10 Micron - Voyager - And Pulse

Ciao everybody,

I am very close to have my perpetual script up and running thanks to Leo. I am facing a little challenge (to me it is a challenge, for some of you probably not) on how to “wake up” my 10 micron mount while using Voyager (or any other software) - without pulsing manually through my MGBox.

Long story short, my observatory has the following setup:

  • Dragonfly which control various relays (PC, Mount, Weather station, Powerbox, etc.).
  • I have a MGBOX attached to my 10 micron which I use to “pulse” the mount in order to “wake it up”

Question : what would be the easiest way to have it “pulsed automatically” ? I am aware of the possibility of using an external script but this is “out of my competencies” ;(

Dragonfly offer some possibilities via the macros but I am curious how you guys would do in such a situation.

I would appreciate any share of experience.

Thank you all !
Aygen

I’m not a 10micron owner, but if i well recall a friend of mine use “Wake on line” feature. if you find on the web there are a lot of script doing this.

BR
Fabrizio

Thanks Fabrizio for your suggestion.

I was trying to make it work via drag script by using the following features :

Serial Port STRING Transmit
Serial Port Config : COM9,38400,8,N,1
Text to Send: :pulse,2000*
Use Terminator : CRLF

So far unsuccessful.

Otherwise, I will see if I can find an simple way to execute a wol script.

Here is a post in the 10Micron forum for exactly your question:
https://www.10micron.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1744&sid=a4fbc31b4056a5144acecb3fe68ee126

I see your reply in the bottom. I think it’s still the COM port, as you are commanding via MGPbox, which is connected in a COM port.

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:+1: thank you !

I managed to make it work.

However, it seems that the « Serial Port String Transport » allows one connection at a time. Therefore, this operation works only if the MGBox is still not up and running while your dragscript is running. So, you need to find a way to start the MGBox once this element is executed by Voyager.

I need to learn how to write a script :joy:.

COM9 should be the MGbox Com port. You need to ensure you have NOT launched the MGBox software. If you have, the above will not work.

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Dear Aygen,

Isn’t a Voyager problem. A Serial port accept only one connection at time for definition. You have ASCOM driver for MBOX that is a server driver (if they have fixed!) to use or just use an output of an I/O card for x second high.

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Ciao Leo,

Thanks for chiming in. I am fully aware this isn’t a Voyager’s issue, but as you rightfully explained more a serial port constraint.

I am not sure to really understand the “I/O card for x second hight” statement, may I ask you to explain the idea behind it ?

Everything is working well with my Dragscript - I just need to find a “simple” way to launch MGPBox software once Voyager perform the “pulse” (via the Serial Port String Transmit) to benefit from environment data with the mount.

But I am sure that you have a solution, as usual :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: :joy:

Best regards,
Aygen

But you don’t need to launch the software. It will work as per above with software not launched. In practice, software launch shouldn’t be needed as the 10Micron will receive the refraction data directly from the MGbox connection to the mount.

Fred, if I got you well there is no need to bother starting the MGPBox software at all because the mount will get anyway the data provided you have the right settings ?? If so, I learned something new thanks to you…

Have a read of the MGbox manual. Once you connect it to the 10 Micron mount (via the supplied cable), you have a few things you need to do on the 10 Micron keypad to ensure refraction data is received. And then everything should work.

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Thanks for the suggestion - did it the first day I got my mount (3 months ago). So, I am all good with the settings as well as with my perpetual script :grin:

Thank you and excellent start into the new week.
Aygen

As a side note: for 10 Micron users who use MW4, the 3.0 will offer a very interesting feature, i.e “send wol upon MW4 start”.

For example, I can imagine to start MW4 as per a scheduled task in W10 and then have the mount up and running thanks to the “wol” option.

Best,
Aygen

Big up to the author (Michel) who kindly and swiftly agreed to implement it from the 3.0 on.

If I remember correctly your mount needs a signal in a dedicate digital input for x seconds at high level to switch on/off … you can do this with Viking and an I/O card using one of the digital output. (Put high (ON) for 2 seconds the output and put low after (OFF)).

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Excellent ! I wasn’t aware of this possibility.
Another feature that I learned today, thank you Leo !

Check it before with your mount manual … like I wrote I’m not sure at 100%

I can confirm - you’re right. You need to “pulse” it a few seconds (between 1-2s) to boot it up. I will give it a try.

DISCLAIMER ! check the voltage level to use for high level before damage the mount

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rkas12 : the other option that many people do (in the observatory I use in Spain) is in fact to keep the 10Micron On all the time. Much simpler and no issues from a 10Micron perspective. Only if the weather is poor for a few days would I shut it down.

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That might be in option. In the end, it’s like computer - you can keep them on all the time but worth rebooting from time to time. Thanks for the suggestion and all the best.
Aygen