All Sky Camera Revisited

[Gina]

Currently printing a new camera support to fit the new box.

[Gina]

New camera support is fine and the lens is at the correct height in the dome.   Have camera unit installed with Peltier TEC and waterblock with water pipes connected.  Been connecting up but more to do.

[Gina]

Slowly making progress with the wiring.  Connector for fan soldered to HAT PCB and wired up.  Power wires crimped to ring tags for bolting through the base.  Buck converter wired to RPi.  Focus motor connector wired to motor and Peltier TEC connected.  Having a break to cool off!!  It's hot.  28°C here with 45% RH indoors.

[DaveL59]

mine are being left alone on the side of the shed, no way I feel like fiddling about with them in this sun. Seems a spider has taken a liking to the smaller one tho, keeps wandering across the dome and I can see signs of a web on the bracket underneath

[Gina]

Mine's on my living room table being worked on.  I'll be a few hours yet before it's ready to go outside.

[Gina]

Wiring complete (I think) except for extra dew heater - now testing.

Firstly, with just the RPi powered from the back converter and bench PSU with just the camera connected via USB. 

1. WiFi isn't working but Ethernet connection works.
2. Camera is working and I have focused by hand.

Next, I'll attach the HAT and test other functions.

[Gina]

There's a fault with the HAT on the GPIO connector - PSU is current limiting at 5A.  I didn't leave the power on for more than a couple of seconds.  Unplugged the HAT and tried with just the RPi and current was normal.  I shall need to investigate.  I guess it was expecting too much for everything to work straight off!!!

The ASC will not  be ready for deployment today!

Edited June 29, 2019 by Gina

[Gina]

There is no electrical connection between the GPIO and the power circuits on the HAT - the signals are opto-coupled. 

[Gina]

Well, there shouldn't be but testing on the ohms setting with my DMM shows a short between the +12v power line and the +3.3v data supply line on the HAT.  No connection to other GPIO lines such as Gnd or +5v.

Later :-  Found it!  A very thin track on the top of the board started at the end of the +3.3v rail and went along the edge of the board to a pad on the other edge going past where the +12v supply runs.  The solder evidently spread to the track resulting in a connection to the +3.3v line.  I just hope the RPi isn't damaged.  Now to find out.

Edited June 29, 2019 by Gina

[Gina]

Drat, drat and double drat!!  The RPi is DEAD!!  No LEDs light up when power applied.  Yes, I did unplug it from the HAT.  Isolating the GPIO from the power circuits with opto-couplers is not much use when the HAT has it's own track running where a spread solder connection can short to it!!  GRRR!!!  I won't let it happen again and at least it's not an expensive component destroyed.

That's it for today!

New RPi 3B+ ordered from Amazon due to arrive tomorrow.

Edited June 29, 2019 by Gina

[DaveL59]

oh no!  

Had my own little setback with the new TAL, saw Jupiter and made out 3 moons ok which was nice tho couldn't push the mag too far, so settled with the 10mm vixen NPL and had nice views. Then I noticed one of the stabiliser rings on the main leg had split so decided to play safe and pack it away for now till I sort a repair or replacement, didn't fancy it toppling on its first real use

 

 

[Gina]

I'm thinking of setting up to observe Jupiter tomorrow, if I can find a suitable eyepiece.  Whether I get the ASC working tomorrow remains to be seen!

[DaveL59]

hope it stays clear for you  I was thinking I could carry the 130 newt out but... mind is now on how to sort the tripod and it won't be long before the oak obscures it anyways

[Gina]

RPI 3B+ has arrived but needs setting up with monitor etc. for comms.

[Gina]

Connected the RPi to monitor in HDMI mode and applied power with a standard RPi PSU (and micro SD card with firmware on) but just got a multicoloured display with the lightening symbol in the RH top corner that indicated low voltage, so I checked the input connection with my DMM and read 5.122v which is correct and not low.  Seems this sample is faulty!!   GRRR!!!

[JamesF]

Can you try powering it some other way, just to make sure?

James

[Gina]

I can, yes, though the PSU works fine with other RPi's.

Later :-  Just the same - supply of 5.050v.  The red LED comes on and flashes but the green one doesn't (it does on other RPi's).

The red LED does 4 long flashes and 4 short flashes as a sequence over and over again.

Edited June 30, 2019 by Gina

[Gina]

Done some Googling...  THIS is relevant perhaps.  I have tried three different micro SD cards, all with a working Linux system on them.  I'll do further testing before asking for a return.

Edited June 30, 2019 by Gina

[pete_l]

57 minutes ago, Gina said:

 just got a multicoloured display with the lightening symbol in the RH top corner that indicated low voltage,

Is that not what you get when you try to run a RPi 3B+ with an incompatible earlier version of software?

[Gina]

Never had it before.

[Gina]

This new RPi does look a bit different from my others - it has a metal top on one of the chips.  This is dated 2017, the one that was in my ASC was 2015.

[pete_l]

12 minutes ago, Gina said:

This new RPi does look a bit different from my others - it has a metal top on one of the chips.  This is dated 2017, the one that was in my ASC was 2015.

Like this?

That's a B 3+ The O/S from an older RPi model 3 won't run on it.

[Gina]

I've been running Ubuntu Mate 16.04

Edited June 30, 2019 by Gina

[Gina]

OK I'll try rewriting the OS to a card and try that.

[Gina]

Ah - there's a different version of Ubuntu Mate for the B+.  Downloading now ready to write to card with Etcher.