Vox45

I used to use SharpCap on Win10. I have not yet tested my new ASI cam on Linux so I thought I would give oacapture a try since it is well known on the forum and JamesF is a serious developer

Very nice review! I was away on vacation so I could not progress on this. I got myself an ASI185 so that is one more thing that I need to test So far I was able to control my mount and thanks to the excellent work of AJK I was able to control my DCfocuser. I still need to test JamesF's oacapture for the Cam and test if my DSLR will work. I did take a very big bite by trying to get it working also on RPI3 and building a powerbox with a relay board ... the long winter nights will be quite busy this year

ok I'll find a way to be able to use those field as variables in a post-processing software. Thanks for this info

Yes I am doing the framing in post-processing. The feature I liked was that you could add to the frame some info taken directly from the session details. Apparently it is using "image magic" and to give you a batter idea of what I am talking about: there is a short demo here That would be a nice feature to be able to record all the session details and be able to embed them in the image in one click from inside Sharpcap

I really like Sharpcap and the PA feature you added is just brilliant ! There is a feature in Firecapture that I did not see in Sharpcap (maybe it's there) is the option to add a frame with information on the target (ephemerids I think) ... Sorry for not being more precise about how this is working as I never really used it, but I see a lot of picture posted with this information embeded and I was told that it was generated from Firecapture. Do you plan to add this to Sharpcap or is it there already ?

I installed Distro Astro and I have mixed feelings. The look is a bit dated and it runs on an older version of Ubuntu 14.04. It also uses an old version of INDI (1.0) I will try to update the INDI version to 1.2.0 but there is this comment on the INDI site: "INDI Library is available for Ubuntu 15.10 and higher" so not a lot of hope there. On the other hand, it is nice to be able to download a single ISO and be up and running in no time with an extensive set of tools already installed. Distro Astro 3.0.2 came out in may 2015 and I can see that there are talks about version 4 on their website. I can only be supportive of anyone investing time and energy in such a project, therefore I will reserve my judgement until this updated version comes out. If you want to see for yourself what a Linux distro look and feel, you can download the ISO burn it to a DVD and boot on on it. Once you are done exploring, just remove the DVD and reboot your computer. Nothing is installed on your machine. You can also boot on the ISO in a virtual machine.

I do agree that those answering newbies should be careful when using any sorts of jargon and acronyms; it does not take a lot of time to include a brief note or explain the acronyms even if they seem obvious to the poster... There is also a responsibility on the newcomer part to search for the acronym and jargon used by the community. It is only fair that some efforts should be made when learning a new craft. The Sticky post here explains most of the acronyms but the list can never be exhaustive as new acronym are bound to appear overtime...

Hello No you do not have to make the Pi act as an access point, but as I will be using it in the field, there will be no WIFI network availlable, so making the Pi an access point solves this. Regarding the issues you are having, you should start a thread here on SGL or on the INDI forum with more details on the problem

Good stuff I have to admit that once I got the RPi I realized the potential of it all ... so now I just ordered a relay board so I can switch on and off my DSLR/Mount/Focuser. My wife was quick to point out that the whole setup will be no more than 10fts away but it is just too fun to be ignored, and it costs 8€ so .. https://www.amazon.com/JBtek-Channel-Module-Arduino-Raspberry/dp/B00KTEN3TM/ref=pd_bxgy_147_img_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=48J2A8MRAYAQV3TM6VMT

Little update on the progress I made yesterday with the Linux/INDI combo. I added a level of difficulty by using a Raspberry PI 3 at the mount acting as an INDI server and connecting on my laptop over WIFI using the INDI client (Ekos) Steps to get there: (1) I installed the latest Linux Mint (which use Ubuntu 16.04 as a base) on an old laptop. Slick interface, easy to install (next-next-next type) and I was up and running in no time (2) I installed the Kstars part and INDI drivers with a couple of commands (see earlier post) ... easy peasy lemon squeezy (3) I Installed raspbian on a RPi3 ... again, next-next-next... not much to do. Windows like installation (4) configured the RPi to be a WIFI access point. It could have been so easy but I tripped over my own shoelaces... follow the instruction, don't overthink them. I was then able to connect over WIFI to my mount using Ekos (control software) and Kstars (Carte Du Ciel equivalent) and slew to targets... joy ! Now comes the difficult part. Getting used to the terminology, menues and configuration. The interface is loaded with information, maybe too much. Making sens of it all can be quite a challenge but, as anything new (I remember the first time I looked at PHD) you get used to it and just ignore what you do not need to know. I will have to play with it for a couple of hours and do some dry runs to get a better feel of it all. So far I can say that I had no stability issues and having everything (focus, EQMOD, camera control, DSLR, guiding, plate solving and much more) in the same interface with a consistent look and feel is quite nice. Note: I will also test "Distro Astro" but only when the new version comes out (v4) has it is based on an old Ubuntu (14.04) This distribution is very interesting as it has a lot of applications already installed and is build with astronomy in mind. But for now, I'll stick with Mint. Baby steps

There is one that is on par with Photoshop. Pixinsight runs on Linux natively

I'll let the admin comment on this but I do agree that it would be nice to have a centralized forum on all Linux based astronomical applications. With such a knowledgeable and active community lke the one on SGL I can see it becoming a reputable source of information quite fast Let me add that I've realised over the last 2 years that there are already members here that are the main developpers of popular win/linux applications, just to name a few I am sure of: SharpCap, oaCapture, EQMOD, Stellarium, INDI HitecAstro focuser, so the knowledge is already here.

I can't speak for the SGL admin but I like your idea. There is a forum for all INDI related stuff here but there are only ~1.5K members there compared to 51K here (knowing that there are SGL members on the INDI forum) so not the same fire power in terme of knowledge base and response time. I guess it is also a matter of time before more people switch to Linux/INDI and the community grows. That being said, I don't want to make it sound like I am in a crusade to convert people to Linux, I just think there is a lot to gain for everyone from a broad base of Linux and INDI users as shown by the fact that in less than a week, a member of SGL was able to come up with a focuser driver that was not availlable in INDI. That is the power of openSource

I agree that this thread is far from the intended goal stated in the first post Although it is interesting and generated a lot of discussions, I may have to start another thread with only the conclusion of my experience with Linux and INDI so newcomers don't feel that they have to go through 10 pages of posts before being able to move to Linux... I feel that we are making it look a lot more difficult that it actually is. Now I am not saying that Linux is not without its difficulties, but I do remember having to create keys in the Windows registry using cryptic commands or modifying files to add drivers for a webcam without complaining about how difficult it was. It is just a different set of problems. And we are good at problem solvings aren't we ? I think that people are affraid of change, basic human nature, but once you take the plunge you open up a new world of possibilities. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The reality of it is that I installed Mint and INDI/Kstars in less than 30 minutes and I only had to type those 4 commands (copy/paste actually) sudo apt-add-repository ppa:mutlaqja/ppa sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install indi-full sudo apt-get install indi-full kstars-bleeding As far as these commands go you just need to know some basic 'jargon' and they become clear: sudo : a command to become admin (in linux it is called 'root') and have the rights to do admin stuff Apt : (for Advanced Package Tool) is a set of core tools to install applications and keep your applications up to date. so this command [sudo apt-get install indi-full] says in plain english: become admin and install INDI... the funny one is [sudo apt-add-repository ppa: mutlaqja /ppa] ... in plain english it means : become admin and add a link to a place where I can get software (a repository). The name of this place is "mutlaqja" So you might wonder what is a "mutlaqja" ? well it is the name of the lead Developer & Maintainer of INDI: Jasem Mutlaq My point is, I understand that some people don't want to waste time fiddling about on a computer and their interests falls elsewhere, but for those who are 'Linux-curious', lets stop making it sound as if you needed a computer degree to start using it.

For those interested, I've been using the new Mint beta release and haven't have any issue as of today.

Sorry to hear that. Hopefully you'll be able to flash it to a SPC900nc. I you go down this route, please share it here and let us know the result as this may help others in the future. Good luck!

Ho yes it is still happening in Win10. After unplugging and repluging my USB HUB yesterday It went from COM4 to COM5 to COM6 all the way to COM8 before, for whatever reason, it went back to COM7 ... drove me crazy

From what I understand, the Toucam pro is the Philips PCVC840K, there is a way to make it work in Windows7 without flashing it. In my case I wanted to flash it so it would work with SharpCap .. If this is your endgoal you will have to try flashing it but I've never done the test so I cannot tell if this will work. If you only want to make it work on Win7 you can follow this tutorial (in french but it will give you an idea) www.webastro.net/forum/showthread.php?t=93123

Linux Mint 18 “Sarah” Cinnamon – BETA Release. Linux Mint 18 features a Linux kernel 4.4 and an Ubuntu 16.04 package base I can now test EKOS on it with the INDI server on RPi ... Good times.... **Heads up** Issues with KDE apps If you're experiencing issues with KDE apps (Okular, Gwenview, KStars..etc) run the following command: apt install kdelibs-bin kdelibs5-data kdelibs5-plugins **Heads up**

Got my RPi ... I installed the OS but had some troubles installing the INDI packages. I'll have a look at this today. Next step will be to test your driver and give feedback I expect to do this later this week.

Great! I will test this as soon as possible. Just for my understanding, when you say out of tree does this mean that it is not yet included in the INDI project but will be in the future ? I can't wait to see your work added to the list of supported hardware on the official INDI page

Thanks for this heads up. I only plan to use Ekos on the laptop and everything else at the mount, so no need for bandwith to download anything as I will use an SSD hard drive at the mount

This is so cool thank you for working on this as this was my last hurdle. How do you plan on publishing the driver ? Will it be added to the INDI package ? What is the next step to get it publicly availlable ? Good timing also as I will receive my Raspberry PI on monday and just finished my powerpanel... This way I can have the RpI and powerpanel at the mount and control from a laptop over WIFI or ethernet if WIFI fails on me no more 5m USB cable or VNC on 2 laptops.

ho the sweet sound of reading this (the game is on)

I had a similar issue and started a thread on the INDI forum. Someone else also posted this week " I am running Kubuntu 16.04 LTS, libindi1 installed fine, but could not find package indi-full either. Also a try to install indi-sx failed, no such package." Answer " we just migrated to GitHub and re-building the whole packages again, so please try again in a day or two." maybe this is related to the issue you have.