HEQ5 Driver for EQMod, via GS Server wants me to pay $9.99 - tearing my hair (what's left of it!) out!

[matteboy]

Hi guys, really struggling with this.

My synscan handset has a line missing on the display so I bought a EQMod cable to connect the mount and control it from my PC.

I've got the Ascom downloaded and latest version, EQMod downloaded, I've been trying to get the Mount driver but keep coming up against a driver support site that wants me to pay $9.99. All the YouTube vids I've seen just let the driver install. I open Stellarium and configure to the telescope, I pick the Ascom HEQ5/6 but  even though the 'okay' button is clickable nothing happens and my list of telescopes is empty. To confirm the mount is a HEQ5 Pro Synscan, although it is about nine-ish years old now.

I know on the Synscan handset there is a PC Direct mode but that means I have to use the handset with the original cable from an eighties printer nine pin thing. All I'm trying to do is control the scope without the need for the handset as the digits aren't displayed fully so very difficult to set up properly now.

Hope you can help before I'm completely bald!

 

Matt

[StevieDvd]

This is more likely a download needed for the eqmod cable. They come in several guises, the cheaper ones can be problematic and a false economy.

There are 2 types of chipsets they use, the FTDI (best) which can store the com ports last used, and the Prolific which used to be cloned a few years back.

Not known for them to be anything but free, I would not expect to pay for a driver for the HEQ5 anyway.

If you plug in your eqmod cable can you see if it appears in the device manager correctly. From there you can also see which chipset it uses.

Steve

 

 

[symmetal]

It's the EQASCOM driver you need to install from EQMOD. This is the EQ5/EQ6 and their variants driver which also works with EQ3 and EQ8 models. There is no other driver needed for the mount. You have the EQDirect (EQMOD) cable too so you're all set.

When you've installed EQASCOM and you select your mount in your capture software, select 'EQMod AscomEQ5/6' as the mount. On the driver configuration screen before you can connect to your mount you need to enter the COM port used by the EQDirect cable and set the baud rate to 9600.

Chris Shillito (author of EQMod)  has a useful video on setting it up and getting it working. 🙂

The GS Server is a more recent substitute for EQAscom so if you have installed that you don't need EQASCOM but will still need the cable. GSServer is free to download though you have the option to donate something to the developers as a thank you.

Alan

Edited April 23, 2023 by symmetal

[malc-c]

Download and install the Ascom Platform from here Its free.  As mentioned above, EQDIR cables use either FTDI or Prolific USB to TTL serial chipsets, and depending on which one you have, windows will install the driver for the chipset or, as in the case of the Prolific based cables you may need to install the driver for the 2303 chipset from the Prolific web site 

Once installed, and with the cable connected Windows will allocate a COMs port.  You need to open Device Manager and check that the default speed is set to 9600 baud.  EQMOD/ASCOM will only recognise ports 1 -16, so if windows gives this a port of 17 or above then you will need to remove them by selecting "show hidden devices" via the view command on the menu bar.  You can then manually delete any port that is no longer in use, and windows will re-allocate the port number the next time the device is connected.

If you want to install GSS then it and EQMOD/ASCOM can live side by side, however you will only be able to use either or and not both together.  Again, both EQMOD and GSS are free if you download for the correct source.  My guess is that you have been duped to download one or the other form a dodgy website.

Edited April 23, 2023 by malc-c

[matteboy]

Hi guys, thank you for the replies.

It seems I'm doing everything right but when the window opens to select the mount in EQmod, all I have is 'auto detect' or 'custom', the HEQ5/6 is not there.

No idea what I'm doing wrong!

The chip is a genuine item from Altair, it is updated, all the Ascom and EQmod bits are installed and the setting to 9600 and COM3 port is there but no way of picking the HEQ5/6 and thus click okay to confirm it in Stellarium. I've watched videos and I'm doing everything the same so really confused.

Any ideas what I could be doing wrong?

Thanks again for the help!

 

Matt

[StevieDvd]

As @malc-c has mentioned above check wht port gets set in device manager. You can plug just the usb eqmod lead in to your computer to see the port get activated/deactivate and note the com port number assigned and use that in EQmod instead of the auto option.

[malc-c]

Matt, with the EQDIR cable connected to the mount and plugged into the PC power up the mount.  Then boot the PC into windows, and check that the EQDIR cable has bee assigned a com port, and that the comport is set to 9600 baud.  Once checked close Device manager.  

Browse or navigate (or if listed under programs) to open Toolbox - the path is normally "C:\Program Files (x86)\EQMOD\EQMOD_toolbox.exe"  

When it launches, and with EQASCOM listed from the dropdown menu click on the Driver Setup button.  The EQMOD ASCOM SETUP window will appear.  In the section "Mount options" it should say SyntaEQ.  Next, in the section Port Details ensure the rate is set to 9600 and that you select the same port number windows allocated to the EQDIR cable.  You can also enter the location details in the form of degrees, minutes and seconds etc, and then click on Ok to close the setup window.

From the Toolbox window test the connection by clicking on the "test connection" button.  All being well EQMOD ASCOM will launch and interrogate  the mount to acquire the model, gear ratios etc.  Under the positioning details are the slew controls.  To the right of the NSEW buttons are two sliders, RA and DEC rate.  Between them is a drop down list with numbers 1 to 4, select 4 and you will note that the value in the rate boxes changes to 800.  Now you can click and hold down the NSEW buttons and the mount should move.  Once you are happy that the mount moves in all four directions click disconnect on the toolbox window to close EQMOD ASCOM down, and then close the toolbox application.

I don't use stelarium,  but in most applications there is a "telescope connect" option from the main menu.  Most will launch the ASCOM Telescope Interface window that allows you to select the telescope being used.  In CdC clicking the "select" button then brings up the ASCOM telescope chooser window.  In this window there is a drop down menu selection box, clicking the "V" will then display a list of options  one of which will be HEQ5/EQ6 - select that and then click Ok to close the chooser.  Once selected the ASCOM Telescope interface will then display the chosen mount.  Clicking the "Connect" button at the bottom of this window will launch EQMOD ASCOM.  This can then be minimised and the telescope interface window hidden by selecting the HIDE button.

Now the scope can be unparked and a target selected, which should then result in the mount springing into life.

 

Hope that helps

[matteboy]

Hi Malcolm, thank you so much for the detailed reply.

I tried everything, I mean EVERYTHING, to no avail.

So, I installed CDC (as you mentioned it) and telescope is slewing to where it should and parking as it should! Took less than five minutes to set up after installing it.

Now to get used to CDC!

Thank you again, I really appreciate it 

all the best, Matt

[malc-c]

No worries, glad to hear you got to the bottom of  it.  CdC is not too hard to get to grips with, and typically, once you have right clicked on the target and sent the mount to slew to it the application can be minimised if required as it's more or less done it job...

Anyway, pleased to hear you resolved the issue and have a working solution.