Intermittent Homefind problem

[MikePaling]

Hi Folks ... recently my DDM60Pro has failed to find the Homefind ref marks when asked to do so.

 

I first set up my mount in the summer and everything worked perfectly but recently it starts to look for the RA reference mark and they says that it has failed and goes no further. It doesn't do this every time I restart Autoslew ... but it does it occasionally and seems to happen more frequently nowadays.

 

However, if I ask Autoslew to try again, without first doing a full re-start, I get a message to tell me to move the scope slowly over the RA ref mark without the motor switched on ... this works! I hear a "ping" and the Autoslew asks me to slowly move the scope over the Dec ref mark ... which also works :-)))

The AutoSlew screen tells me that I have found the RA and Dec marks. Everything is then fine ....

 

Why is this happening???? Why am I getting this intermittent problem when I start up my mount?

 

What can I do to get things back to normal?

 

Regards Mike

 

 

[DaveS]

I'd like to know as well, as the same thing happens to me. I'd put it down to the the cantankerousness of software.

[Jay]

It seems that quite a few people have similar problems with the homefind... me included.

 

The homefind fails every now and then without any obvious reason. After second (or third) try it usually succeeds. A trick that has worked for me is starting the homefind slew into a "wrong direction". When the slew returns and hits the reference mark, homefind is usually ok. However, even that doesn't work 100 %

 

Jay  

[GeorgeCarey]

I always use the manual Homefind which avoids having to find the magnetic angle. Obviously this is no use if remote operation is required.

The trick is to move the scope by hand very slowly. If you go too fast then the mount can do weird things.

[MikePaling]

I started this thread and my problem continues.

 

Sometimes Homefind works but most of the time it doesn't. When it fails it always happens as it is looking for the RA mark ... it actually "pings" as if it has found the mark and then after approx. 6 seconds I get a message to say that it has failed!

 

I now have to revert to the "manual method" which always works ..... this doesn't really bother me as my scope is only down at the bottom of my garden .... but I concerned that things are not working 100% OK.

 

Might "Head Office" at ASA have any suggestions???? Is it worth contacting them?

 

Mike

[Jay]

Mike,

 

That's what happens when the homefind hits the reference mark but cannot for some reason calibrate it. So the reference mark is found but calibration fails. Try the trick described in my previous message, it really works most of the time.

 

Jay

Edited January 10, 2017 by Jay

[MarkS]

I think it is worth asking ASA about this. My DDM60 has never failed - not even once - to homefind correctly, with all versions of Autoslew since 5116. So it seems to me to be more likely a mount problem - and a fairly common one, judging by this thread.

 

Mark

Edited January 10, 2017 by MarkS

[MikePaling]

My "Homefind" problem looks as if it has been solved ... but I will keep my eye on it.

 

Martin Puchner, at ASA, has been inspecting my system remotely using Teamviewer and he made a couple of minor changes to one of the files within AutoSlew which seems to have done the trick. I am not sure exactly what he did as it happened very quickly.

 

I got the impression that this is a known problem affecting "some people". I suggested that somebody at ASA should post a bulletin on the forum to help others who might have the same problem ... he said that this was a good idea.

 

Mike