[APBeta] Problems driving Meade LX200ACF with APv2

[Paul Rodman]

On Jan 4, 2009, at 08:17 AM, Bruce Pipes wrote:

> Let me apologize up front for the length of this message. I have  
> tried to give as much detail as possible in hopes it will help you  
> identify the problems.
>
> It was clear last night so I tried using APv2b14 during an imaging  
> session. First let me describe my setup:
>
> The scope is an 8" Meade LX200ACF, mounted on a wedge, and the  
> camera is an SBIG ST-2000XM. The serial cable from the scope mount  
> goes through a Keyspan Serial-to-USB adapter to a USB hub and the  
> USB cable from the camera goes to the same hub. The output USB cable  
> from the hub goes to a USB-to-Cat 5 adapter which then goes to a 100  
> ft length of Cat 5 cable. The Cat 5 cable goes from the observatory  
> to a warm room, where it connects to a Cat 5-to-USB adapter which  
> goes to my MacBook Pro. I run two applications when I am imaging, AP  
> to drive the scope and Equinox Image (EI) to control the camera and  
> autoguide.
>
> When I use APv1.6.1 I leave the USB cable to the computer unplugged  
> until I have initialized the scope mount and booted up both AP and  
> EI. I then plug the USB cable into the computer, connect to the  
> camera with EI, and connect to the scope with AP. Normally APv1.6.1  
> connects to the scope immediately, but sometimes, when I have made  
> some changes between sessions, I have to go to AP preferences and  
> select the Keyspan adapter (USA19H1d14P1.1). I then use AP to do a  
> high precision slew to my DSO. I center the synch star in the camera  
> image using the keypad on the small high-precision window. When I do  
> this EI is the front application, but, as you know, I have access to  
> the small high precision window of AP. After I synch the star, I  
> click "Slew to object" in the high precision window. When that slew  
> is finished (I can tell that because, even though AP is not in  
> front, I can see the grayed-out slew bar in the lower left of the  
> Observing window).  I then bring AP to the front and open the  
> Telescope Control Palette. Next I bring EI to the front (with the  
> Telescope Control Palette remaining accessible) and make some test  
> images, using the AP Telescope Control Palette to center the DSO on  
> the camera chip and to focus the scope. I then autoguide and image  
> with EI, only using the AP Telescope Control Palette occasionally to  
> re-center the DSO image or to refocus. When I finish an imaging  
> session, I click Slew to Home on the Telescope Control Palette and  
> walk out to the observatory to shut down the telescope when it  
> beeps. APv1.6.1 slews it to the Autostar default home position, i.e.  
> pointing south with Dec = 0°.
>
> Now to last night - I will try to tell it as it happened, but it may  
> be somewhat unclear because I was not always sure what was going on.  
> The starred paragraph describe the strangest behavior:
>
> I started out using APv2 exactly the same way I have been using  
> APv1.6.1. However, when I went to connect AP to the scope, the  
> connect box said "Serial port not defined". OK, I went to the scope  
> preferences in the Resource window, but the Keyspan adapter was not  
> listed, only a couple of Bluetooth options. I then closed AP and  
> restarted it. The connect box was still grayed out, but when I went  
> to the scope preferences window, there were two new options for  
> serial ports, Keyspan 1 and USA19H1d14P1.1. I selected the latter  
> and APv2 connected to the scope. Then things worked normally for a  
> bit; I was able to do the high precision slew, center and synch to  
> the star and slew to the DSO.
>
> *****Now here is a really weird thing - After slewing to the DSO  
> (recall from above that EI is still in front at this point), when I  
> tried to bring APv2 front so I could access the Telescope Control  
> Palette, it would not come to the front. I tried both clicking on  
> the AP Objects window and clicking on the AP icon in the dock, but  
> EI remained in front. I then did a force quit of APv2.*****
>
> At this point, I started up APv1.6.1 just to be sure the problem was  
> not somewhere other than APv2. Everything worked perfectly with  
> APv1.6.1. I then closed APv1.6.1 and opened APv2 again with EI still  
> running and the scope still pointed at my DSO. APv2 hung on start  
> up, so I did a force quite and restarted it. It started fine the  
> second time, though I had to go in and select the serial port again.  
> Since APv2 was in front now, I could access the Telescope Control  
> Palette. I then brought EI to the front and the Telescope Contol  
> Palette remained accessible. Things worked normally for a while; I  
> was able to focus the scope and center the DSO using the Telescope  
> Control Panel. I even autoguided and took a test image.
>
> *****I then went to shut down the way I normally do, i.e. click Slew  
> to Home on the Telescope Control Panel and go out to the observatory  
> to shut the scope down when it signals it is in Home position  
> (Autostar default - pointing south with Dec = 0°). Actually I ran  
> out to the observatory to be sure APv2 was doing the right thing. It  
> wasn't. The scope continued to slew in RA to the west until I shut  
> it down to avoid it hitting something. I do not know where APv2  
> thinks Home is. *****
>
> I then went through a "startup from scratch to imaging to slew to  
> Home and shut down" with APv1.6.1 just to be sure everything was  
> working. It was.
>
> That is about it. I did notice one other thing - when I got the  
> Telecope Contol Palette working in APv2, it was sometimes slow to  
> respond, i.e. when I hit a slew button or a focus button, the button  
> did not turn blue immediately; there was maybe a half-second delay.  
> I have not seen this in APv1.6.1.
>
> I apologize again for the length of this message. I hope it contains  
> useful information.

Gotcha. The more information the better, so don't apologise. I guess  
I'm going to have to connect up some telescopes and try this stuff out.

I'm also open to suggestions to make the initial telescope mount setup  
a bit easier. Although it's more general and in the proper place (i.e.  
mount per telescope resource), it's not really much easier to set up.  
You still have to go through a sequence of windows/dialogs.

Paul R.