Park Pending enhancement

[Gordb]

I was wondering if it might be possible to have a pop up warning to remind you to connect BYEOS to the scope before allowing the command? A couple of times now in the morning I've found my scope stopped pointing straight up at the meridian. After some checking today I found that when the Park Pending command is on and an imaging session completes and BYEOS isn't connected to the scope then when the scope reaches the meridian the scope stops and can't be moved without shutting everything down. When BYEOS is connected to the scope the Park Pending command works as it should.

 

It seems I forgot to connect BYEOS to my scope and each time it froze at the meridian (when ASCOM tried to execute a park at meridian) so a pop up reminder/requirement to connect to scope before the Park Pending would allowed would be a great help.

 

Cheers,

 

Gord

[astroman133]

If your scope "froze" (stopped tracking) at the meridian AND there were no PC applications connected to the scope, then it is likely that the mount simply stopped tracking in order to prevent the scope from colliding with the pier.  This is totally in the mount/hand controller configuration and setup. I would try slewing the mount to the east (away from the pier) and then try to park it. If that doesn't work you should contact the ASCOM driver author for the telescope to get information about out how to park the mount from this position.

 

If BYE is not connected to the mount then it cannot issue a Park commmand to that mount. In fact the log should say "Park Telescope not performed; telescope not connected!"  This is exactly what I would expect. 

 

As you requested, it would not be a bad idea to modify BYE/BYN to warn that the scope is not connected immediately on clicking on the Park Telescope link. And on the other side, They could also be enhanced so that if you have a Park Pending and attempt to disconnect the telescope that you get a similar warning!

[Gordb]

Hi Rick. I actually experimented with this yesterday during the day and was able to recreate the situation. It seems that if you complete an imaging run with a park pending and BYEOS is not connected to the mount you get the error just as you mentioned. But, I'm guessing, BYEOS doesn't release the command so when the mount reaches the meridian, and I have park on meridian enabled in EQASCOM, the mount just stops. If I don't issue a Park Pending the mount parks as soon as it hits the meridian.

 

I also discovered that if you connect to the mount in frame and focus then go to Imaging BYEOS disconnects from the mount and defaults to the inactive filter wheel. I can then reconnect to the mount and proceed as normal. The reverse is also true where if I'm connected to the mount in Imaging then switch to Frame and Focus the mount is disconnected and I'm back at the filter wheel.

[astroman133]

Gord,

 

"Park pending" is a state only in BYE that tells BYE that it should send a park command to the telescope when the current imaging run has completed. When the imaging run is completed and you have requested BYE to park the telescope AND it is connected to a telescope, then BYE sends a park command. If not connected to a scope, it reports the error and is done. There is no "park pending" state in the telescope and there is no "command to be released" in EQASCOM.

 

I am not sure why the telescope/mount does not always park when it hits the meridian. That is a question for the EQMOD folks.

 

However I am sure that if BYE is not connected to the mount then it cannot send commands to the mount. This means that if you are not connected to the mount from BYE then BYE cannot be controlling the mount in any way, so the behavior of whether the mount parks when it hits the meridian is controlled by the mount, not BYE.

 

Your are incorrect in your second paragraph of your previous post. When you switch between Frame & Focus and Imaging with a telescope connected, BYE does NOT disconnect the telescope. It only switches the user interface to display the filter wheel controls/settings. If you click on the telescope button, the filter wheel controls are replaced by the telescope controls and you can immediately see the state of the telescope. No "connecting" is necessary because you never disconnected. This means that you can switch between devices and send commands to each device without disconnecting from the other devices.

 

Perhaps you are confused about BYE's user interface. If you click on the telescope button and then go to Imaging mode, start a capture sequence and click on the Park Telescope link, and then switch to the Filter Wheel device, this does NOT disconnect the telescope from BYE, so the scope will still be parked when the imaging run is complete.

 

The only thing that I don't know is what happens if the mount/scope hits the meridian before the capture plan is done. I would expect that if you have park on meridian set in the mount that it would park itself, but that BYE would continue to image and would then send a park command when the capture plan is complete. That park command would have no effect because the mount is already parked.

 

I hope this helps.

[Gordb]

Hi Rick. That does help. I didn't realize that once you've connected to the mount it stays connected. I was assuming that when you switched from Frame and Focus to Imaging, or vice versa, that the selection would stick and that you would need to select the focus wheel as an example. But this does make sense. Also, when you hit the meridian before an imaging sequence has finished it does park and, as you say, when the sequence is finished the BYEOS park is redundant as the mount is already parked. On occasion I've had several nice images of Polaris before the sequence ends.

 

I do still find the original scenario still puzzling. If BYEOS Park Pending command has no effect after an imaging run when not connected to the mount then the mount should park when it hits the meridian. if I complete an imaging run without using the Park Pending command the mount parks when it hits the meridian. It's a curiosity more than anything and, from my perspective, a pop up reminder to connect the mount would solve the issue.

 

Cheers,

 

Gord

[s3igell]

Gord, are you sure that you are familiar with how GEM Mounts work as they Track To or Through the Meridian??

 

1) The Tracking activity of the Mount will continue right on through the Meridian, until there is a chance that the Back of the Scope could hit the Tripod Mount.

2) The Mount's Control Module maintains Settings which describe what the Mount Controller will do when the Tracking "Reaches/Passes Through the Meridian" - When to Stop Tracking (different from "Park Mount"). Most Mounts offer a Parameter to determine "How Many Degrees Past Meridian to Allow Tracking".  This happens whether any additional Control Software is connected to the Mount.

3) The EQASCOM Software maintains Settings which do the Same Thing - when it is Connected To and Controlling the Mount - based on the Mount Tracking Position.

4) BYE/BYN has a Feature which will "Request" through ASCOM that it Park the Mount (not at any number of Degrees from Meridian) when the current Imaging Session is Completed (if BYE/BYN is connected via ASCOM to the Mount).

 

 

 

1) If BYEOS Park Pending command has no effect after an imaging run when not connected to the mount then the mount should park when it hits the meridian.

2) If I complete an imaging run without using the Park Pending command the mount parks when it hits the meridian.

I think that you are mistaking "Park" for "Mount or EQASCOM Meridian Tracking Settings" - the Mount is simply "Disengaging/Stopping" Tracking at the point when Parameters tell it to.

[Gordb]

Hi. No, I am quite familiar with GEMs and tracking. I have park on meridian set in EQASCOM and it works as it should in all cases (including other imaging programmes) except when I issue a Park Pending command in BYEOS. If I issue a Park Pending command, the sequence finishes and I am not connected in BYEOS to my mount, the mount tracks to the meridian and stops. If I don't issue a Park Pending command, the sequence finishes and I am connected to the mount, the mount continues to track to the meridian and then parks.

[astroman133]

Two things from your post confuse me.

 

First, if BYE is not connected to your mount, it cannnot affect the behavior of the mount in any way, including preventing it from parking when it hits the meridian. Are there any other applications that are connected to the mount besides EQMOD?

 

Second, if BYE is connected to the mount and you select Park Telescope after starting a capture plan, BYE should send a park command to the scope almost immediately after the capture plan ends. That assumes that BYE is still connected to the mount. If you have disconnected the mount from BYE while the capture plan is executing, then BYE will not be able to park the mount. This also includes includes a momentary communication glitch that causes a loss of connection. If your mount continues to track to the meridian before it parks, then that is caused by the EQASCOM setting, not BYE.

 

It may take a review of the BYE and ASCOM log files to confirm what is going on.

[Gordb]

Sorry Rick. Now I've really confused it. The last line of my post should have read that if I don't issue a Park Pending command and the sequence finishes and I'm connected to the mount it will continue to the meridian then park. At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter if a reminder is there to connect to the mount.

 

We have poor weather now but when it clears I'll try to recreate the situation again then send the log files for review.

[astroman133]

Gord,

 

You can edit your post to correct the misstatement.

 

Second, the Park Telescope is not "a reminder to connect to the mount". The mount must already be, and stay, connected. The problem is that with ASCOM there can be multiple drivers installed and BYE would have no way of knowing which mount to connect to. In addition, there is no guarantee that the mount settings would be correct and could be used unchanged.

[Gordb]

Thanks Rick. I didn't realize that I could go back and edit a past post. Also didn't notice it till you mentioned it. Re the Park Pending reminder, this goes back to my first post where I was requesting a pop up to remind/require the mount to be connected before allowing a Park Pending command to be activated.

[admin]

The popup makes sense.  BYE/BYN is aware if a telescope is connected and can issue a visual indicator if the park command is issued and no telescope is connected.

[Gordb]

Thanks Guylain!