Astroberry / KStars on Rpi - advice needed

[MarkAR]

Strange to hear that your plate solving is slow, I use ASTAP Offline and it's pretty quick. 

Not using any RPi etc just Ekos native on my Mac.

[teoria_del_big_bang]

I think the slow speed is probably down to it all being on the RPi. But at the moment it works albeit fairly slow so it's on my to do list but get the rest woring first then I will come back to it.

Steve

[stash_old]

12 hours ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

I think the slow speed is probably down to it all being on the RPi. But at the moment it works albeit fairly slow so it's on my to do list but get the rest woring first then I will come back to it.

I use Platesolving on a RPI3B+  using SD card no SSD and it solves very quickly (<8secs 90% of the time) - that was the old offline Astrometry not ASTAP (which normally faster) so I suspect you have some settings wrong (you cannot use the same settings on Platesolving every night IMO even on Windows based Platesolvers as it depends on the "seeing"  or your Slew's are not very good. 

If using the "older" offline Astrometry make sure that your Index's are correct for your FOV and change the setting that selects the number of stars to around 400-500 - too many  does have a negative effect on the time. The newer versions of EKOS doea do some auto settings but I still prefer doing it manually.

ASTAP does use the STD Astrometry Index's but there are settings which you can "play" with (still via ASTAP main GUI I think) to improve speed. At worst send your image off to Han and see what he says he is normally very helpful!

Also if not using SSD is your SD card a good quality "real" item giving AVG read 98m/s(write is much slower!) - Real Sandisk's or Samsung top of the range have worked very well for me for a number of years. examples  https://www.picstop.co.uk/microsd-sdhc/sandisk-ultra-micro-sdhc-memory-card-98mbs-class-10-for-android-32gb.html https://www.picstop.co.uk/microsd-sdhc/samsung-evo-plus-micro-sd-uhs-i-card-with-adapter-32gb.html

Also are you cooling the RPI4 enough as CPU intensive operations will be throttled back if you are overheating.

[teoria_del_big_bang]

I don't think I am using ASTAP yet mainly because plate solving does work reliably even if slow and I have other more pressing things to get my head around, which is happenning and I am almost there so then will attack this issue.

The SD card I ordered with the Rpi from the pi shop not sure what make it is though I must check it out.

I just have the Rpi in a metal case that acts as the heatsink. Ideally I didn't want fans if it could be avoided. Normally it feels warm to touch but certainly not hot, occasionally it is hotter than other times but again not too hot to touch by a long way.

Do I need a case with a fan ?

Steve

 

[stash_old]

Its not as simple as the link below suggests - if you dont ever reach max CPU load then you wouldn't need a heat sink else the PI will throttle back to save long term damage.

P.S. There is some evidence to suggest metal case do seem to limit WiFi effeciency! https://www.martinrowan.co.uk/2019/08/wifi-signal-strength-with-raspberry-pi-4-cases/

https://www.cnx-software.com/2019/06/27/raspberry-pi-4-benchmarks-heatsink-edition/

[teoria_del_big_bang]

Interesting about the shielding of the wifi, I ended up using a 30M Ethernrt cable last night to make my typing and the screen updates more responsive. Definitely worth thinking about. Thanks for the links.

Mine is actually the Flirc once which was the best of the aluminium ones though but still I would not want really any impact if it can be avoided.. 

Steve

[Dr_Ju_ju]

Wired will always be superior to wifi for connectivity, throughput etc. its just that its point to point so limited on number of connected devices, unless you add small GB switches, which is what I do, and relegate wifi to the toys....

[RadekK]

On 29/05/2020 at 17:34, teoria_del_big_bang said:

I do have a question about KStars and framing DSOs. Is there some option for it that I have not downloaded because I seem to get very little information about DSOs on the screen compared to Stellarium.  There just seems to be the odd triangle, square  shape here and there no actual images of the DSOs which is quite difficult to use and get the framing correct.

First, download catalogs using KStars menu Data / Download New Data, then take a look at View / HiPS All Sky Overlay / DSS Colored

Finally, configure your markers using Settings / FOV Symbols

Edited May 30, 2020 by RadekK

[wornish]

3 hours ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

Interesting about the shielding of the wifi, I ended up using a 30M Ethernrt cable last night to make my typing and the screen updates more responsive. Definitely worth thinking about. Thanks for the links.

Mine is actually the Flirc once which was the best of the aluminium ones though but still I would not want really any impact if it can be avoided.. 

Steve

I also use the FLIRC case. It does have a slight impact on the WiFi but is the best I can find of of the all metal ones most of which severely impact WiFi.

[teoria_del_big_bang]

52 minutes ago, RadekK said:

First, download catalogs using KStars menu Data / Download New Data, then take a look at View / HiPS All Sky Overlay / DSS Colored

Finally, configure your markers using Settings / FOV Symbols

Thanks, I did download all those catalogues when I installed astroberry, and on last nights session found where I could enable these as you say. This makes the planetarium much more useable and all in all I really am beginning to like it. I still have a few bits to iron out but definitely getting there so many thanks to all that have helpled 🙂 

Steve

[teoria_del_big_bang]

Just when all looks good, now I cannot even get a full screen on my desktop, also cannot close or move any windows. The mouse is working because I can left click and open things but cannot drag anything or close anything. So frustrating.

Steve

Edited May 30, 2020 by teoria_del_big_bang

[RadekK]

You must have changed screen resolution. Revert back to something normal

 

[teoria_del_big_bang]

How do I open a fit file up in the fits viewer without opening another instance of the KStars planetarium ?

Steve

[MarkAR]

Click on KStars-File-Open Fits.

[teoria_del_big_bang]

10 hours ago, MarkAR said:

Click on KStars-File-Open Fits.

Thanks, but the issue is really when in file explorer and I double click on a fits file, which is linked to fits viewer. The file opens in fits viewer just as it should but always another copy of KStars planetarium opens and if I click to close the planetarium then the fits viewer closes as well, so I end up with loads of KStars open and difficult to know which was the original one I was using to navigate the skies with.

I thought it would be a matter of checking the box that says "Independent Window" in KStars configuration would do the trick but it hasn't.

Steve

[MarkAR]

Okay, try click Options on the lower right of the Ekos window, then INDI and tick Independent Window under Display.

[teoria_del_big_bang]

Another reasonable successful night last night but still some questions.

I still get a fair number of instances where Ekos or KStars crashes and I have to start all  over again. I know when I get the hang of it I will not be pressing so many commands and this may not happen so much but after being used to Windows which in this day and age is pretty robust and unhanded events are pretty much a thing of the past it is really annoying and my one major dislike for going with EKos.

Anyway another funny. Whilst maybe a bit overboard as I do not yet have an obsy I ran a schedule which I was really impressed with but did throw up an oddity.

It was a pretty simple schedule:

So it should have run the selected sequence 3 times then shut down. The sequence was:

A bit odd but I needed more SII images as I did not get them previous night and rather than do 2X SII did it like this (no real reason).

The scheduler says complete and taken 12 subs, which sound correct, but they were ony 6 subs alltogether. 2x  SII and looking at the times were the two on the first run and 2x Ha and 2x OIII but taken over 2 runs. looking at the times it is not as if all 12 were taken and times and a case where it took the missing subs were not saved because there is still only 10 minutes between each of them for 10 min subs. So I just cannot make sense of it. Below shows all subs I have from this schedule for Ha, OIII and SII and the order they were took in red on the right.

I am guessing there are some logs to investigate this so will look for these when I can, I just wondered if anyone else had seen similar issues ?

Steve

[alacant]

15 hours ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

fits viewer without opening another instance of the KStars

Hi

fitsviewer is part of kstars so you have to have both open.

 I think what you want is to open kstars the use file -> open fits. That will bring the fitsviewer -if as @MarkAR suggests, in an independent window-. To avoid opening a second instance of kstars, open your next fits using File -> open from the fitsviewer menu.

HTH

[teoria_del_big_bang]

On a plus point I absolutely love the fact I can choose a sub from a previous session and put that in the correct box of another nights session then the scope slews there and plate-solves to get bang on same position. This really simplifies things and I guess is a God send if I ever get round to doing mosaics. This is really a reason why I must persevere with it. I cannot loose this tool 🙂 

Steve

Edited June 1, 2020 by teoria_del_big_bang

[teoria_del_big_bang]

1 minute ago, alacant said:

Hi

fitsviewer is part of kstars so you have to have both open.

 I think what you want is to open kstars the use file -> open fits. That will bring the fitsviewer -if as @MarkAR suggests, in an independent window-. To avoid opening a second instance of kstars, open your next fits using File -> open from the fitsviewer menu.

HTH

Okay I understand, I think I just hoped I could double click in Explorer but will try to get out of the Windows mode and do it this way. Many thanks.

Steve

[alacant]

10 minutes ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

just wondered if anyone else had seen similar issues

Hi

From where are you imaging? E. g. at Alicante today, we have darkness from 23:15 to 04:48. If you're north of here, you will have less darkness. If you want the schedule to run to completion, you must then uncheck twilight.

HTH

 

Edited June 1, 2020 by alacant

[alacant]

9 minutes ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

I must persevere with it. I cannot loose this tool

+1.

For hit-start-and-come-back-in-the-morning automation, nothing I've tried comes close:)

Cheers

[alacant]

37 minutes ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

one major dislike for going with EKos.

Yeah. I found out the hard way too. The only way I could get 100% up-time was to throw decent resources at it. A Dell laptop with a 64 bit i3, 16GB RAM and a fast ssd under Ubuntu will go all night every night without a gltch.

After all, I don't think windows would be reliable on a rpi either but if you like an IT chellenge and are a Linux guru, single boards are great.

Cheers

Edited June 1, 2020 by alacant

[teoria_del_big_bang]

30 minutes ago, alacant said:

Hi

From where are you imaging? E. g. at Alicante today, we have darkness from 23:15 to 04:48. If you're north of here, you will have less darkness. If you want the schedule to run to completion, you must then uncheck twilight.

HTH

 

In UK and I did think the sequence maybe too long so half expected it to fail at some stage with lost star in PHD2, but PHD was closed down with a bevy of stars visible.

Must admit I missed that constraint, I think mine was checked but set at 00:00 - 00:00 so not sure what this does

Its not so much why I didn't get the full 12 images but why it totally missed doing both of the SII images on the 2nd run then never did the 3rd run. Not doing the 3rd run may well be due to some other issue such as refocussing failed but just odd it totally missed some images.

Not to worry too much I will try again if the clear skies hold out up North and dig a bit deeper.

Many thanks for the help, much appreciated 🙂 

Steve

[teoria_del_big_bang]

26 minutes ago, alacant said:

Yeah. I found out the hard way too. The only way I could get 100% up-time was to throw decent resources at it. A Dell laptop with 16GB RAM and a fast ssd under Ubuntu will go all night without a gltch.

After all, I don't think windows would be reliable on a rpi either but if you like an IT chellenge, single boards are great.

Cheers

I do have a fairly powerful smallish fanless PC that fits neatly on the mount that I was using when running windows.

If I am going this way then would I just get rid of Windows on it and load this Ubutnu OS and go from there (OS's apart from Windows are a black art to me I am afraid).?

Or can I dual OS somehow ?

I might not want to just delete window as if I sell it then probably would need the Windows Pro re-loaded to sell it. Maybe get a new SSD and swap it keeping all the current stuff fafe.

Steve

Edited June 1, 2020 by teoria_del_big_bang