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ASIAIR+ has gone crazy

ZWO ASIAIR Plus Guiding Troubleshooting
Ferran Bosch (S.A.C.)allen456Johannes Maximilian MösleinTony Gondola
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Ferran Bosch (S.A.C.) avatar
Ferran Bosch (S.A.C.) avatar
Hi all, this afternoon it seemed that the clouds had gone and I have mounted the equipment, when I started with the autoguiding there came a moment when the stars deviated a couple of seconds, as if the mount stopped tracking and then abruptly returned to its position, I changed the cables, I installed the latest firmware and it did not work either, finally I removed this asiair+ and I put the mini, also updated with the latest firmware, and voila, everything worked correctly. Has anyone suffered this problem? it happened to me once with the mini, but it was fixed mysteriously, I don't know what to think anymore. Thanks for reading me.

Ferran.
Fred B avatar
Fred B avatar
I had something similar happen to me a while back.  Recalibrating the guiding solved the problem.  I believe I tapped on the icon with the 2 perpendicular lines that represents guiding.  It then allows you to "clear" or "recalibrate".  The asiair then does a new calibration of the guiding and that should solve the problem.  I'm sorry I can't remember exactly how to do it as it has been a year or more ago.  If you google it I'm sure there will be some directions.  Hope that helps.
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Jon Bryan avatar
Jon Bryan avatar
I started getting spikes in my guiding not too long ago, and when I watched the guiding screen noticed that one of the guide stars the ASIAir had picked was very close to another bright star, and the box was jumping back and forth between them. I restarted the guiding and manually selected a star, and it started behaving.
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Jim Case avatar
Jim Case avatar
I clear the guiding and recalibrate each night on my ASiair which has been recommended. Sometimes the guiding goes crazy during a session and recalibrating guiding can sometimes fix the problem as well.  I believe there are more advanced tools in the full version of the software that the ASIAIR uses for guiding that might be useful but are not available unless you use a laptop and the full version of the software.
Glenn Bargabus avatar
Glenn Bargabus avatar
I had a similar issue. I started by shutting down and disconnecting the power. Then I powered the ASIAIR back up and that fixed it.
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Stephen Jones avatar
Stephen Jones avatar
When this occurs I clear the guiding also.  I use the dark library for guiding which works well.
Ferran Bosch (S.A.C.) avatar
Ferran Bosch (S.A.C.) avatar
Thanks to all, reading your comments I remembered that the last time it happened to me, it was because asiair chose a double star and went crazy jumping, curiously the drift has the same duration as the exposure time of the guiding camera, it is as if during the exposure the tracking was stopped.

Thank you for your advice
Ferran
allen456 avatar
allen456 avatar
Has anybody experienced an issue where the guiding graph looks good but the stars move slowly but steadily from left to right.  This is with ASIAir+.

Al
Ferran Bosch (S.A.C.) avatar
Ferran Bosch (S.A.C.) avatar
Has anybody experienced an issue where the guiding graph looks good but the stars move slowly but steadily from left to right.  This is with ASIAir+.

Al

No, it is a very strange thing
Tony Gondola avatar
Tony Gondola avatar
This could be differential flexure
allen456 avatar
allen456 avatar
Tony Gondola:
Tony Gondola (Gondola)

Don't really know what that means.
Tony Gondola avatar
Tony Gondola avatar
If there is any movement between the imaging scope and the guide scope during an exposure you will get star elongation or trailing even if the guiding is perfect. There doesn't have to be much mechanical flexure to throw things off by a few seconds of arc and thus be noticeable in your image. The main and guide scope have to be very solidly coupled to prevent this.
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allen456 avatar
allen456 avatar
OK I understand you now, but I can assure you this was not the case this time.  It has been going on for over a week and ensure there was no flexure was one of the first things I checked.

Al
Johannes Maximilian Möslein avatar
Johannes Maximilian Möslein avatar
How is your power input? Every device powered on its own? The AIR often behaves very funky if the input voltage/amp is to low.
Ferran Bosch (S.A.C.) avatar
Ferran Bosch (S.A.C.) avatar
Tony Gondola:
This could be differential flexure


I don't think so, it's a rhythmic movement, it's as if the mount suddenly stops and starts again
Ferran Bosch (S.A.C.) avatar
Ferran Bosch (S.A.C.) avatar
Johannes Maximilian Möslein:
How is your power input? Every device powered on its own? The AIR often behaves very funky if the input voltage/amp is to low.


220v/3Amp
Ferran Bosch (S.A.C.) avatar
Ferran Bosch (S.A.C.) avatar
Tony Gondola:
If there is any movement between the imaging scope and the guide scope during an exposure you will get star elongation or trailing even if the guiding is perfect. There doesn't have to be much mechanical flexure to throw things off by a few seconds of arc and thus be noticeable in your image. The main and guide scope have to be very solidly coupled to prevent this.


It's not that, next time it happens I'll record a video, it's a rhythmic movement, synchronized with the exposure time of the guide camera, for example, if it is making 2" exposures, the mount stops guiding for two seconds and then returns to the star, rhythmic and constant.
Daniele Borsari avatar
Daniele Borsari avatar
Are you sure your polar alignment was good?
Johannes Maximilian Möslein avatar
Johannes Maximilian Möslein avatar
Ferran Bosch (S.A.C.):
Johannes Maximilian Möslein:
How is your power input? Every device powered on its own? The AIR often behaves very funky if the input voltage/amp is to low.


220v/3Amp

But what was the DC input? Should be around 12V/2-5A. Did you check it in the AIR while it was running?
Did you try different USB cables? Those are often the culprit.
Ferran Bosch (S.A.C.):
Tony Gondola:
If there is any movement between the imaging scope and the guide scope during an exposure you will get star elongation or trailing even if the guiding is perfect. There doesn't have to be much mechanical flexure to throw things off by a few seconds of arc and thus be noticeable in your image. The main and guide scope have to be very solidly coupled to prevent this.


It's not that, next time it happens I'll record a video, it's a rhythmic movement, synchronized with the exposure time of the guide camera, for example, if it is making 2" exposures, the mount stops guiding for two seconds and then returns to the star, rhythmic and constant.

You mean it completely stops tracking? Like it stops moving, then the guide exposure comes in, it corrects back, and stops moving completely again?
Ferran Bosch (S.A.C.) avatar
Ferran Bosch (S.A.C.) avatar
Daniele Borsari:
Are you sure your polar alignment was good?

Totally
Ferran Bosch (S.A.C.) avatar
Ferran Bosch (S.A.C.) avatar
Johannes Maximilian Möslein:
But what was the DC input? Should be around 12V/2-5A. Did you check it in the AIR while it was running?
Did you try different USB cables? Those are often the culprit.


Yes, sorry, 12.7 volts and 3 amps. 
Johannes Maximilian Möslein:
You mean it completely stops tracking? Like it stops moving, then the guide exposure comes in, it corrects back, and stops moving completely again?


Exactly, that's what happens, if you look at the tracking screen, the stars walk away and after a moment they return to the starting point, it's amazing, I changed the cables and everything remained the same, I changed the unit for another one and it worked correctly. It is a mystery. 
Johannes Maximilian Möslein avatar
Johannes Maximilian Möslein avatar
Ferran Bosch (S.A.C.):

I'm not sure if I understand that, how can you see the stars "walk away at the tracking screen", if you only see the subs from the guide cam? What's your guiding equipment?
Ferran Bosch (S.A.C.) avatar
Ferran Bosch (S.A.C.) avatar
Johannes Maximilian Möslein:
I'm not sure if I understand that, how can you see the stars "walk away at the tracking screen", if you only see the subs from the guide cam? What's your guiding equipment?


How, if you open the guidance screen, you see the stars that the guidance camera is capturing, those stars move away and come back, move away and come back, in 2” intervals. I'm talking about the guide stars. I refer to this screen (taken from the internet):
Tony Gondola avatar
Tony Gondola avatar
That looks like a pretty normal guide graph to me.
Tony Gondola avatar
Tony Gondola avatar
Opps!