Thank you, I thought I saw something but I am definitely suffering from information overload at this point. Enough of my hardware came in to breadboard my MaxESP2. Got it working but the servo wire order seems weird, I'll start another thread.

I have read some of your warnings about the Bluetooth library issue. I am forewarned. This is the reason I chose the MaxESP2. Two cores means one can handle the Bluetooth (in theory). Your using the Wemos mini wifi offloads that function nicely. My idea is to connect my laptop and planetarium program (not settled on one just yet) using wifi and use the Bluetooth for the gamepad.

But first I need to get the existing implementation (using the ST4 wired basic hand controller) working on one of my scopes.

On Sat, Jul 13, 2019 at 08:58 AM, Drew wrote:

Has anyone already done this? Any input would be appreciated.

No one that I know of, I thought about it before the SHC existed but never did anything about it.  Watch that MaxESP2 and ESP32, the built in Bluetooth only ever worked for me with the Arduino ESP32 libraries version 1.0.0 and then only when the patch I outlined is used.

Haha, I'm taking a break from tinkering on this thing. It's been non-stop for 3 months. Now that I can actually gather light with it I'm going to put the few things I still need to do to it on the back burner. I somehow bent my coma corrector by over tightening the focuser on it so that's the next must-fix issue. I'm still on the journey, just going to slow down a bit.

On Sat, Jul 13, 2019 at 12:26 PM, Aisling Lightworks wrote:

I gathered 3 hours on the Eastern Veil nebula last night.

Very nice image.

Also 20 minutes on the elephant trunk to see if it would show up. Should be able to do a good job on that one too.

Is that a single exposure or a stack? Looks from the graininess that is the former.
Is the camera modified for Hydrogen Alpha?

Don't forget the Crescent Nebula while you are in that area ...

On Sat, Jul 13, 2019 at 12:26 PM, Aisling Lightworks wrote:

I've got nothing else to do to my controller now and am going to leave this thread alone, kick back, and enjoy the heavens.

Hmmm ...

That is not how it works. You need to get with the program ...

For us, the journey is more important than the destination.

We get to use our rigs for 2 or 3 days a month. The rest of the time? We keep tinkering with it,
be that updating the firmware, trying different configurations, checking used equipment on
various classified ads, post here and on Cloudy Nights, ....etc.

It is like that neighbour that keeps busy tuning his car or motorcycle, adding features to it,
buying parts, ...etc., only to drive it occasionally.

Or maybe that is only the subset of us who have polluted skies and lousy weather ...

Nice images by the way.

Michael,

I've created a "Terms of Service" for the group.  You will want to abide to those terms, immediately, or you will find yourself banned.

Howard

OnStep group

1. I, Howard Dutton, established this group to share information about OnStep Telescope Controller and its use.  These rules are here to keep things courteous and on-topic - and to keep scammers and spammers out...

2. Discussion of any topic not related to OnStep and its subsystems and/or use such as data/images generated with the help of OnStep, is prohibited.

3. Registering to use this group under a false name or for false pretenses is prohibited. Please include a first name when setting up your account, not just your email. It helps to identify who we are addressing and promotes a friendlier atmosphere.

4. Before asking a question, read the relevant Wiki sections (aka read the manual.)

5. When asking a question, first provide background on the hardware and software including version info. and configuration/settings, be methodical.  Describe what you are trying to do, the steps you took, what you expected, and what happened instead.

6. Excessively vague posts are more likely to go unanswered for fear of the time/effort required to obtain the above information and figure out the problem.

7. More experienced users are encouraged to help beginners.

8. When uploading images, please try to minimize their size as they end up in the e-mail boxes of many people.  If you can, upload the images somewhere (e.g. imgur, Google Photos, Flickr) and post a link to it - especially for large images.

9. Try to avoid repeatedly editing messages, since each edit sends the new message to all members.

10. Moderators will not allow posts that are rude, uncivil, belittling, derogatory, or discourteous.  Members who post such messages are subject to being banned from the group.

11. Advertisements for commercial products or services must first be approved by the group owner, these requests may be approved or denied for any reason the group owner sees fit.  Members who choose to make mention of products or services when approval is denied are subject to being banned from the group.  Note that this provision should not be taken as an endorsement of any product or service mentioned in this group.

12. The moderators reserve the right to edit, modify or delete any post they deem a violation of these rules.

13. If you have a question or complaint about a specific post, notify a moderator.

14. The group owner (Howard Dutton) may modify these terms of service without notice.

I don't have a specific answer for your question, which is vague. Are you asking specifically
about when the mount is not leveled correctly?

But here is some info:

The first star alignment just brings the celestial sphere and the internal coordinates
together.

Internally, OnStep calculates the following errors:

  ax1Cor=0;  // align internal index for Axis1
  ax2Cor=0;  // align internal index for Axis2
  altCor=0;  // for geometric coordinate correction/align, - is below the pole, + above
  azmCor=0;  // - is right of the pole, + is left
  doCor =0;  // declination/optics orthogonal correction
  pdCor =0;  // declination/polar orthogonal correction
  dfCor =0;  // fork or declination axis flex
  tfCor =0;  // tube flex

The altCor and azmCor are the errors in Altitude and Azimuth (mount not perfectly
aligned with celestial pole). To calculate these, you need at least a 3 star align. So,
this is the minimum number you should use for accurate gotos.

The more stars you align on, the better the alignment. All boards offer a 6 star align,
and you can increase that in the Config file (at the expense of a couple of minutes
of slowness while the calculations are being done).

I stopped reading carefully when I realized your post was rubbish. Go get some therapy and try to keep your emotions in check, please. 

On Sun, Jul 14, 2019 at 12:37 AM, Michael E. Burk wrote:

You count about as well as you read

Another instance of name calling towards another member ...

Mike, we don't need that here, please.

In other words, apart from starting an alignment, I don't use the Android App for the actual alignment.

Oh! I didn't know that Skysafari could do that too! That simplifies matters greatly, as I don't have to look up where the stars are :) in fact I just tried it and indeed the App proceeds from the 1st star to 2nd and so on after I click "Align" in Skysafari :)

So, no one knows how onstep calculate its position? 

I am just wondering, can we limit the number of alignment stars in SHC too? Mag 2.5 sounds about right but perhaps a #define in the code would be even better.

Goodness, 5 whole days? Looks like you have your first disgruntled customer, George. If you were dealing with a business that had a reputation I could understand some frustration. You ordered from a member of the community who is doing people favors. If you were so worried about your experience you should've just ordered the parts yourself. I like George. 

Hello all,

We are glad to announce that the STM32 Kit can now be ordered from an additional
source.

The STM32 kit was designed by Khalid Baheyeldin and Dave Schwartz. We started
selling kits at near cost, to help fellow astronomers convert mounts to OnStep, while
avoiding the often arduous process of identifying and obtaining the various electronic
components needed.

George Cushing has agreed to stock the kits in the USA, and that makes shipping to
the USA somewhat cheaper than from Canada, and also faster. George provides various
kits, including one that includes all the modules.

Dave Schwartz has been selling kits for many months. He has a limited number of kits,
shipped only as a pair with an ESP32 SHC kit. The SHC kit includes modules but the
STM32 telescope controller kit contains the PCB and infrastructure parts only. For
the STM32 kit, you will need to order the 5 modules, as well as the stepper drivers.
These are available from eBay or AliExpress separately.

The links to the forms/site are under the Ordering section of this page.

Thanks to Dave and George.

On Sat, Jul 13, 2019 at 11:18 AM, Michael E. Burk wrote:

We found when upgrading 3S printers from MKS GEN L v1.0 to BIQU SKR v1.1 or v.3 that we could not set the Vref higher than 1volt with the FYSETC LV8729's. Only the MKS could we set higher.

I changed to a LERDGE K board and then they worked fine. 3.3volt logic verses 5volt logic.

Logic or power? Logic should not matter, since the STM32 pins are at 3.3V, but they can interface with 5V
modules with no issues (e.g. WeMos). The PCB is powered by 5V.

The Vref forumla is different:

100 resistors: Amps = V * 0.5 (MKS is always 100 it seems)
220 resistors: Amps = V *1.1 (FYSETC 220)

Did you take this into account?

I think we need to verify the above observation (not being able to set Vref higher than 1V) on the OnStep
boards.

I just tested the 220 FYSETC ones, and I can go up to 1.69V. So no issue with the STM32.

Can someone who the same FYSETC check on an MKS Gen-L?

On Sat, Jul 13, 2019 at 10:58 AM, Michael E. Burk wrote:

Those are FYSETC LV8729's they have 220 resisters, MKS are the only ones that have 100 resisters.

Does not matter from a functionality point of view.
All the LV8729 I tried work well. This includes the orange MKS with 100 resistors, and two versions of
the FYSETC (one 100 and two 220).

The only difference is when setting Vref, the formula is different with the 100 than with the 220 (see
earlier in this thread).

After enough training with the PEC (probably 15 sessions) it finally started working well alongside guiding and improved my error by almost .2". Really fabulous results. I've got nothing else to do to my controller now and am going to leave this thread alone, kick back, and enjoy the heavens. I gathered 3 hours on the Eastern Veil nebula last night. Also 20 minutes on the elephant trunk to see if it would show up. Should be able to do a good job on that one too. Thanks to everyone who helped. It's been a great journey.