--- In guide-user@yahoogroups.com, "RonM" <flinthill001@...> wrote:

>

Bill, Hi Again,
Good news. By the off chance a higher value than 300 would help, I
changed line 49 to 350 and bingo!!! Now both the "LX200" and "ASCOM"
settings successfully control the MI-250 mount.

I think I will do some experimentation and change the guide.dat and
startup.mar files to include the settings for the sky tracker just to
see if the combination of the two will now live together peacefully.

Nothing like having one's cake and eating it too.... :>))

I sincerely appreciate your guidance. Many thanks.

RonM

Also, my thanks to you, Dr. Sherrod, for your words of encouragement!!!

> --- In guide-user@yahoogroups.com, Bill J Gray <pluto@> wrote:
> >Hi Bill,
> Am making a little progress here. I did a new install with the old
> disks then installed the newest updates from your site. This changed
> the characteristics a little. A little background first: This
> computer has three serial RS232 ports (1,4,5). The only equipment
> connected to this computer is the MI-250 mount with a direct
> cable...no network. No other software apps are turned on.
>
> When ports 1 & 5 are selected in the Scope Control (with the LX200
> selected) I receive the following message when clicking on the Scope
> Pad "slew Guide" button: "Position unread". When clicking on the
> "slew telescope" button the message "Error: Reply %d!" is returned.
>
> When port 4 is selected in the Scope Control menu I receive the
> following when going through the same procedure: "Slew Guide" moves
> the screen to the scope pointing location. However, when clicking on
> "slew telescope" I receive the same error message "Error: Reply %d!".
>
> I have installed the ASCOM dll file, the 2008 ASCOM platform and the
> Gemini driver. After setting the Scope Control to "ASCOM" the Scope
> Pad "slew Guide" moves the screen to the correct position, and "slew
> telescope" returns the "Error: Reply %d!" message. The response is
> the same using the ASCOM setting as it is using the LX200 setting on
> port 4.
>
> After completing this round of checking the Guide8 app I then shut it
> off and opened the Gemini Control Center app. The GCC connects
> immediately to the mount and will slew the scope.
>
> It looks like there is a strong possibility that ports 1 and 5 are
> occupied and I'll research to see if they are. However, it seems,
> port 4 should work both directions with the mount. Do you think there
> is some setting that could be preventing the bidirectional

communication?

>
> RonM
>
> > Hi Ron,
> >
> > I just did a little checking, and it appears the Gemini
> > 4.0 does support Meade commands:
> >
> > http://www.docgoerlich.de/L4V1serial.html
> >
> > So that's not the problem. Guide definitely ought to be
> > able to control a Gemini 4.0 in Meade LX-200 mode.
> >
> > "...I then shut off GCC entirely (not minimized) and then
> > bring up Guide8 on com 1 with the "LX200" selected. However,
> > no connection between the two."
> >
> > Any error messages? Did you try both 'slew Guide' and
> > 'slew scope'?
> >
> > Guide may have gotten confused into thinking it should send
> > low-precision coordinates when the scope is set in high-precision
> > mode, or vice versa. Do a 'slew Guide', and Guide will be
> > able to tell (from the format in which the scope sends its
> > RA/dec) which mode the scope is in, and can act accordingly.
> >
> > -- Bill
> >
>