fozzybear

I've been arduino'd don't ask me why quit smoking so I thought let's buy a shed load of them and has ama?on been busy my postie loves me even bought a idiots guide. so nano, r3, wemo,  l293d shield. want to do a remote focuser, read read read.

5 hours ago, wornish said:

Previously I have used APT on a windows laptop directly connected to my gear and it really worked well.  But I wanted to move indoors so decided to take the plunge.  

I have just completed installing a Raspberry Pi3B+ running Astroberry on Ubuntu Linux and now I can remotely control my whole setup in the garden over WiFi while I stay in the warm indoors!  It was relatively easy once I managed to get all the software up to the latest levels.  It took a whole day to update my RPi Ubuntu from the Astroberry supplied version 16 to the latest version 18, but I just left it to run and it all came good in the end.  I am just using the Indi drivers on the RPi and all is working as it should.  I do have one outstanding issue with my sestor-senso focuser that has to be recalibrated for each new session after being powered off, that is a pain but hopefully, the Indi drivers will get updated to fix the issue.  I have had a steep learning curve with using KStars on my laptop as the indoor control application, but I am getting there.

Looking forward, Indigo is a new open platform Astro software package that will run on any platform.  Indigo has just released Indigo Sky which is a complete Raspberry Pi preconfigured disk image running on Debian Linux and having played with it, it looks very promising.  APT is planning to introduce Indigo support in their next release and subject to drivers being available for all my gear (again sesto-senso is an issue) I plan on switching back to APT as my overall control application as I know my way around it.

So bottom line: If you are OK using the terminal for the occasional command line update to install a missing bit of software, then Linux is absolutely great.  

 

 

Wornish,

Trying to upgrade my astroberry to 18 yet I get a message "please install all available updates for your release before upgrading"

I do a Sudo apt-get update

yet still same message

even doing "Sudo do-release-upgrade"

The only update I have held back is firefox so it works on 16.04

regards

Andy

On ‎16‎/‎03‎/‎2019 at 09:21, Dr_Ju_ju said:

If the motor gets hot, try setting "coil power - off" in your configuration settings, for me, its not needed, as the motor holds position ok with no power, but then I use motors with planetary gearboxes. 

update a problem with one of the phase's on the nema 17 stepper and omc are going to change it, in the meantime ordered a geared stepper pg27 to use with the uno and shield l293d  Julian as try setting "coil power off" is this in the ino file? The foe's of software

Regards

Andy

On ‎16‎/‎03‎/‎2019 at 09:21, Dr_Ju_ju said:

If the motor gets hot, try setting "coil power - off" in your configuration settings, for me, its not needed, as the motor holds position ok with no power, but then I use motors with planetary gearboxes. 

well an update with the nano and tb6560 all ran cool then tried with the uno and l293d shield and everything got hot including the stepper with the relevant Ino file for the uno 

strange as the stepper is rated at 0.4amps so the shield should cope.. just got to sort out the indi/ekos interface as all my steps are 100? so the motor turns 1/4 turn is this correct any help on configuring the indi interface using the moonlight driver greatly appreciated.

andy

forgot to mention when adding your wifi details that it is case sensitive

11 hours ago, daz said:

Hi Radek

Many thanks for your reply - it turns out I am an idiot!! Although I was spelling the name of my SSID correctly, I was ignoring capitalisation!

As soon as I corrected that and rebooted, I can now again connect to my AB Server! Yay!!!

 

So, onwards to retry the VAP!!

 

Thanks!!

I made this exact mistake as well got me stumped for 2 days.... reimaging and reimaging.

2 minutes ago, simondodd said:

Haha, its lucky he is kind of famous! Some of the ones I work with are known by about 100 people worldwide! Haha.

 

thanks for the guidance. I should be able to sort it on Monday with a bit of luck

just wiki'd him and he was born down the road from me ok about 5 miles in Sale,Cheshire. Small world...

19 minutes ago, simondodd said:

Yeah I've seen that one thanks.
I sometimes do tour management stuff for bands, this time I'm just a driver. Off on the road for 7 days with David Gray.

Sorry had to ask the wife who David Gray was, Lucky you then. Anyway any probs when you get back post on here and will try and get you sorted.?

have a look at this other thread as a pinter or even pointer if you like

you on tour doing what?

4 minutes ago, simondodd said:

I'm currently struggling to get Astroberry to even connect to my home network

you do have to read his instructions at first I failed but then success on this read and re-read you have to edit one of the files on the sd-card to enter your wifi details if connecting via wifi, are you connecting your rpi via this way or not

Andy

1 minute ago, simondodd said:

Hmm, that may just swing it then if the dev is on here I'm currently struggling to get Astroberry to even connect to my home network! haha I'm heading away for a few days though so I'm hoping my subconscious will provide the solution for me  Are there any advantages to having Stellarmate over Astroberry? 

I have not tried it so cannot comment

Hi,

I am playing with astroberry on my rpi 3b latest version think it is the + running his version so far so good at first yes a big learning curve and the developer @RadekK  is on this forum so feel free to ask him some questions the rpi is local to the scope then you run everything from your laptop/desktop

I have my canon 450d connected astroeq for my mount,qhy5-IIm for guiding with a 9x50 finderscope  so as I say still experimenting and also planning  to implement an auto focuser based on Arduino by Robert Brown. Again so far so good.

Andy

ok update loaded roberts basic ino with to the nano, crossed my fingers applied power to stepper driver then powered on the rpi and nano connected via usb to rpi loaded kstars configured indi with moonlight focuser and hey presto it works well the motor turns forward and backwards so not unexpected bangs from either the driver board or nano. well chuffed now got to get the motor attached to my 150pds std focuser hum.....  cheers stash_old for all your help

regards

Andy 

1.8

yea saw one for sale a geared motor uno and hat for 20 quid missed out 

yes that side sorted as ordered from stepperonline so no probs with that

cheers thanks

Andy

the tb6560 has whole-step,half-step, 1/8 step and 1/16 step ?

I've a NEMA 17 nano and the tb6560 

10 minutes ago, stash_old said:

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. 

https://sourceforge.net/projects/arduinofocuscontrollerpro/files/CODE ARDUINO/ 

goto files Arduino and download Arduino Firmware myFocuserPro-175.zip

 is the correct one

regards

Andy

6 hours ago, stash_old said:

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 ?

do you know which ino code to use then from robert or maybe a copy of yours to try (I will be connecting my focuser to my rpi) so moonlight compatible

Regards

Andy

enabled + on the tb6560 does this goto the pins I suggested a4 or d8?

On ‎27‎/‎06‎/‎2018 at 23:11, stash_old said:

Try and remember a real photo but the attach is not far off if they haven't changed the TB6600 board deails (Please check yourself) - most details were etched on the board for setting options - e.g. Microstepping,Current etc

En- and En+   Enable the TB6600

CW+ and CW- Control the direction

CLK+ and Clk-  control the Stepping

B- B+ are 1 coil of the Stepper (4 wire) see spec sheet which if you buy from OMC normal is in the box ?

A- A+ are the other coil of the Stepper

 

But you need only one set hence EN- CW- and CLK- all to common GND

No need to connect ground between stepper power and Nano 

Hope that helps

enable no8 is this d8 or a4 as per roberts sketch  

On ‎27‎/‎06‎/‎2018 at 22:40, stash_old said:

later change Robert's excellent code to use Accel Library (stepper control) which gives far more flexibility and control of stepper motors via ANY driver board (IMHO) and I no longer use Ascom as I wrote my own Python GUI interface. But the original was Robert's code unaltered.

Stash

well after a long break with work plan on putting this pup to bed got all the kit ready I know a long time but working 6 days a week and astro on back leg now working 5 days a week so have time for astro work thank god, do you have the Arduino code for this as planning to control my 150pds

regards

Andy

likewise, where did I leave my spade (new patio planning)…...?

Well this week for me nothing but loads for the wife via Ama8on and other internet suppliers it was the wife's birthday today and here in France we have a post-box so luckily  next door neighbour took all her parcels as nobody at home and to large to fit in it.. getting in the good books hopefully?, Soes by doc marten(girly style) shoes by Fly, fancy handbag girly things and dam expensive  I forgot I even bought her 2. So maybe I am good to go next month??