Anyone used RPi & Arduino with INDIDUINO for astro?

[Gina]

Has anyone here had any experience of using INDIDUINO for using the Arduino as well as RPi with INDI?  There are controls and sensors I want to use with KStars/Ekos/INDI that so far have not been available with INDIserver/drivers just on the RPi.  I want to use a DHT22 to monitor humidity and also an Arduino shield to control the motor for ROR automation in my observatory.  The shield uses an H-bridge of power MOSFETs to control the motor allowing speed and direction control.  RPi plus INDI drivers are fine for a lot of things but adding the Arduino add many extra facilities.

[Gina]

I know how to program the Arduino and the RPi and modify INDI drivers to suit my hardware and gradually finding information by Googling etc.  indi-duino is an INDI driver as I had surmised.  I haven't yet managed to find out if it's installed by AstroPi3 script but seems not.  The general info seems confusing.

@RadekK have you used or know anything about indi-duino, please?

[Gina]

I'll give this a little while because if anyone has done it I don't want to "reinvent the wheel" but if not I shall try to work it out and post the answer.  Should be generally useful and rather surprising if nobody has done it.

[wimvb]

I tried using IndiDuino when I built a control box for a SW motorfocuser. I got nowhere with it and eventually rewrote/adapted an Arduino program that emulates the MoonLite focuser protocol. I used the MoonLite INDI driver instead of IndiDuino. I can't recall what it was that wouldn't play nice, I just couldn't get it to work.

Here's the thread I wrote then. There's a link to my code on github.

Hope this helps.

Btw, I'm not sure the IndiDuino project is still alive. The latest posts on the IndiDuino site are from 2013

[Gina]

Yes, I noticed the last entry was 2013 with promise of more to come but nothing.

I use the RPi direct via GPIO and a HAT (Hardware Attached on Top) board which plugs onto the GPIO pins and on which I installed an A4988 stepper motor controller to drive a stepper motor for focussing, together with a modified INDI driver.  I now want to read a DHT22 for humidity info and other things that want an Arduino.  If indi-duino turns out to a non-starter I shall have to devise my own interface between RPi and Arduino. 

[Gina]

indi-duino uses Firmata, an Arduino library for serial comms it would seem so I imagine the connection between RPi and Arduino is USB but not sure.  It all seems very complicated.

To implement reading relative humidity using a DHT22 via Arduino I would consider sending the RH value to digital output pins on the Arduino and connect these to the GPIO pins of the RPi configured as input.  Then I'd look for an INDI driver that reads a digital value and modify it to send RH back to KStars/Ekos via LAN.

Of course, if indi-duino does what it purports to do, it would save me writing and editing lots of code.

[Gina]

Found more info on MeteoStation which uses indi-duino.  This measures atmospheric conditions that may be used to tell KStars/Ekos/INDI to close your observatory roof.  Now off to have a good read...

[wimvb]

Good luck. I will follow this thread with interest.

[Gina]

Been reading the MeteoStation info but not yet found the source files.

[wimvb]

https://indiduino.wordpress.com/downloads/

Here?

Link leads to here:

https://github.com/indilib/indi/tree/master/3rdparty/indi-duino

[Gina]

Thanks - yes, I have that but I was looking for the MeteoStation source files.  Think I've found them - within the instructions.  I'll look into it all tomorrow - think I've had enough for tonight.  The MeteoStation includes the DHT22 and RH measurement so I can probably use the appropriate parts of the code for my ASC.  I'm hoping to include the DHT22 readings in my ASC RPi.  The whole MeteoStation will be ideal for checking the weather when I have my automated ROR working.  Whether I combine MeteoStation with ROR control in one RPi remains to be seen.

[wimvb]

"One RPi to rule them all, and in darkness bind them."

[Gina]

INDIlib has a driver for MBox Meteostation - could be interesting.

[kens]

You could try asking on the INDI forum. Jasem is very helpful.

https://indilib.org/forum.html

[Gina]

Yes, good thinking - I'm already a member.

[Gina]

An interesting update in the new INDI library :-

Quote

+ INDUINO driver fixes and updates.

So INDIDUINO is still supported ?  Seems to have changed it's name - or a typo...

[wimvb]

Not a typo. A google search on induino returns relevant links.

But Induino is also an arduino board clone

[Gina]

Yes, so I've found - confused???  Oh yes!  I'll probably post in INDIlib forum about it.  When I wake up - half asleep this morning (having looked up at the clock to confirm morning). ?

[RadekK]

19 hours ago, Gina said:

I know how to program the Arduino and the RPi and modify INDI drivers to suit my hardware and gradually finding information by Googling etc.  indi-duino is an INDI driver as I had surmised.  I haven't yet managed to find out if it's installed by AstroPi3 script but seems not.  The general info seems confusing.

@RadekK have you used or know anything about indi-duino, please?

I'm aware of the project but haven't used it. I'm afraid I can't help in this very case

[Gina]

Thanks for your reply Radek.  That's alright, it was just a thought, you've been great for other things and I much appreciate your work.

[Gina]

I have posted a question in the INDIlib forum HERE.

[wimvb]

I think that it should be possible to design an arduino based weatherstation that uses the mbox protocol. Much like the focuser I built uses the Moonlite protocol.

[Gina]

I built an Arduino based weather station several years ago but never quite finished it.  I'm now looking at using an RPi as the main computer that drives it.  The RPi wasn't available when I was making weather stations.  The Arduino has the advantage of having One Wire capability though several of the Maxim sensors and other chips have been abandoned and no longer available.

[shadowgazer]

here is my output...

Raspi works as INDI server and my Atlas EQ-G, Nikon DSLR, autofocuser are directly connected to it.

I reach it with Kstars, Ekos that work at windows pc (through the wireless access point), that was one of the main motivation for me, remote access

but generally, it is not stable when autofocus or image preview run. Solving and plate so slow. GPhoto sometimes give errors, and solution most of the time is restarting INDI server on RasPi, reconnect, sync with mount etc...

Actually I do not have an idea what the problem is and have to debug it to find a problem

I will try to connect raspi with cable and try same things as well...

regards

 

[wimvb]

5 hours ago, shadowgazer said:

I reach it with Kstars, Ekos that work at windows pc (through the wireless access point), that was one of the main motivation for me, remote access

If you install ansvr on windows, together with the index files for your field of view, you can do offline plate solving. This is much faster than online.

I find that I can solve any stability issues by restarting my laptop before I start the server and Kstars. It's usually Ekos/Kstars on windows that is unstable.