TCS/Tracking Issues

Tuesday, June 4, 2019 1:14 PM

Problem(s) Encountered:

June 03: Tracking stopped working around 23:30 even though TCS reported that it was functioning.  Had to restart the TCS. 

June 04: TCS crashed again tonight with no obvious cause.  Totally unresponsive but still tracking on sky.  It seemed to have crashed during a slew.  The dome and telescope were misaligned when it failed.  Same scenario as the crash last night.  Just had to restart the TCS and reinit the guider software. 

Solution:

If possible, the telescope should be positioned as close to zenith as possible as the mirror covers will close.

Shut down TCS & guider software and reboot TCS PC.  Reinitialize software as described in TCS Manual.  This is particularly important as to getting the guider properly operating.