Synscan Wifi via Stellarium without StellariumScope ?

[Astro-Geek]

I'm having great success with my Synscan Wifi adapter, bought some months ago, but I've only just started using it in earnest.  👍

The SynscanPro apps work nicely on my Android tablet or with my dedicated NUC PC on my Pedestal, giving all the functionality of the Synscan handset, but with a much easier to use display.

Then the icing on the cake is the way the SynscanPro app works seamlessly in conjunction with the Android's Sky Safari planetarium app, and the SynscanPro app works on the PC with Stellarium.  Also, The Wifi adapter works exactly the same with my AZ and EQ skywatcher goto mounts, so it's quite universal, unlike EQmod.

So, finally my question,  it's working fine on the PC, but so far only with the StellariumScope software running as an interface with the Ascom drivers. 

However, I understand that the latest releases of Stellarium don't need StellariumScope when connected via the skywatcher serial cable, because it can now access the Ascom drivers directly.

I've googled the question and searched through youtube, but so far everyone still seems to need StellariumScope as a go-between when using the Synscan WiFi adapter.

Am I right in assuming that ?

[JonCarleton]

Let me admit first of all I am having issues with Stellarium talking to SynScan with coordinate accuracy presently that I am trying to work through.  Although, I suspect my particular issue may be a DST or location setup thing.  And, I am using Linux and the INDI driver.  However, a Windows user put forth the following suggestion:

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/679620-stellarium-direct-ascom-support-testers-wanted/ which includes support for ASCOM.  You'd have to find out if it can use WiFi instead of the direct connect.  Everything I have read so far indicates that the new Stellarium can use either ASCOM or INDI drivers, remote or local and that StellariumScope is well on the way out. 

I have had no connectivity trouble at all using the INDI driver running remotely on a Raspberry Pi with a USB cable to the SynScan hand unit.  I connect to the Pi via Wifi, so there was no real need to connect directly from the PC to the hand unit WiFi.  There is also the issue of the SynScan hand unit WiFi requiring a keep-alive pulse to prevent it turning off.  The SynScanPro app provides a keep-alive pulse.

[Astro-Geek]

Thanks for the detailed reply Jon.

Now that you mention it, I think maybe the PC I was trying it on wasn't loaded with the very latest version of Stellarium, so I'll check it.

I confess I also had quite a job getting the Synscan wifi in station mode because I misunderstood the instructions.  I still haven't managed to get it running with a fixed IP, but I can live with that.

 

[Astro-Geek]

Almost there now.....  🤓

I have now installed the latest version of Stellarium (v2.0),  and it now recognises and connects to the Synscan Wifi Ascom driver.

Synscan Pro (for windows) is running successfully in the background, and can slew the scope and perform the various alignment routines.

....unfortunately though, there's no cross-hair in Stellarium showing the position of the telescope, and the slewing options in that do not move the scope.

In the configure scopes window, it connects correctly via wifi with port number 11882, and then shows "connected".

The only thought that comes to mind now is that I'm running the Synscan Wifi adapter in "station" mode, is it possible that Stellarium is expecting it to be an access point instead ?  I'm thinking that's maybe a red herring though, becuase the Ascom toolbox sees the driver ok, and the Android and PC synscan apps both work fine in station mode.

As Jon says, Stellarium Scope is on the way out, so I'm trying hard to not have to resort to that as a link between the two.

 

 

[JonCarleton]

In my use of the SynScanPro app, it expects the telescope SynScan unit to be an access point (on mine, 192.168.4.1).  Typically the SynScanPro app picks up 192.168.4.2 from the telescope access point DHCP server.  After that, I hit connect and all works well.

I am still having trouble with Stellarium not agreeing about that Alt/Az of targets with the hand unit...but that's not your issue. 

[Astro-Geek]

I'll try switching it to access point and see if it then shows the cursor.  (strange thing though, when used via StellariumScope, it did work completely in station mode).

It's a bit too soon to be certain, but I may have a similar problem with the App and Stellarium nit quite agreeing on the position too.

When testing during the daytime, (rather than actiually seeing the targets through the scope), when I do the various alignment routines in SynscanPro, by fine slew adjustments looking at the cursor in Stellarium, after I click "ok" in the App, the target cursor drops down and to the right a small amount.  It's quite noticable when zoomed in.  I was wondering if it could be the 1 sec or so delay between lining up the target onscreen and then pressing "ok" to the sync button in the app, because the sidereal tracking has moved on ?.....

Edited April 12, 2020 by Astro-Geek

[JonCarleton]

Down and to the right is my issue as well. More down than to the right, however.

 

Edited April 12, 2020 by JonCarleton

[Astro-Geek]

Yes, from memory, about x2 down and x1 right.

As it's the Sidereal path, could it be that the synchronisation is not taking the tracking during the synchronisation confirming between the two programmes into account ?...

[JonCarleton]

Not sure.  I was having issues getting my location's exact lat/lons in place to the n'th degree and ended up hacking the Stellarium database to get it where I wanted it.  I'm going to test again this afternoon and see if that helped.  If not, I may try "adjusting" my location lat/lons or location timezone to get things to match up.

 

Edited April 12, 2020 by JonCarleton

[Astro-Geek]

....on another angle,

My experimentation with altering the wifi settings of the SynscanWifi adapter are a little frustrating via Windows.

I can switch back and forth between Station mode and Access Point with no problems via the Android app on my Tablet.

...with Windows though, it is very haphazard.

After I switched it back to Access Point, the Windows SynscanPro app refuses to connect, even though the PC connects readilly to the SynscanWifi adapter's access point.

I'm fairly certain it is something to do with Windows 10's network security, not allowing full port interaction with "open" wifi networks.  It keeps banging on about "Edge Traversal” in the firewall, and not allowing me to change the access point from "Public" to "Private"....

...Bl**dy Windows 10.......   😬

[JonCarleton]

Alas, I am a member of the UNIX religion (and Linux, these days).  I am gleefully ignorant of all things Windows and do not even own any Windows hardware.  Even running Windows software in an emulation for testing is something I avoid like taxes.  I can't help at all with Windows issues (I'm still mad at Bill Gates for killing CP/m in 1980).

[Astro-Geek]

...aahhh, those were the days..   "pip  destination = original", such a greater sense of achievement than simply dragging and dropping visually... 🤓

I can fully appreciate the feelings of all the UNIX and LINUX anti-Microsoft warriers over the years, but I had to unravel Bill's damn OS on a daily basis professionally for decades, though it did provide a good lifetime's employment before retiring, (after the headaches stopped !).

The vagaries of Windows have now reached greater heights though, as Windows 10 becomes  more and more "insistant" with each update.....

Edited April 13, 2020 by Astro-Geek

[JonCarleton]

Careful..you give away your age when you confess knowledge of pip   Keep that up and I'll have to tell you my "Colossal Cave" story.

 

 

Edited April 13, 2020 by JonCarleton

[Astro-Geek]

.......I even still have some 8 inch floppies,  just to show my Grandson when he can understand what they are...   🤓

Confession time (again) -  Stellarium is working perfectly with the Synscan Wifi adapter......  it was my fault again.

The reason I wasn't seeing the telescope's "gunsight" in Stellarium was because when I was going through the dialog boxes to connect the scope, I was selecting telescope controlled by "external software", mistakenly thinking that was right because it was via the SynscanPro app.  What I should have selected was "Ascom" instead, and it now works really well.

The only tiny criticism now, (nothing's ever perfect !) is that I can't switch off night mode in the SynscanPro app. The drop down in user settings lets me switch it to "off", but it has no effect, and then reverts to "auto".

I'm a very happy Bunny now, because I can use my Skywatcher goto mounts (AZ and EQ) with Stellarium and Sharpcap etc. or any other Ascom software.

I was able to do that with the direct serial cable as well, but the icing on the cake with the SynscanPro app is that it so much nicer to use than the Synscan handset, (when you have a PC and monitor in your Obsy). 

...and my problems with Windows 10 and the wifi  Station/Access Point settings were due to some sort of delay needed after changing settings.  If I wait about 5 minutes before trying to access it after changing any of the wifi settings, it now connects ok with Windows, as well as with Android devices.

Edited April 13, 2020 by Astro-Geek

[JonCarleton]

Not to be a fly in the pudding....and this may just be an INDI thing, but I found that when I did an alignment using the SynScanPro app, I could not get the INDI driver to connect.  It sent back the error that I first needed to align the scope.  When I used the handset for the alignment, INDI was perfectly happy to connect.  I can live with that, but I prefer the SynScanPro app as well, the handset doesn't have a 3 star alignment.  This could be because the INDI driver is running on a Raspberry Pi located on the scope and connected to the handset via USB cable.  I suspect that the WiFi interface is located in the base motor and bypasses the handset during a WiFi connection.

And no...that's not enough to make me go out and buy a Windoze machine so I can run ASCOM drivers

 

[JonCarleton]

I just trimmed some hardware off my rig, including that nasty SynScan hand unit and its connection to the Pi.  I'm all WiFi now excepting a USB cable from the Pi to the focus motor and they are both mounted to the scope, so it barely counts.  The only knot in the rope is the SynScanPro app having to run on the Android Tablet...and of course, alignment. It goes like this now: