Controlling my goto mount from my nice warm house

[pel]

Hi all ,

I know a few people control their GOTO telescopes using Stellarium, especially the telescope I have now - the Skymax 127 AZ goto.

I just wondered if many people control their setup from inside the house using a webcam as well?

I'm interested to know what issues people have had with this type of setup. I know there is approximately a 5m limit on the length of the USB cables.

I have a Phillips 900NC webcam which I believe is comparable to approximately a 6mm, so I know I will be getting a limited view of things.

This kind of setup would be very handy for me, as I have 2 young children and it would be so much easier controlling the whole thing from indoors where they could keep warm and look at the laptop screen. I'm not sure my 3 year old daughter actually knows enough to move her head around a bit above the eye-piece to see anything.

Thanks for your time, 

Perry.

[emadmoussa]

I had a similar set-up.

I used a USB hub on the mount outside (where camera and focuser were connected), and a 5m USB cable repeater from the hub into my laptop inside the kitchen.

[jgs001]

I leave a laptop connected to the mount for control outside, on the wireless network, then use VNC on my phone or another computer in the house to control it. I use the phone to control it, even when I'm outside with it, as I'm into imaging, and I don't want to go near/touch anything around the mount when it's running, and I use VNC to start the imaging run, check on how things are progressing, confirm all is ok etc.

[pel]

I had a similar set-up.

I used a USB hub on the mount outside (where camera and focuser were connected), and a 5m USB cable repeater from the hub into my laptop inside the kitchen.

Hi Emad , did it work well? Was it worth doing?

[pel]

I leave a laptop connected to the mount for control outside, on the wireless network, then use VNC on my phone or another computer in the house to control it. I use the phone to control it, even when I'm outside with it, as I'm into imaging, and I don't want to go near/touch anything around the mount when it's running, and I use VNC to start the imaging run, check on how things are progressing, confirm all is ok etc.

Hi John , It sounds like you have a very good imaging setup. I had to spend a lot of time in the garden when I was imaging. On the plus side I made friends with a lot of Hedge-Hogs.

[Sandancer10]

I have my laptop and everything indoors and it's much better, especially on the 4 Nov when it was freezing outside. I use a split screen on my laptop, 1 for Stellarium and the other for my camera control. I don't use a webcam, but I have been loaned one to try out so may give it a go.  If you have problems with the cable length you can use 5 metre USB cables connected together up to 20 metres, but they must be repeater cables. I got mine from Astronmiser.

[jgs001]

Hi John , It sounds like you have a very good imaging setup. I had to spend a lot of time in the garden when I was imaging. On the plus side I made friends with a lot of Hedge-Hogs.

Thanks, I still spend a lot of time in the garden... either with binoculars or my ST80 clone on a camera tripod. Not seen any hedgehogs, or other wildlife though I have heard them rummaging.

[emadmoussa]

Hi Emad , did it work well? Was it worth doing?

I had the following connected to the hub:

Guide camera

Canon 1100D

Mount (NEQ6 though EQDir)

USB controlled focuser (Skywatcher auto focuser and Astro Tec USB focus controller)

Then from the hub I had a 5 meter USB repeater cable into the computer..

Worked well, and didn't see  any signal loss.

I'd say more than 5-meters is not recommended - from my experience at least.

[pel]

Thanks, I still spend a lot of time in the garden... either with binoculars or my ST80 clone on a camera tripod. Not seen any hedgehogs, or other wildlife though I have heard them rummaging.

It seems a weird hobby sometimes doesn't it :-)

[pel]

I had the following connected to the hub:

Guide camera

Canon 1100D

Mount (NEQ6 though EQDir)

USB controlled focuser (Skywatcher auto focuser and Astro Tec USB focus controller)

Then from the hub I had a 5 meter USB repeater cable into the computer..

Worked well, and didn't see  any signal loss.

I'd say more than 5-meters is not recommended - from my experience at least.

It sounds like you have a very good setup too Emad.

I have an 1100D and Backyard EOS, I will give that a go on the telescope. I know it will be a bit heavy, but it may be alright if I am just using it for remote viewing.

[Russe]

I had the following connected to the hub:

Guide camera

Canon 1100D

Mount (NEQ6 though EQDir)

USB controlled focuser (Skywatcher auto focuser and Astro Tec USB focus controller)

Then from the hub I had a 5 meter USB repeater cable into the computer..

Worked well, and didn't see  any signal loss.

I'd say more than 5-meters is not recommended - from my experience at least.

The USB controlled focuser - where did you get it? I can't seem to find one for my SW 130pds...

As for warm house control - I use logmein.com and keep a small laptop outside by my rig.

[Russe]

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/astronomy-cables-leads-accessories/hitecastro-dc-focus-controller.html

[Russe]

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/astronomy-cables-leads-accessories/skywatcher-auto-focuser.html

[Russe]

http://www.opticalvision.co.uk/astronomical_accessories/Focusers

[jambouk]

I use long active usb leads for the camera, and a long cat6e ethernet lead for the handset, and an sit in my dining room with the kit 15m away in the garden. With my old 127 mak i did he same and had an electric focuser on a 15m extension too... In fact most of those leads are still coiled up in my garage. I'm planning to sort out an electric focuser for the new mak too.

I keep dreaming of an observatory and a warm room

James

[Russe]

I use long active usb leads for the camera, and a long cat6e ethernet lead for the handset, and an sit in my dining room with the kit 15m away in the garden. With my old 127 mak i did he same and had an electric focuser on a 15m extension too... In fact most of those leads are still coiled up in my garage. I'm planning to sort out an electric focuser for the new mak too.

I keep dreaming of an observatory and a warm room

James

I need to get long leads too...

What did you buy again?

I need a camera USB cable (Canon450D) and the handset extension (HEQ5 Pro Goto).

[Russe]

Cat6 would do it as well?!

[jambouk]

My active usb leads were off ebay. If you want i can search back through my account but it was over 6 months ago.

I'm not the person to ask really about leads. For me, for whatever reason, i found a cat5 or a cat6 didn't work, but a cat6e did - i don't even know the difference between them. Maybe start a new thread about that.

The canon is just a mini usb one end and a normal usb the other. Again i've just used a standard active usb lead and taped over the connection of the short mini usb lead to the extension lead near to the telescope. But always the risk of moisture getting in and causing a short circuit. Again, i'm no expert on this.

James

[jambouk]

My active usb leads were off ebay. If you want i can search back through my account but it was over 6 months ago.

I'm not the person to ask really about leads. For me, for whatever reason, i found a cat5 or a cat6 didn't work, but a cat6e did - i don't even know the difference between them. Maybe start a new thread about that.

The canon is just a mini usb one end and a normal usb the other. Again i've just used a standard active usb lead and taped over the connection of the short mini usb lead to the extension lead near to the telescope. But always the risk of moisture getting in and causing a short circuit. Again, i'm no expert on this.

James

[LouisJB]

why is an electronic focuser useful? Once you've focused on something far away, it doesn't change during the session?

I put my laptop outside but once the guiding is working I program the exposures then can come indoors while it's shooting.

Probably next step will be remote desktop to that laptop from another over wifi, that way I can see what everything it up to while going outside.

Still don't get the focuser thing, maybe my focusing is not yet accurate enough to require it. I thought the idea was live-view or focusing mask, focus on a bright star then don't touch it. Is this some sort of active refocusing? If so what about mirror/focuser movement, it only operates when exposures are not being taken?

Excuse my ignorance. Learning here and would like a remote setup for colder nights. Probably I'll get the camera triggering from the laptop also then all can be done remotely over wifi. Distance from my setup to my indoor location is far to far for USB cables.

[jambouk]

For my 127 mak, it was easiest to focus with the electric device as using the knob by hand made the scope shake so much it would take an age to settle. Also i have only really imaged planets and the moon, and to sit in the nice warm dining room and to be able to tweak the focus whilst looking at the webcam image on screen was easier, plus the focus shifts slightly theoughout the night i think as the scope temperature and ambient temperature changes, and as the altitude of the planet or changes.

In the chapter on imaging jupiter in in the the 2014 yearbook of astronomy, the author suggests an electric focus is an essential bit of kit for the planetary imager, so he or she can stare at the monitor and alter the focus ever so slightly without diverting their gaze. Again, once the scope is aligned, all this stuff can be done from the comfort of indoor; move the scope (long handset lead), see up the scope (long usb to web can lead), and focus the scope (long electric focuser lead); i even experimented with a second webcam on my finder scope with a second long usb lead and a second window on the computer...

James

[jambouk]

What is your distance?

James

[LouisJB]

thanks for the explanation, makes more sense now. I've only dabbled at planetary imaging so far, not something I'm specialised into (not got the OTA for it at the moment anyway), good to know for the future though.

My distance? well depends, if I'm just inside the conservatory about 5-10ft, when watching TV on the sofa, about 50ft or more and the lead would stop the doors closing too.

Think what I'll do is transfer my imaging from my mac book pro to my spare older mac book, that doesn't have the metal body - then dew shouldn't be such an issue. I worry about the mac book pro getting very cold and then damp outside for hours on end. The other mac book I'm not worried about at all. With remote desktop that should be quite good. In fact I'd probably do a hybrid. USB hub, long USB to spare imaging laptop just inside the house, then wifi to that from any where around the house.

How do people control their shutters on DSLRs? I think I did have a USB tethering shutter control setup and working but it was ages ago, that could be useful again now. I've a Pixel  wireless shutter controller that I use at the moment (it's great), but doing it all from the PC now seems to make even more sense.

[jambouk]

You could manage 50ft with usb leads, especially if you put a hub in it; depends if the lead is powering something or just transmitting data; mine can power my asi120mc camera over 15m off the laptop battery in the cold.

You could put the leads through a window and use pipe lagging clipped onto the window to give a semi-tight seal without cutting the leads (i do this with my conservatory door).

Dslr - software like backyard eos can do all that remotely.

James

[LouisJB]

I'm a maverick non - Canon user I like to be different.

Hopefully wi-fi is easiest for me, since I have that setup already. I'd have to get through 2 lots of French doors and down the length of the front room, that's going to be ugly. I could probably route it somehow through walls but that sounds difficult. I didn't realise you could make USB run _that_ far. Useful to know. As I mention USB from local PC to outdoor PC would be good, then that is the local imaging machine which I can then remote control onto. I'll have to give that a go sometime soon.

Having all those wires outside in the dark also seems to be a bit of a trip hazard, some cable tidies and a local USB hub sounds good, to keep the wiring at the telescope as simple as possible.

Is it cheating to be able to image from indoors?