Autoguiding issue

[sshenke]

Hello all, I am quite frustrated by not being able to get autoguiding going, despite trying to read manuals on various websites. I have an ASI1600 camera on skywatcher 130 PDS with HEQ5 mount and I am trying to use ZWO mini guidescope with ASI 120 camera, the trouble is I cant get the software (ASI cap) or PHD2 to recognise both the cameras simultaneously.  Clearly there is something wrong with what I am doing and so would appreciate any help please. Thanks in advance

[bobro]

The setup requires 2 separate camera apps: guiding and image capture. PHD2 provides guiding and will be connected to the ASI120 and the mount guiding interface. ASIcap provides imaging (haven't used it) and will be connected to the ASI1600. So you will need both a guiding and an imaging app running at the same time on the computer.

[rickwayne]

Will I be banned if I plug Ekos yet again? 🙂

 

[Starwiz]

20 hours ago, sshenke said:

Hello all, I am quite frustrated by not being able to get autoguiding going, despite trying to read manuals on various websites. I have an ASI1600 camera on skywatcher 130 PDS with HEQ5 mount and I am trying to use ZWO mini guidescope with ASI 120 camera, the trouble is I cant get the software (ASI cap) or PHD2 to recognise both the cameras simultaneously.  Clearly there is something wrong with what I am doing and so would appreciate any help please. Thanks in advance

I'm running a similar setup (ASI1600mm-Pro and Orion Mini Guidescope with ASI120mc camera.

I've found that it's vital (for me anyway) to run PHD2 as Administrator.  If I don't, then some of the camera selection options don't appear in the drop-down boxes.

Are you also running the ASCOM software?

John

[wimvb]

18 hours ago, rickwayne said:

Will I be banned if I plug Ekos yet again? 🙂

 

Never 😄

20 hours ago, sshenke said:

the trouble is I cant get the software (ASI cap) or PHD2 to recognise both the cameras simultaneously.

As said, each app can handle only one camera at a time. Both should be selectable in each app, but only one can be active in each app at any time.

Edited June 30, 2019 by wimvb

[rickwayne]

I would not wish to dissuade you from your software choices, but you might try KStars/Ekos. When you start the INDI server that talks to the devices, you will see right away whether or not the connections have been made properly. The guiding and capture modules both have camera-chooser widgets, so you can specify your 120 for the guider and 1600 for capture easily enough. In fact you can switch them if you want to test something. You get special bragging rights if you're imaging with a 120 and guiding with a 1600, you know.

[-Joe_]

18 minutes ago, rickwayne said:

I would not wish to dissuade you from your software choices, but you might try KStars/Ekos. When you start the INDI server that talks to the devices, you will see right away whether or not the connections have been made properly. The guiding and capture modules both have camera-chooser widgets, so you can specify your 120 for the guider and 1600 for capture easily enough. In fact you can switch them if you want to test something. You get special bragging rights if you're imaging with a 120 and guiding with a 1600, you know.

+1 for the ekos fan club. As a real beginner it was simples to sort this all out in ekos.

[Tim]

Have you looked at the ASiair?

If the ASI1600 is compatible, and I havent checked, you can run both cameras from that, plate solve, link to Skysafari, and generally do away with a laptop......

[wimvb]

20 minutes ago, Tim said:

Have you looked at the ASiair?

If the ASI1600 is compatible, and I havent checked,

It better be, they're both ASI (ZWO). 😀 Things would be worse if the guide cam were qhy.

StellarMate is also an option, it's without the camera limitation.

[Starwiz]

16 hours ago, -Joe_ said:

+1 for the ekos fan club. As a real beginner it was simples to sort this all out in ekos.

Damn and I've just spent several days working out how to plate solve, sync and do everything else I need to in APT, PHD2 and Cartes Du Ceil. 😀

[david_taurus83]

12 hours ago, wimvb said:

It better be, they're both ASI (ZWO). 😀 Things would be worse if the guide cam were qhy.

StellarMate is also an option, it's without the camera limitation.

The older ASI120 isn't compatible with the ASIAir. Only the USB3 version or the mini.

[wimvb]

1 hour ago, david_taurus83 said:

The older ASI120 isn't compatible with the ASIAir. Only the USB3 version or the mini.

True. But zwo can only blame themselves. They decided not to develope a proper driver for linux.

Btw, my old asi120 (usb2) works under linux, but zwo don't guarantee it. It's a bit of a gamble.

2 hours ago, Starwiz said:

Damn and I've just spent several days working out how to plate solve, sync and do everything else I need to in APT, PHD2 and Cartes Du Ceil. 😀

Then it shouldn't be too difficult getting this to work on a StellarMate. Phd2 at least is the same. 😉

The advantage of ekos/kstars and StellarMate is that you have everything in the same package. You only open one piece of software (ok, 2 if you use PHD2 and not the internal guider) to control all your hardware. And the computer out in the field is a lot cheaper than a Wintel based machine.

[alacant]

35 minutes ago, wimvb said:

old asi120 (usb2) works under linux

Hi

It also works with usb3 -and so probably with the OP's 'air albeit at usb2 speed- using this firmware.

HTH

[Starwiz]

37 minutes ago, wimvb said:

Then it shouldn't be too difficult getting this to work on a StellarMate. Phd2 at least is the same. 😉

The advantage of ekos/kstars and StellarMate is that you have everything in the same package. You only open one piece of software (ok, 2 if you use PHD2 and not the internal guider) to control all your hardware. And the computer out in the field is a lot cheaper than a Wintel based machine.

It looks very nice.  I guess the downside is the additional cost.  I'm doing everything from my terrace at the moment so using a laptop connected to the mains, hence there wouldn't be cost saving there for me.

[rickwayne]

12 hours ago, Starwiz said:

It looks very nice.  I guess the downside is the additional cost.

I suppose if you bought an ASiAir or a StellarMate gadget, there would be a cost, sure. Cheaper to buy your own Pi for $35, pick up a case for a couple dollars, get a microSD card for under $10, and get all the StellarMate software as a download for $49.

But if you don't need the battery-miser Pi, you could simply download and run KStars and Ekos on your laptop, for $0. It's all open-source, and the INDI community support is there whether or not you paid Jasem for StellarMate OS or the Gadget. It's exactly the same stuff. I run it on my Mac as an alternative to the Pi.

[wimvb]

2 hours ago, rickwayne said:

I suppose if you bought an ASiAir or a StellarMate gadget, there would be a cost, sure. Cheaper to buy your own Pi for $35, pick up a case for a couple dollars, get a microSD card for under $10, and get all the StellarMate software as a download for $49.

But if you don't need the battery-miser Pi, you could simply download and run KStars and Ekos on your laptop, for $0. It's all open-source, and the INDI community support is there whether or not you paid Jasem for StellarMate OS or the Gadget. It's exactly the same stuff. I run it on my Mac as an alternative to the Pi.

The advantage you have with StellarMate is that you need less knowledge of Linux.

Btw, if you don't use a raspberry pi, where have you installed the indiserver and its drivers? I know there is a windows alternative to indi (at least there used to be, called windigo) but afaIk, it isn't/wasn't as developed as the linux version.

[-Joe_]

Like Rick, I just use it on my mac. Comes as a download for kstars - everything included. Worked without any fiddling. There’s a link on the indilib downloads section. 

Got a raspi4 recently and going to have a play with that and see if I prefer it on a pi or just the laptop. I’m only in the backyard and it’s summer at the moment so no real need for a remote rig. That might change once it’s cold though ;o) and I also want to plan for getting the setup mobile so I can go out to darker skies and better views.

[Starwiz]

10 hours ago, rickwayne said:

I suppose if you bought an ASiAir or a StellarMate gadget, there would be a cost, sure. Cheaper to buy your own Pi for $35, pick up a case for a couple dollars, get a microSD card for under $10, and get all the StellarMate software as a download for $49.

But if you don't need the battery-miser Pi, you could simply download and run KStars and Ekos on your laptop, for $0. It's all open-source, and the INDI community support is there whether or not you paid Jasem for StellarMate OS or the Gadget. It's exactly the same stuff. I run it on my Mac as an alternative to the Pi.

Thanks, I'll have a look at that when I get some time.

John

[rickwayne]

7 hours ago, -Joe_ said:

Like Rick, I just use it on my mac. Comes as a download for kstars - everything included. Worked without any fiddling. There’s a link on the indilib downloads section. 

Got a raspi4 recently and going to have a play with that and see if I prefer it on a pi or just the laptop. I’m only in the backyard and it’s summer at the moment so no real need for a remote rig. That might change once it’s cold though ;o) and I also want to plan for getting the setup mobile so I can go out to darker skies and better views.

As you probably know there's an active effort going to port stuff to the 4. Back when I was first acquiring this stuff there were some solid reasons to use Ubuntu over Raspian, but maybe you could use the OS that come with the 4 and install packages now? It's so new that I'll actually be surprised if that works, but please keep us posted. Mmmm, USB3 and enough CPU to plate-solve conveniently...

[-Joe_]

1 hour ago, rickwayne said:

As you probably know there's an active effort going to port stuff to the 4. Back when I was first acquiring this stuff there were some solid reasons to use Ubuntu over Raspian, but maybe you could use the OS that come with the 4 and install packages now? It's so new that I'll actually be surprised if that works, but please keep us posted. Mmmm, USB3 and enough CPU to plate-solve conveniently...

Yeah, that’s my plan this coming weekend. Install raspbian, check out what version of kstars/ekos is in the repo, and then probably try installing and compiling my own.

[wimvb]

4 hours ago, rickwayne said:

Mmmm, USB3 and enough CPU to plate-solve conveniently...

Have had that on my rock64 for the past year. 2GB memory, usb3 and non-shared ethernet (I don't need wifi) 😄

2 hours ago, -Joe_ said:

Yeah, that’s my plan this coming weekend. Install raspbian, check out what version of kstars/ekos is in the repo, and then probably try installing and compiling my own.

Better check the Pi4 a bit closer first. The system may not be fully functional yet ...