David's Astronomy Pages Notes - Session 610.4  (2018-05-11, Observatory Commissioning)

Notes (S610.3)

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Notes (S610.5)

	Session Aims & Highlights
	Operational Issues
	- Critical Issues (0),  Major Issues (3),  Minor Issues (2),  Small Defects (0),  Continuous Improvement (0)
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Session Aims & Highlights (2018-05-11)

This was a daytime session with the aim of continuing formal commissioning of the new Dome Observatory including :

1. Telescope / Resume. Check telescope resumes ok from correct park location (given the errornous LST issue) encountered during last session prior to parking
2. Telescope / Setup. Tturn off GPS Alignment (scope will get computer date/time sent from POTH.Hub).  This is to alleviate the previously noted issue that GPS fix is unable to get an initial fix when AP80 Guidescope is mounted on the scope during start-up of LX200GPS/R scope (intention is to leave the AP80 Guidescope mounted on the LX200 between sessions, so this is a critical condition to alleviate in some way.
3. POTH.Hub. Confirm that POTH.Hub truely updates the date/time on the LX200 scope when initially connecting.
4. Telescope / Park. Explore issues associated with parking and disconnection of the Scope
5. Telescope / Unpark.  Examine whether 'unpark' facility works to restart LX200 from a parked (but powered-up) state.

Equipment & Software

• 12" LX200 and ST-10XME
• CCDApp2, TheSky6, CCDSoft 5, POTH Hub

Highlights

• Telescope / Resume.  Telescope successfully resumed from it's parked state and with a RA/Dec position in TheSky consistent with its Park Location and the current time (there had been concern whether this would or would not be the case following a unexplained LST change to the scope in the last session (2018-05-10).
• Telescope / Setup.  Setting 'GPS Alignment' to 'Off' successfully prevented the LX200GPS/R scope from performing a GPS fix at start-up. With GPS off, the scope does however prompt the user to enter daylight savings (Y/N) at start-up (with follow-on prompts to update date & time).   These prompts are by-passed when the scope is connected to via POTH.Hub when 'Auto Set Time' is checked in ASCOM Meade LX200GPS/R Setup.
• Telescope / Time.  Time on the Telescope/Autostar II is successfully updated when 'Auto Set Time' is checked in ASCOM Meade LX200GPS/R Setup and the Scope is connected to via POTH.Hub or when using 'Update Scope (including Time)' from the POTH setup window (successful update to date wasn't specifically reviewed)
• Telescope / Unpark.  LX200GPS scope successfully resumed from a parked state using the 'Un-Park Scope' button on POTH window.

Notes

• When using Update Scope (including Time), error messages are produced concerning Latitude and Longitude update when "Can Upate Lat/Long" capability is checked.   This suggest that these can't be updated from POTH for a LX200GPS/R scope and the absence of any actual change to site latitude/longitude in Autostar II handbox confirms that attempted changes are not being made.

Summary Plots & Logs

Night Sky Summary Plot - 2018-05-11 Not applicable for this daytime session

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Operational Issues (2018-05-11, S610.4)

• Critical Issues (0)
• Major Issues (3)
• Minor Issues (2)
• Small Defects (0)
• Continuous Improvement (0)

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Critical Issues

• None

Major Issues

• POTH produced an error during use complaining that 'The scope is not connected'.  A related message was also produced by the ASCOM Meade LX200 GPS/R Driver. (Fig 1).  Issue can still occur is Scope is Parked using POTH.Hub or Code without first Disconnecting the Scope in TheSky6
  Incidence of problem has however been reduced (Park Scope code modified to Disconnect The Scope in TheSky6 before Parking Scope)
    Largely Resolved (POTH.Hub / Device Hub, LX200, TheSky6, AstroMain)
   
• Multiple alerts carrying TheSky6 program icon were produced with the same message, each of which has to be dismissed manually. The specific conditions in which the error occurs is not known. (Fig 2). This was still occuring as an occasional issue as at end 2018. Problem is no largely resolved with stable DeviceHub, MeadeGeneric Driver and improvements in AstroMain.
    Largely Resolved (POTH.Hub / Device Hub, LX200, TheSky6, AstroMain)
   
• TheSky6 produced an error message on a particular occasion complaining 'Error, poor communication, link automatically terminated. Error code = 213 (0xd5)'
  It wasn't clear what were the specific conditions leading to the error. but is believed to be where the LX200GPS/R scope is disconnected or parked in POTH but the link to Telescope API hasn't yet been terminated in TheSky program. (Fig 3). Issue eventually resolved by using a new Serial Cable with built in USB-Serial adapter and later on using a Pierre-Astro USB cable with intergrated Serial Connector.
  Resolved (TheSky6, LX200, Cabling)

Minor Issues

•  POTH, Telescope API and TheSky6 producing certain warning/error messages when Park Scope and Disconnect Scope are used in particular order / situation.   Issue investigated but as at end 2018 it still occasionally occurs.  Things eventually became more stable after changing to DeviceHub, changing to MeadeGeneric Driver and improvements in AstroMain.  Issue closed
  Closed (POTH.Hub / Device Hub, LX200, TheSky6, AstroMain)
   
• POTH produced an error during a particular attempt to Unpark Scope complaining that 'Object variable or With block variable not set'. This only happened once. Other attempts to Unpark Scope worked okay. It wasn't clear what were the specific conditions leading to the error (Fig 4). Issue eventually understood, the error is given if Unpark is attempted after POTH.Scope has been disconnected.  POTH.Scope must stay connected for Unpark to work.
  Closed (Session, POTH.Hub)

Small Defects

• None

Continuous Improvement

• None

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