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Stellarmate OS on Raspberry PI 4 4gb


Astro-Geek

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26 minutes ago, CedricTheBrave said:

mine is a slightly different issue now!,

when i run ekos and select the kit etc and select run it pops up saying it detected indi running do i want to close it and start a new session.

i select yes or no and it closes kstars 

going to start from scratch i think!

Hold on, I have that same issue now too, mine is doing that exact same thing, have you just updated or built it from Source by any chance..?. I think there is an issue with the latest Kstars build, I have re built three times and still the same, so don’t do anything yet as it may well not help...I have told the developer.. :)

Edited by StarDodger
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9 hours ago, stash_old said:

As an alternative to Indi you can also try Indigo  ( http://www.indigo-astronomy.org) which runs on a RPI4 without OS issues as it uses Raspian Buster natively. Plus no update problems either..............

I need to check if my basic understanding is correct here..... 🤓

My purpose in using the Pi is to have a very compact computer on the mount itself to control the movement and  camera with minimum length leads.......

....so that I can then live view and control it via an Android tablet or a notebook or desktop PC via my home wifi/wired network.

My limited knowledge so far leads me to believe that only Stellarmate (and ZWOair) offer this remote control aspect of the Pi from a network connected Android or Windows device ?

I have previously been using APT on my gaming notebook, (very fast and powerful) with a powered USB 3 hub and a 10 metre active USB 3 extension lead.

This ran all of my mounts and CCD/EOS cameras and even enabled Sharpcap and Stellarium via the same hardware setup.

The "remote control" of the Pi appeals to me because I can dispense with the 10 metre USB lead and control everything on the scope from any machine on my home network.

I'm a complete Noob with the Pi and its OS, so it's quite possible I'm still wrong with some of my conclusions !

Edited by Astro-Geek
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2 hours ago, Astro-Geek said:

I need to check if my basic understanding is correct here..... 🤓

My purpose in using the Pi is to have a very compact computer on the mount itself to control the movement and  camera with minimum length leads.......

....so that I can then live view and control it via an Android tablet or a notebook or desktop PC via my home wifi/wired network.

My limited knowledge so far leads me to believe that only Stellarmate (and ZWOair) offer this remote control aspect of the Pi from a network connected Android or Windows device ?

I have previously been using APT on my gaming notebook, (very fast and powerful) with a powered USB 3 hub and a 10 metre active USB 3 extension lead.

This ran all of my mounts and CCD/EOS cameras and even enabled Sharpcap and Stellarium via the same hardware setup.

The "remote control" of the Pi appeals to me because I can dispense with the 10 metre USB lead and control everything on the scope from any machine on my home network.

I'm a complete Noob with the Pi and its OS, so it's quite possible I'm still wrong with some of my conclusions !

No, you are correct on all counts... :)

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13 hours ago, StarDodger said:

Indigo does run well on raspbian, but so does INdI, and the issue is that indigo is not good with Kstars / Ekos... :)

Thats not an issue that's a matter of personal choice  and opinion- Indigo runs and is up-datable via a  simply process for ordinary users - no recompiles or long large downloads of images.  

 There are plenty of people who do not want Kstars/Ekos  and CDC / CCDCiel provides a very capable alternative. Plus Indigo will run either Indi or Indigo native drivers by default.

Both have their problems (not just 4k) and as you say Stallarmate on RPI4 is Beta - look at the issues on their respective web sites! Most Indi users are waiting for Free Ubuntu Mate - which could be a long time in terms of SCB development.

In terms of speed and simplicity of getting an Astro set up and running on a Buster O/S Indigo wins hands down -  so long as your kit is supported which I already mentioned.

So as I originally said I was providing an alternative for someone who has already bought a RPI4. More options the better 🙂

 

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4 hours ago, Astro-Geek said:

My limited knowledge so far leads me to believe that only Stellarmate (and ZWOair) offer this remote control aspect of the Pi from a network connected Android or Windows device ?

Nope - Stellarmate is just the "commercial" version of Indi/Kstars.Ekos with support.  Indigo does everything that Indi does.

Remote control can be done via the Remote Desktop for either -this is nothing to do with Indi or Indigo - but note Raspbian comes with RealVNC server(Free) - probably the best supported VNC server across multiple O/S - excluding 4K resolution LOL

So no long USB cables are required - which means faster downloads for USB tethered devices.

In simple form Indigo comes loaded ( and runs by default but you dont have to use it !) with an inbuilt simple (too simple for some maybe) Web server to Control and Run Astro modules - such as Planetarium etc. Running CDC and CCDCiel does nothing to effect remote working.

If you have used APT then soon,so we are led to believe, APT , on Windows, will interact with Indigo but DSLR options are missing at present - so if you like APT (I use it a lot) then it might suit your needs.

If you are just looking at short cables and really dont wont the steep learning curve of Linux you can just run Windows on  an alternative  SCB to RPI but they are slightly more expensive(and get very expensive for very fast ,high memory and fast SSD/Sata version £500+ ) as they provide many things RPI doesn't (other Linux SCB(Small Compuer Boards - e.g. Sata SSD support) do) but again you mount them on your OTA  with associated short cables and access the SCB via M/Soft Remote Desktop - but of course you do run all the software you are probably used too already - Ascom ,Apt etc etc. 

All approaches have Pro's and Con's anyone tells you otherwise dont,IMHO, believe them.

So you do have a number of options 🙂

Hope that helps!

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Thanks Stash,  more food for thought for me there.

I've used the Windows OS remote facility from one windows PC to another, and I do use a fairly powerful and compact fanless NUC as a 24/7 PC on my network for weather stats uploading and security cams.

The tiny size of the new Pi 4 coupled with USB 3 ports and 4gb or RAM, (and the fallback of the wired gigabit ethernet), is very convenient when being remotely controlled from any PC on my home network and also from a wifi connection to my 10" Samsung android tablet.

If there is a freeware open architecture way to remote control the Pi at OS level from a networked Windows or Android device then that would indeed trump the Stellarmate App.  But I don't think there is ?  (very happy to be put right there if I'm wrong !)

Excuse my blundering around with these thoughts, I have an unusual mixture of IT experience, fairly good with PCs, but neanderthal with Linux et al...... 🤓

 

Edited by Astro-Geek
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2 hours ago, stash_old said:

Nope - Stellarmate is just the "commercial" version of Indi/Kstars.Ekos with support.  Indigo does everything that Indi does.

Remote control can be done via the Remote Desktop for either -this is nothing to do with Indi or Indigo - but note Raspbian comes with RealVNC server(Free) - probably the best supported VNC server across multiple O/S - excluding 4K resolution LOL

So no long USB cables are required - which means faster downloads for USB tethered devices.

In simple form Indigo comes loaded ( and runs by default but you dont have to use it !) with an inbuilt simple (too simple for some maybe) Web server to Control and Run Astro modules - such as Planetarium etc. Running CDC and CCDCiel does nothing to effect remote working.

If you have used APT then soon,so we are led to believe, APT , on Windows, will interact with Indigo but DSLR options are missing at present - so if you like APT (I use it a lot) then it might suit your needs.

If you are just looking at short cables and really dont wont the steep learning curve of Linux you can just run Windows on  an alternative  SCB to RPI but they are slightly more expensive(and get very expensive for very fast ,high memory and fast SSD/Sata version £500+ ) as they provide many things RPI doesn't (other Linux SCB(Small Compuer Boards - e.g. Sata SSD support) do) but again you mount them on your OTA  with associated short cables and access the SCB via M/Soft Remote Desktop - but of course you do run all the software you are probably used too already - Ascom ,Apt etc etc. 

All approaches have Pro's and Con's anyone tells you otherwise dont,IMHO, believe them.

So you do have a number of options 🙂

Hope that helps!

VNC does now work in 4K with my Stellarmate on the rpi4...

I have made changes to the config.txt file and 4k now works perfectly, with and without a connected monitor via VNC, web based noVNC and via Remote Desktop and XRDP.... so all good.

 indigo does not do all that INdI does as it does not auto start with ekos as INdI  does, and there is not the same level of user control over some of the drivers... sorry but let’s agree to disagree.. :) 

Edited by StarDodger
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2 hours ago, StarDodger said:

 indigo does not do all that INdI does as it does not auto start with ekos as INdI  does, and there is not the same level of user control over some of the drivers... sorry but let’s agree to disagree.

Sorry cant on facts. I never mentioned Ekos with Indigo (although its an option in old Indi mode) . I was using  CDC and CCDciel as an alternative to Ksars/Ekos.

Its up to the user concerned to decide with level unbiased facts.

 

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ok i appear to have this all working now!

no more crashes anyway and INdi server starts ok even without setting up kstars etc so all good.

what i did do was reinstall from scratch but also ran the update that it installed in the utilities folder that was created.

i had to run the install twice as the first time it failed to communicate with a few of the Raspberry servers for some reason.

now for some real testing.

 

cheers guys

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I got the Stellarmate all working on the rpi4 now in 4K with and without a monitor attached, over VNC and Remote Desktop...so I’m a happy bunny...no more raspbian issues for me....as I don’t like using the very latest builds which you have to when built from Source, as that are very often buggy...

At least with Stellarmate it just updates to stable builds as it uses PPA on Ubuntu mate... :)

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Stash's reply mentioning Windows remote desktop has re-awakened my interest in that method of telescope control.

I started this thread when I jumped in with both feet, (as usual 🙄), with the Raspberry Pi 4 solution, with Stellarmate software.

The tiny Pi 4 with USB 3.0 and 4gb of memory is very attractive, and the Noob friendly turnkey boot OS and software from Stellarmate has shielded me from the steep, (for me !) learning curve of Linux/Mate.

However,  I'd already become quite "comfortable" with a whole range of Windows based software for mount and camera control, (APT, Sharpcap, EQMOD, Stellarium etc.)

I hadn't thought about how compact and powerful computers like the NUC PC had become, only slightly bigger than the Pi, but potentially much more powerful.

I've just experimented with running my notebook remotely from my home network desktop machine and the total remote control at operating system level makes any astro windows software usable via wifi or ethernet cable connection.

 

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As I follow up to my previous post on this thread,  I've now set up a NUC as my telescope remote control.

I'm fairly street-wise with PCs,  (famous last words ! 🤓) so I made sure I bought a reasonably fast one. 

I settled for a NUC5i5RYH with an Intel i5-5250U , 16gb or RAM, and a 250gb SSD disc. It has all the latest fast connections, USB 3.0, Bluetooth, wifi and and gigabit wired ethernet.

I managed to get a secondhand one for £250, so it's considerably more than the Pi 4, but it's much faster, being comparable to a high end laptop, yet still only 4 by 4 inches and running happily off my scope's 12v battery pack. (via a cheapo car cig 19v power adapter). There's also no need for a powered USB hub, unlike the Pi.

It came with Windows 10 Pro, so it runs any Astro software nice and fast, and supports Windows Remote Desktop.

I hadn't realised, but Microsoft even now have a (free) remote desktop app for Android.

So now I can run all of my favorite Windows Astro applications, (APT, Sharpcap, Stellarium etc.) from the self-contained NUC and then operate it from any other PC in my house via my home LAN via wifi, and even from my Samsung 10" android tablet.  I can either stand next to it with the tablet, or sit in the conservatory with my notebook, or pop upstairs to my triple monitor gaming PC.

So I'm not tied to Linux/Mate apps, as any windows software will run on it, even multi windowed.

All I need to do now is figure put the best way to remotely focus with my various telescopes, but I'll start a new thread for that......

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3 hours ago, Astro-Geek said:

As I follow up to my previous post on this thread,  I've now set up a NUC as my telescope remote control.

I'm fairly street-wise with PCs,  (famous last words ! 🤓) so I made sure I bought a reasonably fast one. 

I settled for a NUC5i5RYH with an Intel i5-5250U , 16gb or RAM, and a 250gb SSD disc. It has all the latest fast connections, USB 3.0, Bluetooth, wifi and and gigabit wired ethernet.

I managed to get a secondhand one for £250, so it's considerably more than the Pi 4, but it's much faster, being comparable to a high end laptop, yet still only 4 by 4 inches and running happily off my scope's 12v battery pack. (via a cheapo car cig 19v power adapter). There's also no need for a powered USB hub, unlike the Pi.

It came with Windows 10 Pro, so it runs any Astro software nice and fast, and supports Windows Remote Desktop.

I hadn't realised, but Microsoft even now have a (free) remote desktop app for Android.

So now I can run all of my favorite Windows Astro applications, (APT, Sharpcap, Stellarium etc.) from the self-contained NUC and then operate it from any other PC in my house via my home LAN via wifi, and even from my Samsung 10" android tablet.  I can either stand next to it with the tablet, or sit in the conservatory with my notebook, or pop upstairs to my triple monitor gaming PC.

So I'm not tied to Linux/Mate apps, as any windows software will run on it, even multi windowed.

All I need to do now is figure put the best way to remotely focus with my various telescopes, but I'll start a new thread for that......

Both APT and SharpCap(?) have focusing aids (including auto focus) if you use a supported focusing protocol - e.g. Moonlite or others - you can emulate and build your own ( Robert Browns  https://sourceforge.net/projects/arduinoascomfocuserpro2diy/ excellent ,free s/w and original variations including Wifi with Wifi supported Ascom driver (A FIRST !) ). or buy a Ascom/Indi supported device.

Glad you found a method that suited you 🙂

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Thanks for the tips, I'll do some Googling on them.

I use a couple of Newtonians, a C8 SCT a 180 Skymax and a 120 Evostar (variety is the spice of life 🤓), so I guess each will need a specific bracket/belt drive hardware device.

Despite my wishful thinking Avatar, I don't even have a permanent shed setup (yet), so the prospect of being able to nip back indoors for most of the viewing in the Winter is a Godsend.

I initially shied clear of viewing via cameras, but I now realise how much more sensitive a CCD/CMOS sensor is, especially when viewed on a large 4k monitor 😀

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I have the new Ultimate Pegasus Power Box which has Indigo drivers, but not INDI. I am running the StellarMate Pi4 beta image. 

 

Should I anticipate any issues running everything on INDI/EKOS except the powerbox, which will run on Indigo?

 

Also is there any way to boot from a flash drive/improve speeds with a 3.1 flash drive? I have a 400mb R/W flash lying around and the Pi's USB ports are not being used for anything else! 

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17 hours ago, Kaydubbed said:

Also is there any way to boot from a flash drive/improve speeds with a 3.1 flash drive? I have a 400mb R/W flash lying around and the Pi's USB ports are not being used for anything else!

Last time I looked that was not possible(Boot from USB) - on "the todo list". 🙂  Doubt it will be a long time off !

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Regarding DSLR support on Linux:  it's a bit of a beast :)

The libgphoto2 stuff is impressive, but I've found it quite awkward to use because the documentation is sparse and in many cases you appear to need to know what camera you're actually going to be using when you write the code.

libraw, to convert RAW image files such as CR2 and NEF into something displayable/stackable, isn't a whole lot better, if any.

For my own projects I've managed to get to the point where I can set up the camera and capture a frame from a 450D or 1100D as a JPEG and then display it, and I've got the additional code to convert RAW frames to something I might be able to work with to compile now (though I haven't tested it yet).  I think to get DSLR control working reliably on Linux is going to involve a fair bit of back and forth as problems are ironed out with one camera or another.

James

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On 26/08/2019 at 15:54, stash_old said:

Both APT and SharpCap(?) have focusing aids (including auto focus) if you use a supported focusing protocol - e.g. Moonlite or others - you can emulate and build your own ( Robert Browns  https://sourceforge.net/projects/arduinoascomfocuserpro2diy/ excellent ,free s/w and original variations including Wifi with Wifi supported Ascom driver (A FIRST !) ). or buy a Ascom/Indi supported device.

Glad you found a method that suited you 🙂

 

On 26/08/2019 at 16:01, Dr_Ju_ju said:

Go for Robert Browns Focuser & Rotator, they just work, whether that's in Windows\Linux etc.....

 

Thanks for the heads up for Robert's myFocuserPro2 DIY project..... 👍

I'm now heavily into parts acquisition and construction. 

The mass of info was a little daunting initially, but after watching numerous YouTube videos and reading several PDFs, I now have a reasonable understanding of it and it's various manifestations.  I've gone for the veroboard construction method of the full blown design, with manual buttons, LEDs, and autofocus.  The NEMA17-PG27 Stepper Motor was the only "expensive" part, (at £31 here in the UK), and the components are about that much again, so such a comprehensive remote/auto focuser for about £60 is amazing.

Once I have the control box built, I'll see what I can devise in the way of a universal mounting bracket/flex drive for the stepper motor, so that I can switch it easily between my refractor, reflector and SCT.

 

Edited by Astro-Geek
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SM OS on Rpi4 uses an old kernel (4.19) and I'm finding it difficult to install drivers. 

 

I think I've put 14 hours alone into hunting a working Realtek 802.11ac usb dongle driver but I'm getting close. 

Edited by Kaydubbed
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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks again for head's up about Robert's myFocuserPro2 project.

I've now finished the build and after lots of blundering around with my lack of Arduino experience, (advancing age slows down my "understanding" of new things 👀), it now works perfectly, via it's built-in hardware buttons or the dedicated windows application, or the Ascom drivers.

I now have complete remote control of my telescope's dedicated fast NUC Pc from my 10 inch  wireless Android tablet, or my Windows notebook in the "warmer" conservatory, or even my triple monitor desktop machine upstairs, all via my local home wired/wireless network.

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9 minutes ago, Astro-Geek said:

Thanks again for head's up about Robert's myFocuserPro2 project.

You will be doing his wireless (NO COM PORT either 🙂 ) next just wish Ascom would follow suite - forget Ascom Alpaca and just do this for most of the devices  and get rid of COM ports !  

Glad you got sorted - enjoy clear skies AND warm rooms LOL

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