stash_old

some pics always help I find 🙂

1. EQMOD adjusting CDC RA/DEC to pick up on N-point alignment data maybe ? I have had this too! 2. By clicking the X (there are 2 one clears alignment data and one clears sync data) in Alignment/syn after clicking the "spanner button" in EQMOD Window 3. Only if you set EQMOD to save alignment details - as (2) to expand window then click "notepad" (Alignment Point List editor) - another window will appear showing alignment list and a section "load / Save Alignment Preset" which has 3 tick box;s untick first 2 (marked Load on unpark and Save on park).

My god someone with common sense - all power to you - wish other people would save themselves problems. Nice one ?

I would swop the lot - for some clear skies which no matter what form you use (except Radio Astro) we all need - ? More options/opinions the better - have a lot of spare time thanks to awful UK weather.

Syncing from APT,CDC or Stellarium just tells EQMOD to add the cord's to its alignment routine - All the software should be issuing the same "sync" command which EQMOD will recognise - so long as you have the correct setting it EQMOD - "Append to etc" So you could run CDC,APT Stellarium together it should not matter which software product you sync from - you check the counts in EQMOD which should increase by +1 each time you sync. I use CDC and APT and sync from either with no problems todate ? You can - but I dont - get APT to "SYNC" automatically (check Platesolve settings) on successful Platesolve - normally I do it manual by hitting the "sync" button in APT Platesolve Window, If I am wrong Chris S will correct me am I sure.

Yes is the simple answer I and many others have been doing VA or whatever you want to call it today with DSLR ? For example using Astrotoaster you have "Live" stack and view EAA images - remember EAA is not all about getting a photographers level image - IMO. Using Astrotoaster you are able to get a live view on a local or remote PC within a couple of frames depending on the object. In effect its like doing DSS and looking at the finished image after post processing - only in "near Real Time". All I do is pre create "Darks" and a Master Dark select the folder where the images will be placed by ,in my case,APT and let Astrotoaster do its thing - while watching and "tinkering" with adjustments to get something I am satisfied with - quite a simple process. The image appears within 2 or 3 frames and just gets better as the images are stacked. Attached is a screen print of an actual image shown - with text added later of course ?

The ideas are not new Nasa even experimented with a large "Gun" ("Verrnie") and even an "Elevator". The "AltonTowers " rig still depends on Scram jets working - hence why the USA is pouring more money into Sabre than the UK does and all the engine testing is in the US. As for the "balloon" - I think Helium has far better uses in medicine(MRI scanner) and it drives me mad that we just let it be used for kids/party toy balloon. Oh and before some one say's it - it costs 10,000 times more to create industrial Helium and cannot be produced by chemical reaction. If SciFi inventions come from films/Cartoons then you just need anti gravity paint "Cavorite" - look up "First Men in the Moon" LOL

You do realise that 18.04 64bit official Ubuntu Mate version is released but is only beta1 so is/may not be stable. Unless you are still using 32bit ? But if it works for you great ? Nice tidy set up by the way ?

Ok I have read your "MY" detail again still the same SO LONG as you are already using Ascom Mount Driver to control the Meade nothing I said has changed. With Ascom(Alpaca) in place on the Laptop and using Ascom Alpaca Remote protocol you can set any property that Ascom uses REMOTELY (that's where Ascom Alpaca comes in). Because the Ascom Mount Driver properties are exposed by Alpaca you can set its Time,Lat and Long properties from the PI Zero(w) (or any other device) using REST API. Therefore anything that can talk RESTAPI (example Node-red but Python and other languages can too) and that can read the GPS data from the Ublox GPS receiver (so time,lat and long) connected to a PI Zero(for example) can set the Long,Lat and Time on the Windows Laptop Ascom Mount Driver. This would work for ANY Ascom Mount Driver that supports the Ascom protocol correctly. Before your thread/post was created I had,on another project, already set the Latitude setting on a Ascom Mount Driver,running on Windows 10, from Ubuntu Linux AND Raspbian Linux. Admittedly it was just using the Ascom Mount Simulator. See Attached pictures showing simple Node-red set up ,Ascom Profile display and Ascom Set up details - GPS-2/3 are showing details after the Node-red flow(on RPI3B in this case) has set the new Site Latitude value. The above all assumes your Meade mount already uses (or can) a Ascom Mount Driver which supports all the std Ascom mount properties- if not then ignore all ? It was only just a suggestion so good luck with your project ?

Any USB GPS device - e.g. u-blox USB GPS which works very well . Just pointing out that you dont need windows to produce a GPSD service and GPSD (a Linux Daemon) on Linux has been around for decades. You can even pick it up on Windows(or any other OS ) via Node-Red / MQTT (IOT approach) (https://www.npmjs.com/package/node-red-contrib-gpsd) so you could produce something in a matter of hours(or less). Plus using Alpaca Ascom you can produce/interface with any Ascom driven device that accesses the GPS property - No need to reinvent the wheel. ? Handy if you have more than one device OR ,as with most USB GPS devices ,they need to be outside and have been running for a while to get a fix - so could be left permanently running in an Obsys as the Pi Zero (w) uses very little power when compared to a Laptop/Desktop etc.

Or you could just plug it into a Pi Zero W and use GPSD to distribute GPS - works great with Linux but cant remember if Windows (any) has access to GPSD.

Just to add a foot note - I had another look at Indigo (1yr since last look) and I must say it has come on a long way - Indigo Sky is what Indi should have produced - install on SD/boot/sets up AP/Does what it says on the can - works (on RPI3b+ as its Raspain based) - and free. Impressed so far but early days. So maybe that might help in your quest but it does not appear as sophisticated as Ekos IMO - it does use HTTP to provide a control panel but its clean and simple to use IMO.

This is not as bad as you think I have done that passing parameters to DSLR Gphoto2 command line program(app) on Linux to do imaging (even from Windows) is not a problem. Granted I would not like to do CCD/CMOS scripts ,even if it was possible(?) as they call SDK provided interfaces - but never tried it. Its all just Rock and Roll no matter what new names are used ? if you were used to Linux/Unix BEFORE Gui front end's than it is what you had to do - hence why Unix/Linux has so many parameters for command line calls but yes messy ?

You could of course keep Indiserver (1 or more) running hardware stuff. Run Ekos/Stars concurrently - on the "hardware Indiserver pc"s and again on the laptop in the warm room. Indi is client / server system and so allows for one than one Client (where ever they maybe) to be connected to itself. Never tried that - but have done Indiserver on 2 or more PC's (e.g. 2 x RPI Indiserver chained ,1 x fast Laptop where Kstars/Ekos resides - where I could but never have need to see Kstars/Ekos - via reverse VNC from Obsys to Warm house laptop). IMO I wouldn't bother just VNC from the "Hardware Indiserver" to the "House PC" if you want to see what Kstars/Ekos is up to. You do have a valid point as Kstars/Ekos are like twins if one or more becomes "ill" that normally means a reload for the PC they reside on. But he Indiserver will continue it doesn't care about clients "dying" and when the Client reconnects it should be able to continue (ok mostly) where it left off.. Hopefully they will get more stable or resilient. If you find a solution/idea please let us all know - seriously I guess many,including me, have the same problem or thoughts as you. Oh forgot to add to can of course use DSUB or even write your Python interface (sadly only on Linux - correct me if I am wrong someone!) as the SWIG API to Indi API exists. Bu as someone else as said wha is he point of "reinventing the wheel"

The only way to go and to be fair Windows COM devices are just the same nightmare - especially for those who are not perm set up. Dont really understand that statement ( me thick) - A web server manager is available but that is still a GUI interface ,as opposed to a Command line which you can have even if you dont have remote devices - just use "Remote in Indi devices" as 127.0.0.1 then you can start Inderserver program yourself from the command line (or even write a simple script so that you always get the correct device address without Udev rules if you most ) - to a point as Ekos will still "talk" and expect "answers". You are stuck with Ekos/Indi devices(cant separate them unless you use other software) working this way but you can use other Indi aware software such as Free CDC , ANVP etc etc and maybe Cloudmakers items(not free) if you run on Apple OS - and perhaps Indigo but its fairly new so there could be problems as normal with any new software offering but ok if you accept that (does use Indi protocol and "backward compatible"). If you can explain better perhaps there is a better answer from the Indi experts/developers - not me by the way.

No quite true Julian switching off the coil power will also sometimes ,depending on micro stepping chosen, mean the focuser will move slightly regardless of the weight of the camera - IME . You are ok as the planetary geared stepper require a lot of torque to move any way - as felt when you try to turn it by hand when switched off. Steppers also get hot because of the stepping chosen and the driver miss match - too much current being supplied https://community.parker.com/technologies/electromechanical-group/w/electromechanical-knowledge-base/928/why-is-my-stepper-motor-getting-hot this also possibly means that the voltage needs to be higher or altered e.g. as per A4988 (or equiv). https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?4,109216 - not astro but there are a lot of experienced Reprap users ? Robert's software did have the ability to switch off coil power last time I looked.

But isnt free ?

RealVnc would have been the best alternative to RDP (I use both) but today you can only use a free version for Internet only connection except RPI's which is non internet and free. It now costs £42/yr/Server ?

Sorry dont understand that statement - do you mean just run Indiserver (this is NOT a web server) on RPI(s) acting as the Device server and Kstars/Ekos "client" on Windows- plus use a browser to start Indiserver on the PI ? And how much in terms of cost is your "in house PC" compared to the PI - you buy a Mini or you buy a Ferrari they are both cars but that's were the comparison ends. As you use the Indilib forum I think many would have already pointed out they use higher powered/cost PI equivalents which work far better with little or no lag - plus less cables(off mount) - normally only power if they opt for Wireless(some dont for valid reasons!). In your situation you didn't need Stellarmate at all just the PI (even just a Non GUI headless server - e.g. Ubuntu 18.04 or even Stretch server) and basic Indilib. This gives the best PI performance as no "GUI luggage". No need even for a Web Browser really but except it maybe easier for you - "Cleaner" as you say. Good luck with your set up and Clear Skies ?

Is the Stepper 1.8 or 0.9 degree's ? Shouldn't say this but ,touch wood, they have never let me down - had to reload the Nano a couple of times but the Stepper has been great. A good company. Once you have finished this - the next one you could try the "geared" version its even better but more expensive.

Did your stepper come with a wiring diagram showing colours and the matching A- A+ B- B+ (as also marker on the TB6560 driver) - if it did that helps.

Set it at half-step to start - depends of torque required and how much weight your camera etc - As I say that depends on your mechanical adapter.

Looks about right Its the only one - it contains ALL the INO code for all sorts of set ups ?

If you mean Linux version then you need Roberts code my Moonlight compat version is wemos Wifi based not Nano - This is the Indi Moonlight version from Robert https://sourceforge.net/projects/arduinofocuscontrollerpro/ and follow the DRV8825 version (this is what I originally used for mine). When you download the zip file it will have lots of version as his version has lots of options - buttons,lcd,Bluetooth etc etc. The first one of each range is the basic. He has done many changes from when I last looked (over 2yrs ago). The only thing you will not be able to do is micro stepping changes by software but I never found the need as it all depends on you connection to the Scope tube and the Stepper motor ( geared or not , steps per 360 etc etc). As I say I would set up a test bed first. Note most steppers run best about 12v but with up to 3amp current but again testing should high light any heating problems - IMHO dont be tempted to go 1/32 or even 1/16.

That depends on the software running on the Nano (if thats wha you are using) - On my modified versions of Roberts code I use D3,D4,D8 - no A pins used - are as my diagram shows thats a direct relationship - d3 nano goes to 3 on the diagram. But as I say it depends on the software pins used - its not hard and fast they just all have to match - e.g. if D3 on the Nano is the CLK signal to the TB6650 then D3 must me connected to CLK + on the TB6650 board ( or whatever board pin has the CLK signal). The software must then make sure that references to the CLK signal are via D3 - Normally only defined once no matter whose software you use. By software I refer to the INO Code for the Arduino. Hope that helps. May I suggest you set up a test rig first before you start soldering to test it all out ?