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Synscan HEQ5 to pc problems.


Oslet

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Sooo...I'm getting quote frustrated here. This spring I tested my HEQ5 with guiding. The synscan controller was connected to the computer trough the USB plug on the hand controller. This worked like a charm in my living room. On the new controllers you dont need the rs cable. But when I tried the whole thing with guide cameara for some live shooting, it just did not work. I get something wrong with the com port in decice manager, driver not working. I have tried 3 different drivers. The whole thing responded, connected and was guiding when i did a dummy test before the summer. So setup is pc-synscan via usb for pulse guiding. Can it be a problem with windows 10? What t h.... just happened? Where can I find a driver that works? And believe me it worked 5 months ago, argh. Thanks for any respons and support :)

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Its easier to do away with the hand controller, and just drive the mount directly, for which you will require a USB to mount adaptor e.g. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/lynx-astro-cables/lynx-astro-ftdi-eqdir-usb-adapter-for-sky-watcher-eq5-pro-heq5-syntrek-pro-az-eq5-gt-az-eq6-gt-and-eq8-mounts.html,

Getting an FTDI chip device\drivers as opposed to the older Prolific chip devices\drivers, make it easier to work with Win10, even though there is an older Prolific driver that will work ok....

It should then be easier to identify which port the mount is connected to, in device manager, so that Ascom\EQMod\PHD2 will be able to control the mount.

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Ok, thanks for the reply. I'll try the FTDI driver. I cant remember updating anything since it last worked. But I'm sure its a driver issue. It's clear skies in the next few days, so I dont have time to get the eqdir cable 😉 If not I'll uninstall all software and start from scratch. Any other folks encountered the same issue?

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Yes everyone has at sometime or other especially with any cheap Asian copies. As Julian said FDTI chipped (genuine) dont have a probem with Win once driver installed. Most other chipped USB/TTL/RS232 do not have a unique serial address  so poor old Windows gets confused. Not Windows fault blame manufacturers for not putting the serial id - note same problem on Linux - Udev cant fix it only by position in hub.

Note you cant use FDTI driver with a Prolific chipped USB adapter - software driver must match hardware.  Without doing ANY changes just try plugging in USB devices one by one with a pause to let Windows reinstall the driver if it was there before. No need ,in most cases, to install new driver when it worked before! So with no other USB device plug in the USB to HC ports Adapter and try getting Scanscan App to open the serial port. Use Device manager to see the port number (i.e. COM1,com2 or com3 .... etc)

Also note the connection from USB on PC to Handset is true RS232 (voltages 12v+) and this is NOT the same as directly connected from USB on PC to mount (i.e. NO handset) this uses TTL level (5v or 3.3v) depending on mount. Obviously Sky Watcher Wifi and the like type mount connections dont use USB adapters at all so dont suffer from the same kind of problems with drivers.

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Your old, prolific chipset based cable no longer works due to a recent Windows update. There's an old thread somewhere on SGL that goes through a method of getting it working using an old prolific driver.

I suffered with this a few years ago, I battled with Windows to force it to use the older driver, and gave up in the end when new windows updates kept on breaking it.

Do away with the handset, grab a new FTDI based cable from FLO, they just work.

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Ok guys. I did it finally. I'm not sure how. But i uninstalled everything and reinstalled the ASCOM platform to latest version. I installed the skywatcher driver again.

Then I started Cartes du Ciel and connected through the hand controller.  Now I won't touch anything. Clear skies tomorrow. 

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  • 8 months later...

Maybe there is some problems with your computer, try to install and use a cleaner, it will delete all corrupted/useless files which might influence on HEQ5. There a lot of them on the Internet but here you can find the best pc tune up applications. There are a lot of reviews of cleaners, their advantages, disadvantages, features. Don't worry, some of them are free to download, so you will be able to clean your Windows.

Edited by Noomie
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