This is a new install with a new mount. The new mount is a strain wave iOptron HAE69EC (equatorial). I've been spoiled with PlaneWave L mounts (with the excellent PWI4 control / pointing model) so this is uncharted territory for me. Polar alignment is OK but not perfect (the mount is at a remote site where the local techs are doing the installation). The ACP pointing corrector is on (never needed it before). A 100 point pointing model was created using the TrainingCorrector script. When this model is created the first point didn't platesolve so the script does some fiddling and then does an All-Sky plate solve which does complete (about 10 arc-minute error). It then goes on for 99 points getting better (to perhaps 3 arc-minutes) and quickly platesolving each point without error. I imported the model to MaxPoint so I could see the error distribution - most of the points are clustered inside the 4.5 arc-minute circle with no bias in any direction. So far so good. The help file says that a SYNC must be sent to the mount before the first imaging has started. I can't find something called SYNC so I assume that SYNC is implied to be done as part of the platesolve of the first target when locating the target. Am I correct here? Notably the COR is blinking when a fresh session has been started for the evening. ACP / Scheduler will select the first target, take a 10 second pointing image, platesolve (which fails - presumably because the mount is centered using the ACP pointing model (strange - an explanation would be welcome). An All-Sky platesolve is successful and the COR goes solid green. I'm not sure that ACP is actually using the pointing model. Or is what I'm seeing described below in the help file and all is OK? Having to go to an All-sky platesolve for the first image after reconnection doesn't seem right to me. But then again, I've been spoiled.

In the ACP / Telescope drop down there are two items; Load Model and Save Model As. What do these two items do? Selecting Load Model takes you to the named user /Documents/ACP Astronomy/PointingModels which is empty. The Active.clb file is in Users/Public/Public Documents/ACP Config . I tried copying the Active.clb file to the PointingModels folder but ACP got upset and wouldn't start until that file deleted. So what, exactly does the PointingModels folder contain and why?


Here is the ACP Help information -

Initial Sync After Connecting (Important!)The first sync given to ACP after ACP connects to the telescope will be sent through to the telescope (instead of creating a mapping point as described above). This happens each time ACP is (re)connected to the scope. The reason for this is to remove any random encoder bias from the correction solution. On some scopes, particularly low-end ones, there is a constant error in one or both axes after they are started up. Syncing removes this error, keeping it out of the pointing corrector math.
The COR annunciator light will flash, indicating that the model is not active, until you have completed the initial sync.
During routine operation, you don't need to know about this or do anything special. Just start up, connect and begin acquiring images with ACP. This info is included here because scenarios come up where users need to know about it. It's hoped that this info will reduce the frequency of questions related to this.


Regards,

John