Guider cabling

[obscura]

HEQ5 Synscan Pro, ST80, QHY5v, WO 80, laptop - no serial coms port. PHD, Cduc, Ascom loaded and already to go - but.

How do you feed the mount without a laptop coms port? QHY5v ST4 direct to mount's ST4? Doesn't seem quite right to me.

What to and from connection is needed from laptop to mount? Hand controller or no hand controller?

I have a Hitec Astro EQDIR for laptop to mount but is this just for EQMOD? Can I drive down this cable with CduC and Ascom? I am at a loss as manufacturer's blurb is vague. EQMOD was in mind for a later time.

Help and advice would be greatly appreciated.

ye olde git

[SteveL]

The Hitec EQDIR module is a USB to serial converter specifically for the EQ mounts, and will require EQMOD to work correctly. You can then either guide via ASCOM pulse guiding (via EQMOD), or via the QHY5v and the ST4 cable.

[Whippy]

If all you want to do is guide with PHD without EQMOD involved then you're right, it's the camera's ST4 port to the mount's. USB from the PC to the camera. The hand controller is used as normal.

Tony..

[Merlin66]

Whippy has said it all!

(Just make 100% sure you have a 1>1 ST4 cable....I wasted a couple of nights before I realised the cable I was using was incorrect - it was a cross-over modem type!!!!!)

[obscura]

The ST4 cable is as supplied with the QHY5v. S'pose its OK then? How would one know?

That clears a lot of aggro pour moi. Looks like guider st4 to mount st4 in this config.

Thanks to you all.

ye olde git

[Merlin66]

If you look carefully at each end you'll see the same sequence of wire colours; red, yellow, blue etc from the same edge of the plug - if it's the cross over type (!!!) then the colours are from the opposite edge on the plug.

Hope this make some sense.

[obscura]

Sure does. I think this harks back to rx/tx cross connects on RS232.

Going back over the guide cable scenario, its the lack of knowing what certain modules do. I now think that the QHY5v sends the "error signal" back to pc, the pc sends the correction back to the QHY5v, onto st4 and the mount then"tweaks".

I don't know about EQMOD as yet but I suspect "error signal" as before but EQMOD ships pulses back via EQDIR and the mount tweaks. Or maybe not.

Many thanks again.

ye olde git

[dmahon]

If you've already got a laptop, I'd definitely recommend you use EQMOD/ASCOM with CdC and ditch the hand controller. You can use the ST4 cable either way (but have the option of not using it with EQMOD - select ASCOM instead of on-camera as the mount type - so one less cable to get tangled.

[obscura]

I take your point and am tempted. My concern is getting familiar with CduC, Ascom, QHY5v etc. I think the way I see all these packages relative to pc s/w is :

CduC/QHY5v as applications, Ascom as a driver and EQMOD as the O/S. But this is my simplistic way of understanding all this.

However, there are some cloudy nights ahead so I can play now all the hardware is in place and balanced - only used as a standalone scope and mount at this time.

I have just run into a problem with fitting a 2" filter and need to either solve it or start another thread.

Thanks for your input.

ye olde git

[Bizibilder]

'Tis easy with EQMOD/CduC/PHD/ASCOM. Only one cable to the mount and EQMOD/ASCOM takes care of it all. The other advantage is EQMOD has an inbuilt simulator so you can play around on cloudy nights! Also there are some exellent YOU tube tutorials (about 30 of them!)you can get to via the EQMOD website

[obscura]

I am being persuaded. I am pouring over the 167 page EQMOD manual and will take a look at you tube. My first query was one cable - laptop to mount. Does not the guide camera need to be linked to the laptop also? But, I have a lot of reading to do.

Thanks for for your post.

ye olde git

[Bizibilder]

Yes - guide camera to laptop as well. And you have to tell PHD to use "ASCOM" as the mount option - its in the setup window.

[obscura]

OK. I hope to connect up tomorrow and probably, knowing me, will open a whole new can of worms.

Cheers

ye olde git

[obscura]

As a follow up, I am well into Eqmod Sim with CduC and, I have to admit, it really does look very appealing. So, enough of my back to basics and into today's world.

Cheers

yeoldegit

[Bizibilder]

It does tend to overwhelm you but, in reality, it is because every possible option is available! All I do is switch on the computer, start CduC, use that to start EQMOD, set up & calibrate the gamepad (VERY useful!!), align on a couple or three well chosen stars, focus on a bright one of them (saves extra slewing!), slew to target and start to capture photons!!

[obscura]

Once into it, sim, it made a lot of sense. True an odd tweak in CduC was needed and it pseudo tracked fine. A little more to delve into and then to a real scope. I just need a couple of USB cables and its ready to go. You don't mention a guide camera - do you use one or find it unnecessary?

Rgds

[Bizibilder]

I've just started to set up a guide scope and camera using PHD software (free) and actually had it working more or less first time! But I've not used it in anger yet so can only say its seems easy enough!! The guide camera simply plugs into the computer via a USB lead, guiding being done via ASCOM/EQMOD.

[obscura]

Me too with PHD. Looking at your web site there is some mention of new s/w - a click of a button ..... Is this s/w in post processing?

Rgds

[Bizibilder]

Yes the S/W is commonly called "Noel's Actions" and comprises a series of "actions" that can be processed when using Photoshop - a series of processes that one click will initiate to give a specific result with little or no further intervention.

[obscura]

I have photoshop 5.5 thus not 6 and above. Seems its far too late to upgrade - why should that be? Looks interesting though so I've save the site in the event that I actually get some decent frames.

Thanks for that

Rgds