Hello,
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I am using a Celestron Nexstar Evolution 8 HD w/ Star Sense, and connecting to it with Star Safari 5 for my android smart phone (Sony Xperia Z5 Premium). When using my telescope in an Alt-Az Go To configuration, the Star Sense Auto Align functions properly. However, when using a wedge and trying to Auto Align, the alignment fails every time. Here is my process: What I've noticed: The Result: Additional Notes: -- Mike |
I'm going to see if I can get Celestron to chime in on this one. Hang on.
After another few attempts to perform an alignment, I believe the problem lies with Star Safari resetting the mount type to Alt Az GoTo automatically after I connect to the scope. Even after reselecting Equatorial Go To (Fork) in the menu, any subsequent actions that involve communication with the scope seem to reset this setting.
I've also tried disconnecting Star Sense and performing a standard 3-point alignment. Again, connecting to the scope displays the base position of the scope as pointed North at 0 degrees elevation and set to Alt Az.
This problem is consistent across both Sky Safari and Sky Portal, both apps have been reset, and even re-installed onto a new smart phone. Still, there are no issues while aligning using the hand controller.
I wouldn't be surprised if the code wasn't designed to handle equatorial fork. I don't recall that option when we worked on this with Celestron. I will ask them.
Have you tried using the app without the wedge to see if it works as a standard Alt/Az Goto? Just curious.
I just asked the Celestron engineer about this. He does not think this is a bug and asks you to contact Celestron Customer Support about it. They will know a whole lot more about the possible missteps than we will.
Hi Bill,
Yes, I have used the app without the wedge. Everything works great in Alt-AZ mode.
I contacted Celestron support with this concern at the same time that I submitted it here and am still currently awaiting a reply.
If this is not software related, then i'm curious what is causing the "mount type" setting to reset? Is this happening because the mount is prompting this change in the software once they initiate communications? Ie. Is the mounting "telling" the app that it is an alt-az, even though it's sitting on a wedge? Could it be that the app is programmed to automatically assume alt-az once it recognizes that it is communicating with an Evolution mount?
I checked with Celestron and they can't find your support request. Do you have a ticket number and the name you used when submitting it? They said they usually respond within 24 hours so if you haven't heard back yet, there is likely some problem.
My ticket number is [#UNY-886-20283]: Polar Alignment
This request started as a support request for polar aligning the wedge. I think that my more recent request concerning the alignment errors while using the wedge may have needed to be submitted as a separate ticket and not lumped in with an existing email chain with the support tech.
I will resubmit this to Celestron as a dedicated request.
I think we might have identified the problem. I am going to make the change and let Celestron test it.
Hi Bill,
Any updates on this?
Celestron has offered to take a look at my evolution mount under warranty.
I just want to make sure that the solution doesn't already exist from the software end before I send it in.
Thanks
I haven't heard back from Celestron. I will ping them about this.
Are you still waiting to hear back from Celestron? I am having the exact same problem. I worked with Celestron tech support this past week and we used Celestron Firmware Manager to reload the firmware to the Skysense and Telescope. This fixed the problem for a couple of nights but the same problem returned last night. I have looked on a number of forums and this problem has been around since 2015 and Celestron has failed to fix the issue. SkyPortal and SkySense seem to have someking of conflict that cause the problem. After I performed the firmware update the telescope worked fine with SkyPortal but I tried to use the SkySense hand control last night to do a polar alignment and that is when the alignment function quit working.
Celestron advertises this telescope as excellent for astroimaging and recommend getting their specifically designed wedge for that purpose. However, their system doesn't work with the wedge. You can find this issue discussed in forums since 2015. This is incompetent and false advertising if they are failing to support the equipment and correct the issue. I have spent several thousand dollars over the last couple of months on this equipment and I am very upset to find out that it does not do what Celestron advertises that it will do.
Hello,
Are there any updates on this? Has Celestron responded?
My mount and hand controller are currently with Celestron to address this issue. I did mention to their support staff that I had also submitted a request in this forum and that Simulation Curriculum has made a software change that requires their attention to test.
If possible, I would like to coordinate all parties involved to help reach the most comprehensive solution possible.
Thanks,
Mike
They claimed they were going to test the fix last weekend. I haven't heard back from them. I will try to get them to respond.
Hi Bill,
I'm having the exact same problem with the exact same equipment as the original poster, the only difference being that I'm using an iPhone as opposed to an Android.
It worked fine for the first 9 months or so, then one day just decided it wasn't going to work anymore. I've updated the firmware on all devices but the problem persists.
Looking forward to a fix because I'm not a fan of manual alignments.
Thanks for your efforts you're putting into finding a solution.
Wedge alignment with StarSense doesn't appear to work in SkySafari (and maybe SkyPortal). We have identified the problem and fixed it (according to Celestron). We will try to role out a new release in a week or two.
wedge alignment for ASPA with star sense doesn't work period. This is a known bug by celestron for about 3 years and still isn't fixed, it is not an issue with sky safari, and don't think it is even an option in sky portal. using the star sense hand control it will run an auto alignment on a wedge after you tell the hand control it is on the wedge, and you can get pretty good pointing accuracy but you cannot get reliable all star polar alignment, i can't imagine why you would be using the wedge if you didn't plan to image, and if your gonna image you need a good polar alignment. I would highly recommend and even request evolution wedge owners contact celestron about this, and maybe they will prioritize the wedge all star polar align bug issue, they work on it, but only when they have no other issue to address. the squeaky wheel gets the attention maybe they have sold enough evolution and wedges to get get this bug prioritized.
http://www.teamcelestron.com/viewtopic.php?f=73&t=1013&start=470
Update: according to teamcelestron web page the ASPA Polar alignment bug is fixed for the Wedge mount and a updated software will be rolled out in the next week or so.
Also, you should be able to use the Starsense Manual alignment operation on your Wedge mounted Evo system. I use this all the time since my view is too restricted for doing the Auto alignment.
I will try to get our apps updated with this fix as soon as possible. We are incredibly busy right now. I hope to get the iOS ones out tomorrow or early next week.
Wanted to note That I am using Skysafari 5 pro on a Ipad. Maybe the android version has the issue but not the IOS version?
When I am in a clear area I have used to Starsense Auto align without any issues with the Ipad.
I think the sky portal app now supports the wedge polar align function, but still isn't fixed with app or hand control. there is a new restricted beta out only on the teamcelestron discussion, with likely a more official beta by end of the week, so maybe they are really close to solving this bug, it looks like maybe 2 iterations of aspa can get you within a few arc minutes with current pre beta but needs more testing to confirm, they also need it tested with gem mounts if anyone is interested.....if you need better than that you will still need to drift align. I am hoping to test this pre beta tonight on my cpc 800 hd deluxe.
Yes from what I read from teamcelestron web page, ASPA polar alignment will now function properly on the hand control with their next software release. I have used their beta version on my starsense hc and it worked really well.
i think the fully functional ASPA for skyportal will come later this year.
Hopefully they should be able to release it for incorporating into skysafari after that
Hello
I have a Celestron Nexstar Evolution 6 "with a Starsense module. With Skyportal I had so far with the Alignement no problems.
I bought Skysafari for the ipad a few weeks ago, with the newest update now. The setup is the same as Skyportal.
However, I always get the same error message after the procedure: Alignement pointing error is too large. Please try another Alignement.
An alignement was never possible with Starsense and Skysafari. Always the same error message in the identical observation situation in which skyportal works without problems.
I'm curious if someone has an idea for this behavior.
Thank you
Marc
Hello everyone,
As the original poster of this, I thought i'd provide a few updates.
This troubleshooting process has been very frustrating and time consuming, but I may be nearing its resolution.
To summarize, I have been using the Celestron Evo 8" Edge HD with the StarSense (SS) camera and the Celestron Wedge specific for that mount. I have tried using both SkyPortal and SkySafari 5 Plus to perform a StarSense autoalignment, and they simply did not successfully align the scope while it was on the wedge.
My regular process was to use the hand controller to perform an initial SS autoalign, which very frequently is successful. From there, I use the HC again to perform an ASPA to polar align the wedge/mount. Again, this usually does not present any issues.
Once I have a successful polar alignment, my intention is to switch to the app to control the scope (my preference would be SkySafari 5 Plus). I have tried many different variations of power cycling the mount, resetting the mount, using SkyPortal or SkySafari, but this has always failed to successfully align.
One thing that I have noted during this process, is that when the scope is connected in the app, the "Mount Type" under the "Scope Setup" menu seems to reset to the default "Alt-Az. GoTo" no matter how many times I go to the menu to set it to "Equatorial GoTo (Fork)", I often find that as soon as I return to the normal interface, or access the "Setup and Control" of the scope it has reset that specific setting.
Because this setting resets, I find that the SS autoalign will try and follow a different slew path than that of the path used by the hand controller. Ie. The hand controller goes East, South then 2 points in the Western Sky, but the app will slew UP, WEST, NORTH (often very low near horizon) and return a failure message.
Recently, I have attempted multiple workarounds and although I need to test further, I have finally had one session where I was able to succesfully align the scope using this process and SkySafari 5 Plus.
After polar aligning the scope, resetting the position to base position and power cycling the mount, I could still hear the mount tracking when I turned it back on and connected it to the app. Because of this, I tried turning of the tracking before setting the Mount Type configuration. Once I returned to the main display, I noted that the scope field of view had changed (initially it pointed north on the horizon, which is wrong). Since I turned the tracking off, the mount was no longer making the tracking noise.
I tried to perform an autoalignment and it began following the correct slew path and finally succeeded (my first success in a few months of trying).
Following attempts to autoalign the scope with SkySafari yielded mixed results. Sometimes I had to set the mount type multiple times (each time having to re-check that the selection took), or turning the tracking on and off a few times, or resetting the scope. I would watch the scope try and align, and if it followed the wrong path (the path that always lead to a failed alignment), I would cancel and restart the configuration process. Eventually, I could get it to properly align although it is still temperamental.
Hopefully this helps some of you who are having these same issues.
My questions to the Simulation Curriculum team are:
- Do you have any comments on the process or workaround I used? Is there any explanation for the temperamental nature of the "Mount Type" configuration? Could there be a more reliable process to follow?
- People in this thread have been discussing some app updates, but as far as I know neither SkyPortal nor SkySafari currently support the polar alignment function, making it necessary to use the hand controller as part of my process. Are there any plans to add this functionality?
Any insight that you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Mike
"People in this thread have been discussing some app updates, but as far as I know neither SkyPortal nor SkySafari currently support the polar alignment function, making it necessary to use the hand controller as part of my process. Are there any plans to add this functionality?"
per Derek the firmware engineer at celestron they do not plan to add support of polar alignment on wedge with star sense to the sky portal app until it is completely debugged with the hand control. Derek was hot on the trail a few weeks ago with several beta releases, but still some issues and no recent progress from celestron.
I had this same problem with my brand new Celestron NexStar Evolution 8" with StarSense. I use SkyPortal via DirectConnect on my iPad. After a couple of weeks, I couldn't get a StarSense alignment no matter what I did. Finally, I deleted SkyPortal from my iPad along with all its data. I re-downloaded it from the App Store and started it using all the default settings. It connected and aligned the first time and hasn't given me any problems since. There is obviously some problem with the SkyPortal app that causes this pointing error, but the old "nuke & pave" approach worked for me.
Just adding to the "me too". I have the same issue with the Celestron SE8 with Starsense and the wedge and the SkySafari Pro Android App. The app defaults back to "Alt-Az. GoTo" no matter how many times I go to the menu to set it to "Equatorial GoTo (Fork) or reset everything. Having found this thread I'll stop trying to get it working for now. Hopefully will be fixed soon though?