Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ problem !

[stash_old]

13 hours ago, halli said:

Ok I tried the Astroberry image just now and my PI 3 B+ booted straight away - I configured the wireless and remoted in via my desktop PC without issue.  Started CdC which I am familiar with and it worked fine.  

Great -  now I can play around with the applications trying to control my mount and camera etc.  Its a bit like starting again from scratch with a clean sheet of paper which is quite exciting !

First thing is to set up my mount indoors and play around with it  - I normally use a bluetooth connection for EQMOD so here's hoping Astroberry supports this !

My original problem has now been solved  - so big thanks for your support Stash_Old and Fozzybear ! I guess I will have a few more problems on the way though..........

Great - just one thing - IMHO as a CDC user on Windows dont go there for Indi else you will be missing the whole point of Indi IMHO. Kstars if more than CDC and it enables you to do a lot more than CDC will ever do - its more like SGP 

As you say as its new why not go the whole hog and jump straight into Kstars/Ekos - it will take time but IMO it will be worth it.

Good luck on your new adventure - Clear Skies

[halli]

Sure - thanks 

[stash_old]

19 hours ago, stash_old said:

I normally use a bluetooth connection for EQMOD so here's hoping Astroberry supports this !

Nothing really to do with EQMOD - if the Bluetooth is seen by Linux O/S - IMHO you are asking for pain and would be better off getting a usb serial adapter (pref with FDTI chip) . Maybe you will get an answer from IndiLib - I presume thats you asking the same question ?

P.S. I presume you mean the bluetooth in your RPI3b+ ? If yes then last time I looked BT gave problems on RPI3b+ but I hope for you they have cured the problem ?

[halli]

wasn't me on IndiLib ! - but I saw a Stellarmate set up video on youtube showing connection via the same Bluetooth device that I use so perhaps there's reason to be optimistic !  We shall see........

[stash_old]

 

FYI as quoted on IndiLib by Astroberry creator

Bluetooth works well with the latest Astroberry Server and Raspberry Pi 3B. It does not work with Raspberry Pi 3B+ with a built-in bluetooth (firmware issue?) but should work with a bluetooth USB dongle. I hope that it will be fixed with Ubuntu 18.04 soon.
The same applies to Gamepad - just load Joystick driver and enable it with your mount/focuser driver.

 

 

 

[JamesF]

Is astroberry 32-bit, or 64-bit?  I know there's no compelling reason to run a 64-bit install on a Pi, but I have a particular use case

James

[stash_old]

55 minutes ago, JamesF said:

Is astroberry 32-bit, or 64-bit?  I know there's no compelling reason to run a 64-bit install on a Pi, but I have a particular use case

James

Astroberry is 32bit .

The only 64bit versions i know of WITH desktops versions are Gentoo and Raspex . Ubuntu 18.04 server 64bit runs too !  Hope that helps ?

Fedora 28/29 64bit say they do but they are a mess in my opinion - full of errors - e.g. boot say scanning for devices if usb keyb and mouse installed at boot.

[JamesF]

I have 64-bit 18.04 server running on my B+ now, so that's a good start.  It's currently downloading 500MB+ of additional packages

James

[stash_old]

12 hours ago, JamesF said:

I have 64-bit 18.04 server running on my B+ now, so that's a good start.  It's currently downloading 500MB+ of additional packages

James

by 500mb do you mean you are trying to install a desktop ?

[JamesF]

No, I was just trying to install compilers, development tools and libraries.  Unfortunately it appears that all the packages I need are not available yet, so it turns out to be a bit of a non-starter.

Canonical have an ISO for a 64-bit ARM distribution of both Ubuntu 16.04 and 18.04, but getting those to work looks like it might be quite messy (requires cross-compiling bits and pieces for the initial bootloader).  I might just decide that life is too short and wait for them to release the final version of the bootable image of 64-bit 18.04 server.

James

[halli]

On 10/01/2019 at 11:38, stash_old said:

FYI as quoted on IndiLib by Astroberry creator

Bluetooth works well with the latest Astroberry Server and Raspberry Pi 3B. It does not work with Raspberry Pi 3B+ with a built-in bluetooth (firmware issue?) but should work with a bluetooth USB dongle. I hope that it will be fixed with Ubuntu 18.04 soon.
The same applies to Gamepad - just load Joystick driver and enable it with your mount/focuser driver.

Thanks for the info Stash - that is very disappointing.  I dont think I really want to return to the days of a USB/serial mount connection - the bluetooth connection I have works really well and is very reliable unlike conversely the wired connection !  This might push me back to using the 3B and not the 3B +.  I might try the dongle route I guess (sigh). 

What a difference a simple + has made eh ?  Doesn't give much extra but has screwed several things up !  

[stash_old]

17 hours ago, halli said:

I dont think I really want to return to the days of a USB/serial mount connection

I am confused - if your mounting the RPI on your mount all you have is a power cable to mount/camera,RPI ,a powered hub and very short cables to all other items including a simple EQDIR Serial. Plus USB/Serial on Linux is not the same as Windows - you have less problems ? .

Wired comms out performs any other connection type and fixed wiring is far superior to any Wireless connection especially on Linux - it was "born wired"

Heck you can use RPI Zero W to connect to your bluetooth device and then connect wirelessly to your RPI3B+  so simple command line on Indi (on the Zero W) would be something like " indiserver -m 100 -v telescope_eqmod" and on the RPIb+ in Ekos you would have a line entered on the REMOTE something like "EQMOD"@xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx where xxxx.xxxx.xxxx.xxxx is the network address of the Zero. All other devices connected via the RPI3b+ would be as normal. The only prerequisite is that he Zero is powered up first (after mount) then RPI3b+. You don't even have to load Ubuntu on the Zero -Std Stretch works fine for just loading Indiserver  (no Kstars/Ekos obviously). Have done this myself as a test and a Zero W was  more then adequate to run Mount control and DSLR camera (CCD too was too much for Zero).

My old RPI2 controlled my EQ6GT for 8 months without a problem via a USB/Serial and some software called Ser2net on the Rpi2 - No Indi but Ascom/Eqmod on Windows. No windows updates no lost device settings.

This is how Indi protocol was designed - multiserver approach. You are spoilt for choice !!!!!!

 

But its your set up and if you are happy with it great - plus I guess if you are looking for "out of the box" - you will have to wait ?

Clear Skies and Good Luck with you quest.

 

[JamesF]

It occurred to me today that I might be able to find slightly different versions of the missing packages that I needed for my 64-bit Ubuntu 18.04 install.  I had a hunt around on the repository site and found ones that looked as though they might work.  Installing them manually hasn't caused any immediately obvious issues so it looks like I might have some success after all.

Of course this is still without any kind of desktop, but for what I want that's probably ok.

James

[halli]

Thanks for the info Stash.  Understand your logic but have had problems with wired EQMOD direct mainly I think due to USB connectors in the cold !  Also I will need to make up another short EQmod direct cable for the PI and thought the bluetooth would just be repeatable.     I guess everything revolves around the mount connection as if it misses a beat or two it can screw everything up and becomes very frustrating !   The raspberry Pi solution is all about its simplicity for me plus the more wires I can remove reliably the better and do not want to introduce another Pi just as  a Bluetooth gateway as I haven't a spare one (good idea though).    I did manage to connect to the bluetooth dongle on my mount solidly using the Pi 3B+ internal bluetooth at the physical level but Astroberry EQMOD wouldn't connect over it probably because of the problem you raised but need to tinker around a bit more.  Probably will try a PI bluetooth dongle next as I have a few of these lying around - not sure if they will work with linux though......   Of course our old friend Stellarmate seems to have solved these issues !

[halli]

Bit of an update which might be useful to someone attempting to connect eqmod via bluetooth using a Pi 3B+ .............

It works !!!!

The answer is to remove the modemmanager from Ubuntu .   It clearly states that this is recommended in the EQMOD driver section of the Indi library when using bluetooth as it could interfere with the EQMOD connection

https://www.indilib.org/devices/telescopes/eqmod.html 

I presume you probably need to do this also with the previous versions of the PI and it is not necessarily a 3B+ issue.

Onward and upward !!

[halli]

Anyone know of an Indi driver for an Altair GPCAM guide camera please ?

[JamesF]

The Altair driver library is in the latest INDI code, so I'd have thought there'd be something about.

James

[halli]

Thanks for the response James - cant seem  to find it in Indi Lib .......

[JamesF]

According to this page: https://github.com/indilib/indi/releases

it should be in the last release, v1.7.5

James

[JamesF]

Hmmm.  Well...

I've just given things a try with a GPCAM MT9M034M (one of the older mono cameras I believe) and that library doesn't even recognise it.  That's not nice.  I have a colour camera too.  I'll try that now.  Could just be my setup or something.

James

[JamesF]

Seems the AR0130C works fine.  Need to look a bit more deeply at what's happening with the other camera then.  Seems odd that it wouldn't work, so my money is currently on me having something misconfigured.

James

[LightBucket]

There is a known issue with Altair Cameras and INdI driver.

Now as far a I know the issue is when using a mono camera especially the 183, it will only work in 8 bit mode and not any higher, I think there is some progress with the issue, but it’s now down to the Chinese manufacturer of the cameras (not made by Altair just Chinese re branded cameras) to sort there SDK out, as apparently it’s closed source binary, so The INdI developer needs there input...

The issue I think has been sorted for some OS versions but not the rpi, and certainly won’t work when using two Altair Cameras, one for imaging and one for guiding..

HTH

[halli]

Ah all valuable info thanks guys !

At least one should exist then.  Couldn't find it in Ekos but also least there is some optimism.   I guess 8 bit mode may be ok for guiding ?

Perhaps I need to ensure I'm using the latest Indi lib may need to find out how to update the Ekos in the Astroberry image I'm using I guess.  

It would be a shame if this stops the development of a full Pi based imaging rig as guiding is an essential component.

Thanks again for info.

[LightBucket]

1 hour ago, halli said:

Ah all valuable info thanks guys !

At least one should exist then.  Couldn't find it in Ekos but also least there is some optimism.   I guess 8 bit mode may be ok for guiding ?

Perhaps I need to ensure I'm using the latest Indi lib may need to find out how to update the Ekos in the Astroberry image I'm using I guess.  

It would be a shame if this stops the development of a full Pi based imaging rig as guiding is an essential component.

Thanks again for info.

Agreed, you can guide with Altair cam, but not if imaging with one too...or you can image with Altair cam and guide with another brand, but only image in 8 bit, so all a bit up in the air, excuse the pun, at the moment with the Altair driver development ..

[JamesF]

3 hours ago, LightBucket said:

Now as far a I know the issue is when using a mono camera especially the 183, it will only work in 8 bit mode and not any higher, I think there is some progress with the issue, but it’s now down to the Chinese manufacturer of the cameras (not made by Altair just Chinese re branded cameras) to sort there SDK out, as apparently it’s closed source binary, so The INdI developer needs there input...

Yes, the Altair cameras and software originate with Touptek as far as I'm aware though Altair may have some input into both the hardware and software design, I don't know.  Touptek also have some sort of tie-up with Mallincam, but I don't know the extent of that either.  There's another Chinese company also selling Touptek cameras under their own brand name I believe.

James