ZWO AM5 and N.I.N.A meridian Flip

I use my AM5 on my remote setup, no issues with the core NINA meridian flip function. Just be careful, by default, the AM5 stop tracking 2 minutes after the meridian.
It seems that we can configure this duration with a firmware update, but i did not upgrade, so i configure my sequence in consequence

Brian Diaz:
hi

thank you for the answers     


i come from asi air pro plus , and it is my first time configuring the meridian flip in NINA  and ZWO ASCOM

the point is with the zwo firmware 1.5.2 we have this setup inside the red frame 
 what should be the approximate values and also in NNA

yesterday i used this configuration  ( inside the red frame) and  minutes after meridian  1 min and max, minutes after meridian 6 min  in NINA
 worked  but i did it inside the  house , so im not sure yet



thank you so much 

clear skies 
Brian

Run your scope to meridian by hand, then run it past it.  Check for any potential contact areas such as the camera, or filter wheel on your tripod legs.  Make sure to test it at multiple dec positions.   If it runs past meridian and has plenty of clearance still, you should feel plenty safe running tracking past meridian.    If you can't run it to meridian because something comes close, you need to make sure both mount and NINA know that, so they stop ahead of time... otherwise NINA can get confused during meridian flip.

While my AM3 is not mounted on a pier, my EQ6's are and I have no problems running them up to 20 minutes past meridian with plenty of room to spare.   If you have the little pier extension thing on your AM5 tripod, you should have quite a bit of clearance as well.  

You do NOT want to run a harmonic into the pier/tripod legs.   They will destroy your gear due to the massive torque they have.  ZWO claims to have some failsafes in place, but I'm still reading horror stories.

Brian Puhl:

Brian Diaz:
hi

thank you for the answers     


i come from asi air pro plus , and it is my first time configuring the meridian flip in NINA  and ZWO ASCOM

the point is with the zwo firmware 1.5.2 we have this setup inside the red frame 
 what should be the approximate values and also in NNA

yesterday i used this configuration  ( inside the red frame) and  minutes after meridian  1 min and max, minutes after meridian 6 min  in NINA
 worked  but i did it inside the  house , so im not sure yet



thank you so much 

clear skies 
Brian

Run your scope to meridian by hand, then run it past it.  Check for any potential contact areas such as the camera, or filter wheel on your tripod legs.  Make sure to test it at multiple dec positions.   If it runs past meridian and has plenty of clearance still, you should feel plenty safe running tracking past meridian.    If you can't run it to meridian because something comes close, you need to make sure both mount and NINA know that, so they stop ahead of time... otherwise NINA can get confused during meridian flip.

While my AM3 is not mounted on a pier, my EQ6's are and I have no problems running them up to 20 minutes past meridian with plenty of room to spare.   If you have the little pier extension thing on your AM5 tripod, you should have quite a bit of clearance as well.  

You do NOT want to run a harmonic into the pier/tripod legs.   They will destroy your gear due to the massive torque they have.  ZWO claims to HI

thank you ,Brian for you answer 

i connected two laser sensor to the am5  power unit , for temporary security while i playing  with NINA meridian flip
if the OTA Or any parts of it cross this line ( 3 inches ) before to hit the  tripod legs , cut the am5 power main and stop 

thank you for you advice 
 clear skies , Brian

Brian Diaz:

Ashraf AbuSara:

Brian Diaz:
hi

thank you for the answers     


i come from asi air pro plus , and it is my first time configuring the meridian flip in NINA  and ZWO ASCOM

the point is with the zwo firmware 1.5.2 we have this setup inside the red frame 
 what should be the approximate values and also in NNA

yesterday i used this configuration  ( inside the red frame) and  minutes after meridian  1 min and max, minutes after meridian 6 min  in NINA
 worked  but i did it inside the  house , so im not sure yet



thank you so much 

clear skies 
Brian

It should be the other way around. You need to set your AM5 to track 4-5 degrees past the meridian, and try to get NINA to flip at 0 degrees. The reason is becaue if the AM5 stops tracking before NINA issues the Meridian flip command, then it won't flip. NINA refuses to issue a meridian flip to a mount that is not tracking for some safety related reason. Also it is important to make sure you sync your mount and PC times. IF they are off by a few minutes it can cause confusion and problems. 

As Brian said, Harmonic drives will destroy your gear if they crash. I just don't risk it and just flip at 0 degrees after I made sure to test it before letting it run.

HI  , thank you for you answer 

so you recommend to setup   stop tracking at  4-5 degrees ( around 16min to 20 min) after meridian 

thank you so much 

clear skies, Brian

Not exactly. I recommend that you set it up to flip at 0 degrees past the meridian inside NINA, with maybe a max of 3 minutes, and then in the AM5 set it up to track 4-5 minutes past the meridian. You have to make sure it is safe to track that far. 

The idea here is to have NINA issue the command to perform a Meridian flip BEFORE the AM5 stops tracking.