Connection/cable advice please - guiding on wedged Evolution mount

[Ade Turner]

Hi folks

I’m hoping someone can offer me some clear beginner advice on PC/camera/mount connections and cables for imaging/guiding please. 

I realise the following will be second nature to most of you, but at the moment I keep reading and re-reading articles and all I succeed in doing is giving myself a big brain freeze...

For guiding my naive assumption was that for early days simplicity I could just connect the camera to my mount via ST4 and to the PC by USB3 cable... then I discovered the Celestron Evolution mount doesn’t have an ST4 port. Doh! 🤦‍♂️

So, I think I need to use ASCOM and have installed it. However, apart from a vague notion that it’s the spider in the middle of a web of hardware connections, that’s all I really know about it.

I need a clear path please to a) what bits I physically need to connect to what and b) what specific cables/hubs I need to link all together. Ideally I’d like to use as few cables as possible and (bonus) be able to route all to my cosy kitchen (5m from mount).

Once I get everything correctly connected hopefully I might then be able to figure out the software side of things, but any pointers to speed up the process would also be very much appreciated as I feel like I’m facing a learning cliff here.

Thanks in advance 🙂

My hardware:

• Celestron 8” Edge HD with 0.7 reducer and wedge on an Evolution mount.
• ZWO oag and ASI 224MC as a guide camera (has USB camera cable and an ST4  cable).
• Celestron focuser.
• Canon 700D (unmodified) with USB camera cable.
• Dell Inspiron N5110, 8Gb RAM with Windows 7 (about 6 years old). It has 2 x USB3  ports, 1 x USB2 and a USB 2 with E-SATA and Power Share.
• One 5m active USB3 cable (currently used for connecting my Canon to my laptop).

My installed Windows software:

• ASCOM platform along with general drivers for Celestron mounts and  focuser.
• ZWO ASI 224MC Windows drivers.
• Canon 700D Windows drivers.
• PHD2.
• Astro Photography Tool (demo).

 

[knobby]

Not sure of the mount but you could use Celestrons software here https://www.celestron.com/pages/celestron-pwi-telescope-control-software to control the mount ... so one cable from PC to mount - plus one cable to camera and one cable to guidecam.

The cable to the mount may need a RS232 to usb adaptor but not to sure, I noticed that the evolution is wifi so you may not need a cable - Try the above software to see if you can connect wirelessly.

*** if you're guiding then I assume you have a EQ wedge ***

Edited May 7, 2020 by knobby
Spelling

[MarkAR]

Normal procedure is to hook everything to a powered USB Hub then hub to computer. That takes care of connectivity.

For power, you'll need something like a rig runner/powerpole 12v to send power to the necessary equipment.

A more expensive option is a Pegasus Astro Powerbox, it's a combined USB/12v output hub. Just one power cable and one USB cable dangling, everything else goes to Pegasus strapped to scope/mount. 

[Ade Turner]

21 hours ago, knobby said:

Not sure of the mount but you could use Celestrons software here https://www.celestron.com/pages/celestron-pwi-telescope-control-software to control the mount ... so one cable from PC to mount - plus one cable to camera and one cable to guidecam.

The cable to the mount may need a RS232 to usb adaptor but not to sure, I noticed that the evolution is wifi so you may not need a cable - Try the above software to see if you can connect wirelessly.

*** if you're guiding then I assume you have a EQ wedge ***

Thanks for tip - looks like the CPWI software is definitely compatible with my Evolution mount. I’ll probably download it and have a play 🙂

Tbh, even though my mount has built in WiFi I really wouldn’t trust it to connect to anything for extended periods. It drops out regularly when I’m using SkyPortal on an iPad Pro stood right next to the mount. It’s really frustrating, and I’ve had to redo alignments over and over because it’s dropped connection.

I’m assuming the cable to the mount would need to go from a USB port to the mini-USB on the handset (which is still serial I think)?

Yes, I have it on a wedge. It’s definitely made a difference to how long I can expose. Not having experience of EQ mounted scope I do find it very fiddly, but the biggest downside is I can’t image some targets - the mount will point fine, but with no room for the imaging train as the base is in the way.

[Ade Turner]

21 hours ago, MarkAR said:

Normal procedure is to hook everything to a powered USB Hub then hub to computer. That takes care of connectivity.

For power, you'll need something like a rig runner/powerpole 12v to send power to the necessary equipment.

A more expensive option is a Pegasus Astro Powerbox, it's a combined USB/12v output hub. Just one power cable and one USB cable dangling, everything else goes to Pegasus strapped to scope/mount. 

Ah! That’s very useful, thanks 😁

Presumably the hub doesn’t have to be anything fancy? Would something like this be OK?  
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Atolla-Powered-Splitter-Switches-Charging/dp/B071QZ5D7L/ref=sr_1_8?crid=3DW1JWM53XAOL&dchild=1&keywords=powered+usb+3+hub&qid=1588940942&refinements=p_76%3A419158031&rnid=419157031&rps=1&sprefix=Powered%2Caps%2C149&sr=8-8&swrs=43AD7910B3A36CDE55B4A8036DE4009A
 

At the moment I’m running my laptop, DSLR and mount from their internal batteries, and my dew straps from a power tank. However, I might look into one of those solutions a bit further down the line, thanks 👍 

[MarkAR]

Should be ok.