iOptron120 No Lunar or Solar Rate in v4.1.1.1079.0

[Harmonious]

Congratulations for completing the 4.1 beta test and on the new and monumental help file. If you've had a rest might I ask for help on a nagging little problem?

From my first use of the CEM120 and the 4.1 betas several versions back the only tracking rate that can be selected in SharpCap is sideral. If you slew to the sun or moon the rate doesn't change. If you change the rate in the mount section of the SC controls, it reverts to sidereal.

The problem exists if select the iOptron CEM120 ASCOM driver in SharpCap or if I set the mount up using the ASCOM Hub and select the Hub in SC. It does not matter if the slew to the sun is initiated from the Commander interface, or from Stellarium or from the hand control. Solar tracking is not selectable in SharpCap.

I am not however certain about the actual rates; they may be correct. I had wanted to test the tracking in a long session, but costal clouds rule.

I am using the current versions of the mount firmware, and of Commander and the ASCOM driver. https://www.ioptron.com/v/ASCOM/iOptron ... er9100.exe

Two logs in the attached zip.

Mount Commo Info 150853.129889 #1 Starting .zip

(87.06 KiB) Downloaded 24 times

[admin]

Hi,

thanks for sending the full log with extra mount logging, as it reveals the info needed to start understanding this problem.

This bit in the log shows that SharpCap is trying to send the Solar rate to the mount, but the mount still reports sidereal when asked again for the rate afterwards

Code: Select all

Verbose 15:13:49.765108 #1  Mount : SharpCap.MountProxy.ASCOM.IMountInterceptionProxy.set_Tracking :: Starting set_Tracking(True)
Verbose 15:13:49.770202 #1  Mount : SharpCap.MountProxy.ASCOM.IMountInterceptionProxy.set_Tracking :: Completed (returned null) set_Tracking(True)
Verbose 15:13:49.770454 #1  Mount : SharpCap.MountProxy.ASCOM.IMountInterceptionProxy.set_TrackingRate :: Starting set_TrackingRate(Solar)
Verbose 15:13:49.777553 #1  Mount : SharpCap.MountProxy.ASCOM.IMountInterceptionProxy.set_TrackingRate :: Completed (returned null) set_TrackingRate(Solar)
Verbose 15:13:50.109323 #33 Mount : SharpCap.MountProxy.ASCOM.IMountInterceptionProxy.get_Tracking :: Starting get_Tracking()
Verbose 15:13:50.109700 #33 Mount : SharpCap.MountProxy.ASCOM.IMountInterceptionProxy.get_Tracking :: Completed (returned True) get_Tracking()
Verbose 15:13:50.109706 #33 Mount : SharpCap.MountProxy.ASCOM.IMountInterceptionProxy.get_TrackingRate :: Starting get_TrackingRate()
Verbose 15:13:50.109910 #33 Mount : SharpCap.MountProxy.ASCOM.IMountInterceptionProxy.get_TrackingRate :: Completed (returned Sidereal) get_TrackingRate()

When I went and looked at the code, I found that SharpCap ignores errors from trying to set the tracking rate. This is one of those odd places in ASCOM where there is no way to ask 'can the mount do this', the only thing to do is to try and do it and see if you get an error.

I'm wondering if the ASCOM driver for the iOptron mount is giving an error on trying to set the tracking rate which is being igored. I will add logging for any error for the next update, since maybe the error message will tell us something more about *why* it's not doing what we are requesting.

It might be that the ASCOM driver has decided not to implement the normal tracking rate selection but has the ability to do 'offset tracking' by adjusting the RA and Dec rates respectively. It would be an odd decision for them to make, but possible.

cheers,

Robin

[admin]

Hi,

I looked into this a bit more closely, and sadly, as far as I can work out, this is a limitation of the iOptron ASCOM driver. It looks like the ASCOM driver doesn't actually do anything in response to setting the tracking rate (well, it gives an error if you try anything except sidereal, but SharpCap ignores that). If you ask it the tracking rate, it always replies 'Sidereal'.

My guess would be that this is 'unfinished' code - something added early in development of the ASCOM driver to have enough to get things working and then forgotten about.

To get this fixed, it's going to have to be fixed in the iOptron ASCOM driver. I do have some work to do on my side, as it turns out there is a way I can ask 'what tracking rates are supported', but even if I do that, all you will see as an improvement is that the other tracking rates would not be available to choose

cheers,

Robin

[Harmonious]

Thanks again Robin.

I will send a message to iOptron USA with a summary of this thread and a link to it. Is there something specific about the driver beyond what you posted that I can flag that may help the iOptron staff to troubleshoot the code?

-D

[admin]

Hi,

just let them know that they should implement the ITelescopeV3.TrackingRate property fully (https://ascom-standards.org/Help/Platfo ... ngRate.htm) to allow applications like SharpCap to change between lunar, solar and sidereal tracking rates and also allow the current tracking rate to be retrieved.

Currently their implementation seems to be 'sidereal is all we've got!'

cheers,

Robin

[Harmonious]

Hello Robin,

I sent a report to iOptron's US support site and here is the response.

"Hi, Robin,

I will forward your email to our development team and ask them to look into it.

Clear Skies,"

I wonder if a message mistakenly thought to be from Doctor Glover will get more attention in the China HQ, than an email from some random customer named Dave.

[admin]

Let's hope they do implement it, it would be a good improvement.

I keep thinking about buying one of the iOptron small GOTO mounts (skyhunter?) as a desktop test mount, since I think it runs on the same software as the more capable models. It would be good to have that to test with as there do seem to be some gotchas when working with the iOptron mounts.

cheers,

Robin