Losmandy Livestream - Preview of Gemini Level 6

We will miss attending AIC, but we still want to connect with Losmandy customers and talk about all things astronomy. This livestream includes preview of the upcoming Gemini Level 6 firmware
#losmandy #astrophotography #livestream

[@daveomd4595]

Wow! These are really some exciting developments! Can’t wait for the rollout.
Thanks so much to all involved.

[@lovettrealtor]

I love to see the improvements to an already great performing product. That was me that asked about controlling 2 Gemini units from a single computer. The solution you gave has been working great. I'm looking forward to testing Gemini Level 6 - sounds like a LOT of great stuff.

[@LOSMANDY]

@Aaron it was a good suggestion, glad it made it into the upcoming release version

[@astrophoto_andy3335]

Excellent web cast and I can't wait to see this come to fruition!

[@LOSMANDY]

us too! Thanks @Astrophoto_Andy

[@brensmith9065]

Servo updates can be done by repairers in UK, USA and Australia, I'm repairer in Australia. I kinda wouldn't allow this in the hands of users to "do at home"...yes some are very capable, but the propensity to cause damage or protect from ESD...is a concern. There are also cables needed to be made and getting the ISP pins correct, and ESD handling of the PCB. Here in Australia (Oceania) I'm quite happy to do this free but have to have units sent or brought to me etc Its just the repairers and Losmandy have unique in depth cct knowledge and resources that most users don't.

[@seanmolony-redstickastro238]

What's Up Losmandy Fans!!

[@michael.a.covington]

I might also be a good volunteer for the servo upgrade because I do have PIC programming equipment of several kinds. My mount, ordered a few days ago, will presumably ship in 2 months with Gemini 5. If Gemini 6 is well into beta testing by then, maybe we should talk about whether you should supply it that way.

[@LOSMANDY]

Thanks @Michael. please stay tuned on our youtube channel here and watch for future news on this

[@deepskyguy9386]

Great video thanks Brian and Tanya! A couple of questions....
Would the upgraded servo chips be backward compatible with Gemini Level 5 firmware and if so would it not be prudent to start having people send in their Gemini 2 controllers now to get the ball rolling and be ready for the L6 release...assuming of course that code for the servos is complete. Also will any new shipping Gemini 2 mini controllers ship with the new servo code? I was thinking about purchasing a spare unit anyway so it would be good it it came pre-flashed.

[@LOSMANDY]

@deepskyguy I think you asked this somewhere else as well, but generally yes it should be backwards compatible. Although the servo firmware is done, we don't want to start any updates here until it's locked. The last thing we want for you is to go through the servo update and then find out you have to do it again.

[@jonbosley7510]

As a possible new buyer there is no incentive to order a mount right now and then have to ship back servo chips to be upgraded. When will the new mounts have all the upgrades including gempro and when would be a good time to place an order for one?

[@LOSMANDY]

Thanks for the comment Jon. The incentive is you get to use your mount for observing now with the existing capabilities, knowing it is ready for the next generation firmware. At that time, you only ship back the Gemini (we are also looking at a DIY solution you can do yourself) for a firmware update, no chip replacement. It fits in a small USPS box. We anticipate late 2022 release

[@wanderingquestions7501]

You own a lot of clients one big apology. My new mount was immediately running away in slews. But Oh Losmandy never hear of that. You (the client) are clearly doing something wrong. And then I saw more people on cloudy nights forum with the same complaint. Same response attitude. If not for the dealer representing my complaints (cuz I was going to send the rig back) and your guys replaced my HC as the dealer suggested I would still be screwing around with mount problems - I’m sure.

[@LOSMANDY]

@Wandering Questions wow we're sorry to hear you had a bad experience. If you are the one with the recent bad hand controller, I think you are describing something different than what we are talking about here regarding Gemini 2 firmware (yours was a bad hand controller as I understand it). The details matter here, and in your case the bad hand controller truly was something that at least I had never heard of before. If you have any other questions or issues drop our tech support a line, we're here to help