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Re: Stepper motor mount for Losmandy GM-8

Alexander Varakin
 

I used 400 steps NEMA 23 for my GM8 with direct drive using spring coupler.
Here is the motor:
Re: Stepper motor mount for Losmandy GM-8

Khalid Baheyeldin
 

On Thu, Dec 19, 2019 at 04:28 PM, Howard Dutton wrote:
On Thu, Dec 19, 2019 at 11:48 AM, Khalid Baheyeldin wrote:
- Testing whether the resolution is better, that is much harder.
I think the thing to do is a test similar to the hack-a-day one but with more motors, more drivers, and torque loading similar to what moves my G11 around.  To that end I also ordered a 116 oz-in holding torque NEMA17 400 step motor as I feel it might turn out to be the best performer.  I could use a laser diode spot across the room/ruler to take angular measurements but probably will use my 200k count encoder instead since it'll be quicker and more accurate probably.  I can hack the WiFi addon to gather the measurements.
An advantage of those 5-phase motors is that they could be connected with just 1:1 pulleys for EQ4 (144 teeth at 1/64 microstep).
That can be helpful in cramped situations where a bigger pulley is obstructed (like my mount).

The disadvantage is that the external drivers are bulky and unlikely to go into the box.
And the cost of it all is significantly higher than bipolar options.
Another disadvantage is the lack of on the fly mode switching.

Maybe size and cost will go down in the coming years.
Re: Inexpensive Replacement for the MiniPCB's OKI78SR5/1.5W36C Power Regulator

Howard Dutton
 

Nice find.
Re: Stepper motor mount for Losmandy GM-8

Howard Dutton
 

On Sat, Dec 21, 2019 at 09:51 PM, John Scherer wrote:
That's a mighty big nema 17!  Who makes that?  Linn Engineering?
Oriental:
https://catalog.orientalmotor.com/item/2-phase-bipolar-stepper-motors/42mm-pkp-series-2-phase-bipolar-stepper-motors/pkp246md15a2
Re: SkyWatcher14- Debug help please

Howard Dutton
 

I would use a PC and ASCOM + planetarium software to get a better sense of what OnStep thinks is happening with the movements...

My guess is the stepper drivers aren't in 16x micro-step mode and that's why it's moving too far.  Just a guess.
Re: SkyWatcher14- Debug help please

simingx@...
 

Does manually setting the time zone help? Do you have the WiFi add-on? You could try checking the webpage, if that shows the correct date, time and location. 
Re: Showcase: Built With OnStep

Roman Hujer
 

Children's water-based paint "Tempera" ;-)
SkyWatcher14- Debug help please

DaveGee
 

G'day,

I'm fitting a OnStep drive to a SkyWatcher 14" Dobsonian and I'm having trouble trying to debug the setup.

The circuit is based on the Solderless Breadboard/Teensy3.2. The circuit and the motors work fine - very smooth (and quiet compared to my old MelBartels GEM). The gearing is identical for both axis, so both axis have the same settings.  I'm sending commands from the Smartphone app. over Bluetooth.

I live west of Sydney Australia.

My initial testing gives a very strange slew.  Here is what I did.
- point scope at South Celestial pole.
- turn on power and connect via bluetooth.
- click Set date and time (correct info sent to Teensy)
- choose to align on RigelKent which should have been a 6 degree slew in Altitude, and a 30 degree slew in Azimuth.

However, the scope moved about right in Altitude, but it did a 400 degree slew on Azimuth!

I've a feeling there is a bug in my site coordinate and/or time settings.

I've attached screenshots from the smartphone app. showing my settings as well as my spreadsheet.

Any help would be appreciated. TIA.

Regards
DaveGee
http://www.kuriwaobservatory.com

--
Regards
DaveGee
www.kuriwaobservatory.com ( http://www.kuriwaobservatory.com )
Re: Stepper motor mount for Losmandy GM-8

John Scherer
 

On Thu, Dec 19, 2019 at 01:28 PM, Howard Dutton wrote:
To that end I also ordered a 116 oz-in holding torque NEMA17 400 step motor
That's a mighty big nema 17!  Who makes that?  Linn Engineering?
Re: star alignment method question

Khalid Baheyeldin
 

On Sat, Dec 21, 2019 at 07:06 PM, Dan Sawyer wrote:
There was a topic a year or so ago about a base alignment method that set to a star and then cleared the current correction offsets, I do not remember the names, and then performed goto. The base alz and alt are then aligned to correct the error.

At the time this was described as in development. Is it now in production? If so waht is it called? Are there instructions?

I have experimented with a similar technique for alignment and am interested in using it.
It is called Refine Polar Alignment (Refine PA in the Android App).
Yes, it is now released.

Documentation is on the Wiki.
star alignment method question

Dan Sawyer
 

There was a topic a year or so ago about a base alignment method that set to a star and then cleared the current correction offsets, I do not remember the names, and then performed goto. The base alz and alt are then aligned to correct the error.

At the time this was described as in development. Is it now in production? If so waht is it called? Are there instructions?

I have experimented with a similar technique for alignment and am interested in using it.

Thanks for any help in following this up.

Dan
Re: Showcase: Built With OnStep

Chris Vaughan
 

Very nice Roman. What do you fill you lettering in with? I've tried a few things and none of them look pretty.
Re: Showcase: Built With OnStep

George Cushing
 

Very nice Roman!

Today I tested a MiniPCB v. 1.27 that is intended to replace a friend's dead Vixen dual drive controller. My friend says he just want to replace his controller, no goto desired. In considering the project I realized the least troublesome way to get it done was with the MiniPCB. The $22 Teensy 3.2 is the most dear part. The rest comes in at less than $10. By leaving out the unneeded parts assembly was quick and easy. 

Adding the basic hand control and a couple of standard sized project boxes finishes the kit. Just have to make up the cables for the MT1 step motors. For testing I used a couple of NPM PF42 7.5° pulled from old Celestron Powerstar mounts. I removed the 300:1 gearheads, so I could see the motors turning.

Here are the values I used:
Mount type: GEM
Board: MiniPCB
Axis 1:
   Worm wheel steps/rotation:  144.0
   Transfer gear/pulley ratio: 120.0
   Motor Steps/Rotation:       48
   Microsteps when tracking:   4
   Microsteps when slewing :   1
   Stepper Driver Model:       DRV8825
 Axis 2:
   Worm wheel steps/rotation:  144.0
   Transfer gear/pulley ratio: 120.0
   Motor Steps/Rotation:       48
   Microsteps when tracking:   4
   Microsteps when slewing:    1
   Stepper Driver Model:       DRV8825
Max Rate:                     26
PEC Buffer Size:              600
Inexpensive Replacement for the MiniPCB's OKI78SR5/1.5W36C Power Regulator

George Cushing
 

Found these voltage regulators on Alibaba that are dead ringers for the OKI78SR5/1.5W36C used on the MiniPCB controllers. They are under $2 shipped for single unit compared to about $6 for the OKI. I ordered 10. Cost was $13 shipped. 



https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33039497674.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.3da24c4dXY4DqR
Re: Flashing STM32 and WEMOS

helmutliebenau@...
 

Ok, flashing Wemos works. Thank you Dave.

The STM32 I will check later.
Re: OnStep version 3

Howard Dutton
 

Set at run-time.  The ASCOM driver, Android App, Website.
Re: OnStep version 3

bjaffa Jaffa
 


MinutesPastMeridianE,  MinutesPastMeridianW   Parameters are not in the 3.0 config.h file.
Have they been replace by a different parameter and how are they set?


Thanks,  Brent
Re: Flashing STM32 and WEMOS

Dave Schwartz
 

For the STM32, are you unplugging the USB from the CP2102 and removing the power from the STM32 PCB when you change the flash/run switch to 'flash' mode', then reconnecting the USB to the CP2102 and powering up the PCB? Changing the 'flash/run' mode must be done with these things disconnected because the Windows driver does not recognize the mode change properly if not.

For the WeMos, you do not appear to be compiling the WiFi-Bluetooth.ino file when in the OnStep/addons/WiFi-Bluetooth directory. If looks like you have simply changed the board type while compiling the main controller code and that will not work. Please read https://onstep.groups.io/g/main/wiki/Wifi-Bluetooth, its the third last paragraph in the 'Flashing The WiFi Server' section.

On 2019-12-21 4:36 a.m., helmutliebenau@web.de wrote:
Hello to everyone.

could anyone help for my problem?
I want to use the STM32 OnStep.

1. Flashing the STM32Blue Pill
This are the board settings in IDE:



After flashing got the information:
*libraries\Wire\utility\WireBase.cpp.o:(.rodata._ZTV8WireBase+0x14): warning: undefined reference to `WireBase::end()'*
*stm32flash 0.4

http://stm32flash.googlecode.com/

Using Parser : Raw BINARY
Interface serial_w32: 115200 8E1

Failed to init device.*

Is this normal?
The TRK LED is blinking everytime when I plug in the power supply. Independently AUTOSTART_TRACKING is ON or OFF.
The Stepper doesn't run. I use DRV8825 and set the jumper on the right place
As the troubleshooting said I cheked the EEPROM with I2C scanner and EEPROM wipe. But in the serial Monitor are no information!?
I also flash the STM32 without FLASH-RUN switch (directly with the jumper on BOOT 0).

2. Flashing WEMOS:
Board settings in IDE:


After flashing got the information:
*Arduino: 1.8.10 (Windows 7), Board: "LOLIN(WEMOS) D1 R2 & mini, 80 MHz, Flash, Legacy (new can return nullptr), All SSL ciphers (most compatible), 4MB (FS:2MB OTA:~1019KB), v2 Lower Memory, Disabled, None, Only Sketch, 115200"*

*In file included from sketch\Config.STM32.h:419:0,*

*                 from sketch\Config.h:16,*

*                 from D:\Astronomie\OnStep\OnStep\OnStep\OnStep.ino:68:*

*sketch\src/pinmaps/Pins.STM32B.h:186:2: error: #error "Wrong processor for this configuration!"*

* #error "Wrong processor for this configuration!"*

*  ^*

*In file included from D:\Astronomie\OnStep\OnStep\OnStep\OnStep.ino:69:0:*

*sketch\src/HAL/HAL.h:67:4: error: #error "Unsupported Platform! If this is a new platform, it needs the appropriate entries in the HAL directory."*

*   #error "Unsupported Platform! If this is a new platform, it needs the appropriate entries in the HAL directory."*

 The Upload speed 115200 in IDE is the same like the property on COM6.
Re: Flashing STM32 and WEMOS

tnut55
 

I just set up a BP with the CO2012 for the first time 2 days ago.  I am not yet trying to incorporate it into the pcb or run onstep rather just getting familiar with these 2 devices.

I have had exactly the same issues with the BP you are seeing.  You are not establishing the USB connection.  There are a lot of things you could be doing wrong to cause. 

You are not specific enough with how you have it set up.  Since you originally tried to flash the onstep code, I would surmise that you have everything installed in the PCB.  If that is the case, then I would suggest you go back and read the WIKI very carefully again to see if you missed any details.

If your BP can be removed from the pcb, I would suggest you remove it and just try the blink sketch using the usb adapter and usb adapter only.  

The cp2012 has both a 5v and 3.3v pin.  Hooked the 3.3v and gnd pins from the co2012 to the BP.  Then the Rx and Tx to the BP as indidicated by the wiki.  Make sure the yellow boot0 jumper is moved to the + position.  Then connect the usb cable to the co2012 and try to flash with the blink sketch.  If you still get the fail to init error, swap your usb cable to another usb port on your computer and try again.

In my case, if I flash successfully and then I try to flash again ( without powering down or unplugging the usb) I may get the failed to init error on the second flash.  Moving the cable to another port fixes this.  I don't know why this is happening but just does.

If you get a successful flash and want to retain it, you move to boot0 jumper back to the - position before you power down or disconnect the usb and it should retain the sketch in memory.

So I suggest you try to simplify the circuit first and see if you can just upload the blink sketch.



On Sat, Dec 21, 2019 at 5:53 AM, helmutliebenau@...
<helmutliebenau@...> wrote:
I uploaded the "blinking-Test". It doesn't works. Something ist wrong in my flashing STM32.

Information after flashing "blink"
stm32flash 0.4

http://stm32flash.googlecode.com/

Using Parser : Raw BINARY
Interface serial_w32: 115200 8E1
Failed to init device.

Re: ci700

Howard Dutton
 

On Fri, Dec 20, 2019 at 01:03 PM, Khalid Baheyeldin wrote:
Again and anecdotal observation: I found no practical difference between TMC2130 and LV8729 when testing star trails.
I didn't really find a measurable improvement in tracking with my G11 when switching from a DRV8825 to the TMC2130 either.  And that's at 360:1 where you might actually see it.  Not something like say 3240:1 where the gear reduction makes the motor motion control far less critical.  Perhaps I wasn't looking hard enough though.

No model was better than the other tracking wise. The TMC2130 was quieter for sure, but the LV8729 won because of far less heat dissipation.
Since my four mounts use TMC2100's or TMC2130's (both have similar heat dissipation characteristics) I have to say that this was never an issue for me.  My EM10 mount with the MPJA NEMA11 motors, for example, doesn't even have heat-sinks on the drivers.  The much bigger G11 w/ 0.85A motors worked fine back when its controller had stock heat-sinks on the drivers and they never ran "hot."
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