Hi everyone -

Just querying to see if anyone else has had this problem. I have an 8 inch LX200GPS. I was trying to connect Autostarsuite thru the RS-232 port but I kept getting timeouts. I tried removing and re-installing the software, and the .net framework to no avail. So then I un-installed Autostarsuite and installed TheSky6. I got the same timeout error message.

Earlier in the day, I was training the scope from the "park" position from the night before. Havn't tried this yet, but wondering if maybe the scope has to be Alt/Az aligned in order to connect to the RS-232 with the software and control from the computer.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Frank K.

 

 

It's been a while since I installed but I thought it had to be connected to a USB.

JimT

Hi, Frank

I connect in polar mode all the time.

Are you using a USB->Serial adapter? If so, these can be flaky, and even when they work well, the port numbers are almost always higher than the standard 1-4 (look for the scope in the 5-8 range).

The other thing to try is backing the serial baud rate down to 19,200 or so.

Finally - note that the serial port can only connect to one thing at a time - if you are connected in Envisage or other application, you will not be able to connect in Autostarsuite until you disconnect the other application.

HTH,

Chuck

---

Chuck Reese
CDIP Certified: Nebula, Galaxy, Solar System, Stars & Clusters Imager
CDIP Mentor: Nebulae & Solar System Categories
For information on the Certified DSI Imager Program, see:
http://autostarsuite.net/forums/1427/ShowForum.aspx

Hi Chuck -

Thanks for the info. I'm using the serial port.

This is starting to get very nebulous. When I bought TheSky6, I also sent for the seril port adapater and cable. Everything worked fine. Since then, I bought my DSI Pro cameras, which also come with adapters and cables. So I have been using Autostarsuite, but with the Sky cable and adapter. Everything was working fine. What I discovered was the Sky cable is RJ-11 and the Meade cables are RJ-12 (4 vs. 6 conductors). A fellow astronomer here at work told me he had problems with the Meade cables, so check for bad crimps in the connectors. I put them under the inspection microscope here at work in the R&D lab, and discovered the wires weren't pushed all the way in when they crimped them. Grabbed another Meade cable and everything looked okay. Took them back home, plugged them in, and nothing. So, I re-connected the Sky cable and regained my scope control. I figured it wouldn't make any difference which cable I used, but I guess I was wrong. However, now my microfocuser doesn't work. I'm working with Meade to get an RMA so I can return it. A telephone walk thru the problem with the customer service rep. is leading them to believe it's just the focuser (i hope so, and not the electronics in the scope). I will keep you informed of what happens.

Thanks,

Frank

 

 

Hi all,

I had a similar experience, when in Autostar suit, comms between telescope would be fine but when in Envisage.... I always get a message that nothing is connected to COM1 which is weird as both programs use the same protocol.

When I first got the message, I double checked that I had dissconnected from AS suit, which I had and still got a similar message regardless.

Played with the COM settings to no evail in Envisage 7.05 (Meade's newest version) quite annoying really.

I decided to purchase a serial to USB adapter and set the COM channels as stated in my Device Manager, works great in AS suit but still the dreaded message.

In light of things, I would hazzard a guess that Meade has made a boo boo with the COM settings which is a complete pain sinde I can not use the Drizzle Feature and after making search after search on the internet it would seem that we are not alone and having problems.

Anyway, enough of me moaning....lol, but I thought I would also point out this problem as well as it seems that Meade does not test their software before release which is a shame as for a novice like me, I find them easy to use and apart from the glich I have mentioned, works great.... Please Meade, sort it out.

Clear Skies (If only, UK has been terrible the past three months)

Dyf Jones

8" Meade LX200GPS

Meade DSI C

Hi everyone -

Problem solved.

As it turns out, I called Meade customer service and we troubleshot (troubleshooted?) the problem over the phone. I drove over and picked it up last week.  It ended up being a loose wire in the autofocuser (whew.....thank heavens it wasn't the computer).

Anyhow, I would like to thank everyone for their input.

Frank