EQMOD can't connect: Skywatcher EQ5 Synscan

[Geoff_L]

I'm at my wit's end with this and would appreciate a little help as I guess that I'm missing something simple!

My EQ5 works fine with Stellarium via the Telescope Control Plugin connected directly via COM5. However, I'm trying to set up this mount for guided imaging, and understand that I'll need ASCOM, EQMOD and PHD2 -- so getting EQMOD and ASCOM 'talking' to the mount seems essential.

I've followed the instructions as far as I can in this tutorial, but when I try to connect EQMOD by clicking the ASCOM Connect button in the EQASCOM Toolbox dialog, I get a "Connect Error, Timeout" message (see attached screenshot). I've also attached a screenshot of my driver setup. Although I can't get my EQMOD to connect with my mount, it connects fine with the simulated mount using the same EQMOD Port Details settings.

My machine is Windows 7 Pro (64-bit) and I've installed the following so far:

• ASCOMPlatform63.exe
• EQASCOM_V200i_Setup.exe
• SkyWatcher(6.0.5999)Setup.exe

I noticed that the EQMOD window (the one that shows the error) suggests that my mount is HEQ5/6 rather than EQ5, but I haven't been able to find a more promising candidate.

Also, I'm hoping that an option to connect via ASCOM will appear in the Stellarium Telescope Control Plugin once ASCOM/EQMOD are correctly set up, as I can't find any 'Exernal Software' options in the plugin that don't require a hostname/IP address and TCP port No. So help with this would also be appreciated.

Thanks, Geoff

[belfieldi]

Geoff,

I use StellariumScope rather than the Telescope Control Plug-in. You can download a copy from http://welshdragoncomputing.ca/x/index.php/home/stellariumscope/download-stellariumscope.

 

Clear skies

Ian

[Andyk93]

I followed this when I first started. It worked first time, I have since changed to using CDC because I find it better than stellarium. 

http://www.lightvortexastronomy.com/tutorial-setting-up-an-equatorial-mount-on-ascom-with-eqmod-stellarium-and-cartes-du-ciel.html

the only time I have seen that error is when my eqmod cable was faulty/broken

[Geoff_L]

5 minutes ago, belfieldi said:

Geoff,

I use StellariumScope rather than the Telescope Control Plug-in. You can download a copy from http://welshdragoncomputing.ca/x/index.php/home/stellariumscope/download-stellariumscope.

 

Clear skies

Ian

Thanks, that should solve the issue of how to connect Stellarium to EQMOD. I've bookmarked that link for when I have EQMOD working.

Much appreciated,

Geoff

[belfieldi]

Geoff,

 

One other thing, are you sure that COM Port 5 is still correct? Unplugging the EqDirect cable or turning off your PC or using a different USB port can all cause the COM Port to change.

Ian

[Geoff_L]

Just now, belfieldi said:

[...] are you sure that COM Port 5 is still correct? [...]

Thanks again. AFAICT, it's still correct. Device Manager still shows "USB-SERIAL CH340 (COM5)" and if I disconnect ASCOM then re-start Stellarium I can control the mount via COM5.

Clear skies,

Geoff

[bottletopburly]

i found my first eqdirect cable gave me more problems ,then i changed it to one that used the fdti chipset  works far better ,more reliable , search the eqmod yahoo group there may be a timeout thread  https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/EQMOD/info .

[Geoff_L]

13 minutes ago, bottletopburly said:

i found my first eqdirect cable gave me more problems ,then i changed it to one that used the fdti chipset  works far better ,more reliable , search the eqmod yahoo group there may be a timeout thread  https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/EQMOD/info .

Thanks. FWIW I joined the EQMOD group yesterday but only just got approved.

That said, Stellarium can directly connect using the same hardware, which suggested to me that the issue is probably the driver or configuration. The cheapest FTDI cable I've found so far costs about £12 -- but if it'll resolve the issue it'll be money well spent.

Thanks again, and clear skies,

Geoff

[Geoff_L]

PROBLEM RESOLVED:

Many thanks for the help. For info, I was drifting off to sleep watching some YouTube videos from Chris, who I understand is the developer, when a portion of one video dealt with some reasons for connection errors. In my case, it was because I hadn't selected "PC Direct" on the handset. While this isn't required when driving the mount with Stellarium directly, it turns out that it is if you're using ASCOM. (D'oh!)

Thanks again to all, and clear skies,

Geoff

[spillage]

Glad you resolved it. I was reading the post and was going to mention this as I still forget this from time to time. You might find cdc much better than stellarium. It may seem hard work to start off with but its so worth putting in the effort. I would also like to mention that you do not need to set up anything on the handset (not sure if you do) just pc direct.

 

[chrisshillito]

On 28/02/2017 at 22:17, Geoff_L said:

 I was drifting off to sleep watching some YouTube videos from Chris

Yes, I can have that effect!

[Geoff_L]

@chrisshillito: It wasn't your videos, it was that I was watching them past the time I normally turn in when I have work the following day. I woke up fairly quickly when I heard you discussing connection errors and wished I'd watched those videos before trying to drive the mount from my computer. An hour spent watching your excellent videos would have saved me a lot of time in the long run, and you have my thanks for posting them to YouTube -- and for your sterling work on EQASCOM.

Thanks and clear skies,

Geoff

[richyrich_one]

What's the advantage in using the handset?

Surely it's better to just use the eqdir cable direct to the mount, no?

[Merlin66]

Rich,

Notwithstanding the concerns raised re possible "issues/problems" with EQMOD - I have and use the handcontroller connection at times....I can still use the handcontroller to give me RA/Dec movements. No issues, no drama (as yet!)

 

[Geoff_L]

8 hours ago, richyrich_one said:

What's the advantage in using the handset?

Surely it's better to just use the eqdir cable direct to the mount, no?

While that might work with the HEQ5, it won't with my EQ5 Pro as the connectors on the control box are different. That is, the PC-Direct cable won't physically fit in the handset port of the control box. I suspect there might be a special cable or adapter to allow the handset to be taken out of the setup, but I don't have that.

Clear skies,

Geoff

[spillage]

Hi Geoff,

 

The eqdirect lead allows you to remove the handset from the setup. This means less leads. You can then use a bluetooth controller playstaion/xbox via eqmod to control the mount if needed.

This is the lead here and here is some info on its use (the is further down the page).

 

[Serhii Solohub]

On 08/03/2017 at 19:03, Geoff_L said:

While that might work with the HEQ5, it won't with my EQ5 Pro as the connectors on the control box are different. That is, the PC-Direct cable won't physically fit in the handset port of the control box. I suspect there might be a special cable or adapter to allow the handset to be taken out of the setup, but I don't have that.

Clear skies,

Geoff

Hello. So, do you need to use the handset control as intermediate dedice between PC with EQMOD and SynScan EQ5 mount controller device ?

[M40]

Hello Serhil and welcome to the site. I doubt you will get a response from the original poster so hopefully this will help. You have two options, the first is to use the FTDI eqdir cable between mount and laptop. This then enables you to take the handset out of the system. Alternatively, the late version handsets have a usb port. By plugging a usb cable between handset and laptop the handset remains in the system. This currently my method as I haven't quite got into all of the software yet so this enables me to use the handset to star align and center the stars. 

Have a look through this topic here as it my be helpful....

 

[Serhii Solohub]

1 minute ago, M40 said:

Hello Serhil and welcome to the site. I doubt you will get a response from the original poster so hopefully this will help. You have two options, the first is to use the FTDI eqdir cable between mount and laptop. This then enables you to take the handset out of the system. Alternatively, the late version handsets have a usb port. By plugging a usb cable between handset and laptop the handset remains in the system. This currently my method as I haven't quite got into all of the software yet so this enables me to use the handset to star align and center the stars. 

Have a look through this topic here as it my be helpful....

 

Hello M40, and thnx for the reply. I have SynScan EQ5 controller, but the handset is missing. As I understand, I can (theoretically) connect a PC with EQASCOM installed to that controller using EQDirect-USB way. But, if I have understood correctly, the topicstarter had some issues with this kinf of connection. The controller needs a small repair, so I wonder whether it worth it or not, cause if I will not be able to connect EQMOD to this SynScan EQ5 without handset then I will not be able to connect it at all. After you reply, I think, it worth it to try.

[M40]

I connected mine initially with eqascom and an ftdi eqdir cable. No handset. Once the drivers were downloaded, it just worked first time. Start eqascom setup first, search for the usb port and when it finds it, click ok then start eqmod. After that, you should be able to drive your mount from the laptop without anything else. There are quite a few video's on youtube that you can use, search out Martins astrophotography for a few clues. Don't get a cheap eqdir cable, get the ftdi eqdir cable. Enjoy.

[Serhii Solohub]

33 minutes ago, M40 said:

I connected mine initially with eqascom and an ftdi eqdir cable. No handset. Once the drivers were downloaded, it just worked first time. Start eqascom setup first, search for the usb port and when it finds it, click ok then start eqmod. After that, you should be able to drive your mount from the laptop without anything else. There are quite a few video's on youtube that you can use, search out Martins astrophotography for a few clues. Don't get a cheap eqdir cable, get the ftdi eqdir cable. Enjoy.

Thnx for the reply ! looks like a regular EQMOD connection routine. I think I will try to solder the EQDir-USB or EQDIR-ST232 with myself.

[malc-c]

17 hours ago, Serhii Solohub said:

Thnx for the reply ! looks like a regular EQMOD connection routine. I think I will try to solder the EQDir-USB or EQDIR-ST232 with myself.

And then risk  blowing the motor board... If you want to make your own EQDIR cable purchase a genuine FTDI 232-5V cable from the manufactures - cost will be around £18 ( don't get the 3.3v version as you may have communication issues as the TTL logic levels are too low for the mount to detect them).  Then identify the TX, RX and GND wires, and remove the others.  Terminate the three wires with an RJ45 as per the prerequisite page on the EQMOD website.  However for another £15 you can purchase a ready made and tested cable that is three or four times the length and without the hassle.  You also have some form of comeback if it fails anytime in the 12 months after.

Do not use a standard USB to serial adaptor... that will blow the board.

[mikeyj1]

try the 'toolbox' in eqascom -  it has a network port finder, 'driver setup; i use that every time before connect, just in case i swapped a cable over!  If that doesn't see the port as 'COM'X', then look in the device manager and check what com ports are active.. 

PS: the mount shows as heq5 for me also.. with my AZEQ6-GT

...sorry i jumped in a bit fast there...looks like you've already tried that out now i've read the full post

 

Edited April 30, 2021 by mikeyj1

[Serhii Solohub]

On 30/04/2021 at 14:43, malc-c said:

And then risk  blowing the motor board... If you want to make your own EQDIR cable purchase a genuine FTDI 232-5V cable from the manufactures - cost will be around £18 ( don't get the 3.3v version as you may have communication issues as the TTL logic levels are too low for the mount to detect them).  Then identify the TX, RX and GND wires, and remove the others.  Terminate the three wires with an RJ45 as per the prerequisite page on the EQMOD website.  However for another £15 you can purchase a ready made and tested cable that is three or four times the length and without the hassle.  You also have some form of comeback if it fails anytime in the 12 months after.

Do not use a standard USB to serial adaptor... that will blow the board.

I just wonder... Why does the regular USB-TTL can blow a motor board ?.. What if I will plug it in the PC and solder GND, RX and TX to the RJ-45 connector, as it described on the EQMOD pre-requisits page ( http://eq-mod.sourceforge.net/reqindex.html ) :

Quote

You will need to splice a RJ45 cable to the flying lead of the TTL232R. Connect as follows:

Solder Pin 4 of the RJ45 to the TTL232R Black wire (GND)
Solder Pin 5 of the RJ45 to the TTL232R Yellow wire (RXD)
Solder Pin 6 of the RJ45 to the TTL232R Orange wire (TXD)

As I understand, the only thing I have to think about in that case is that USB-TTL musqt have RX and TX at 5V... Or am I wrong ?

[malc-c]

8 hours ago, Serhii Solohub said:

I just wonder... Why does the regular USB-TTL can blow a motor board ?.. What if I will plug it in the PC and solder GND, RX and TX to the RJ-45 connector, as it described on the EQMOD pre-requisits page ( http://eq-mod.sourceforge.net/reqindex.html ) :

As I understand, the only thing I have to think about in that case is that USB-TTL musqt have RX and TX at 5V... Or am I wrong ?

The wiring of an EQDIR connector is different from a standard USB to serial adaptor.  True RS232 also operates at +/- 12v rather than 0-5v TTL levels, so even if you do wire up the pins as per the EQMOD website you end up shoving 12v or more into the PIC microcontroller and it blows. That's why I gave you the manufactures part number from the FTDI website.