stash_old

Doing some further reading it seems the IOT version (not sure if the same is true for Sense version) but you can alter the board so that 5V is used instead of 3.3v so that you get the faster processor,WiFi,BLE and pin compatibility with the old Nano and quote "its a straight swop" (Hhmmm!) . Also power range of I/O pins appear to tolerate a bigger voltage  input range - up to 21V !

The Wifi looks very low power/speed 2.4gh only and although it says its a Ublox module - it appears the Ublox module uses the ESP32 wifi Chip https://www.u-blox.com/sites/default/files/NINA-W10_ProductSummary_(UBX-17051775).pdf

https://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/NANO33IoT

https://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/WiFiNINA

Might try and replace my Serial Stepper Focuser,Filter Wheel and a few other Sketches and "upgrade" 🙂 to MQTT to cut down on USB problems especially with cheap Chip Nano's.  BUT ebay sellers are taking the "michael" £23+ when the Arduino Store is changing Euro 16 - ok delivery to be added. Might wait a couple of months. Even the EVERY - straight 5v swop but faster Proc is £16+ on Ebay.

15 hours ago, theropod said:

Is there a plain 3.3v version without the other stuff?

yes - 3.3v  https://store.arduino.cc/arduino-nano-33-iot

2 hours ago, pete_l said:

The trouble is that having sensors like a microphone, light, temp/humidity and proximity all on the board makes it impossible to put this in an enclosure.

I for one will live with that 🙂 but  a valid point.

FYI :- A new Ardnuio Nano has been released BUT this one is 3.3v and has a number of on board sensors (e.g.Temp,Hum,Bar Pressure+bluetooth) which some of us on here use. Could be very interesting and although the price looks high when you take into account how much you pay for the extra sensors it makes economic sense too IMHO.

Sorry if you have already seen it 🙂

https://store.arduino.cc/arduino-nano-33-ble-sense

14 hours ago, BrendanC said:

Errr... success?

Tentative, but I just went through the EQMOD setup and it sprung to life. I could immediately hear the high-pitched whine from the mount and everything works.

I would still much have preferred the app to have worked, simply because I was so familiar with it. But I guess EQMOD is probably better in the long run. There seem to be more people out there who are more familiar with that kind of setup, than there are using the app.

So, I'm if not a happy bunny yet, a slightly less disgruntled one. EQMOD would appear to have given me some of my gruntle back.

Thanks everyone for your help again, especially @stash_old. 

OK if if the SW App still allows "retries" and/or "timeouts" for serial connections in the APP itself - just try changing the "retries" figure to a higher value - say 4. Then try the Synscan App.

If still no luck change the "time out" value to a higher MS value - not a large value else it will just hang.

It should dam well work !   or spend some cash and go for this one which is what I have and used - you can always send it back if it doesn't work (thanks Ebay) https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FTDI-USB-to-serial-RS232-adapter-converter-1-8m-screened-cable-Gender-changer/122113973956?hash=item1c6e8f5ec4:g:cJMAAOSwxndcWUyn

Any how glad you have a working set up - Clear skies

15 hours ago, BrendanC said:

Mount > cable > HS > Skywatcher serial-USB cable (this one: https://www.harrisontelescopes.co.uk/acatalog/skywatcher-synscan-usb-to-serial-converter-cable.html) > PC

Btw FLO responded and said the exact same thing you did - I should just be able to plug in the Lynx cable and connect with the Synscan app. It's still not working, after trying it with two separate laptops and five USB ports between them.

I either have a duff cable, or there's something seriously wrong with the mount.

Err SW own they tend to use Prolific (which as you know you can detect the make from Device manager) chips which are not great and seem to have a power issue too - i.e. cable length / voltage drop.  I always used Genuine FDTI adapters(ok lie now and then CH340G) for both TTL and RS232C but still would have thought it would work - so long as the driver installs correctly and there is no "clash" (Prolific dont have a unique serial no which can cause problems).

Should have asked this before but what did you put between the PC and the Handset(HS) - so you set up was Mount  --> cable --> HS --> HS cable -- ?? ---PC ?

It should have been a USB/RS232 adapter (not an USB TTL adapter) -   was it? - what was the make ?

1 hour ago, BrendanC said:

Skywatcher are looking into why I might be having problems flashing the handset

Dont ask me why but Windows 7,8,10 have had problems for me but Vista (yes I have an old vista Laptop) flashed handsets everytime - the others just either hung after 50% upload or didn't want to do anything.

It should work there are plenty of NEQ6's doing  EQMOD/ASCOM/SYNSCAN APP etc - with a working cable 🙂  Just need the clear / dark skies - at the same time 🙂

Do you belong to a Astro Club or is there someone else "local" who has a NEQ6 to test their cables,mounts etc?

9 hours ago, BrendanC said:

It seems you're way ahead of me regarding how the synscan functions so it would be good to know how you've got this to work. If you're definitely saying that I shouldn't have to flash the firmware to be able to run the Windows synscan app, it would be fantastic. If you have any pointers that would be great, for example what settings should I have on the handset for it to work (I tried PC Direct mode, that didn't work either).

Yes exactly that - Windows PC (running Synscan App Pro Think v1.4) ------ Orig SW Cable for AZEQ6-----Handset(V3 using Std Firmware 3.26 I think - not relay firmware )----Orig SW Cable AZeq6---Mount - Using Direct Mode setting in Handset. This worked although I admit it was about 2-3yrs ago - haven't used this approach or a handset since then.  I cant be more specific and sorry I am not taking apart my current Obsys set up to replicate the above.

At the time I was experimenting different ways this included :-

1. Using an old RPI2 running Ser2net(using TCP-serial) with just a Prolific TTL/USB adapter from RPI2 to mount (DIY wiring RJ45) and HW VSP3 (free version) which creates a virtual Com port on Windows - this enabled me to use Ethernet/IP either wirelessly or wired (latter best performance/least trouble). So Any program, which includes Synscan App, that wants a com port would use the virtual Com port created by HW VSP - totally transparantly.

2. Using Virtualhere - USB Client/server program -runs client on Windows and server on RPI (or other h/w). Again transparant - worked but a bit flaky performance in the early days. Again worked with Synscan App.

and other methods not relevant to your selected route.

9 hours ago, BrendanC said:

Again, just for clarity, I'm referring to the 'Firmware: SynScan Relay V3, Version 3.1' here: http://skywatcher.com/download/software/synscan-v3-hand-controller-firmware/ - in which it says it is for 'controlling the telescope mount with the application "SynScan Pro for Windows".' This is the only reason I keep coming back to the firmware. I totally accept what you're saying about how you've got it to work, I'm just explaining why I've been doing it this way.

I never actual used the Relay Firmware. Mine was Std V3 firware and it  says the Synscan Relay V3 is for "It provides better performance than the "PC Direct Mode" in the SynScan hand controller." so not it makes a V3 handset work  as it did and had for a number of years. V4/V5 handset i cant comment on as never had one!

The other factor to remember is the mount board has its own "firmware" which you can update - I actually never did - so maybe this could be a factor and I was just "lucky".http://www.skywatcher.com/download/software/motor-control-firmware/

The Synscan App Pro used to have many hidden features which appeared after clicking 3/4 times on the blank line between WiFi Settings and Help - see attached image. Still has some (Including new features) but SW have removed some networking Add-on's like port numbers 😞

Sorry cant be of more help ! 🙂  Good luck !

7 hours ago, BrendanC said:

1. I'm certain there was a need to flash the handset on the NEQ6. I had by this time sold the old AZ mount and handset, but kept the old cable. There is no other way to use the app, other via a Wifi  dongle (which I don't want to use because my laptop's wifi ain't great - I prefer cables to wifi for this kind of app where even a short break can result in have to go outside to re-establish a connection). I've tried using PC Direct which someone advised, and which also didn't work, but on advice originally from Skywatcher support, the only way to use the app on Windows, Android or iPhone is to flash the synscan handset to act as a relay.

Well sorry to disagree with SW but I do  - I have an Old AZ SW Goto (acrually 2) and a AZEQ6GT and 3 handsets at different firmware version levels (all type 3 hand sets) . The standard PC -direct connection settings has worked on numerous occasions with a wired PC USB RS232c adapter connected  to any of my hand sets (admittedly not updated them since 3.26(?)) and has worked correctly as a relay (i.e. TTL not RS232C hardware connection) SO LONG as I use the correct handset to Mount cable (the orig ones in my case).  I realise it wasn't your NEQ6 in the equation but the boards still use the same protocol - I know this from writing ESP32 Wifi bridges(using Synscan App as the software) and having to use Wireshark and the like to decode what wasn't working in my coding. So unless the later firmware levels (or you are using later V4/V5 handsets) altered something I cannot see why it wouldn't work as the handset is just an expensive RS232C(12v) to TTL(3.3v,5v) hardware adapter in this mode (PC direct not the Synscan Relay firware for V4/5 handsets ) as the protocol is software generated by Synscan App (and other programs). But I accept in your case it didn't work for reasons we will never really know perhaps  :-).

7 hours ago, BrendanC said:

2. I have a degree in IT, have worked in tech comms for over 25 years, have coded, and have built my own computers in the past so I'm pretty tech-savvy! My aversion to EQMOD is as I said previously: dreadful website, incomprehensible interface, meaningless acronyms everywhere, and it's just another mountain to climb, which I frankly don't want to. That's one of the two things I've noticed about astro tech in particular: documentation, integration and comms are not great.  On the other hand, the number two thing I've noticed is that software developers offer superb support.

It is free and documentation is the last thing in the list of "things to do" of free open source software   🙂 but what it does is very very good at and proven - thats why there is even a Linux version of EQMOD. But the author (who is on this site) of the orig Windows version has stopped major development I believe.  But hey we are all different so if you dont like EQMOD thats your perogative no probs 🙂

7 hours ago, BrendanC said:

3. Looks like I have a faulty cable then maybe? I tried several times to get the app to connect with the NEQ6 via the cable, it just didn't work. I've emailed the manufacturer support to ask about this. I'm going to spend more time with it though because you have a point about the COM port, maybe I just need to take a closer look at everything that's being registered.

The serial cable route is probably the simplest and most reliable way to connect a PC (even running Windows Synscan App Pro) to a mount- except when using poor USB TTL adapters with Windows (e.g. Prolific and other "cheap" clones). If your Lynx is recent it should be using FDTI chipped adapter which normally give no problems at all.  Assuming the power levels are not switched off in Windows USB ports (Power saving or whatever they call it now days) then its the wiring or the voltage level.

Assuming the wiring is OK - If they have sent (or made ) you the wrong voltage level converter 3.3v not 5v, as I think the NEQ6 uses, it will never work - PC will see the USB port and appear in device manager ,but the mount wont talk  !   FYI on wiring and voltage levels  - If you haven't already done so please read this http://eq-mod.sourceforge.net/eqdirect2.htm

18 hours ago, BrendanC said:

Why oh why oh why is this always so difficult?

Why do things never just work?

A little story: about two years ago I got a trusty little Skywatcher 130P AZ Goto Synscan. After getting the hang of using the handset, I decided I wanted to hook it up to my laptop so that I could use planetarium software and camera control software alongside it too. So, after a lot of frustration with different cables and ASCOM drivers not working, I finally hit on a solution: use the Synscan Windows App, and flash the Sysncan handset so that it acted as a relay (not PC Direct). It worked! And very reliably too.

I recently upgraded to an NEQ6 and a key part of my strategy in doing so was to simply flash the handset again, and carry on as before. But no. The handset emitted an alarming constant tone every time I flashed it. I was able to flash it back as before and can use the handset, but Skywatcher support is useless and I was never able to get this to work.

So, after some consultation on forums, it seemed this was a good solution: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-mount-accessories/lynx-astro-ftdi-eqdir-usb-adapter-for-sky-watcher-eq6-or-neq6-syntrek-pro-mounts.html. I thought I'd be able just to plug it in, and then use the app.

I just tried it. It doesn't work. Fire up the Synscan app, it says 'Unable to Connect'. Fire up APT, try using the ASCOM drivers, same result.

I am so fed up! It's been such a long, steep learning curve. Every time, it's two steps forward, one step back.

So, it looks like I'm going to have to abandon the nice, familiar, easy, simple, dependable way I had of working before, and learn something new. I'd rather be doing astronomy, frankly.

So is it really the case that, to use this cable, I have to install EQMOD?

If so, how then do I carry out initial alignment eg two-star or three-star alignment, if I can't use the Synscan handset or app?

Can anyone help? Please?

Thanks, Brendan

Some comments - sorry if some comments seem a bit harsh:-

1. There was no need to flash the Handset for the NEQ6 - the "relay method" used on the older SW AZ GoTo would have worked with the NEQ6 - I suspect even keeping your old PC to Handset cable would have worked. Therefore you must have had a problem with either

   a. A dodgy Linx cable

   b. Using the wrong "COM" port in Synscan App

2. EQMOD works very well but if you had trouble with (1) then you wouldn't be succesful with EQMOD either. Ok you have to follow some instructions (but there are some very good Youtube tutorials) nothing extra special. But I accept some people have problems with "computers" - my wife is the same and she has come up with a new word "Discomputic" - she was a Dyslexic teacher. For the vast majority EQMOD is a fine if slightly outdated (com port only) piece of software. Using EQMOD allows Platesolving which ,with a reasonable starting point - pointing to somewhere near NCP etc, will get you to the objects location 99% of the time. There are other bits but its not appropriate to get any more confusing 🙂

3. To use the Lynx cable (which as I have already said may be "faulty") you do not need EQMOD as the Synscan App Pro will drive the NEQ6 without the handset  and so long as the Laptop/cables are  within reach of the NEQ6 you will be able to do 1,2,3 star Aligment - note here I am assuming you are viewing via an eyepiece. 

4. (3) can also be used if you venture into Astrophotography or EAA or require a planetarium program but you will have to have ASCOM installed correctly  (thats not EQMOD just ASCOM) and SW provide an very capable ASCOM driver so that CDC ,APT etc can connect thru the Synscan App much like what you did via the original handset relay method only using software. But again faulty cable or using the wrong com port will prevent success! The latest ASCOM install is about as simple as any other Windows software install now days ! 

5. Every PC set up is different - in that you may have software loaded that causes problems with Astro software. There is no way developers can take into account all the various scenarios so unless your laptop is a "clean set up" and without a good idea of what software you have loaded (or not loaded) its very difficult to help people having problems - Screen prints help of various info screens - e.g. Device Manager

6. You dont need POTH for most set ups - ASCOM and its drivers (provided by the device suppliers) already allows multiple software connections - So using  Synscan App Plus Synscan mobile ASCOM driver you can using most Planetariums for slewing and ,for example, APT to image ,Platesolve (if required) and control the NEQ6 - NO POTH in sight 🙂

7. Acronyms etc are just a what is used in todays society for lots of tech, most are not "meaningless" but I admit it can be confusing and a steep learning curve.

8. We ALL get frustrated even techie's when things dont according to plan or "work first time" but the end goal is normally worth it.

As I have said providing basic information (e.g. screen prints of Device Manager) is the key when you have problems. There are plenty of people who can help and a lot are just ordinary users who have already gone thru the "pain".

just use this from M/S https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/2977003/the-latest-supported-visual-c-downloads

Could be one of :-

1. Installing 64bit on 32bit - though the installer shouldn't do that.

2. Installing Intel version on some AMD PC's which dont support X86 code - very rare!

3. Missing dependencies - usually M/S stuff - again any decent installer should check but the ones installed maybe too new ! e.g. VC++redist Required

4. Corrupt installation - try uninstalling and download new copy to install.

At a guess (3) would be the best bet.

6 hours ago, SamAndrew said:

The separation between the discs is to allow you to get access to the bottom of the mount to attach it to the disc. Once attached there's no reason you couldn't reduce the space between the discs until they touch. In reality the vibrations that can resonate in the bolts are high frequency and damp out quickly. I've never noticed any negative impact.

Exactly its not a major problem - 3yrs and still going with no cracks or any other major problem.  Its a tried and tested route 🙂

But if you are OCD about such problems there is plenty of info (been trying to find the orig I read which I think was from Cloudynights) on "Dry Sand filling tubes" etc !

Change the password on the RPI of your home Wifi so that it is incorrect - then reboot. To allow home Wifi just change the password again to the correct one!

Note you will need to be attached via Ethernet or have a KB/Mouse/Screen attached.

OR

buy a cheap Wifi extender which is attached via ethernet to your home network  but give it another name like "RPIWifi" - you will still have Internet etc as it should ,depending on your home router, get IP addresses etc from the DHCP server (thing that gives all devices IP addresses). Connect the RPI to this instead of your home wifi. Then all you have to do is switch off the extebder when you want the HOTSPOT to appear. - Cost about £15. No changing anything on your RPI.

IMHO I never use Home Wifi with RPI - Ethernet never fails (well 99% time) , is faster (1gb full duplex and even on the RPI not drop off), no time lags (all Wifi has this even 5ghz). Yep HOTSPOT for "in the field" fine!

But whatever "floats your boat"!

7 hours ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

Or can I dual OS somehow ?

Grub/Ubuntu will automatically create a dual O/S if there is enough disc room (or just install a new bigger SSD and keep the Windows SSD for selling) - this will leave Windows and create an Ubuntu O/S which when you boot up will give the option of which o/s/ to boot into. After that its just normal Kstars/Ekos install - you cannot use Astroberry thats for RPI only 🙂

Its not as simple as the link below suggests - if you dont ever reach max CPU load then you wouldn't need a heat sink else the PI will throttle back to save long term damage.

P.S. There is some evidence to suggest metal case do seem to limit WiFi effeciency! https://www.martinrowan.co.uk/2019/08/wifi-signal-strength-with-raspberry-pi-4-cases/

https://www.cnx-software.com/2019/06/27/raspberry-pi-4-benchmarks-heatsink-edition/

12 hours ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

I think the slow speed is probably down to it all being on the RPi. But at the moment it works albeit fairly slow so it's on my to do list but get the rest woring first then I will come back to it.

I use Platesolving on a RPI3B+  using SD card no SSD and it solves very quickly (<8secs 90% of the time) - that was the old offline Astrometry not ASTAP (which normally faster) so I suspect you have some settings wrong (you cannot use the same settings on Platesolving every night IMO even on Windows based Platesolvers as it depends on the "seeing"  or your Slew's are not very good. 

If using the "older" offline Astrometry make sure that your Index's are correct for your FOV and change the setting that selects the number of stars to around 400-500 - too many  does have a negative effect on the time. The newer versions of EKOS doea do some auto settings but I still prefer doing it manually.

ASTAP does use the STD Astrometry Index's but there are settings which you can "play" with (still via ASTAP main GUI I think) to improve speed. At worst send your image off to Han and see what he says he is normally very helpful!

Also if not using SSD is your SD card a good quality "real" item giving AVG read 98m/s(write is much slower!) - Real Sandisk's or Samsung top of the range have worked very well for me for a number of years. examples  https://www.picstop.co.uk/microsd-sdhc/sandisk-ultra-micro-sdhc-memory-card-98mbs-class-10-for-android-32gb.html https://www.picstop.co.uk/microsd-sdhc/samsung-evo-plus-micro-sd-uhs-i-card-with-adapter-32gb.html

Also are you cooling the RPI4 enough as CPU intensive operations will be throttled back if you are overheating.

35 minutes ago, shirva said:

I started in 2011,, my partner was diagnosed with cancer,, bit of a body blow to anyone who has a loved one who has it,, I played in a pipe band and quit to be with her,, but she new I could not just sit around watching her all the time,,, she would have throttled me. 

I thought what can I do,, and astronomy came in to the picture,,  I thought wouldn't it be good if you could get a computer one,,, lol,,, somebody beat me to it,, was totally new at this 😁. I bought an etx 80 and after finding Sgl and cloudy nights,, I learned more, bought piles of books and e books,, finally got a webcam and was blown Away with what could be achieved,, I got aperture fever and wanted to try astrophotography,, so ended up with an eq3 Pro and a Canon 400d, but weather and clouds are bad in my area,, and I then looked at video astronomy,, got a Samsung scb2000, modded it and been doing video astronomy ever since,, mainly do live/near live viewing,, I like looking at the moon,, nice way to relax.. 

 

But I like annoying old stash as well about raspberry pi 😂

You getting more like my wife everyday - scary -She annoy's me too LOL - ouch only joking dear !

EAA - simple I want to see the Sky and I dont have years to wait (or many clear skies ) doing pictures that justify the effort of hours upon hours of collecting data - even though I do like looking at them and appreciate how much skill and effort goes into them. Same as fishing I would rather catch 1 fish than sit for days waiting for the "big un". Everyone to their own 🙂

Nope Raspian is fine and so is Astroberry 🙂 Mate,on RPI4, still behind the curve especially for the non tech users 🙂

So I presume is Raspbian 64bit support else pointless .

I use an older Gigabyte Brix (Linux Ubuntu and Wim 10) 8gb mem SSD - Will walk your Canon 600d mount ascom phd2 etc - as it has a USB2 interface so wont be able to used the extra download speed unfortunately.

The only "bug" I found with my model was the "awake on Lan" kept kicking in after I had powered off (bios change) and the Power Input is non Std 2.5mm connector plus it was 19V.

Other than that used it for over 1yr no problem (famous last words and touching my wooden head!) - well made bit of kit.

Enjoy Clear skies.

1 hour ago, Adreneline said:

Hi Stuart,

Just another thing to throw into the mix. I tried using CCDCeil and CdC running on my PC and communicating with the mount using the Pi as an INDI server. That resulted in the mount parking with the DEC axis aligned as expected and the RA axis at 45 degrees! Ummm????

Adrian

Still suspect your Indi settings but if you are using CDC/CCDCIEL and think there is a problem (I assume you are using the Park Script in CCDCIEL) please contact Patrick Chevalley (or maybe he will answer on SGL) on the CCDCIEL forum he is always happy to help - https://groups.io/g/ccdciel/topics. - 🙂

Plus note what to do if the settings are corrupt (taken from Indi's EQMOD driver) - basically the same as Radek said.

• UTC: UTC time and offsets must be set for proper operation of the driver upon connection. The UTC offset is in hours. East is positive and west is negative.
• Location: Latitude and Longitude must be set for proper operation of the driver upon connection. The longitude range is 0 to 360 degrees increasing eastward from Greenwich.
• Parking Position: Upon connection to the mount, Ekos loads these values into the mount's motor controller to initialize the (stepper) motor step values. The default values represent the home position where the mount points to the celestial pole - i.e. 0 deg RA, 90 deg DEC.
• Parking: To set the parking position of the mount to the home position, click “Default”, then "Write Data " - this saves the home values as the parking values. To set the parking position of the mount to a custom position, slew the mount to the desired position and click “Current”, then "Write Data " - this saves the current motor step values as the parking values.
  • IMPORTANT: For the first time Ekos connects to the mount, or if for any reason the parking position has become incorrect. Make sure the mount is in the home position, power up the mount, connect Ekos and set the parking position to home by clicking “Default”, then "Write Data ".

2 hours ago, Merlin66 said:

ATASP - I did look at that, but it needed a minimum of thirty stars in the image....

I’m happy with ASPS with the EQMod and NEQ6PRO for spectroscopy.

I was pulling your leg 🙂

15 minutes ago, TerryMcK said:

Astroberry gives you so many different ways to run it to suit your own preferences.

Yes you can even run just CCDCIEL on Windows and a headless super fast (as no GUI required) RPI and use both Indi AND Ascom at the same time subject to certain limitations. Platesolving on faster PC's (even Linux) can be as low as 3-4 secs.

You still use Astroberry's "panels" via the web browser and to start Indiserver but no need for NOVNC.

IMHO CCDCIEL is far simpler to use (written by author of CDC) than EKOS with Kstars and the sequencer is rock solid.

But it is down to personal tastes 🙂 We just have so many now days with Ascom and Indi 🙂