A question for the Linux users

[David Smith]

Does anybody know if the software on the EOS Solutions disk will run under Wine? Looks like they would be quite useful but I do not have a Windows system! I could run Windows under Virtual Box or similar but my laptop isn't really up to spec for that.

Alternatively, is there any Linux software that will do a similar job (I use Ubuntu 11.10 and Mint 12)? I had a search through the forum but could not find anything so I am guessing not!

Thanks

[callump]

Not sure exactly what you're looking for, but on Linux you can try gphoto http://www.gphoto.org/ for remote control and capture etc.

gphoto is command line (i think) but there are ui's - see the Projects page on the gphoto site.

HTH

Callum

[ronnietucker]

What is it you need the software to accomplish? I'm not familiar with what the EOS Solutions disc is.

[David Smith]

Hello Ronnie

Thanks for the response. I was looking for something that will allow me to (at least) to view a live image on the laptop before capturing and remotely trigger the shutter. Ideally something that would allow me to program a number of captures over a period of time?

Thanks

[David Smith]

Thanks Callum, will check out gphoto, looks promising.

[JamesF]

I for one will be pleased if there is something that works nicely under Linux.

James

[callump]

Hi David,

i have used gPhoto with my 300D - mostly for programmed set of exposures. I did find a few problems, but I put this down to the 300D rather than gPhoto - for example i could not get the interval timer functionality to work, but i was able to do this with a simple shell script, so was not a big problem. I don't know whether gphoto will retrieve the live-photo view or not - my camera does not do live-view - but in terms of programmed sequencing of images, with download or not. it should work fine. I just left the images on the sd card, rather than download, so-as to improve the throughput (to get on with the next image rather than waiting for download). Probably newer cameras will work a lot better.

Cheers, Callum

[ronnietucker]

Yep gPhoto seems to be about your only option. The Canon software is marked as 'garbage' in the Wine db, so while it will install, it won't run to a standard that's remotely usable. Having said that though, no one seems to have tried the Canon software with the latest 1.5.x release of Wine so you never know...

[Daggerstab]

KStars supports the INDI protocol/library, which in turn has a gPhoto driver which probably is compatible with your camera:

http://indilib.org/i...hp?title=GPhoto

In theory, KStars supports device control scripting, though I've never tried it:

http://edu.kde.org/kstars/indi.php

And with KStars Script Builder, you can write complicated scripts using a simple GUI to orchestrate your automated observation runs.

Brief introduction to the Script Builder:

http://docs.kde.org/...iptbuilder.html

I know for sure that KStars also has a more immediate "capture image sequence" window:

http://docs.kde.org/...di-capture.html

KStars is a part of the KDE application suite, but on Ubunru and similar distros it can be installed without installing (most) of the rest of KDE.

[cliver]

If your still looking for a program for your Canon then I use GTKam which will allow me to do most things I want to do under Linux.

Then there is CCCD http://sourceforge.net/projects/cccd/ This will not only control some CCD cameras but will also control DSLR cameras too.

Clive.

[David Smith]

Thanks Clive, will check these out.

[JanH]

old topic but...

I'm trying to get working QHY5L-II-M under Ubuntu 12** in Lin_Guider, Acer Aspire1. I managed to install the program but installing CCD ended up with Error. I got out of it folders containing *.HEX and .rules (udev) files which I moved to propper folders /lib/firmware/....

dmesg shows qhy5:

[    1.780870] usb 1-1: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=0
[    1.780879] usb 1-1: Product: QHY5-II 12-5-1   
[    1.780887] usb 1-1: Manufacturer: QHC-CCD

and red LED is glowing. I believe I'm in all neccesary groups (I had to join "video" and "lp").

When I start lin guider and choose qhy5ii after restart I get:

Video input is not initialized.

Pulse driver is not initialized.

How to initialize it? I feel I'm almost there but...

P.S.: integrated webcam is working in linguider, qhy5l-ii-m worked in FireCapture under win some days ago but I need it running on netbook under linux (desktop is 2000km away). It's supposed to be a guiding camera on HEQ5.

[JamesF]

How are you telling linguider that you want it to use the QHY5L-II ?  Are you giving it a device path or something?

James

[JanH]

Isn't choosing correct Device enough?

(question is if qhy5ii stands both for qhy5ii and qhy5Lii-m??)

Installing programs in terminal is completely new to me so I'm constantly making errors and mistakes. LinGuider is currently installed in /usr/local/src/lin_guider_pack/lin_guider/. That might be the source of trouble...

[JamesF]

On the assumption that you don't have all those cameras installed, I'd guess that it's just a static list of ll the cameras supported.  In which case the application still has to be able to find the connected camera.

Ahhh, is the firmware loaded?  What output do you get if you run "lsusb" ?

James

[JanH]

interesting...

lsusb:

Bus 001 Device 007: ID 1618:0921  
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 04f2:b209 Chicony Electronics Co., Ltd
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 046d:c016 Logitech, Inc. Optical Wheel Mouse
Bus 004 Device 002: ID 0489:e010 Foxconn / Hon Hai
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub

dmesg:

...

[46106.684222] usb 1-1: new high-speed USB device number 7 using ehci-pci
[46106.817060] usb 1-1: New USB device found, idVendor=1618, idProduct=0921
[46106.817081] usb 1-1: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=0
[46106.817096] usb 1-1: Product: QHY5-II 12-5-1   
[46106.817125] usb 1-1: Manufacturer: QHC-CCD

[JamesF]

1618:0921 looks good.  That means the firmware has loaded and the camera reset.

Does it work if you run it as root?

James

[JanH]

YOU ARE GENIOUS!!!!

It has been working all the time but under root only. You made me very heappy.

[JamesF]

YOU ARE GENIOUS!!!!

It has been working all the time but under root only. You made me very heappy.

Damn, I'm good

I suspect the problem is that you are still not in the group you need to be in to use the application as your own id.

I'd guess that in the udev rules file there's a line something like this (this is from my oacapture application, but it will be similar):

ATTRS{idVendor}=="1618", ATTRS{idProduct}=="0921*", OWNER="root", GROUP="users", MODE="0664"

The GROUP bit is the one you care about.  You need to add yourself to whatever group is listed there.  Then you need to log out and log back in as the change will only take effect at login.

If that's not what the udev rules file says, then posting the output of

$ grep 0921 /etc/udev/rules.d/*qhy*

and

$ id

might help.

James

[JanH]

Good pigeons return...

Lin_guider is good guiding program, fast and reliable. I can see what it is doing and I feel as I have full control over the guiding process. Recently I bought QHY5P II mono as a second guide camera and in the future  for other purposes (solar maybe...). It's not supported by Lin Guider (should have checked in advance) so I started looking for other guiding program. I tried PHD but it's rubbish. Can't set even camera resolution, no access to any settings, calibration takes ages (apply to 5L too) and QHY5P is very slow all over (on lenovo T420s, i7, SSD, 8G RAM). I got little bit angry when processing some DSO images from "DSLR" so I ordered QH9 imaging camera (I have birthday soon...) and started looking for ultimate controlling solution. AstroArt seems to be that program, not free but can operate QHY9 imaging camera and QHY5P (or L) as guiding camera simultaneously and 5P is actually working quite fast. Not as fast as 5L but usable. Again guiding is very primitive with no control being given to the user and calibration does not calibrate at all but gives good results. And it supports dithering too, all functions under one roof. Excellent, I only need to keep my larger laptop outside (I need it there for imaging camera anyway but I didn't test yet if QHY5 P-II-m is sensitive enough for OAG at f/4, 8"mirror; 5L-II-m is usually OK).

 

But as I got another EQ mount (thus second guidecamera) I will keep using raspberry Pi 2 with Lin guider and I can't find any info how to establish camera control and dithering. Manual says something about TCP server. That's all. I don't want any USB remote camera control program, all I need is to trigger my camera  in given intervals via a cable (Ground + focus + shutter contacts) connected to Raspberry via RS232-USB or directly to GPIO (+optoinsulator). Sony Nex cameras can't be operated by USB (at least not the older ones).

 

Anyone doing this?