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Problems Aligning Celestron Evolution WiFi + StarSense (Solution: Update Your Mount And HC Firmware Using The Latest Celestron CFM Updater And Everything Should Work - Read On!)

 

Total frustration, please help!

History first:

2 night ago I was having complete success doing manual, three-star alignments with my Evolution WiFi using SkySafari 6 Pro, but couldn’t get close enough to target objects (at least 3-5 degrees off target). Tried numerous calibrations, nothing helped.

Celestron advised me to go to the Starsense HC and restore the Starsense Camera (i.e., reset AIS camera). Also, Celestron said that my trying to calibrate on Polaris was a problem.

Yesterday, I reset AIS Camera and also, for good measure, on the Starsense HC I restored defaults (don’t know if this was a mistake). After the restore, I reset the time zone to -5 (Eastern United States) and daylight savings. (Note: I didn’t do anything with the original Evo HC, should I have checked the time zone, etc. on that HC?)

Last night, I could not achieve a manual, three-star alignment (one exception is noted below). Typically, I would get two stars to align and then get a failure notice, i.e., “Alignment pointing error too large, please try another alignment.” I tried this both in Skysafari and Skyportal—same results. After numerous other attempts (perhaps 15 tries), Skysafari froze (wheel kept spinning). Then, went to Skyportal and somehow managed to get three of three stars aligned!!! I pressed “done.” After all this frustration, I decided to see if, in fact, I had finally achieved any kind of substantial alignment. I targeted Polaris on my iPad, hit Go-To, and wound up pointing more toward Cassiopeia rather than Polaris!!!

I simply can’t imagine what else to do….

Date Votes

199 comments

  • 0
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    Bill Tschumy

    They have not been able to test.  It is been rainy or cloudy for the past couple of weeks at Celestron.  Supposed to continue through Friday.  He will test as soon as he is able. 

    For others reading this thread, has anyone been able to align successfully using the StarSense alignment UI?  I know this used to work but I just want to see if it is broken for everyone

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    Randy Smailer

    Just to update where I am in attempting to utilize Star Sense, Sky Portal, and Sky Safari 6 Pro on my Nexstar 6SE:

    • Star Sense alone works fine.
    • Sky Portal connects to Sky Safari 6 Pro through my Samsung Galaxy 9.
    • Connecting all three and attempting to align results in the  "pointing error too large, alignment failed" message.
    • Celestron suggested that I disconnect the HC, plug Star Sense into the now empty HC receptacle, and then plug Sky Portal into AUX.
    • This resulted in what a Sky Safari 6 Pro considered a "successful alignment" however - it thought North was South and East was West. Nothing was where it thought it should be. In fact, the compass on the app was showing the wrong directions.I couldn't GoTo anything.
    • As far as I know, all settings within the app were correct.
    • In frustration, I have resorted back to using Star Sense without Sky Portal or Sky Safari 6 Pro.

    Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get these tools to work together? 

     

  • 0
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    Randy Smailer

    As my next step in trying to attach my Nexstar 6SE to Sky Safari Pro 6 via Sky Portal, I downloaded Sky Safari Pro 6 onto my Chromebook. When I click Connect I get the following error message "Sky Safari can make a wireless connection to the scope but the scope is not responding". Does anyone have a solution for this?

  • 0
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    Joseph Luciani

    Randy,

    That happened to me in the past, Celestron suggested I change from Direct Access to Access Mode, i.e., using my home WiFi. That seems to have fixed that problem for me. I finally got answers to my frustrations yesterday (although I haven't tested the scope yet), Celestron walked me through a complete reset of the scope, StarSense, app, and settings. My problem was the app kept freezing. We shall see !!!

  • 0
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    Randy Smailer

    Joe I hope that works for you! If so, please walk me through it.

    Thanks

  • 0
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    Joseph Luciani

    Something is defective and neither I nor Celestron (spent an hour on the phone with them last week resetting/refreshing everything) seems to know what it is.

    Thought I could get some photos of the eclipse…no such luck. At first, using manual align, I got one star aligned and the app froze. This kept happening, then I got a two star align and the app froze. From that point on the app would freeze before any alignment stars were obtained. Tried an auto align, same think—app froze.

     

    Why in the world does the app freeze constantly!!!!….is the telescope jamming the app!? What could possibly cause that?

    There is something, somewhere that is defective. Could this be a Starsense camera defect?

    I’m lost and totally discouraged.

    I'm beginning to think this will never be solved ....Help!

    Joe

  • 0
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    Randy Smailer

    Yes Joe, it's very frustrating. As I stated above, I thought I may stand a chance using my Chromebook to connect to Sky Safari 6 Pro through Sky Portal. Unfortunately, the message I get is "Sky Safari can make a wireless connection to the scope but the scope is not responding". This makes no sense to me! How can connecting our scopes to an app and StarSense be so difficult! Extremely upsetting!

  • 0
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    Joseph Luciani

    Randy,

    Tonight I have a bit of hope. After talking with Celestron (FYI: Wil, Elana, and Jesse have all been supportive and willing to stay with me in my ongoing efforts. They're fantastic), Wil came up with a way to isolate the problem. Next clear night I'm going to only use the StarSense hand controller to attempt an alignment. If successful, we can rule out the StarSense camera as the culprit. If it's not the camera, Wil suggested that it would be the WiFi module, in which case I would get a WiFi module to plug into my mount, thus by-passing the mount's existing module. I suspect this has to be a WiFi module issue...it doesn't make sense to me that the camera is 'jamming' my app. I'll let you know what happens.

     

    Joe

  • 0
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    Bill Tschumy

    Randy,

    We have had previous reports that Chromebooks cannot connect to the Celestron Wi-Fi network.  We don't know what could be going on.  That said, we don't claim to support running SkySafari on Chromebook.

    My Celestron engineering contact was able to get out to test this past weekend.  He said he had no problems doing a StarSense alignment with either SkyPortal or SkySafari.  He is going to continue to investigate but it doesn't seem to be the case that it just flat out doesn't work.

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    Joseph Luciani

    Thanks for continuing to follow up on this Bill. I'm almost certain my "freezing" problem with the app is connected to my WiFi module, which you cited in a previous post. Once I do my trial-and-error with only the hand controller, then the only thing left to blame would be the module. I'll keep you posted.

     

    Joe

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    Randy Smailer

    Joe - I hope that works for you. Since I have a NexStar 6SE, I have to use the Sky Portal WiFi module to connect to Sky Safari 6 Pro and my "successful" alignments result in North being South and East being West. Wil is very helpful and actually called my cell phone to try and assist me!

    Bill - I don't understand the "Sky Safari can make a wireless connection to the scope but the scope is not responding" message I get either! Please let me know if your Celestron engineering contact figures it out. Thanks so much.

  • 0
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    Joseph Luciani

    Bill,

    Tonight's clear sky will give me an opportunity to see if it's the StarSense camera or the WiFi module that's the problem. Therefore, I need to only use the StarSense hand controller to see if the camera will allow me to align. If, in fact, I can do this (i.e., have a successful alignment), is it possible to then disconnect the HC and use the SkySafari app rather than continuing to use the HC? I'd love to try out SkyCap using the app. Hope springs eternal, huh?

     

    Also, if I am successful, then that would prove it's the WiFi module that's been the problem.

     

    Thanks, 

    Joe

  • 0
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    Joseph Luciani

    Bill & Randy,

    Well last night, braving the twenty degree weather, I was successfully able to align, calibrate, and re-align using the StarSense hand controller (after totally freezing while standing there using the HC, I realize how important it is to get SkySafari/WiFi up and running so I can spend winter nights with SkyCap indoors). I guess this means the next step will be to replace the WiFi module. I'll be calling Wil at Celestron first thing Monday morning. 

     

    Joe 

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    Conrad Sanders

    I had the same error message when using Star Sense and the Celestron Internal WiFi with Sky Safari Pro.  I did not have any problems when I just used the Star Sense Hand control.  I opened another question on this forum and did not realize until after talking to Bill it looks like the same issue.

    See Below:

    Alignment pointing error is too large using Star Sense and Sky Safari 6 Pro

    Avatar
    Conrad Sanders
    None

    I performed a Star Sense auto alignment using the hand control and everything worked great.  I was able to calibrate on Sirius and then performed another alignment and after that, everything was spot one in the eyepiece.

     

    Then I tried using Sky Safari 6 Pro and that was another story.  I would rarely make it to the calibrate option because I would get the message ‘Alignment pointing error is too large please try another Alignment’.  When I did make it to the calibrate option and picked a Star to center on and then did another alignment, I would get the same error message. What the heck is going here?  I even went as far as un-installing  Sky Safari Pro and re-installing to no avail.  It seems like a bug in Sky Safari Pro since when I use the hand control with Star Sense, it works the first time.

    I used to Sky Safari Plus and don't remember these kind of issues.  I should also mention that the temperature was about 5 below (F).

     

     

     

    2 comments

    • 0
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      Bill Tschumy

      Conrad,

      How are you connecting to the mount from SkySafari?  It sounds like you are using the Celestron Wi-Fi connection, right?  There have been others having similar problem. You can read about it in the thread below.  This is really something Celestron needs to resolve.  I've been working with their engineer, trying to get it figured out.  He did some testing and didn't seem to have a problem.

      https://support.simulationcurriculum.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/360015646374-Problems-Aligning-Celestron-Evolution-WiFi-StarSense?page=2#community_comment_360003803093 

    • 0
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      Conrad Sanders

      Bill,

      Yes I am using the Celestron built in Wi-Fi connection on my Evolution mount.  This last year,  I was using Sky Safari Plus and I did not have this problem.  But since I removed my Star Sense Camera from the telescope, I needed to perform another calibrate.  Everything worked fine using the Star Sense hand control including the calibrate and another alignment.  I then decided to upgrade to Sky Safari Pro from Plus and did alignment then attempted a calibrate and it would usually fail so I was not offered a final alignment.  A few times I would make it through the calibrate but would get the same error message on the final alignment.

      I am going to be ordering a SkyFi III for other reasons like being able to control the scope from a PC and I will try it using that adapter to see if it works.  Do you think it's worth trying to go back to Sky Safari Plus since I own it or even try using the bare bones Celestron Sky Portal which did work for me when I first got the telescope?

      I am kind of glad that it's not just me having this problem.

      Thanks.

       

  • 0
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    Randy Smailer

    Joe, Conrad, and Bill,

    As I have stated in previous posts, when I use the StarSense HC all is good, however any attempts to use Sky Portal in conjunction with Sky Safari 6 Pro end up with my NexStar 6SE being terribly out of alignment. 

  • 0
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    Joseph Luciani

    Don't know if this information adds anything to the conversation, but the other night I was able to use the StarSense HC to get aligned and calibrated. The next step will be to try to use a new WiFi module (on it's way from Celestron). At least I know my StarSense camera works. Hopefully, this will be the fix and my app won't constantly freeze ever again (my lips to god's ears, huh?)

  • 0
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    Conrad Sanders

    Randy,

    Your previous post is a bit confusing:

    As I have stated in previous posts, when I use the StarSense HC all is good, however any attempts to use Sky Portal in conjunction with Sky Safari 6 Pro end up with my NexStar 6SE being terribly out of alignment. 

     

    Mine also works when I use the Star Sense HC. 

     

    But then you mention Sky Portal in conjuction with Sky Safdari 6 Pro it would have to be one or the other right?

     

  • 0
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    Conrad Sanders

    Randy,

     

    Maybe when you said Sky Portal you meant the hardware (dongle) and I was thinking of the Celestron Sky Portal software which is the free download that you install on your Android or IOS device.

    At any rate, I am having the same issue using the internal WiFi on the Evolution mount but I will be trying the Simulation Curriculum SkyFi III for another reason so I can control the scope from a PC instead of my Apple Device.  But as long as I will have it, I will try it for my alignment problem with Star Sense using my IOS device and the built in last WiFi.  It was about 9 above when I tried this last Friday and it was failing so I am not sure if the cold weather is having any bearing on this issue.

     

  • 0
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    Joseph Luciani

    Randy

    I'm glad to hear I wasn't the only one on the east coast braving the cold last week! I should mention that my Evolution mount is a new mount returned from Celestron. At this point, we've narrowed my app freezing/alignment-pointing-error  down to "perhaps" a WiFi issue (we shall see), but it's freaky that the second mount's WiFi might also be defective. All I can say is I've had my share of WiFi mount problems, I'll see if the new plug-in module is the answer. Speaking of the cold, I just started using the Revolution Imager with SharpCap remotely from inside my warm living room back in the fall, when I began having all these problems, I can't wait to get back inside and do some winter observing while the temperature drops outside   :-)

     

    Joe

  • 0
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    Joseph Luciani

    Randy, Bill, Conrad

    Let me begin by saying that my 'new' WiFi module arrived from Celestron yesterday, the skys were clear the temp here in NY area was 55 degrees and my scope was unable to align!!! Same exact issues, i.e., 15 attempts, mostly pointing errors and 95% of the time the SkySafari app freezes and I have to reboot my iPad to clear the spinning wheel. I did have one successful alignment out of the 15 and, like Conrad's post above, was able to align and calibrate, but when I tried to do the required second alignment, the app froze. So, now that I have found that I can get alignment with the HC and the WiFi module was brand new, what's left??? I'll be talking to Wil at Celestron, but we're running out of options (if we haven't already). I'm starting to feel this is just not going to end well....If anyone has anything encouraging to add, I'm all ears.

    Joe

     

     

     

  • 0
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    Bill Tschumy

    Celestron was looking into the problem yesterday.  Neither he nor I have seen the freezes, but we do see problems where the alignment fails.

    In all cases of freezing, it has been corrected by a new Celestron Wi-Fi module.  Sounds like the new one didn't fix your issues.

    Let me also ask.  When doing a StarSense alignment from the app, you need to make sure you haven't also aligned via the HC.  If you have done an alignment from the HC, be sure to power everything off and on again before trying using the app.

  • 0
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    Joseph Luciani

    Thanks for the update Bill. No, I did not do a HC alignment. Aside from my 'pointing error too large' messages, my app freezes more than 95 percent of the time. I've deleted and downloaded the app....rather than repeat my self, this remains a big mystery. I'll try to reach Wil at Celestron. I'm going to guess it's the mount itself. I don't think I mentioned that last night a couple of times the scope wouldn't stop slewing, I had to turn the mount on and off to stop the slewing.

  • 0
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    Robin Clark

    Bill,

    If I can be of any help in diagnosing this problem, please let me know what further info you need. I have not had any issues using SkySafari 6 Pro on my iPad Pro to do a Starsense alignment with my Evolution mount, using the external SkyPortal Wifi module (which generates a "Celestron" Wifi signal; I gave up on using the Evo's internal Wifi signal) plugged into one of the Evo's aux ports. I always plug in the Starsense Hand Control before doing the Starsense alignment routine using SkySafari, but I only use the Hand Control arrow keys for centering my targets (post-alignment) after a SkySafari "go to".

    My setup consists of the following:

    2015 Evolution mount, 2016 SkyPortal Wifi module, 2018 Starsense, 2016 iPad Pro running latest SkySafari Pro 6

    After receiving the Starsense in mid-2018, I updated to the latest firmware that was available as of mid-July 2018.

    I'm happy to provide more details; just let me know what you need.

    -Robin

     

     

  • 0
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    Bill Tschumy

    Robin,

    Glad to hear it is working for you.  We are still trying to understand why it works for some folks but not others.

    Bill

  • 0
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    Bill Tschumy

    My Celestron engineer has been looking though the code, try to find a reason why some of you are having problems.  He thinks it could be because the camera calibration settings are off.  Note that the calibration *must* be done from the app if you are going to use StarSense from the app.  Doing the calibration using the hand controller is not sufficient.  When done from the HC, the results are store in the mount.  When done from the app, the results are stored on the mobile device.

    He says:

    I would like you to ask the customers having a hard time aligning to check their center calibration. They can see it by connecting to the mount and going into the settings menu ‘Setup and Control’. If this number is outside the range of 0 – 1280 by 0 – 960 then that is likely what is causing them grief.

    Anyway, for those of you having problems, please report your values.

    Bill

  • 0
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    Joseph Luciani

    Just went into Setup & Control. My calibration info reads: 9198-3581

    Please let me know if these are the numbers you're looking for and if so, what's next.

     

    Thanks Bill, appreciate your helping us with this

  • 0
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    Bill Tschumy

    Joseph,

    Yeah those number are way off and will certainly cause problems and cause the alignment to fail.  The Celestron engineer said there is currently no "sanity check" of the values where it will ignore them if they are out of expected values.

    You can delete the values however.  The file you need to delete is called Celestron.dat.  On iOS you will need to use iTunes File Sharing to delete the file out of the app's document directory.  On Android, it will be in the app's directory at the top level of the SD card.

    The engineer is changing the code today to implement the sanity check.

  • 0
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    Joseph Luciani

    That's terrific! Finally, there may be an answer. However, I'm not at all computer literate. I have no idea what to do when in iTunes, if you have any specific instructions it will be most appreciated. Also, will the engineer's changes make fix all this or will I have to just figure out how to do what you say. I was told by Celestron yesterday that there would be a firmware update by the end of this month. Is this what he was talking about? For now I'll see if I can find the to delete. I have a tech guy coming Monday, if I can't figure it out I'll let him try. But any instructions at this point would be great. 

  • 0
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    Conrad Sanders

    I have been out of town so I haven’t been able to check any of these numbers.  I too would like to know how to delete the Celestron.dat file.  I might be able to contact Apple for assistance.  It might be a while because I am hearing that the Twin Cities is having quite a bad weather week and more cold weather. I have so many new options to test that I don’t know where to begin including testing the SC SkyFi III which I purchased for other reasons like controlling my scope wirelessly from my laptop.

    If anybody finds hard and fast solution, please update this thread.  Inquiring minds would like to know.

     

     

  • 0
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    Conrad Sanders

    I was able to find the Celestron file under Sky Safari Pro using the Files app on my iPad.  I tried viewing it but it’s unreadable.  I did not  find the file under Sky Safari Plus since I have not tried an alignment yet and just re-Installed it.  When I get home, I will try viewing the number when I connect the scope.

    I don’t know why deleting the file would make any difference since I have tried un-installing Sky Safari Pro and re-installing it and have the same problem?

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