AO-X Acting Strange; Can ACP be Causing it?

[Mark de Regt]

Hi,

SBIG and I have been chasing a vexing problem with my AO-X (on an SBIG STX-16803/STX Guider) for a couple of months. I'm wondering if it's possible it's an issue with smart guiding, and/or my settings in ACP.

Specifically, after starting up just fine, and running just fine for a while (at, say, 5.5Hz), at the start of a new image it will insist on guiding at 0.2Hz (yes, same guide star as when it was guiding at 5.5Hz). No clouds are affecting things. Killing the run and re-starting the run doesn't help--it still insists on 0.2Hz. Oddly enough, I can get it back to 5.5 Hz by stopping guiding in Maxim (without killing the run), clicking on Locate, then Track, and it's back to 5.5Hz. Until it does it again at the start of the next (or some later) image.

Another, possibly related issue, is that the system absolutely refuses to detect a mag 8.6 guide star, even though it has chosen it, and the star shows up bright and clear in the guide box.

Setting the system (in ACP and Maxim) to guide only with the STX Guider results in perfectly fine guiding (but not, obviously, as good as fast guiding with a properly-functioning AO-X).

FWIW, I have attached a screen shot of my ACP guider settings.

Any thoughts would be gratefully received.

Thanks!

Mark

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