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Re: Remote Observational Setup
Doug Doonan
Hello,
I see you have solved the puzzle of ASCOM6.5 which I have been struggling with for the last couple of weeks.
I have been able to control my EXOS2 mount with the ASCOM6.5 just once!
Since then I get to the very end of the setup and I get an error message "The Ascom driver reports an error: Access to the Port "Com3 is denied" ". I have obviously connected to Com3 in various places during the setup procedure. I don't have anything going on in the background which might disrupt the Com3. I have looked in the ipconfig in the computer, and every thing is OK. So I am stuck until I get a jolt from somewhere.
Would it be too much of a problem for you to send me the steps starting at Ascom Device Hub and getting into your astronomy program. I use CDC. I have no problem with getting through PMC8 Configuration Manager.
I presume you are going from Config Mngr to Ascom Device Mngr to CDC(or equivalent).
Your host platform is one that I was using on monitoring my three seismometers until it gave up the ghost. The wifi stopped working and it would not update. My host platform is a different kind from Amaxon, but the same size and W10 Pro.
Thanks for listening to my tale of woe.
Doug
-----Original Message-----
From: Voyager <pmaks01@...> To: MAIN@ESPMC-Eight.groups.io Sent: Sat, Dec 12, 2020 4:40 pm Subject: Re: [ESPMC-Eight] Remote Observational Setup [Edited Message Follows]
Approximately, 4 months after my first successful ASCOM/serial connection to the EXOS2GT, I’ve finally got my rig setup to the point where I want it, for remote imaging.
Unfortunately, now the skies are no longer clear... Ready for Jupiter-Saturn conjunction. I would encourage all to not give up - wonderful and rewarding learning experience. --
Mount: EXOS2-GT with Orion Extension pier, Orion SkyView EQ Scope: ES AR152, ESED80-FCD100, Orion 8” Newt Guide system: Starfield 50mm, Altair GPCAM2 130M Imaging: Canon 6D, T3i, QHY5III462C Software: PMC 8 Manager, POTH Hub, CdC, PHD2, Sharpcap, All Sky Plate Solver, ExploreStars iOS(rarely used), Win Remote Desktop Host platform: Mini PC ‘Minis Forum’ Windows 10 Pro, Intel Celeron based system with 4GB Ram, 64GB internal storage, 128GB microSD, 128 GB SSD via USB
Location: Sierra Foothills, CA -- Doug Doonan HomeBru 6 inch Reflector f 6.6 HomeBru 85 mm Refractor f 5.6 PMC-8, EXOS 2 Long retired EE.
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Re: Remote Observational Setup
Wes Mcdonald
Voyager
Nice setup! Where did you get the pier? I want one!! Wes. -- Wes, Southport NC EXos2-GT PMC-8, iExos 100 ES ED 127, 10" LX200GPS+wedge, Astro-Tech 8" Newt, ETX-90, 60mm no-name guide scope ~ 260mm FL Polemaster, Orion ST-80 and SAG, ZWO 290MM, D5300 astro modified Nina, Bootcamped Mac Mini control computer, RDP to iMAC 110 amp hour lead acid deep discharge battery for field power Electrical Engineer, Retired
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Re: Remote Observational Setup
Approximately, 4 months after my first successful ASCOM/serial connection to the EXOS2GT, I’ve finally got my rig setup to the point where I want it, for remote imaging.
-- Host platform: Mini PC ‘Minis Forum’ Windows 10 Pro, Intel Celeron based system with 4GB Ram, 64GB internal storage, 128GB microSD, 128 GB SSD via USB
Location: Sierra Foothills, CA
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Re: iEXOS-100 worm gear jamming/crunching?
#FIRMWARE
#iEXOS-100
#goto
Wes Mcdonald
Joe
No Video that I know of. But the principle is the same. Just tear into it and figure out the screws they move stuff around. The worm end play (axial movement) adjustment with the dime will be the same. Be careful with the dime tho. The collet is aluminum in the exos2 and if it’s the same in the iexos I can tell you it is fragile. But the usual cause of backlash is the mesh of the worm and wheel. If you get the worm block removed you can easily assess the end play. But I would avoid the collet unless it’s really wrong. Wes
-- Wes, Southport NC EXos2-GT PMC-8, iExos 100 ES ED 127, 10" LX200GPS+wedge, Astro-Tech 8" Newt, ETX-90, 60mm no-name guide scope ~ 260mm FL Polemaster, Orion ST-80 and SAG, ZWO 290MM, D5300 astro modified Nina, Bootcamped Mac Mini control computer, RDP to iMAC 110 amp hour lead acid deep discharge battery for field power Electrical Engineer, Retired
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Re: iEXOS-100 worm gear jamming/crunching?
#FIRMWARE
#iEXOS-100
#goto
Wes Mcdonald
No. The bind comes from the pressure the worm places on the wheel. Take a look at Bob Hoskins document in the files section of the main sub group (I think, maybe the mounts). It addresses adjusting the mesh (and other things) in the exos2. Read it for the sense of what you are trying to do. Then apply the disassembly described in the video with the bits that allow you to adjust the mesh pressure. I am not much help as I have not worked on my iexos, only my exos2. Others have though and hopefully they will chime in.
This is a commonly done adjustment. Don’t worry. Wes
-- Wes, Southport NC EXos2-GT PMC-8, iExos 100 ES ED 127, 10" LX200GPS+wedge, Astro-Tech 8" Newt, ETX-90, 60mm no-name guide scope ~ 260mm FL Polemaster, Orion ST-80 and SAG, ZWO 290MM, D5300 astro modified Nina, Bootcamped Mac Mini control computer, RDP to iMAC 110 amp hour lead acid deep discharge battery for field power Electrical Engineer, Retired
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Re: iEXOS-100 worm gear jamming/crunching?
#FIRMWARE
#iEXOS-100
#goto
Don Ivie <deiviejr@...>
Is that the part and the end of the video? With the dime?
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Re: iEXOS-100 worm gear jamming/crunching?
#FIRMWARE
#iEXOS-100
#goto
Wes Mcdonald
Don
It has bind. Do the adjustment. Not backlash but bind. It should bind when you open it up and turn it by hand. You can feel it. Wes
-- Wes, Southport NC EXos2-GT PMC-8, iExos 100 ES ED 127, 10" LX200GPS+wedge, Astro-Tech 8" Newt, ETX-90, 60mm no-name guide scope ~ 260mm FL Polemaster, Orion ST-80 and SAG, ZWO 290MM, D5300 astro modified Nina, Bootcamped Mac Mini control computer, RDP to iMAC 110 amp hour lead acid deep discharge battery for field power Electrical Engineer, Retired
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Re: iEXOS-100 worm gear jamming/crunching?
#FIRMWARE
#iEXOS-100
#goto
Don Ivie <deiviejr@...>
Yes, perfectly balanced. I also tried with no load. It got better but still grinds rocks around the same position.
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Re: iEXOS-100 worm gear jamming/crunching?
#FIRMWARE
#iEXOS-100
#goto
Wes Mcdonald
Don
I presume you are balanced in RA? If you are very west heavy you could be stalling the motors when moving East Wes
-- Wes, Southport NC EXos2-GT PMC-8, iExos 100 ES ED 127, 10" LX200GPS+wedge, Astro-Tech 8" Newt, ETX-90, 60mm no-name guide scope ~ 260mm FL Polemaster, Orion ST-80 and SAG, ZWO 290MM, D5300 astro modified Nina, Bootcamped Mac Mini control computer, RDP to iMAC 110 amp hour lead acid deep discharge battery for field power Electrical Engineer, Retired
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Re: iEXOS-100 worm gear jamming/crunching?
#FIRMWARE
#iEXOS-100
#goto
Don Ivie <deiviejr@...>
So when the RA moves east it starts to grind. West is no problem.
Pic shows the position where the grinding starts. How do I "balance" this? 
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Re: iEXOS-100 worm gear jamming/crunching?
#FIRMWARE
#iEXOS-100
#goto
Doug Walker <espmc8@...>
Read all the comments. Sometimes the adjustment with the dime can't be done (it's locked in place.) so you loosen the screw on the back and adjust it there.
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
On 12/11/2020 7:57 AM, Wes Mcdonald wrote:
You probably need to do the one at 3:49. And you have to manually rotate the wheel 360 degrees to see where it binds and make the mesh just tight enough. You will have to find the happy medium where the mesh is as tight as it can be without binding at the two (usually) high points (or one) and is not too lose at the low points. It’s a balancing act. --
Explore Scientific iEXOS-100 Canon T1i (no mod) Canon 18-55mm zoom lens Canon 75-300mm zoom lens Astromania 60mm guidescope ZWO ASI 120MC-S Lenovo m93 / Win10Pro NINA, DSS, SiriL, GIMP, Phd2
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Re: iEXOS-100 worm gear jamming/crunching?
#FIRMWARE
#iEXOS-100
#goto
Wes,
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
Is there a video that shows how to adjust to reduce/eliminate backlash on the declination axis? The RA video mentions it can be done, but doesn’t show how. Thanks Joe
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Re: New ASCOM 6.5
Doug Doonan
Hi all,
I think I found my problem. I had the mount running using the ASCOM 6.5 stuff. There are a couple of things that were funny about it, but I will see if they are due to my excitment and/or dumb stuff.
Doug
-----Original Message-----
From: Doug Doonan via groups.io <dougdwd@...> To: MAIN@ESPMC-Eight.groups.io Sent: Thu, Dec 10, 2020 8:47 pm Subject: [ESPMC-Eight] New ASCOM 6.5 Hi all,
I am having a tough time using the new ASCOM 6.5 to control my PMC8 exos2 mount. It runs AOK using the old POTH routine, but I would like to get it running on the new ASCOM before the POTH goes down. Is there any one here that can help me? Doug -- Doug Doonan HomeBru 6 inch Reflector f 6.6 HomeBru 85 mm Refractor f 5.6 PMC-8, EXOS 2 Long retired EE. -- Doug Doonan HomeBru 6 inch Reflector f 6.6 HomeBru 85 mm Refractor f 5.6 PMC-8, EXOS 2 Long retired EE.
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Re: iEXOS-100 worm gear jamming/crunching?
#FIRMWARE
#iEXOS-100
#goto
Wes Mcdonald
You probably need to do the one at 3:49. And you have to manually rotate the wheel 360 degrees to see where it binds and make the mesh just tight enough. You will have to find the happy medium where the mesh is as tight as it can be without binding at the two (usually) high points (or one) and is not too lose at the low points. It’s a balancing act.
The second adjustment is also sometimes necessary if there is end play in the worm. This allows the work to move back and forth along its axis instead of forcing the wheel to turn. You can observe this when you turn the wheel pulley by hand to where it is moving the wheel in on direction and then reverse the direction while observing the worm movement. It should not translate along its axis. If it does then do the dime adjustment. Wes
-- Wes, Southport NC EXos2-GT PMC-8, iExos 100 ES ED 127, 10" LX200GPS+wedge, Astro-Tech 8" Newt, ETX-90, 60mm no-name guide scope ~ 260mm FL Polemaster, Orion ST-80 and SAG, ZWO 290MM, D5300 astro modified Nina, Bootcamped Mac Mini control computer, RDP to iMAC 110 amp hour lead acid deep discharge battery for field power Electrical Engineer, Retired
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Re: iEXOS-100 worm gear jamming/crunching?
#FIRMWARE
#iEXOS-100
#goto
Matt Hallett
Hi Wes,
Just to be clear, is the bit I would adjust relating to the video at 5:56 (where he loosens/tightens the worm gear shaft with a dime, or the adjustment he goes through at 3:49 with the 3mm and 2mm hex keys? I don't want to go twisting the wrong bolts! --------------------- Mount: iexos-100 with PMC-8 Scopes: Startravel 102 Camera: Nikon D7500 Software: Deep Sky Stacker, Siril, Photoshop
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Re: iEXOS-100 worm gear jamming/crunching?
#FIRMWARE
#iEXOS-100
#goto
Wes Mcdonald
Matt
Your mount bound where the thing stalled. The mesh of the worm and wheel gear is too tight. You need to adjust it. This video shows how -- Wes, Southport NC EXos2-GT PMC-8, iExos 100 ES ED 127, 10" LX200GPS+wedge, Astro-Tech 8" Newt, ETX-90, 60mm no-name guide scope ~ 260mm FL Polemaster, Orion ST-80 and SAG, ZWO 290MM, D5300 astro modified Nina, Bootcamped Mac Mini control computer, RDP to iMAC 110 amp hour lead acid deep discharge battery for field power Electrical Engineer, Retired
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Re: iEXOS-100 worm gear jamming/crunching?
#FIRMWARE
#iEXOS-100
#goto
Ian Morison <ian@...>
Hi Matt, I am using a 22 ampere hour golf buggy battery and have had no problems with my mount. Cheers, Ian
On Fri, Dec 11, 2020 at 9:56 AM Matt Hallett <hello.matthallett@...> wrote: Interesting.
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Re: iEXOS-100 worm gear jamming/crunching?
#FIRMWARE
#iEXOS-100
#goto
Matt Hallett
Interesting.
It's running off batteries at the moment. Maybe Santa will bring me a mains supply! --------------------- Mount: iexos-100 with PMC-8 Scopes: Startravel 102 Camera: Nikon D7500 Software: Deep Sky Stacker, Siril, Photoshop
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Re: iEXOS-100 worm gear jamming/crunching?
#FIRMWARE
#iEXOS-100
#goto
Yorksman
Are you powering it with mains or batteries? I found some batteries did not supply enough power and those that did ran low quickly and again gave the same problems. All this was fixed when I ran it from a mains supply.
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iEXOS-100 worm gear jamming/crunching?
#FIRMWARE
#iEXOS-100
#goto
Matt Hallett
Ran a slewing test on my iEXOS-100 last night (relating to my alignment issues in another thread).
Gears started to make an unpleasant crunching noise, so took off the plastic housing to see what was going on. Video is here - https://youtu.be/kPROlB3gjSc Should I be worried? --------------------- Mount: iexos-100 with PMC-8 Scopes: Startravel 102 Camera: Nikon D7500 Software: Deep Sky Stacker, Siril, Photoshop
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