How to configure my new gamepad within Autoslew ???

[MikePaling]

I purchased a "Speedlink Strike NX" USB wired gamepad only a couple of weeks ago. Looking at it, it does seem very similar to the Logitech Gamepads (eg: Logitech Wireless F710, etc.) that other members have mentioned previously on this forum.

 

I am trying to get my new gamepad working on my DDM60 Pro so that it will enable me to slew my scope more easily.

I have spent several hours today trying to figure out how to configure the various buttons on the gamepad, within Autoslew, to do this ... and I am getting absolutely nowhere!!! I have read all of the instructions that came with the gamepad and have studied the Autoslew manual many times!

 

However ... I have actually made some progress along the way!..... I easily managed to program two of the gamepad buttons to switch the mounts motors ON and OFF.

But .... I simply cannot understand how to program the gamepad buttons to slew my scope in any direction.

 

So can some kind person give me some clues on how to configure the gamepad to move the mount NORTH/SOUTH/EAST/WEST ..... and all points between????

I was expecting to configure the "4-way controller button" on the gamepad to do these operations ... but no success.

 

Looking at the settings in joystick settings within Autoslew there are no options for me to set these on the gamepad!!!!

 

Am I being thick ... or what!!!

 

Regards

Mike

[Waldemar]

If there is software for the game pad, you should install that as well.

With the  Logitech the left hand 4-way command stick does the slewing. The only thing you can change about that in AS is the direction it slews and the speed.

With my Logitech, I have the use a speed button + the 4-way direction stick .

 

I hoipe this helps...

 

Waldemar

[MikePaling]

Hi Waldemar ....

I have installed the latest drivers for the gamepad ... and Autoslew recognises it :-)

When try to use the 4-way command button nothing happens and I can't seem to find any way to get Autoslew to connect to this button:-(

However ... I can configure several other single action buttons for "Motor On" and 2Motor Off" from within Autoslew ... and these work perfectly.

 

It is mainly the single 4-way control/button that I can't get to work to slew the mount!!! Just total silence :-(((

 

There doesn't seem to be a way to configure this particular button, judging by the list of options within Autoslew, that will solve the problem. Should Autoslew recognise the 4-way button automatically?

 

So I am still stuck.

 

Have I got a faulty gamepad .... or am I missing something obvious here?

 

Regards

Mike

[MikePaling]

Hi again Waldemar ....

 

I have just re-rad your reply ... are you saying that I need to use a "Speed button" in conjunction with the 4-way control button???

 

I have only been trying the 4-way button on it's own.

 

Regards

Mike

[robertp]

Hi Mike,

 

please try the following:

 

In the joystick configuration window, there's the section in the upper right corner that says "Speed for full Joystick stroke".

Set the parameter "No button" - "Move" to something like e.g. 100 and check whether the mount now moves when you use the 4-way-button. You can also watch the RA- and DEC-Coordinates in the main autoslew window.

The default value of 2 is extremly slow, so you will hardly detect the mount moving (but you should see the RA or DEC-coordinates change).

If that works, set the value back to 2 or maybe 5 and you will be able to do very slow, very precise moves by just using the 4-way-button.

To move faster, you have to asign 2 buttons (I use the two buttons at the right front side of my logitech) to the functions "fast move" and "turbo move". When you now hold down one of those two buttons and move the 4-way-button, the mount slews with the fast or turbo speeds that you can define in the upper right section.

 

 

If still nothing happens, try the following:

Your controller has different 4-way-controls on the left side of the controller:

There are the 4 arrow-shaped buttons at the upper left part and there is a joystick-like controller underneath and to the right.

Check whether one of the two controls work. If none works, try pressing the mode button and see whether it works now.

 

With my logitech controller, I always have to press the mode button once in order to make the joystick work.

 

Hope this helps,

Robert

[MikePaling]

Hi Robert ....

Many thanks for your comments and suggestions .... much appreciated :-)

 

It looks as if I have got my gamepad to work .... using a combination of your suggestions and also using an application that I found on the 'net last night.

The application is called "Joytokey" which allows buttons on the gamepad to be allocated to anything you like on the screen (in this case Autoslew) .... this app gave me an easy option to link the single 4-way arrow button on the gamepad to the movement direction icons on Autoslew. I just have to remember to open up this app before I start using Autoslew.

I also followed your suggestion to toggle the "mode" button on the gamepad. I am also successfully using the "fast" & "turbo" speed buttons on the gamepad.

Everything is now operational .... so many thanks again for your help.

 

Now for carrying out my first proper Polar alignment .... and then my first pointing file !!!! Talk about a steep learning curve .... but I am well impressed with my DDM60 Pro ... so far!!!

 

Regards

Mike

[robertp]

Hi Mike,

 

great that you have a working configuration right now. But it is strange that you need an additional piece of software to get it working.

If that gets too cumbersome, maybe switching to a prooven logitech controller would be an option.

 

Clear skies,

 

Robert

[Corpze]

I set up mine gamepad a while ago but i think i had the same problem, i thought it wasn't moving, but it was, very very slowly. so i had to push a second button on the gamepad to activate a faster slew rate.
 

Some controllers also have a toggle switch to switch between analog mode or digital mode... could be worth checking that to.

/Daniel

Edited September 2, 2016 by Corpze

[MarkS]

My gamepad is set up so that the scope slews very slowly using the joystick alone, at medium speed with one button pressed, and very fast with another button pressed. I find this useful during the PA routine.

 

Mark

[w0mbat]

I use the logitech 710. It works exactly as Mark describes. When I first moved to Win10 Pro from Win 7 Pro it stopped working for a while but that has now sorted itself out. I believe it was a Logitech driver issue.

Ian

[MikePaling]

Many thank to everybody who has contributed to this topic .... all is now well :-)

 

After reading about using a Logitech gamepad, despite already getting my "inexpensive" gamepad to work, I borrowed a Logitech F310 gamepad from a friend and it worked first time. So I decided to ditch the old gamepad (with it's attendant software) and purchase a F310 for myself. It worked perfectly first time without any problems.

 

I think that the Autoslew manual could be improved by giving more information about this area .... especially indicating exactly which controls and buttons on the gamepad that could be used to operate the mount. Autoslew does not connect to some of the controls on the gamepad (this has been confirmed by tech support at ASA) and I originally spent a lot of wasted time trying to find out, by trial & error,  which joystick control pad actually worked to slew the mount!

 

Mike

[MikePaling]

Hi again ....

I thought that I would attach an image showing which control buttons are being used on my gamepad .... it might be useful to other complete novices, like me!, when they are trying to set up their DDM60 for the first time.

 

 

Mike

[tbaehnck]

Hi Mike,

 

thank you for the picture. But it is also possible to program the buttons 4, 5 or 8, 9 on the back of the pad. I prefer 4 and 5 for the fast an turbo settings, which, allows me to slew the mount with only one hand.

And the most important button for me: If you press the mode button you activate the digital cross on the left to control the direction of the slew.

 

What I liked to now is, what are the special function 1 und 2 meantioned in the manual? I have never used them.

 

br

Thomas

[MikePaling]

Hi Thomas ....

 

Many thanks for this info about using the "Mode button" .... it works!

 

When I set up my new gamepad I was hoping to use the D-Button control rather than the left joystick control but I couldn't figure out how to get it to operate so I had to stick with the joystick control. One click with the mode button has sorted that out for me ..... great!

 

I am a slow learner!!!

 

I am attaching a revised image showing the gamepad controls being used by me.

 

I do not know what the" special function buttons" as seen on the Autoslew gamepad settings screen .... I am assuming that the gamepad can be programmed to operate some device on the scope or in the observatory.

 

Regards Mike