Sky Watcher GPS Mouse Sample Output?

[Kris_A]

Hello All,

I am in the process of making an Arduino controller focuser for my MAK 127 and was thinking that I could add a cheap GPS module to the Arduino and connect to the SynScan handset to provide location and time information in the place of the Skywatcher GPS Mouse.

I recently read that the SynScan handset used to work with lots of different GPS modules and now only works with the SkyWatcher module, so if the SynScan can detect which module is connected then I figure something must be a little different in the GPS output.

From past experience I know that GPS modules typically send output in plain text over a serial port in NMEA format as soon as they are plugged, as shown in the link below:

https://www.gpsworld.com/what-exactly-is-gps-nmea-data/

Has anyway connected the Skywatcher GPS Mouse to their PC and could send me a sample of the data it sends out?  If I get the Arduino version working I will share the project details and code...

Thanks,

Kris.

[jasonpauthement]

Hi, I am working on a similar project using a raspberry pi3,   I know that when you are using the synscan and to go the GPS section, it sends out some data. I am assuming that this is looking for a reply. I have tried to send the NMEA sentence to it, but all I get is " No GPS found".  have you made any strides with the arduino? 

[JTB]

On 16/04/2019 at 22:22, Kris_A said:

Hello All,

I am in the process of making an Arduino controller focuser for my MAK 127 and was thinking that I could add a cheap GPS module to the Arduino and connect to the SynScan handset to provide location and time information in the place of the Skywatcher GPS Mouse.

I recently read that the SynScan handset used to work with lots of different GPS modules and now only works with the SkyWatcher module, so if the SynScan can detect which module is connected then I figure something must be a little different in the GPS output.

From past experience I know that GPS modules typically send output in plain text over a serial port in NMEA format as soon as they are plugged, as shown in the link below:

https://www.gpsworld.com/what-exactly-is-gps-nmea-data/

Has anyway connected the Skywatcher GPS Mouse to their PC and could send me a sample of the data it sends out?  If I get the Arduino version working I will share the project details and code...

Thanks,

Kris.

Hello Kris,

I am trying to hook up a different GPS module other than the Skywatcher GPS Mouse. The cost of the Skywatcher GPS Mouse,  in my opinion, is way too high for what it is doing. 

Did you manage to get a sample of the data that is sent out from the Skywatcher GPS Mouse? I tried hooking up a Garmin to the SynScan but that was not detected either. I would be interested in getting a copy of the data from the Skywatcher GPS Mouse  to compare them.

I  then connected the Garmin to my laptop using a terminal program set at 4800 and collected the standard NMEA 0183 messages which were accompanied with proprietary Garmin messages.

After a bit of reading up on NMEA 0183 I discovered that this is quite normal and the proprietary messages are ignored by the device if it is made by someone else - so in theory that shouldn't cause any problems.

But, having searching the WEB I found comments that the SynScan had previously worked with standard NMEA 0183 messages and it was only after a later firmware update that it didn't. This makes me think that  the  Skywatcher GPS Mouse is sending  proprietary messages with the standard ones which the SynScan is using to validate that their own device is hooked up and not one that is made by anybody else!

Have you made any progress?

 

Kind regards

John

[kbrown]

I know this isn't directly helping you but I thought I'd still point this out. You can get a cheap USB GPS module such as Stratux Vk-162 which will work with gpsd in Linux. INDI has a driver that talks to gpsd (indi_gpsd). This is what I'm using with the indiserver running on my RPi3. Works well with Kstars/Ekos as the client on my laptop.

[JTB]

Not such a bad idea!

Assuming that the GPS module puts out the correct messages and at the speed needed by the SynScan, i.e. above NMEA V2.2 4800 baud?,  join it to a USB to Serial converter, which should also power the GPS module, and there is a possible fix for less than £20.

'All' I have to do now is make it work!

[Cornelius Varley]

47 minutes ago, JTB said:

Not such a bad idea!

Assuming that the GPS module puts out the correct messages and at the speed needed by the SynScan, i.e. above NMEA V2.2 4800 baud?,  join it to a USB to Serial converter, which should also power the GPS module, and there is a possible fix for less than £20.

'All' I have to do now is make it work!

Your other thread

 

[jeff1960]

I think that this is what you want.

https://github.com/tazounet/SynScanGPS