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[Telescope Control]* Basic Encoder Issues Reported With Latest Update - Is the SS Pro Android Two Star Alignment Not Working After 7.6.4.0 Update? (Answer: Read On)

When I try to do a two star alignment with a PushTo telescope as usual the app tells me that the stars are too far from each other or that they are too close together (e.g. Vega and a star in Pegasus or Altair and a star in Pegasus). Before the update all worked fine for years. After updating to 7.6.4.1 the problem persists.

I've deleted the app and installed it again. The problem remains.

System: Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, Android 13. I'm using the setting "basic encoder system".

Any ideas? Thanks in advance for your help!

Mic

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10 comments

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    Keiron Smith Official comment

    DevOps reference: https://starrynight.unfuddle.com/a#/projects/7965/tickets/by_number/3932

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    Keiron Smith

    Hi Mic, 

    Developers are reviewing your report.

    Thanks!

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    Piero Bradley

    I finally got a chance to test version 7.6.4.1 with my push-to which uses the Hubble Optics Skyhub encoders. I too use the "basic encoder" system but it seemed to be working fine for me.

    Skyhub/basic encoders
    Android 13
    Motorola g52

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    Keiron Smith

    Thanks, Piero!

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    Mic

    Piero,

    Keiron suggested to contact you to ask about your preset, and setup, as well as workflow - to see if I can identify something that helps explain why I'm encountering this issue.

    To give you a better idea of the discussion so far see: https://support.simulationcurriculum.com/hc/en-us/requests/83715?page=1 (I'm refering to the updates from autumn. For even more details and some thoughts of other observers see: https://www.cloudynights.com/forums/topic/989844-issues-with-push-to-and-skysafari/#comment-14496573

    Thanks for your thoughts.

    Mic

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    Piero Bradley

    Hi Mic

    My setup is pretty basic, made up of two 8192 step encoders connected to the Skyhub which has a Bluetooth interface to SkySafari on my phone. I don't use an equatorial platform, and generally I don't have many issues with alignment. The error regarding alignment stars being too close only appears when they really are quite close in the sky, and I've never had a message that says they are too far apart. That said, more recently I have been getting errors that say an accurate model can't be computed, but I couldn't say whether that started with the last update. To be honest, when I run into these issues I just reset the alignment and start from scratch on a star in the vicinity of my target. 

    My workflow (after scope setup) is therefore simply this:

    • Align on a bright star near my first target
    • Push to the target on SS (which hopefully is in the field of view in the scope)
    • Attempt to align on the target once it's centred (which may or may not work depending on how far it is from the alignment star)
    • Attempt to align on all targets thereafter to refine the model (I think the model uses up to the last 10 alignments to calculate the position)
    • Restart from scratch if anything goes badly wrong

    My pointing accuracy is variable - moving right across the sky it's sometimes spot-on, and sometimes it's out by as much as a couple of degrees. I've been putting this down to simply the number and position of my alignment stars, though given the issues you've been seeing it may warrant some more thorough investigation. For example, I could probably improve the position of the altitude encoder at the centre of rotation, but I'm not sure how great an effect this would have on the accuracy.

    Sorry I can't be of more help

    Piero

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    Mic

    Thank you, Piero!

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    Mic

    After months, I still haven't found a solution to the problem, but at least I have a workaround. I changed the starting position of the EQ platform to the center position. Since SSP7 apparently only works properly when the device is horizontal, it is now horizontal. After each object, I swing the EQ platform back to the center position, which works in a controlled manner thanks to a new stop I've integrated. This allows me to use SSP7 together with the EQ platform again as I did until fall 2025. The “price” for this is that the EQ platform can only track for half as long as before, about 30 minutes instead of 60 minutes. But I can live with that. And if I ever need a longer tracking time, I can swing the stop to the side so that the full tracking time is available again (but then again with all the problems in star alignment with SSP7).

    Mic

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    Piero Bradley

    Re my post above, I've recently been more careful how I align my push-to dob. With the latest version of SSP7 I get the impression that you have to be more careful that the scope's base is rock solid. For example, last month I used a wooden board as a base for the scope, which unfortunately was ever so slightly wobbly. After aligning on a few stars my pointing accuracy was off by up to 5 degrees, probably because the base was moving slightly between alignment stars (by far less than 5 degrees, however).
    I also think that now the telescope display on SSP7 moves differently as you add more alignment stars. In the previous version, if I recall correctly, it was enough to align on one star to get fairly good accuracy in that part of the sky. Now it's like this:

    - Alignment on star 1: the scope circle on the display moves to centre the star.
    - Alignment on star 2: the circle stays where it is, instead of centring the star. It could be significantly off.
    - Alignment on star 3, 4 etc: from the 3rd star onwards points accuracy improves each time.

    So now the best approach for me is to align on 4 or more stars all over the sky, after which the pointing accuracy is extremely good. 

    Mic, given the above I now think two stars are too few to get a decent alignment. You could try using at least 3 or 4 (assuming you don't always get the error about stars being to close or too far apart), while ensuring that the platform is locked so that the encoders track all movement of the scope.

    Piero

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    Mic

    I totally agree with you, Piero. Thanks for your confirmation. It's hard to believe that SC claims they haven't changed anything about the alignment. But they know best. ;-)

    Mic

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