Software for auto controlling mounts

[bomberbaz]

Ok so moving on from this http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/245367-dealing-with-the-wires-and-tangles/

Thus far I have only experimented with stellarium so far which works well but is limited in that you cannot manually move the scope from the desk. That is to say you cannot use the alt/az movements from the pc and have to use the "click object and slew mode" if you get what I mean.

So does any software allow you to not only click and slew but also use the alt/az mode of the mount. I ask this as it will allow me to be able to manually get to objects and also keep an eye on my trailing wires. 

TIA

Steve

[Tinker1947]

i would have thought EQMod would allow you to input coordinates then slew to them.......

[bomberbaz]

i would have thought EQMod would allow you to input coordinates then slew to them.......

Tinker, I am not sure you get my meaning. Stellarium will slew to objects, I want to be able to manually slew using my pc keypad. Also I am using a goto dob mount and not an EQ if that makes any difference.

Steve

[Ant]

I use a playstation 3 controller with EQmod.

I can use the direction buttons and the analogue stick to move the mount - I've also programmed the left and right triggers to increase and decrease the slew speeds.

Cheers

Ant

[bomberbaz]

Cjheers ant, I just checked out the webpage But will EQmod work with a Synscan dob base, not sure. Guess it wont hurt to try.

[happy-kat]

Have you looked at the Bluetooth or cable adaptor that is on the virtuoso thread as it works with lots of mounts. Just something different.

[Tinker1947]

With EQMod there's the option to slew by buttons on the GUi, Slew by using a X-Box wireless game controller, slew by Stellarium ....I have a Syscan Dobe, never tried it, but i would expect it to work as it has a PC interface.....

[Ant]

You can do it straight out of the box, using EQmod.

I've just tried it in simulator mode and it worked fine, so at least you can test without buying anything else.

When you connect your guiding or planetarium software up to the mount, you get the EQmod red/black UI. Obviously u park the mount and set tracking going. You'll see a little button called PAD, this open another pop up box which lets you click within the box to move the mount in that direction, I'm guessing the the further from centre you click the fast it moves, but I haven't tried that.

But this new box enables you to use the keyboard direction arrows to control the mount. This I have just tried and it works fine.

Hope this helps.

Ant

[bomberbaz]

You can do it straight out of the box, using EQmod.

I've just tried it in simulator mode and it worked fine, so at least you can test without buying anything else.

When you connect your guiding or planetarium software up to the mount, you get the EQmod red/black UI. Obviously u park the mount and set tracking going. You'll see a little button called PAD, this open another pop up box which lets you click within the box to move the mount in that direction, I'm guessing the the further from centre you click the fast it moves, but I haven't tried that.

But this new box enables you to use the keyboard direction arrows to control the mount. This I have just tried and it works fine.

Hope this helps.

Ant

do you have the DL link by any chance ant 

[Ant]

[removed word], sorry to get your hopes up, EQmod cannot be used in alt Az mode / scopes...

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/179353-eqmod-in-alt-az-mode/

Karl (http://stargazerslounge.com/user/28683-spacedout/), must have worked out a way of doing it...

Ant

[shirva]

Hi.

use your synscan hand controller as an interface.. you can manually slew via the key pad and fitting an rj 9 or rj11 extension cable run it to your pc via the serial to usb converter. . Can still use stellarium..

[shirva]

Does your mount not have dual encoders.manual slew via unlocking mount and miving by hand

[bomberbaz]

Hi.

use your synscan hand controller as an interface.. you can manually slew via the key pad and fitting an rj 9 or rj11 extension cable run it to your pc via the serial to usb converter. . Can still use stellarium..

you read my mind shirva, I have literally just ordered a extension cable from amazon and I will run the handset through to where my pc station is sat, I can then still link up with stellarium and use the handset for fine tuning tweaks. The repeater cable I have will then be used to link up to the spotter scope I am ordering and hopefully everything will be peachy, here's hoping     

[Spacedout]

Hello Steve,

I simply use my hand controller.  I have it on a short cable that plugs into the socket under my desk.  I tried the other various methods including Sky-Fi where I use my iPad to control everything but fine tuning was a nightmare.  No the HC for me is best and I only use Stellarium to choose which objects to view and the information about them.

Cheers

Karl

[Dragon Man]

Hello Steve,

I simply use my hand controller.  I have it on a short cable that plugs into the socket under my desk.  I tried the other various methods including Sky-Fi where I use my iPad to control everything but fine tuning was a nightmare.  No the HC for me is best and I only use Stellarium to choose which objects to view and the information about them.

Cheers

Karl

Same with me karl.

I've tried EQmod but it just wasn't accurate enough and didn't always play fair.

So I prefer to use the original hand controller from inside the house on an extended cable, and use Star programs only as star maps.

Simplicity always works 

[stash_old]

Yon can control a ALT/AZ mount from software(ALT/AZ not EQ) using the Brazlian Ascom plug  in - see http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/189541-pc-control-of-sky-watcher-virtuoso-mount/

You don't need their cable you can make your own as it converts RS232c to TTL - no hand controller but you need to access the mount via Skysafari 4(android app £9)  (wireless or bluetooth) if you require  remote key pad control.

I use a raspberry Pi as a middle man connected via wireless AP(old Linksys router) as it gives me numerous other options - the USB to TTL device plus into the PI USB port  (no drivers needed), 3 wires (TX/RX GND),power the USB to TTl 5v from another source as PI doesn't have the power. Just need ser2net loaded on the PI to route commands from SkySafari4 or CDC/Stellarium etc (Don't mix it gets upset).

So there are other methods but my back up is always the handset for simplicity as Dragonman says especially in the field.

Hope that gives you an idea or two