Vox45

13 hours ago, Gina said:

I'll be watching that with great interest - thank you very much   I'm using KStars/Ekos/INDI for my all sky camera with RPi 3 as server at the masthead and WiFi - just power cable up the mast.  Working well   I shall be converting my main imaging rig in due course.

In my case, I use an RPI3 at the mount acting as an INDI server to control my Canon 1000D DSLR, HEQ5 mount with Eqmod cable, HitecAstro DC focuser, ZWO ASI 185MC and a relay card. I use a laptop as an INDI client with Kstars/Ekos and stellarium plus a whole lot of goodies

I've decided to use the Ubuntu Mate image instead of Raspbian as updating the whole system (including INDI and Stellarium) is now a single command. Now that they have included the driver for HitecAstro DC focuser in the INDI library I have everything I need and installing from scratch takes me less than an hour (first update takes a while)

Here is a step-by-step guide for installing Ubuntu Mate + INDI drivers + Web Manager on an RPI3 :

(1) get the Ubuntu Mate LST image for RPI3 from the Ubuntu website

(2) copy the downloaded image to the SD card using Win32DiskImager (windows) or any other methods

(3) boot on the PI and go through the installation steps as you would for a normal OS installation

Although I haven't had any problems so far, I would recommend at this point that you take a backup of the whole system before making any change or update. In my case I made an image of the SD card using Win32DiskImager (free)

Once the OS is installed, ssh to the PI and start with these steps :

##########################################################
#Re-size file system
##########################################################

sudo fdisk /dev/mmcblk0

Delete the second partition (d, 2)

then re-create it using the defaults (n, p, 2, enter, enter)

then write and exit (w)

Reboot the system, then:

sudo resize2fs /dev/mmcblk0p2

##########################################################
#add repository for INDI and any other repository you might need (in my case: Stellarium)
##########################################################

sudo apt-add-repository ppa:mutlaqja/ppa
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:stellarium/stellarium-releases  <------ Optional

##########################################################
#update the system
##########################################################

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

##########################################################
#Install INDI Library including all 3rd party drivers:
##########################################################

sudo apt-get install indi-full

##########################################################
#Download the INDI Web Manager zip file. Extract the zip file
##########################################################

https://github.com/knro/indiwebmanager/archive/master.zip
unzip indiwebmanager-master.zip
copy indiwebmanager-master folder to your $(HOME)

##########################################################
# Install INDI Web Manager
##########################################################

cd indiwebmanager-master
sudo apt-get install python-pip python-dev build-essential python-requests python-psutil python-bottle
pip install --upgrade pip
cp -rf servermanager ~/

##########################################################
#modify [user] and [path] to reflect your real $(HOME) in the file indiwebmanager.service
# located in the original /indiwebmanager-master folder
##########################################################
 
[Unit]
Description=INDI Web Manager
After=multi-user.target

[Service]
Type=idle
User=[username here]
ExecStart=/usr/bin/python /home/[user home directory here]/servermanager/drivermanager.py
ExecStart=/usr/bin/python /home/[user home directory here]/servermanager/autostart.py

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

##########################################################
#Copy the indiwebmanager.service file to /lib/systemd/system
##########################################################

sudo cp indiwebmanager.service /lib/systemd/system/
sudo chmod 644 /lib/systemd/system/indiwebmanager.service

##########################################################
#enable the INDI Web Manager to automatically start
##########################################################

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable indiwebmanager.service
sudo reboot

##########################################################
#check the status of the INDI Web Manager service
##########################################################

sudo systemctl status indiwebmanager.service

##########################################################
#Connect to Web Manager
##########################################################

http://localhost:8624

or from a remote laptop

http://remoteserverIP:8624

##########################################################

#Disable X11 (optional)
#to disable/enable the MATE desktop environment for easily creating a headless
#“server”. #Executing graphical disable will present a console login on the next
#boot, with no X11 or #associated services running. If you want to get the full
#Ubuntu MATE desktop back, run #graphical enable and reboot.
##########################################################

sudo graphical disable

##########################################################
#update the system and reboot
##########################################################

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
sudo apt-get autoremove
sudo apt-get clean
sudo reboot

BACKUP YOUR PI BY TAKING AN IMAGE OF YOUR SD CARD

For those interested in INDI there is a nice and long 1H30 video from september 2016 on "The Astro Imaging Channel" with the main developper Jasem Mutlaq that goes into details of INDI/EKOS

Enjoy

Good news all !

INDI Library v1.3 has been released on octobrer 30th and it includes the HitechAstro DC focus drivers developped by AJK ( https://github.com/A-j-K/hitecastrodcfocuser )

According to a post from Jasem Mutlak posted today: "I added Hitecdc focuser to official INDI, so no need to compile it, just use it from the PPA. So update kstars&indi and it should be there"

Kudos to AJK for his work

Other improvements include:

• Support for Shelyak eShel spectrograph.
• Support for NStep focuser.
• Support for ASI Filter Wheel.
• Support for OneStep Telescope Controller.
• Support for Moravian CCD driver.
• Support for GigE machine vision cameras.
• Experimental SSAG CCD driver.
• Adding support for fast BLOB with ENCLEN. With Fast blob mode enabled, blob performance is now significantly faster.
• FITS Min/Max calculations are disabled by default to save processing time unless explicitly enabled by the user at compile time.
• Qt5 based client class is added to enable multiplatform client development.
• New significantly faster base64 encoding/decoding routines.
• Selectable alignment modes for INDI EQMod that includes built-in EQMod alignment and INDI Alignment Subsystem.
• CCD sequence queue number is no longer limited to 999.
• More Starlight Xpress CCDs cameras supported.
• Updated Starlight Xpress Adaptive Optics driver.
• Updated Temma Takahashi mount driver.
• Updated Apogee CCD driver.
• Updated QHY CCD driver with numerous fixes.
• Updated FLI CCD driver.
• Updated Pulasr2 driver.
• Updated ASI CCD with support for arm64 architecture, 1600 model and a lot more.
• Significant improvements to GPhoto driver including better support for Nikon DSLRs.
• Improved GPSd driver.
• New CCD_FILE_PATH property to indicate remote file path.
• New TELESCOPE_PIER_SIDE property.
• Dome & Telescope Scripting Gateway added.
• Added support for servos in Indiduino
• Fix BuiltinMathPlugin crash for Southern Hemisphere
• Add scope park aware feature to the rolloff roof simulator
• INDI Logs are now stored under ~/.indi/logs and arranged by date and time per driver.

Good times!

wow impressive work ! Kudos to you

On 02/09/2016 at 19:37, Gina said:

Which capture software are you using?  I found oacapture won't work with exposures longer than a couple of seconds - James is looking into it but not come up with a solution yet.

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

3 minutes ago, rwg said:

All of the camera settings are saved in a .CameraSettings.txt file next to the actual capture file, so the data is there if you want to use it.

cheers,

Robin

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

16 hours ago, rwg said:

Hi,

currenly there is no framing feature - I don't see it as something I'm likely to add in the near future I'm afraid. I guess I imagine that sort of thing being done in post-processing.

cheers,

Robin

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

On 24/08/2016 at 11:41, rwg said:

Chris,

yes, the artificial horizon thing replaces the arrow when the arrow becomes so short that it would be difficult to see clearly.

Gina,

glad you like SharpCap. No real chance of a Linux version I'm afraid - it's all too linked into Windows UI, camera SDKs, etc.

cheers,

Robin

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.

57 minutes ago, Thruxi said:

My only request with regard to answering newbies is this. Those that know what they're talking about tend to use acronyms. This is sometimes confusing if we are not familiar with the terms.

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...

2 hours ago, Astromaniac said:

Hi,

I've done exactly what you've done, followed the same procedures but making the pi an access point. Is that important? I haven't read anywhere that the pi needs to be an access point to connect to KStars on a laptop.

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

7 minutes ago, Gina said:

Just the bare board.  I can power it from an ATX PSU and 3D print a case or include it with other things in a case.

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

3 hours ago, GuLinux said:

I think actually what's a bit lacking in the linux world is a good postprocessing application, many on windows use Photoshop, and gimp is out of business because it's not handling properly 16bit images. I know there's a beta, but... it's still a beta, afterall, and apparently there are no imminent plans on releasing a stable version for that.

There is one that is on par with Photoshop.

Pixinsight runs on Linux natively

52 minutes ago, GuLinux said:

I agree with all you said, but I also want to add that Linux > INDI. INDI forum is specific to that platform, while a general Linux area in a forum like this could actually cover much more stuff (I also made a few non-INDI astronomical applications for Linux... why not?)

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.

1 hour ago, GuLinux said:

What about having a separate subforum for linux? This would help separating different issues/questions/topics in different threads

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.

23 minutes ago, GuLinux said:

I wouldn't really recommend mint, as it's still based on Ubuntu 14.04 (quite an old release).

Directly using ubuntu would provide both more up to date packages, and a wider community for support.

Also, if you're looking for a more "window-ish" look there's always the kde version (and you can install kde over the regular ubuntu by simply installing the "kubuntu-desktop" package), which imho never had the success it deserved.

Personally I don't use ubuntu (nor mint) so I hope I'm not biased towards it, I just would like to suggest different alternatives, particularly for "newbies" 

 

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

On 10/06/2016 at 16:15, Vox45 said:

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**

3 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Thanks,

Its not a PRO one, it's a PCVC 820K/20, I have found the same instructions in English on Cloudy Nights.

If I change the numbers to match the hardware ID of my camera (rather than the one given in the example), it tries to load, but fails as it says the files security hash no longer matches the one in the catalogue :-(

I guess W7 didn't do this security check, but W8 does.

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!

28 minutes ago, JamesF said:

My recollection from of using EQMOD is that unplugging and replugging the mount can cause the COM port number to increase and fairly quickly one reaches the point where the preconfigured drop-down in EQMOD doesn't cover a large enough range, at which point you have to go and fiddle with something in the Windows configuration to reset it.

James

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

51 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Hi folks,

 

Will this work for a TOUCAM II? I have just received a brand new unopened box one, ready for me to dismember for LX mod and peltier cooling...!

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**

14 hours ago, ajk said:

Correct. I will do the work to ask Indi maintainers to pull it into their repo at some point, but before I do that I need at least another pair of eyeballs on it, that's where you come in

I fully expect feedback from you in the form "this doesn't work", "this doesn't work as I expect" or "this is great! But can I also have it do foo as well please?". Lets get it polished up. Then we'll go for inclusion in the main code base of Indi

 

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.

12 hours ago, ajk said:

https://github.com/A-j-K/hitecastrodcfocuser

Note, I did an "in tree build" with the INDI source tree. The repo up there is an "out of tree" build. Let me know how you get on (please use the Github issue tracker and not this forum thread to discuss the driver, building and installing as that way future people will find the discussions we have in the right place, where the code is, buried in a forum here helps no future people )

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