EQDIR/ASCOM

[festoon]

Hello,

I want to control my HEQ5 pro synscan mount via my laptop computer by ASCOM via EQDIR (not through/via synscan handcontroller). I understand there are EQDIR cables you can buy (e.g. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-mounts/lynx-astro-ftdi-eqdir-usb-adapter-for-sky-watcher-eq5-pro-heq5-syntrek-pro-az-eq5-gt-az-eq6-gt-and-eq8-mounts.html). If I understand correctly with EQDIR I connect the PC directly to the RJ45 handset connection on the mount.

However after searching in my garage I thought maybe I have components to do this already. I have a USB to RS232 connector and a RJ45 to RS232 cable (see pics below). If I connet these together will this work or is there something special about the EQDIR cables?

 

[Guest]

festoon, Yes that should work.. just inject the USB to RS232 connector into your computer USB PORT, and make sure you have the driver installed  and connect the RS232 part of the cable into the PORT on your skywatcher hand controller.. Then on your SkyWatcher Hand Controller switch to PC MODE and before doing all this, install the " SkyWatcher SynScan Mount Controller (6.0.5999, June 2016)" and then you should be ready to control the mount via PC and ASCOM

 I also did have the EQ6 and did control the EQ6 exactly this way, well, at the time I did have the EQ6, I had to use another ASCOM SOFTWARE to control the mount, SkyWatcher did develope last year the above mentioned software..

 The cable you intend also to buy does exactly the same, only difference is, if you buy the cable " Lynx Astro FTDI EQDIR USB Adapter" then you would not need the USB to RS232 anymore..

 

Cheers

 

Martin

 

 

[Dr_Ju_ju]

It's worth a shot, it may work if the RS232-RJ45 cable is wired correctly, and the PC driver for the USB\RS232 adaptor is recognised by EQMod (newer Windows 10 drivers don't work)

The RJ45 end needs to be wired as:

Pins 1 & 4 (OrangeWhite & Blue) must be linked together and connected to the 0 volt pin,

Pin 5 (BlueWhite) must go to the RX pin,

Pin 6 (Green) must go to the TX pin

[festoon]

Thank you Martin

Am I able to bypass the handset and just plug the mount to the computer?

[Dr_Ju_ju]

Yes, unplug handset & plug in the cable

[festoon]

Thanks Julian I'll give it a go

Is there anything that can go horribly wrong if say the wiring is incorrect...for the sake of a few pounds I dont want to destroy my HEQ5

[festoon]

OK...so I tried this, and on setting up EQMOD I got as far as trying to find the port. Unfortunately the port could not be found by the software. Any ideas what to try. I know the usb rs232 driver installed OK. I have latest ascom installed. and USB connected directly to mount port (labelled handcontroller)

 

 

[chrisshillito]

13 hours ago, festoon said:

Thanks Julian I'll give it a go

Is there anything that can go horribly wrong if say the wiring is incorrect...for the sake of a few pounds I dont want to destroy my HEQ5

Yes, things can go horribly wrong! Please read the guidance on the EMQOD project website if you are intending to make your own EQDIRect inteface. Note that the mount connector has 12V coming out on at least two of the pins. The input also needs to be ttl not RS232 (true RS232 convertors will be put out 9V signals whichare overrange for the microporcessor uart inputs).

 

[festoon]

Thanks Chris!

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I did have a go, but did not get very far. I have an EQDIR cable on order so will try that next week?

Just out of interest how would I know if I did any damage? I just did a visual session and nothing seemed to be wrong  

[chrisshillito]

If the handcontroller still works then the mount hasn't been damaged. The RS232 convertor may have been damaged but you could perhaps try that out by connecting it to the synscan handcontroller operating in PC-Direct mode (EQMOD should see the mount if all is working).

Chris.

 

[festoon]

Thanks for the very helpful advice Chris ? Top SGL user!

[kroy]

are these EQDIR cables some special or can we just buy say one of these 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=usb+to+rj45+ftdi&sprefix=usb+to+rj%2Caps%2C147&crid=22HM5PFAGOAS0

[kroy]

I mean these are USB to RJ45 FTDI cables so should do the job - unless I am missing something

[Dr_Ju_ju]

I answered your other post, but they are designed for Cisco equipment, so may not work as expected....

[Delasaurus]

Having the same problem with my EQ5, tried both RS232 adapter, RJ direct to network socket on back of PC and USB. None of them worked, won't recognise port with Skywatcher ASCOM driver. Just trying to get it set up on small laptop to see if that works. Normally when stuff like this happens, I do a clean install and dedicate the machine to whatever equipment is installed on the other end of it. Normally works (He says, hesitantly)

[kens]

You cannot use a normal USB to RS232 cable. The mount does not run on RS232 but instead on TTL which among other things is a lower voltage. The EQDIR cable converts down to TTL.

You must connect an RS232 cable via the hand controller in PC Direct mode.

[Delasaurus]

OK, will try that, but seems neither of my putes (via ASCOM base) will recognise any ports at all.  Have just done a fresh reboot and clean install, which normally corrects any probs with loose drivers hanging around in the system. Even with EQDIR, I can't see it working as there are no ports availiable showing in the ASCOM diagnostics .Zilch

 

Am now checking all my cables, so far discovered the one I bought has Synscan written on it..but is not EQDIR! So thats £14 for the one that doesn't work, £20 quid for the extension cable thats no good, another tenner for some RJ cables and adapters, say 15 nicker for the rs232 to RJ..and I now need the EQDIR cable @ £34  ............must be the most expensive cable I've ever bought!

My hunch is that it's the Skywatcher driver downloaded from ASCOM.

[Jkulin]

If it is recognised in the device manager then have a look what com port has been assigned, then in the Ascom setup change the com port to what the device manager is reporting.

If you can't find which com port has been assigned, then slowly go through each one in the Ascom setup, that usually fixes the problem.

[Skipper Billy]

I have found that the 'search for com port' function doesnt find the active port - but if I tell it that its com port 3 (in  my case) it works fine!

[Jkulin]

4 hours ago, Skipper Billy said:

I have found that the 'search for com port' function doesnt find the active port - but if I tell it that its com port 3 (in  my case) it works fine!

Yep had the same issue, that's why I mentioned to slowly go through each.

[Delasaurus]

Strange thing is though, I've got a little table top Meade and all the ASCOM ports are discoverable and viewable under the ASCOM diagnostics but as soon as I load that Skywatcher driver up, all the Com ports disappear from the diagnostics panel, which is why I think there's a glitch in the driver.

[Delasaurus]

On 08/10/2017 at 20:27, Jkulin said:

Yep had the same issue, that's why I mentioned to slowly go through each.

It was the driver as I suspected it was! Use the Celestron Unified driver and it works perfectly with the Synscan. Someone else had the same problem on this forum. Don't buy expensive USB converter as you don't need it...just use standard RS232 interface.

[bottletopburly]

1 hour ago, Delasaurus said:

It was the driver as I suspected it was! Use the Celestron Unified driver and it works perfectly with the Synscan. Someone else had the same problem on this forum. Don't buy expensive USB converter as you don't need it...just use standard RS232 interface.

Be careful you can't just use any old cable needs to be fdti and pins need to be wired correctly as many have found out  the expensive way 

[Delasaurus]

2 hours ago, bottletopburly said:

Be careful you can't just use any old cable needs to be fdti and pins need to be wired correctly as many have found out  the expensive way 

I tried absolutely everything, including a reboot just in case any other software was messing with the drivers, I bought the special RS232 to USB dongle thing and a whole bunch of cables that other people sugested after I ccouldn't get it to work myself. As soon as I loaded that dedicated driver for the Skywatcher from various links including ASCOM, it would not recognise any ports at all, zilch. Completely erased all availiable ports that were showing previously in the ASCOM diagnostics.

But the Celestron driver worked spot on first time, no tweaking, plug and go, with the standard RS232 to RJ connector. You don't need to set the handset to computer either.

Maybe I've been lucky with the RS232 I don't know? It's working perfectly though. At last!

But thanks for your warning....

[bottletopburly]

38 minutes ago, Delasaurus said:

I tried absolutely everything, including a reboot just in case any other software was messing with the drivers, I bought the special RS232 to USB dongle thing and a whole bunch of cables that other people sugested after I ccouldn't get it to work myself. As soon as I loaded that dedicated driver for the Skywatcher from various links including ASCOM, it would not recognise any ports at all, zilch. Completely erased all availiable ports that were showing previously in the ASCOM diagnostics.

But the Celestron driver worked spot on first time, no tweaking, plug and go, with the standard RS232 to RJ connector. You don't need to set the handset to computer either.

Maybe I've been lucky with the RS232 I don't know? It's working perfectly though. At last!

But thanks for your warning....

Maybe because you by the sound of it are connecting to the handset and not direct to mount  would hat be correct , usually using eqmod you go direct to mount and use a stellarium program  to control , anyway glad your sorted ?