This release alters the memory layout of settings and is therefore a breaking change.
According to the rules of Semantic Versioning, this requires a major version increment.
A major version change invalidates all settings, which will revert to factory defaults.
Issues addressed
This release addresses an issue with azimuth drift over time reported by some users. The issue is believed to be happening due to lost steps. The exact mechanism isn't clear as not all users seem to experience the issue, but it was likely related to the fact that holding torque was removed when the motor was stopped. This could introduce errors either by the motor being back-driven by inertial forces in the dome, or because the stepper drive modules did not maintain the microstep position after being disabled.
The issue appears to have been resolved after testing by maintaining holding torque for the rotator motor.
Holding torque will be released after 10 minutes of inactivity on the serial port. This avoids wasting energy and excess heat build-up while the dome is not in use.
Fixes in this release:
35 Maintains holding torque as described above
34 Sets a more sensible default value (~0.5°) for dead-zone.
Fixed an unreported bug that was causing incorrect step positions to be used sometimes
NameOfTheDragon
commented
3 years ago
Breaking Change
This release alters the memory layout of settings and is therefore a breaking change. According to the rules of Semantic Versioning, this requires a major version increment. A major version change invalidates all settings, which will revert to factory defaults.
Issues addressed
This release addresses an issue with azimuth drift over time reported by some users. The issue is believed to be happening due to lost steps. The exact mechanism isn't clear as not all users seem to experience the issue, but it was likely related to the fact that holding torque was removed when the motor was stopped. This could introduce errors either by the motor being back-driven by inertial forces in the dome, or because the stepper drive modules did not maintain the microstep position after being disabled.
The issue appears to have been resolved after testing by maintaining holding torque for the rotator motor.
Holding torque will be released after 10 minutes of inactivity on the serial port. This avoids wasting energy and excess heat build-up while the dome is not in use.
Fixes in this release:
35 Maintains holding torque as described above
34 Sets a more sensible default value (~0.5°) for dead-zone.
Firmware images for beta testers
Nexdome-Firmware-4.0.0-beta.44.zip