Dome rotation, it just keeps spinning

Friday, October 29, 2021 4:07 AM

Problem(s) Encountered:

Twice in the span of 15 minutes the dome moved on it's own away from the telescope position while in tracking mode. The first time it happened the following error message appeared in the Galil Status field: 

Cmd:  tcsLim=26  Error: Time Out 

The dome was at ~165 then moved ccw ~258 before stopping. It then stopped then aligned itself with the telescope again. Stopped the exposure while this happened then restarted it when the dome was where it should've been. Ten minutes later it happens again, this time with the following status:

Cmd:  SB7 Error: Time Out 

This time the dome didn't stop. After two full revolutions I turned autodome off, which stopped it. I then homed it and the telescope, shutdown the TCS computer as well as the chassis in the computer room. Brought everything back up with no further issues.

My guess is there was a disconnection somehow that sent the dome into a frenzy.

Solution:

I’ve noticed errors in the Cmd line display of the TCS numerous times, which have nt actually meant any issue.  Just something to keep in mind.  As for the actual problem here:  sounds like a good reboot solved it.