Ascom hubs and CDC, question

Shawn · #1 31-03-2007, 08:34 AM

What plugins or drivers do you use on an LX200 , to share a Com port with anything else. Just cant seem to share the port, Any tips on getting this to work, trying to get maxim to share with CDC for autoguide function....???

Help....PLeeeeeeese

S

jase (Jason) · #2 31-03-2007, 11:55 AM

Use the ASCOM POTH (Plain Old Telescope Hub). Within the POTH specify the type of telescope i.e LX200. Then within all your other applications such as Maxim or planetarium program, select the POTH for telescope control. If you use TheSky, you need to use the TelescopeAPI.

This will allow multiple programs to share the same port, but only one can control the port at a given point in time. i.e you cant slew with TheSky and MaximDL telescope control simultaneously.

Shawn · #3 31-03-2007, 03:37 PM

Ok Jase

I tried that , and I get a

Invalid call or arguement message...

Any clues, ?

Appreciated

Shawn
...

Shawn · #4 31-03-2007, 05:23 PM

Ive spent the last couple of hours, trying every possible setup, anybody here use CDC and Maxim with an LX200, hubbed...

jase (Jason) · #5 01-04-2007, 09:48 PM

Hi Shawn,
Are you certain the ASCOM POTH is correctly configured for the LX200 protocol? Using Maxim, can you successfully connect and control the telescope through the POTH?

If so, then the problem is with CDC, if not you may need to reinstall ASCOM. Make sure you've also pulled down the latest LX200 driver as well.
http://www.ascom-standards.org/downloads.html

rogerg (Roger) · #6 01-04-2007, 09:54 PM

I didn't realise sharing the COM port like this was an option. I might investigate this. Not for my LX200, but for my Gemini where I currently can only have GuideDog or TheSky connected...

Thanks guy's.

Sorry I can't help though.

Shawn · #7 01-04-2007, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jase

Hi Shawn,
Are you certain the ASCOM POTH is correctly configured for the LX200 protocol? Using Maxim, can you successfully connect and control the telescope through the POTH?

If so, then the problem is with CDC, if not you may need to reinstall ASCOM. Make sure you've also pulled down the latest LX200 driver as well.
http://www.ascom-standards.org/downloads.html

Oh Hi Jase

Well initially I was pionting the softwares at each other, duh, as soon as i figured out that blonde moment, It worked a lot better..but the problem now is

There are two drivers for the LX200 in the Ascom hub, one suggests it is not shareable so I use the other one, ive shuffled the ports around so that the hub is on Com 1 rather than a usb serial device. I piont the hub at port one, I fire up the cdc select ascom protocol, and it works. now I go to maxim select Select Ascom Scope Dome hub and it does connect very briefly and the errors with the afformention invalid procedure arguement,

Latest Ascom 4.1 latest plugin, Its almost as if the maxim is talking a language the hub does not understand or vice versa...

Shawn

jase (Jason) · #8 01-04-2007, 10:21 PM

Hi Shawn,
Sounds like you're making progress.

When you select POTH from the start menu, programs, ascom, blah blah... and choose your telescope, you should be using the Meade LX200 and Autostar, unless you have an electronic focuser. If so select the Meade Telescope and Focuser.

Once this is complete, you should be able to connect to the telescope of the designated serial port. Which by the sounds of things is working fine.

Then from with Maxim and CDC, you select POTH. This is all that is required for telescope control.

Now to slave a dome to the telescope, from within the POTH setup dialogue box you will notice a button down the bottom called "Dome>>" Select this and choose your dome mechanism. Don't select POTH, until after you've set up the Dome and Telescope configuration.

jase (Jason) · #9 01-04-2007, 10:23 PM

Sorry may not have been clear... you don't need to setup the dome and telescope for ASCOM to work with sharing ports. You only need to correctly set up POTH.

Shawn · #10 01-04-2007, 10:28 PM

Ive been assigning the dome to simulator, as the dome is not yet motorised, It makes me wonder if there is a procedure call that is being misinterpreted or misunderstood by Ascom
, I also have no connection to the focusser from within maxim as there is no option to select the hub there, in focusser setup, im sure i have overlooked something...

Cheerrs Jase

S

jase (Jason) · #11 01-04-2007, 10:46 PM

Hi Shawn,
Sorry, thought the dome was motorised. In this case, you only need to use POTH. Not the Dome and Telescope Hub.

ASCOM compliant programs can act in three modes, client, server or both. There is plenty of information on the ascom site regarding these modes. Its important to understand them in order to get programs communicating.

Within Maxim's Focuser control, I don't believe it is possible to use POTH. It is after all a telescope hub. You may need to specifically select the focuser you are using assuming its on a different serial port. If its integrated, like the LX200R etc, then select the Meade telescope with Focuser. POTH would then also need to configured with the same driver (same as focuser) in order to share the same port for telescope and focuser control. I've never tried the integrated focuser options. With RoboFocus, its always been on another serial port to the telescope, so its been simple to configure.

Shawn · #12 01-04-2007, 11:30 PM

Hi Jase

Im going to keep chugging away at this problem, as the focus is integrated. If I choose POTH I get port allready open, Its got me , OK the port is open to Ascom so why when I choose ascom does it tell me it cant have the port...Ill be buggered, i think maybe there is a conflict in the softwares, and it is giving clues that I dont understand, in the invalid procedure or function massage....
I mentioned earlier

S