Windows Cannot detect Sky watcher Star adventurer - Technical Help!

[DDUH]

Hi all

Ok - so any help on this greatly appreciated.

I recently purchased a sky watcher star adventurer (pro pack) - nice piece of kit and have managed to take some really good photo's whilst learning how to use it.

I want to check the version / update the firmware on it, however my computer seems unable to recognise it.

So - I have installed the Prolific Driver (v 1.20.0 - which I believe is the latest version) along with accompanying PL2303 Check Chip Version (v1006).

When I plug the star adventurer into the computer via its mini USB "b" port and run the chip check I get a report that at COM8 "There is a PL-2303 SA Chip". So that all seems fine.

However windows does not present me with any "device ready to use" type messages and I cannot seem to find anyway to actually access the device and query / update it (the device is also not appearing in windows explorer - I don't know if it should, but it isn't).

I get nothing from windows at all, nada, zero, zip (yes I do turn the star adventurer on when I plug it into the computer, I've flipped it on an off a few times in fact - all to no avail, and yes I did restart the computer after installing the driver).

The cable is also fine, its a new one and when I use it to plug it into an old Tom Tom sat nav I have (who uses USB "b" anymore?!) it detects it fine, is able to talk to it and update the firmware on the Tom Tom ok. So no cable issues.

Device manager reports no errors from the COM port

 

Am I missing something?

 

I have also downloaded the latest motor controller for the star adventurer (V03_06) from the Sky watcher website - but this is just a .mcf file which I'm guessing I will need to load via an interface with the device - which I'm not being presented with.

Am running latest version of Windows 10 on a pretty powerful gaming laptop with USB "2" and "3" compatibility - so should be no issues there.

any advice / help greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

Edited May 20, 2020 by DDUH

[Cornelius Varley]

Hello and welcome to SGL. The mount isn't a usb device so it won't be recognised by windows as such, therefore, you won't get the typical windows messages. The mount has two ports, the first is the small usb port for external power or firmware updates and the second is a RJ-12 6 pin port, also known as a ST4 port, for autoguiding during long exposure photography. Neither port can be used to control the mount through planetarium software such as Stellarium or Cartes du Ciel. For autoguiding the ST4 port is connected to a computer via a guide camera or suitable interface (the port cannot be connected direct to a computer). The camera sends a video stream to the guiding software which monitors any drifting from the target star and then sends corrective commands back to the mount to keep the imaging camera on target.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/manuals/skywatcher_star_adventurer_manual.pdf

[DDUH]

Ok - so how to I update the firmware then?

 

[TerryJ]

3 minutes ago, DDUH said:

Ok - so how to I update the firmware then?

 

Instructions on page 26 of the manual linked to by Cornelius Varley.

[DDUH]

Ok - so figured this out, sigh!

I ALSO needed to download (and the run) the Firmware Loader for windows V1.74

I did look at this initially but was confused as below the driver download box, on the sky watcher site, is says 

"This application is used to update the motor controller's firmware of a Skywatcher GO-TO mount, with a SynScan hand control programmed with the SynScan Relay firmware, a SynScan USB dongle or a SynScan hand controller working in PC-Direct mode."

None of which apply to the Star adventurer

The installation manual bundled in with the loader also says that requirements for the loader include:

- A SynScan hand control with EQ firmware version 3.22 or above, or a SynScan hand control with AZ
firmware version 3.05 or above.
- SynScan hand control’s mount‐to‐hand control cable and PC link cable.

again none of which apply to the star adventurer.

However ran the loader, selected the downloaded motor driver and it did it. So hey ho, lesson learnt!

 

[Greywolf_Sco]

Hello to everyone I am new member and I thought this guide would be a help to others like the OP and myself who had trouble updating the Star Adventurer.

 I was able to update my Skywatcher Adventurer was as follows:

1..Download & unpack the 'Prolific USB-to-Serial Device Driver'

2..Download & unpack the 'Motor Controller Firmware Loader, Version 1.74' or greater

3..Download & unpack the firmware 'Star Adventurer Mount, Version 3.06' or greater

4..Install the 'Prolific USB-to-Serial Device Driver'

5..Connect the Star Adventurer via the mini USB

6..Run the Motor Controller Firmware Loader

7..Turn the dial to the 'Star symbol'

8..Browse to were you unpacked the MCF firmware file and click update

9..Once the firmware has finished updating turn the dial to 'off'

10..You should now have a successfully updated 'Star Adventurer Mount'

I hope this little guide will be of help to you and other who is having the same problem.

Edited September 23, 2020 by Greywolf_Sco

[Starwatcher2001]

Welcome aboard SGL Greywolf. Good to have you here. What a useful post to kick off with!

 

[Stratos]

On 23/09/2020 at 06:13, Greywolf_Sco said:

Hello to everyone I am new member and I thought this guide would be a help to others like the OP and myself who had trouble updating the Star Adventurer.

 I was able to update my Skywatcher Adventurer was as follows:

1..Download & unpack the 'Prolific USB-to-Serial Device Driver'

2..Download & unpack the 'Motor Controller Firmware Loader, Version 1.74' or greater

3..Download & unpack the firmware 'Star Adventurer Mount, Version 3.06' or greater

4.........

Thanks, this really helped me with the update when I was otherwise stumped!