SimpleGpUsb - A home brew auto guider...

[themos]

Ok, Guy, I just tried your installer on ASCOM 6SP1 on 64bit Windows and it hesitated a bit at the end, threw up some error dialog that I accidentally clicked on before I could read it. But it ended with showing me the pdf file tick box and Profile Explorer shows it as available. Don't have the hardware so can't test anymore but looks ok.

[samtheeagle]

Lol, been there and done that. The hesitation was perhaps the other installer that is run silently to add the CP2103 driver to the system, so hopefully it's not that failing... I just package up the CP2103 driver installer supplied by the manufacturer, and it has a 64bit flavour to it, so I would have hope it just figured out what version needs to be installed... It's a bit of a black box tbh.

Thanks for the info

[spacetrace]

can this be used with a modded vixen dd1 handset? as shoestring astro suggest that he gpusb-ah is used rather than gpusb and im not sure what the difference is... although i have a dk3 handset, is this based on thevixen dd1?? and will the handset mod work???? thanks

[samtheeagle]

Well I am not familiar with those handsets, so I cannot say for sure... But the basic concept of the handset mod is that it simulates button presses. So if the handset has buttons, I would assume that it will be possible to hook in to it in a similar fashion.

[Uknic63]

Hi,

Hoping you maybe able to help I have recently put together the simplegpusb and all is well accept I can't get your driver to run. I get a message saying "SIMPLEGPUSB REQUIRES ASCOM platform 5", I actually have version 6 that came with my IMGOH QHY ccd..

Anyone else encountered problems using a later version of Ascom?

Cheers

[F137CHA]

If you open up profile explorer, go to the section marked force platform version, add a new value "the driver install name followed by .exe and add the version that you require to the data column. You should now be able to run the driver install file

[F137CHA]

If you open up profile explorer, go to the section marked force platform version, add a new value "the driver install name followed by .exe and add the version that you require to the data column. You should now be able to run the driver install file

[Uknic63]

Thanks, for that info, I was wondering what the Profile Explorer did (maybe self evident?) but will give that ago ASAP.

Cheers

[guv]

I'd be too frightened to do this in case it went wrong and ended up costing me a new controller!

[Uknic63]

Finally got to the bottom of why the driver kept throwing up errors, I have now moved all the associated files for this project from DOWNLOADS to PROGRAM FILES and all is now well. I now just need to purchase another 9x50 finderscope to modify for my webcam and wait for some clear sky...

[Uknic63]

Thought it was going to well....

Can anyone help?

I now have manual control of the telescope mount, by selecting the read/write latch and checking the tick box I can make the mount drive in both directions for RA and DEC.

I can select my webcam and telescope mount from PHD and am able to get to the point where the software is GUIDING, this I have confirmed by using an artificial star and confirming the tracker box follows.

What is NOT happening (in guiding mode) is there is no GPIO signals to the mount...

Any ideas?

[F137CHA]

try going in to the ascom driver properties where you select the com port and see if the check box is ticked for dual axis guiding.

[Uknic63]

Hi, thanks. yes this is checked but I doubt that would cause the issue I have as I would still expect to see signals on the RA GPIO lines. I have confirmed also that the ASCOM chooser shows the correct COM port the guide rate and TRUE for dual axis guiding.

As I say the problem is first noticed when PHD runs its calibration procedure and I expect to see all four GPIO lines to toggle and they don't. I use an oscilloscope (my electronics knowledge is sound but my software is poor).

I can confirm on the PHD window bottom the calibration data is present.

I feel it is more of a software issue, something isn't talking to something else.

But what and why?

Cheers

[F137CHA]

In phd there is a manual control function have you tried using this to see if your gpio works?

[Uknic63]

Yes I missed that control, you can also do a CNTL T that brings up a similar control .

Anyway I tried that and my GPIO does NOT respond.

So not sure what this is telling me, either PHD is not sending the info or ASCOM is not responding?

Think I may try reloading all the programs on my PC see if this helps.

cheers

[F137CHA]

it cant hurt to try. i remeber having issues with mine at some point and i could not resolve it so i swaped to and arduino based one which worked perfectly.

[rahuluniversal]

Thought it was going to well....

Can anyone help?

I now have manual control of the telescope mount, by selecting the read/write latch and checking the tick box I can make the mount drive in both directions for RA and DEC.

I can select my webcam and telescope mount from PHD and am able to get to the point where the software is GUIDING, this I have confirmed by using an artificial star and confirming the tracker box follows.

What is NOT happening (in guiding mode) is there is no GPIO signals to the mount...

Any ideas?

Hi,

I am new to the Group...

I am stuck with exactly the same problem. Did u get any solution since then ??

Cheers

[samtheeagle]

Ok, so it's been a while... I've not worked on my DIY guiding solutions for quite some time now that I'm using eqmod, but I can try and help with issues. SimpleGpUSB is my first bit of custom hardware, and so it's the oldest code, I subsequently developed a similar solution ArduinoAstroControl. But neither of these have been actively developed in several years. All the source code and documentation has been made available for those who are interested in continuing their development.

Having said that I appreciate that a lot of people aren't in a position to dive into software development, so I'll try to help where I can... The biggest issue I have is that I no longer have the hardware to test against, I have long since reclaimed the components for use in other projects, so I'll be doing things blind. But we can try!

If you're having issues can you please supply me with as much information as possible about the issues you're having and we'll see what we can get sorted out

[rahuluniversal]

Ok, so it's been a while... I've not worked on my DIY guiding solutions for quite some time now that I'm using eqmod, but I can try and help with issues. SimpleGpUSB is my first bit of custom hardware, and so it's the oldest code, I subsequently developed a similar solution ArduinoAstroControl. But neither of these have been actively developed in several years. All the source code and documentation has been made available for those who are interested in continuing their development.

Having said that I appreciate that a lot of people aren't in a position to dive into software development, so I'll try to help where I can... The biggest issue I have is that I no longer have the hardware to test against, I have long since reclaimed the components for use in other projects, so I'll be doing things blind. But we can try!

If you're having issues can you please supply me with as much information as possible about the issues you're having and we'll see what we can get sorted out

Thanks for the support..

I am using EQ3-2 with modified handcontroller for ST4 input. I checked the ST4 port by manually connecting the Ground with 4 individual wires and its working properly.

I am using the USB-TTL converter which uses a the Si Lab's CP2103 USB-UART Converter ( http://entesla.com/protocol-converters/usb-ttl-converter) . Its the same used in simple-gpusb. The settings done as in the guide.  The circuit is same as defined in the guide. Also installed ASCOM 5. It identified the simple gpusb.

I can select my webcam and telescope mount from PHD and am able to get to the point where the software is GUIDING, this I have confirmed by using an artificial star and confirming the tracker box follows.

Finally, the guiding signalls are not comming out from the SIMPLEGPUSB. or in other words "there is no GPIO signals to the mount "

Hence caliberation is also not happening.

Cheers

Rahul

[samtheeagle]

Ok, so first I think we need to verify 100% that the hardware is working as expected. You say that you manually connected the ground wire to the 4 individual wires, so if I'm understanding you right that confirms that the socket and the cable are all ok, but it doesn't test anything about the CP2103 / optocoupler.

Silicon labs provide a few handy utilities to help test this: http://www.silabs.com/Support%20Documents/Software/CP210x_5x_AppNote_Archive.zip Within that zip there will be another zip AN223SW.zip which will contain a executable CP210xPortReadWrite.exe. Extracts the zip(s) and run the exe. Select the com port that your CP2103 is connected as, and connect the mount etc. Then you can set the state of the GPIO pins which, if everything is working, will trigger the mount motors.

Testing this way removes the ASCOM driver from the equation so we can focus on just the hardware. If this test proves the hardware is all ok we can move on to the driver code

[rahuluniversal]

Thanks.....I will be trying this by the weekend and update....

[rahuluniversal]

Ok, so first I think we need to verify 100% that the hardware is working as expected. You say that you manually connected the ground wire to the 4 individual wires, so if I'm understanding you right that confirms that the socket and the cable are all ok, but it doesn't test anything about the CP2103 / optocoupler.

Silicon labs provide a few handy utilities to help test this: http://www.silabs.com/Support%20Documents/Software/CP210x_5x_AppNote_Archive.zip Within that zip there will be another zip AN223SW.zip which will contain a executable CP210xPortReadWrite.exe. Extracts the zip(s) and run the exe. Select the com port that your CP2103 is connected as, and connect the mount etc. Then you can set the state of the GPIO pins which, if everything is working, will trigger the mount motors.

Testing this way removes the ASCOM driver from the equation so we can focus on just the hardware. If this test proves the hardware is all ok we can move on to the driver code

Tested......By latching each individual pins, the respective motor moves in the desired direction.... Hardware seems to be fine.

Its something at the software end that is holding motors from moving... Next step please...

Thanks

[rahuluniversal]

EUREKA....!!!!

The issue resolved....!!!

After testing the hardware with the CP2103 utility, as suggested by samtheeagle, I got confidence over the hardware.

This led to re-checking the installation of PHD, Drivers and finally  supportive platform ASCOM. And the answer was in the port assignment of the ASCOM.

Actually, ASCOM Document on com port management says the following;

"The serial interface component in the ASCOM Platform is limited to COM ports 1 to 16. With the advent of plug-and-play USB to Serial converters and other devices that emulate or provide COM ports, it is possible for COM ports up to COM 255 to exist. Since most drivers in the ASCOM Platform use the Serial component, this means that serial-based astronomy devices accessed by Platform drivers must be assigned to COM ports 1 through 16. "

Just by changing the COM port from 26 to 2 solved the problem.

Thanks....

[Astropy]

This got me thinking.. Would it be possible to use something like this with a simple webcam through a simple finder scope on a simple (ok, a motorized one) barn door tracker as a <$100 setup that may give a $1000 setup a run for its money? 

[samtheeagle]

EUREKA....!!!!

The issue resolved....!!!

That's fantastic news! Great that you managed to sort it out, a great find. I'm not sure I'd have thought about checking the COM port number... We could have been investigating forever. 

Best of luck using it, I look forward to seeing some guided images in the future