SkyFi with an AZEQ6 SynScan

[Stu]

Hi

Does anyone know which cable I need to connect these two? Where is best to source one?

Cheers

Stu

[russ.will]

If I may be so bold, the Astro Devices Nexus-S is a better bit of kit than Sky-fi, of which I've had two - One blew up and the RS232 socket fell off the board on the other.

The Nexus-S is smaller, comes supplied with the correct cable for connecting to SW mount/handset and is powered by the mount/handset depending on the mount in question. Download the user manual from the bottom of downloads page. Of course, bar a little renaming in Sky Safari settings, it behaves exactly the same.

If in any doubt, or in need of a custom cable, email Serge - He is very quick and detailed with his replies and won't leave you providing your own support via an FAQ or a third part forum. It landed on my doorstep in under five days.

Russell

[m.tweedy]

be careful. there are known problems with the AZ EQ6 that to my knowledge have not been resolved

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/187913-sky-safari-issues-with-a-skywatcher-az-eq6-gt-mount/

[m.tweedy]

back on topic astronomiser do the cables.

the pin outs are on the sky safari website that i emailed to andy when i requested mine from him (a while ago now)

[m.tweedy]

http://www.southernstars.com/products/skyfi/serial.html

[Stu]

Thanks Russ and Michael.

Russ, I do have a Nexus unit on my Sumerian so may give that a go. Will need a cable still. Does anyone know if there are issues with AZEQ6 with the Nexus?

Michael, many thanks. Has there been any update on a fix for the SkyFi problem do you know?

Btw, would you like me to send your Skywire back to you?? I found I had it still in my box of goodies :-). Let me know :-)

[m.tweedy]

i have not heard of a fix. i suggest you join the yahoo group 

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/southern_stars/conversations/topics

they will have more information. I have the standard NEQ6 pro that has worked flawlessly since i got the skyfi box and run it through the ipad.

it would be nice to have the skywire back once you are up and running. pm me when you are done with it and i will let you know where to send it.

[Scooot]

Thanks Russ and Michael.

Russ, I do have a Nexus unit on my Sumerian so may give that a go. Will need a cable still. Does anyone know if there are issues with AZEQ6 with the Nexus?

Michael, many thanks. Has there been any update on a fix for the SkyFi problem do you know?

Btw, would you like me to send your Skywire back to you?? I found I had it still in my box of goodies :-). Let me know :-)

Hi Stu, the nexus you have with the Dob isn't the same, you need the Nexus S with the Synscan, the good news is it's cheaper than the other one

[Stu]

Thanks Russ and Michael.

Russ, I do have a Nexus unit on my Sumerian so may give that a go. Will need a cable still. Does anyone know if there are issues with AZEQ6 with the Nexus?

Michael, many thanks. Has there been any update on a fix for the SkyFi problem do you know?

Btw, would you like me to send your Skywire back to you?? I found I had it still in my box of goodies :-). Let me know :-)

Hi Stu, the nexus you have with the Dob isn't the same, you need the Nexus S with the Synscan, the good news is it's cheaper than the other one

Thanks Richard, do you know whether it works with the AZEQ6 ok?

Stu

[Scooot]

Thanks Richard, do you know whether it works with the AZEQ6 ok?

Stu

No sorry, but judging by how well the other one works I'd be amazed if it doesn't. Serge is extremely helpful, he'd let you know if there were any problems.

[Stu]

Many thanks. I'll ask the question..... :-)

[Helen]

Is the problem the skyfi cable or the software? Does your skiyfi have a serial end on it? If so it should attach to the handset via the cream cable which I thought I included with the mount (if its missing shout). If your Sky-fi does not have the serial connector I have one you can borrow to test. If you have android then there's a cheap way of getting bluetooth support via a bt adapter.

Helen

[Stu]

Is the problem the skyfi cable or the software? Does your skiyfi have a serial end on it? If so it should attach to the handset via the cream cable which I thought I included with the mount (if its missing shout). If your Sky-fi does not have the serial connector I have one you can borrow to test. If you have android then there's a cheap way of getting bluetooth support via a bt adapter.

Helen

Thanks Helen. The answer is a bit of both!

I do have the cream cable which goes from the handset to a serial connector, but the SkyFi has either a USB or a similar connector to the handset (if that makes sense?) I guess a serial to USB cable may work?

The next issue is software related in that a number of people have reported problems with SkyFi not working correctly with the AZEQ6. I think there has been a new firmware release V3.37?) which may fix it but I've not seen any info on that.

It's not the end of the world, but would be nice to get it working.

[Helen]

The Skywire cable I have has a male serial connector on one end which fits the female connector on the skywatcher cable (which then fits the handset) and the (older) apple connector on the other - would that be worth a try for you?

Helen

[johnpd]

 The SkyFi has both a serial and USB plug available. The cable that comes with the AZ-EQ6 will allow you to connect the hand controller to the SkyFi using the serial plug. I have the Orion version of the SkyFi. It does allow you to run the mount with SkySafari (and probably other software). I use an iPad to do it. However, I have run into some problems starting with firmware v3.36 (v3.35 was not good at all). Synta made a change on how they send data to computers (they changed the Epoch). I am not sure if that is the cause of the problem. I usually use my AZ-EQ6 in Alt-Az mode. There are occasions where a slew ends up short of the mark. If I select to slew to the object again, it then lands on the object. There were a very few cases where it slews to the middle of nowhere. I was using a slightly older version of  SkySafari 4 at the time. I have not tried it again after updating to the current version of SkySafari. I am still at Synta firmware v3.36 as the release notes for v3.37 did not mention any change that might appear to affect the problem. I might try another program to see if it is a SkySafari problem or a Synta problem. Other than that, the AZ-EQ6 is a great mount.

JohnD

[Stu]

The Skywire cable I have has a male serial connector on one end which fits the female connector on the skywatcher cable (which then fits the handset) and the (older) apple connector on the other - would that be worth a try for you?

Helen

Thanks very much for the offer Helen.  Having checked, that sounds exactly like the Skywire cable I have on loan from Michael. It does not allow me to use the SkyFi unit, but does allow the iPhone to be connected straight to the SynScan unit using the cream cable which came with the mount.  I have just briefly tried this, and it seems to work.  I started the mount from the home position, and then started SkySafari.  It picked up the correct location, and then I slewed to Jupiter and it looked to be pretty much bang on where I would expect it at this time of day. I wonder, if I align via SkySafari rather than using the Synscan, maybe it will work?  Anyway, will give it a go and see what happens tonight, skies look clear.

Next step would be to find a cable to connect to the SkyFi unit for wireless connection

Thanks for your help!

Cheers

Stu

[Stu]

 The SkyFi has both a serial and USB plug available. The cable that comes with the AZ-EQ6 will allow you to connect the hand controller to the SkyFi using the serial plug. I have the Orion version of the SkyFi. It does allow you to run the mount with SkySafari (and probably other software). I use an iPad to do it. However, I have run into some problems starting with firmware v3.36 (v3.35 was not good at all). Synta made a change on how they send data to computers (they changed the Epoch). I am not sure if that is the cause of the problem. I usually use my AZ-EQ6 in Alt-Az mode. There are occasions where a slew ends up short of the mark. If I select to slew to the object again, it then lands on the object. There were a very few cases where it slews to the middle of nowhere. I was using a slightly older version of  SkySafari 4 at the time. I have not tried it again after updating to the current version of SkySafari. I am still at Synta firmware v3.36 as the release notes for v3.37 did not mention any change that might appear to affect the problem. I might try another program to see if it is a SkySafari problem or a Synta problem. Other than that, the AZ-EQ6 is a great mount.

JohnD

Thanks very much John.

I have the cable which goes from the SynScan to a female serial 9 pin connector.  I assume I then need a 9 pin male serial to either USB or the RJ type connector on the SkyFi?  Can you confirm which you use and where you sourced it from?

Do you align on the Synscan first, and then start and connect SkySafari?  I just tried starting from the home position and then slewing to a target and it seemed to work.  I am assuming that SkyWire and SkyFi will behave in the same way, is that a fair assumption?

Cheers

Stu

[m.tweedy]

sky safari say you have to do the normal align first with the handset then join the network.

i got a bespoke cable from astronomiser to link directly from the handset to the skyfi box without the need to have a serial connection in the middle.

the pin outs should be in the link above. 

[m.tweedy]

yes the skywire and skyfi work in exactly the same way

[Stu]

Funny, I was doing a two star align earlier and the second star kept going way off. I couldn't work it out and gave up in the end.

I worked out that I had been pointing it at Arcturus and telling the mount it was Vega!! DOH!!

Other than pure incompetence, I blame the fact that I could only see about two stars in total anyway, probably best to wait until dark next time

[johnpd]

Thanks very much John.

I have the cable which goes from the SynScan to a female serial 9 pin connector.  I assume I then need a 9 pin male serial to either USB or the RJ type connector on the SkyFi?  Can you confirm which you use and where you sourced it from?

Do you align on the Synscan first, and then start and connect SkySafari?  I just tried starting from the home position and then slewing to a target and it seemed to work.  I am assuming that SkyWire and SkyFi will behave in the same way, is that a fair assumption?

Cheers

Stu

The SkyFi has a male serial (RS-232) plug. The cable that comes with the AZ-EQ6 has a female serial (RS-232) plug. The other end is either a RS-11 or RS-12 plug which you insert in the hand controller. You need to align the scope first using the hand controller. There is no alignment feature in SkySafari.

  1. Make sure you have configured SkySafari in the "Telescope/Setup" Settings for a "Skywatcher Synscan" Telescope and either a "Equatorial GoTo (German)" or "Alt-Az GoTo" Mount Type depending on how you have the AZ-EQ6 configured.

  2. Plug the SkyFi cable into the hand controller cable and turn on SkyFi.

  3. On your iPad or other mobile device, change the network connection to the SkyFi "network" (very important).

  4. Start SkySafari and tap the Scope/Connect buttons.

  5. SkySafari should then sync to whatever position at which the mount is now pointing.

JohnD

[Stu]

Thanks very much John.

 

I have the cable which goes from the SynScan to a female serial 9 pin connector.  I assume I then need a 9 pin male serial to either USB or the RJ type connector on the SkyFi?  Can you confirm which you use and where you sourced it from?

 

Do you align on the Synscan first, and then start and connect SkySafari?  I just tried starting from the home position and then slewing to a target and it seemed to work.  I am assuming that SkyWire and SkyFi will behave in the same way, is that a fair assumption?

 

Cheers

 

Stu

The SkyFi has a male serial (RS-232) plug. The cable that comes with the AZ-EQ6 has a female serial (RS-232) plug. The other end is either a RS-11 or RS-12 plug which you insert in the hand controller. You need to align the scope first using the hand controller. There is no alignment feature in SkySafari.

 

  1. Make sure you have configured SkySafari in the "Telescope/Setup" Settings for a "Skywatcher Synscan" Telescope and either a "Equatorial GoTo (German)" or "Alt-Az GoTo" Mount Type depending on how you have the AZ-EQ6 configured.

  2. Plug the SkyFi cable into the hand controller cable and turn on SkyFi.

  3. On your iPad or other mobile device, change the network connection to the SkyFi "network" (very important).

  4. Start SkySafari and tap the Scope/Connect buttons.

  5. SkySafari should then sync to whatever position at which the mount is now pointing.

 

JohnD

Many thanks John. Much appreciated.

One problem I have currently is that I have mislaid the SkyFi cable so cannot connect it to the SynScan cable as you mention. I am trying to locate it, I think I know where it's gone but need to retrieve it!!

Once I have it, I'll give your instructions a go

Cheers

Stu

[Stu]

Right, an update....

Firstly thanks for all the assistance.

I managed to rescue my SkyFi cable which nearly got sold with some other kit.

Connecting everything together, I now have wifi connection, and control of the scope via SkySafari. When I connect the scope SkySafari correctly syncs to the parked position. If I slew to Venus or Jupiter it basically goes to the correct place.

Final thing to do is align the scope properly using the SynScan two star alignment. I haven't been able to do that yet because I've not been up late enough to see any stars!!

I am fully expecting some problems though, because I am running v3.35 firmware which I understand has issues. I'll have to do more research if this turns out to be a problem. I think v3.37 is out now, but I've no idea if this has the fix in or not.

On a final note, I heard back from Serge at AstroDevices. He said the Nexus I have should work, and gave me some instructions to follow. If SkyFi doesn't play ball I will try the Nexus.

Cheers,

Stu

[Stu]

A further update on this. I ordered a cable (synscan to nexus) from AstroDevices and it arrived amazingly quickly given it came from Aus!

So last night I tried controlling via the Nexus rather than the SkyFi and everything went very well.

Once I had done a two star align, I was able to connect via the Nexus and slew to targets using SkySafari.

The targets were always in the 2.2 degree fov of the Tak.

I will play around with the SkyFi again to see whether I can get it working reliably.

[Ouroboros]

I hope this is not too silly a question ... If the iPad is talking to SkyFi over the SkyFi network does that mean it can't be used to access the Internet? Or are these entirely separate?