From: "KirkusMcGurkus" <kirk@stenvall.net>

Date: October 4, 2008 4:35:08 PM MDT

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Re: Custom drive ratios disrupt tracking?


Milton,


Thanks again for all your help.


I've just ordered an upgrade to version 4. Along with that, several

minor adjustments I made to my mount, and drift aligning (I've avoided

doing that, I suppose because I'm lazy), hopefully I'll be able to get

more than 30 second exposures. :)


It may just be that my lower-end LXD75 simply isn't capable of doing more.


Anyway, thanks again for your support.



Kirk



--- In Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com, "Milton Aupperle" <milton@...> wrote:


Hi KirkusMcGurkus;


I would seriously doubt that has any influence at all.


During the Calibration process, we measure how much and what direction

it moves for the 4 axis. We make no assumptions like "RA +ve should

moves an onscreen star to the right", and actually measure it.


The reason we make no assumptions is because we don't know how the

Camera is oriented, don't know if you've enabled one of those

controller switches that reverse movement directions (E is W , S is

N), don't know if your using a prism or flip mirror, don't know if

your using a Off Axis Guider, and you might be using "Flip Horizontal"

or "Flip Vertical" in Astro IIDC too. All of the above things can

cause all sorts of reversals of left / right / up / down, so we

measure rather than guess.


Hope That Helps..


Milton Aupperle


--- In Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com, "KirkusMcGurkus" <kirk@> wrote:


Milton,


Here's a quick question for you. Because I went from gears to belt,

the actual direction of the gear ratios in my Autostar have been

reversed. "+'s" are now "-'s" and vice versa. I'll bet this is what's

going on.


AstroIIDC is giving the mount commands to move, but because I'm using

belts instead of gears, the motors turn in the opposite direction then

what they used to. AstroIIDC is saying move the motor in direction A

but because of the belts as opposed to gears, direction A moves the

mount in the opposite direction.


Doesn't that sound about right?