EQMOD Arrgghhh

[Les R]

The assigning com port threw me as well. You'd think where it says auto com port, it would actually mean it finds the com port used and assign accordingly!

Cant remember if I had to download a driver or not (using Windows but think I did. In fact I'm sure I did and thought that was the "flashing" problem through incompatability and not because the com port wasnt registered.

That said, I had to use the hand controller to align as I couldnt work out the process from within EQMod with the limited time I had to play.

[The Thing]

Watch the YouTube videos (48?). Forget 'Align'. Start in the right position i.e. unparked and only drive the scope with either EQMOD buttons or CdC  or a gamepad - the best option). Do not disengage any clutches to centre a target -  there are no encoders! You shouldn't need to do any tweaking like that on a permanent setup. Set CdC to Track Telescope. It should be pointing at your custom Park position if Chris' process is good. You can't use the handset, disconnect it and then use EQMOD,

Easiest thing to do is go to a few stars around your chosen target and sync each to build a local pointing model then slew to the final target. Centre that on the camera using EQMOD controls only and sync it (adds to the model). The more points you sync around the sky the better if you are saving them on Park as the model will be more accurate and the corrections more precise next time.

Oh and the COM port detector has never worked properly! That's why you need to do all the palaver of always using the same USB ports and referring to Device Manager if you don't. To find out what the COM port is.

Good luck!

BTW I was up and running and on target in 10 minutes tonight...

[Rocket Pooch]

Finally got EQMOD set up last night and with a park position but there are a few "gotchas":
1) If you haven't run the setup (so it doesn't know the COM port for EQDIR) the EQMOD window just keeps flashing up momentarily and disappearing.  This also happens if the COM port changes because you plug everything together differently next time so the COM port changes.
2) If you haven't switched the mount on, the EQMOD window just keeps flashing up momentarily and disappearing.
3) If you try to sync to an object (e.g in Cartes du Ciel) that is too far from where it thinks it is (for one reson or another), EQMOD silently ignores the sync.
4) If you try to sync or slew to an object when tracking is off, you get an OLE Exception error window.
5) EQMOD replaces the handset by a computer keyboard - this makes it extremely impractical to look through the finderscope while making adjustment slews to the mount.  I'll buy myself a USB numeric keypad.  If I buy a wireless one there's probably a danger I'll accidentally slew the wrong pier!

The other annoying "gotcha" is related to the HiteAstro EQDIR thingy itself.  Mine (brand new from FLO) came in a polythene bag with no instructions whatsoever.  I plugged it into the USB port but, of course, whatever I did, it wouldn't work and EQMOD couldn't find it.  I eventually discovered that I needed to download a driver from the HitecAstro site.  Maybe that's because I'm running Windows XP, maybe for other versions of Windows it is Plug'n'Play.

It is certainly not beginner friendly.  It wouldn't be difficult to give sensible error information to the user in situations 1-4 above.

That said, I think it will be very powerful now that I have set it up.  

Did you read the manual first? all these are covered in it.

[MarkS]

Did you read the manual first? all these are covered in it.

Maybe so.  But it doesn't excuse the absence of sensible error messages to the user.

[Rick]

Maybe so.  But it doesn't excuse the absence of sensible error messages to the user.

0C4

[MarkS]

0C4

"OC4" is 100x better than silently ignoring the action you are trying to perform!

[Rocket Pooch]

I love it, free software by a frog in his bedroom and were all expecting professional quality code

I like HEX Dumps there much better than an automation error.

[Mike]

Yeah we can't complaint too much as we are getting it for free after all.

The bugs and stuff are irritating but after using the software for a while you get used to them and know how to workaround them. Overall i'd much rather be using EQ-MOD than the crappy handset anyday.

[Rocket Pooch]

Hi,

I agree Mike I have been using it for years now, which in UK astronomical terms is about 6 nights.  Its brilliant.

Mark I think the problem most people have with PC's and astronomy is because most people just don't know how PC work or to use them, because its just not what they do or have done for a living, they have issues that are probably non issues.  Then they go off and buy a Mac because you don't get these issues, not because a Mac is better, but because its a restricted OS.

One huge thing I would suggest is try the simulator in EQ Mod, it does everything that the real system does, and if for example you have AstroArt or Maxim you can also simulate scopes and you have a fully simulated system.

But there are a couple of points you need to remember;

1 - The EQ Mounts are dumb, nothing get stored in the mount at all, its held on the PC
2 - If you want to not get stressed out over USA Ports, don't keep moving them about, USA on all devises are dynamically allocated based on what you have plugged in at the time and where, its just life.
3 - Unpark the mount before you try to move it, I have seen loads of people leave hand breaks on or disk locks on in the car and its not good practice. 
4 - Buy a  wireless game pad, you can then sit in doors and pretend you have a guided missile system outside
5 -If youg going to guide use Pulse Guiding and if your guiding at less that 400mm up the guide rate
6 - Get an FTDI based USB to Serial cable
7 - Read the manual, and update Windows there a myth that its all crap other than XP
8 - Don't move the mount manually, this is daft, do Unpark, sync to a nearby star and then goto near where you want to sync, the software will work it out
9 - Drop a note to Chris (the other one, but we are all  smart) and he will probably fix issues, unless there cased by user error

I have never played with any guide settings in PHD and when using EQMod I have always had good guiding with it, even if it is basic.  The only issues I have ever had with this setup was a stuck game pad so the mount went one way only, a rusty USA cable now replaced and I think on release 1.25a the XML for storing the  sync points would not clear.

But it really works well 10,000 of people use it now, and if you look at the Losmandy site, they have taken a copy and tweaked it for Gemini.

Chris

[JohnP]

Chris - what's the preferred gamepad these days. How did it connect to laptop - is it IR?

Cheers,  John

[Rocket Pooch]

Logitech or any compatible one, I use a logitech rumble pad you can get a wired or un-wired version.

http://www.logitech.com/en-gb/support/264?osid=14&bit=64

This may be an option

https://www.google.co.uk/shopping/product/14104444909035731853?q=Gamepad&client=firefox-a&hs=twX&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.51773540,d.ZGU,pv.xjs.s.en_US.jkEW54nYU50.O&biw=1366&bih=598&tch=1&ech=1&psi=V40pUvmjEoLW7QaUsYGoAw.1378454874315.3&sa=X&ei=XY0pUuPJHIeB7Qb1k4GQAw&ved=0CIMBEPMCMAE

You can use compatible ones they are cheaper.

Forgot to add I got the rumblepad because some wag got the pad to rumble in EQ Mod I like it.

[MarkS]

Chris - what's the preferred gamepad these days. How did it connect to laptop - is it IR?

An alternative is a crippled mouse.  I was playing with Eqmod last night and a 3 button USB mouse worked fine.  Open the slew pad window then you only need the mouse bottons so the ball can be removed or the optical laser bit covered (else you end up accidentally shifted the mouse off the slew pad window.  Left/Right mouse buttons to go Left/Right then click the centre button so Left/Right controls Up/Down.  Using the crippled mouse at the eyepiece of the finderscope worked really well.

[Mike]

For updating drivers on Windows machines I would highly recommend SLIMDRIVERS.

It is free and finds what drivers need updating and then lets you download them one at a time and install them. There is no need to buy it or register just use it as is. The only advantage of buying it is it will then update the drivers automatically.

I would also agree with Chris in that when you first plug a device into your laptop then remember which USB port you use and always use the same one afterwards. I have all of my ports on the laptop and hub labelled up with each device I use. I only ever plug devices back into the same ports. This saves a lot of headaches in the future. It's an irritating 'feature' of Windows but once you know to do this it works well afterwards. My laptop is Windows 7 and all the software and hardware I've used on it (even after running it over in my car) all work fine with no issues. I think you would have to have some very old hardware for it not to work in Win 7.

Windows XP is fine if you have an older laptop that doesn't have the power to run Window 7. Windows Vista I would avoid like it was the plague as it is the worst OS ever made. If you have Vista and say it works you are either lying, delusional or are damned lucky. The same with Windows 8, simply because the UI is terrible and it's new so won't be covered by drivers as well as Windows 7 is.

[MarkS]

I'm also upgrading my imaging laptops - the current Toshiba Portege, although it runs directly off a 12v cable is much too underpowered for my future usage.  I bought a refurb Lenovo Thinkpad T60 from Morgan Computers (60Gb hard drive, 2Gb RAM, dual core, Windows XP).  I like it so much I've just ordered a 2nd one - for the 2nd pier.  But I'll still use the Tosh when I'm imaging away from mains power (or when the long promised National Grid power outages arrive).

Maybe I'll upgrade to W7 but it's probably unnecessary.

BTW I'm really liking EQMOD now I've overcome the beginner's frustrations.

[MarkS]

I'm hating EQMOD again.  Every time the mount is instructed to perfrom a full-speed slew (e.g. from Cartes de Ciel) all my other USB devices on the (powered) hub disconnect themselves (Canon, QHY5, Canon shutter controller).  When I had the EQDIR plugged into the hub then EQMOD lost connection as well.  So I plugged EQDIR into its own USB socket in the Laptop.  Now EQMOD stays connected during a slew, but everything on the hub still disconnects.  It can't be a power problem because I've now plugged everything into the mains.  There are no leads snagging suring the slews - a short slew of a few degrees is enough to trigger this behaviour.

Any idea what might be going on?

Otherwise I must try swapping laptops, swapping hubs, unplugging devices until I locate what the cause may be.