn everything I need from there and Tom Hilton's web page (http://www.gemini-2.com/)

Good luck.

Darrin...

[Ross G]

Hi Darrin,

Thank you for the sites.

With reference to the East and West limits on the hand controller, does the East limit, for example, mean when the scope is in the east? I know the question sounds "dumb", but after having the latest firmware loaded yesterday, I found I had to reverse my East/West limit settings on the hand controller for the mount to stop at the correct points and not crash. Also, in your post your mentioned that your mount stopped tracking when it reached it's East limit.

Thanks.

Ross.

[mill]

Hi Ross.

To have a automatic meridian flip you have to click the checkbox.
I think that the East/West is confusing because the Americans are pointing to the North and we are pointing to the South, so the Americans are pointing ass about :P
If we are standing behind the scope and looking South, the East is on the right hand side, Northern observers are pointing North with East on the Left hand side :thumbsup:
Pretty confusing :)
The mount will stop tracking when reaching the limit and should beep to let you know it stopped.
The tech group is here -->> http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Gemini-II/

Hope this helps a bit.

Cheers,
Martin.

[Ross G]

Hi Martin,

Thank you.

Is the checkbox for a meridian flip on the hand controller as I will not be using a computer with the mount initially.

The East/West confused me because I had to reverse the settings after loading the latest firmware yesterday. I had to put the East value into the West box and the West value into the East...very confusing!

Can I force the mount to do a meridian flip at any point (..within the mount limits..) ?

Thanks.

Ross.

[mill]

Ross there is a meridian flip in the hand controller.
If you press the button "goto" on the hand controller and then choose what object you want to goto, you will see the coordinates and in the bottom right hand side a small box that say's "flip", just click that box and on the goto the mount will do a meridian flip when necessary.

Cheers,
Martin.

[Ross G]

Thank you Martin.

I'll go check it out.

If the weather holds out I might even be able to take the mount out and do some "real" image testing this weekend.

Thanks.

Ross.