Star Adventurer GTi Guiding

carlstronomy (Carl) · #1 27-11-2022, 01:10 AM

Evening all, I recently purchased a Star Adventurer GTi. The clouds have been not so kind lately so learning has been sporadic at best. Last night and tonight I have been attempting to setup guiding with no luck. I have used NINA to polar align, sorted that one out nicely and happy with what I have.
When I attempt to calibrate the mount EW seems to move alright but when returning east it over shoots and then clears backlash around 10 times. Calibration North seems to work well but when it returns south it does not seem to move for 5 steps and then the count reduces. This of course means I run out of steps and it has to nudge south 4 or 5 times. Occasionally it tells me I have backlash issues but not always.
When I start guiding everything goes well, corrections are made, after a while and then the mount drifts south because the north corrections are not doing anything at the mount. PHD is sending corrections but the mount seems to do nothing, sometimes it works again for a while other times it just bugs out.
I have tried the mount on battery and power, the issue does not change. I am using a Dell laptop to control the mount.
Latest syn scan app is installed.
Latest PHD2 installed.
With no guiding I can get up to 2 minute subs with round stars.
I feel no backlash in the DEC or RA

I have attached a few images, any help would be great as I am very confused.

Thanks for reading
Carl

Clear Skies

carlstronomy (Carl) · #2 27-11-2022, 02:18 AM

Update.

I have noted that the motor controller firmware was out dated. I have updated to the latest version, so I am hoping the 3.43 motion control work may have helped.

Installed version on purchase 3.34 OC

Version 3.44
1. Fix a bug for Bluetooth connection.

Version 3.43
1. Add support for Bluetooth Low Energy connection.
2. Optimize motion control algorithm.
3. Support slower USB hosts(Embedded Linux, Android Phones, etc.) to access the built-in USB port.

Version 3.40
1. Optimize the extended command set to work better with SynScan/Pro App version 2.0.11 or later.

Clouds have rolled in, so no more testing tonight.

Still interested in opinion as this may no be the issue.

Crater101 (Warren) · #3 27-11-2022, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carlstronomy

...
When I attempt to calibrate the mount EW seems to move alright but when returning east it over shoots and then clears backlash around 10 times. Calibration North seems to work well but when it returns south it does not seem to move for 5 steps and then the count reduces. This of course means I run out of steps and it has to nudge south 4 or 5 times. Occasionally it tells me I have backlash issues but not always.
When I start guiding everything goes well, corrections are made, after a while and then the mount drifts south because the north corrections are not doing anything at the mount. PHD is sending corrections but the mount seems to do nothing, sometimes it works again for a while other times it just bugs out.
I have tried the mount on battery and power, the issue does not change. I am using a Dell laptop to control the mount.
Latest syn scan app is installed.
Latest PHD2 installed.
With no guiding I can get up to 2 minute subs with round stars.
I feel no backlash in the DEC or RA

I have attached a few images, any help would be great as I am very confused.

Thanks for reading
Carl

Clear Skies

I had the GTi - briefly - and experienced some issues similar to what you describe. When I initially contacted the retailer to talk about a possible return of the mount, I was told that the reason I was having these issues was because I wasn't guiding the mount. My argument that with this level of mount guiding shouldn't be necessary was howled down. Like you, I upgraded firmware as much as I could and checked connections, etc., but still experienced similar issues, even when I tried guiding it.

I can't offer you much in the way of advice other than you aren't alone in the issues you're experiencing. I'm aware that some people have purchased the GTi and it's worked perfectly straight out of the box; others have had endless issues, similar to what you describe, and have returned it.

I think at the bottom of it all there are some quality control issues. It sounds like you've done much the same as many others in your attempts to solve the problem though. Good Luck with it!

carlstronomy (Carl) · #4 27-11-2022, 01:25 PM

Thanks Warren, much appreciated on the reply. Glad to at know I am at least not going crazy

I am always an optimist, the fact that firmware 3.43 fixes both communications issues and motor control issues. I will keep the faith for the moment..... Both of these issues are good contenders for what is happening.

Looking and now experiencing how the mount feels and works I am leaning towards the issues being software and control orientated rather than mechanical. If this is the case hopefully the OEM is working on the issues. I will email them next week with my findings and see what they say. I will not contact the reseller, my results with this in the past has not always lets say been helpful.

The mount seems fairly good, I wanted it for a dark sky camping scope. I suppose if I can get 3 minute unguided subs like the attached in the city then at a dark sky spot they will be crackers.

I have warranty so I am willing to wait it out and see what happens, I will just make it known I have issues.

Thanks
Carl

Clear skies

Crater101 (Warren) · #5 27-11-2022, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carlstronomy

Thanks Warren, much appreciated on the reply. Glad to at know I am at least not going crazy

I am always an optimist, the fact that firmware 3.43 fixes both communications issues and motor control issues. I will keep the faith for the moment..... Both of these issues are good contenders for what is happening.

Looking and now experiencing how the mount feels and works I am leaning towards the issues being software and control orientated rather than mechanical. If this is the case hopefully the OEM is working on the issues. I will email them next week with my findings and see what they say. I will not contact the reseller, my results with this in the past has not always lets say been helpful.

The mount seems fairly good, I wanted it for a dark sky camping scope. I suppose if I can get 3 minute unguided subs like the attached in the city then at a dark sky spot they will be crackers.

I have warranty so I am willing to wait it out and see what happens, I will just make it known I have issues.

Thanks
Carl

Clear skies

Do keep us posted on how it all goes. I'd be very interested to see what sort of response you get from your e-mails. My own experiences with the reseller were certainly less than helpful.

carlstronomy (Carl) · #6 30-11-2022, 09:32 PM

Warren,
I have not been able to test yet since the firmware upgrade due to weather. I have contacted Sky-Watcher directly this evening so I will let you know what they return with.

Carl

carlstronomy (Carl) · #7 05-12-2022, 11:38 PM

Update on the SA GTi after the latest firmware update.

Well clear skies here in Brisbane tonight so I took the opportunity to have a test run.

I was a little worried at first the PHD2 calibration seemed average in the way in operated but to my surprise this did not affect performance.

What a cracking night, over three hours of various guiding trials. Not once did the mount not perform, every pulse given to the mount from PHD2 was acted on.

I have attached a 6 minute guided shot. Please note, seeing was awful, dew was awful and we are almost at a full moon. I have also stretched it a little as it was washed out due to lights and moon.

Also attached are some guiding screen shots to compare to pre firmware upgrade.

I have had no reply from Sky-Watcher as yet, but it looks like they are slowly working through the bugs in this scope.

Hope this helps people who are considering this mount or are having issues. Do not return it yet!!!

Clear Skies

Camelopardalis (Dunk) · #8 06-12-2022, 07:34 PM

Looks pretty good to me Carl

0.64” RMS total error is not to be sniffed at!

carlstronomy (Carl) · #9 07-12-2022, 01:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Camelopardalis

Looks pretty good to me Carl

0.64” RMS total error is not to be sniffed at!

Yes very nice indeed, extremely happy with such results using a small travel mount.

AdamJL · #10 07-12-2022, 10:16 AM

very few guide pulses as well. Nice