×

INDI Library v2.0.6 is Released (02 Feb 2024)

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

Driver OnStep (LX200 like) for INDI

  • Posts: 14
  • Thank you received: 0
Hi all!

I just built a OnStep Maxi driver but have some problems connecting it to INDI under Linux (Mint 19).
Under Windows with ASCOM driver and MaxIm DL I can connect and start tracking etc.
In Ekos I see this in the log window:

2018-11-27T17:43:23: [ERROR] Error setting site longitude coordinates
2018-11-27T17:43:18: [ERROR] Error setting UTC Offset.
2018-11-27T17:43:13: [INFO] Device configuration saved.
2018-11-27T17:43:13: [INFO] Saving device configuration...
2018-11-27T17:43:13: [INFO] Device configuration applied.
2018-11-27T17:43:13: [INFO] Pulse guiding is enabled.
2018-11-27T17:43:13: [ERROR] Error setting site longitude coordinates
2018-11-27T17:43:08: [INFO] Loading device configuration...
2018-11-27T17:43:03: [ERROR] Error setting site longitude coordinates
2018-11-27T17:42:58: [INFO] Mount is unparked.
2018-11-27T17:42:58: [ERROR] Unable to parse response.
2018-11-27T17:42:55: [ERROR] Unable to parse response.
2018-11-27T17:42:52: [INFO] =============== Parkdata loaded
2018-11-27T17:42:52: [INFO] Mount is unparked.
2018-11-27T17:42:29: [WARNING] Could not process mount date and time: 0T00:00:00
2018-11-27T17:42:19: [WARNING] Failed to get site latitude from device.
2018-11-27T17:42:13: [ERROR] Failed to get site name from device
2018-11-27T17:42:08: [ERROR] Failed to retrieve time format from device.
2018-11-27T17:41:31: [INFO] LX200 OnStep is online.

I am still waiting for a Wemos module to be able to connect from my Smartphone.
But I guess it should work with the USB port as well.
It seems the connection works, but I cannot set the time location or start tracking etc.
Any insights?

Thanks!

best regards,
Albert
5 years 4 months ago #32006
Attachments:

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Posts: 452
  • Thank you received: 71
@Khalid,

I am happy to confirm Jasem applied the change to indicom.c concerning the conversion error.
I tested it and works as expected, no more DD:MM:60 and so.
Also Hoous or Degree Oveflow (> 24 or > 90) is not an issue.

It is in the latest git version github.com/indilib/indi

Many thanks to Jasem for his quick response
5 years 4 months ago #32007

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Posts: 452
  • Thank you received: 71
@TechnoplusNL
Wellkom hier!
Could you please tell us which version of the following you use:
- KStars
- Indi
- OnStep Version
also it would be helpfull to provide an exerpt of Indi log file (before you connect make sure in the option tab you enabled debug and log to file)
the file is under
/home/USER/.indi/logs/YYYY-MM-DD/indi_lx200_OnStep/indi_lx200_OnStep_hh:mm:ss.log

there are also some tools sniff the serial communication that could help (slsniff for example) that could help.
don't try to connect via WiFi using the ESP / Wemos since the Webserver will not allow LX200 protocoll, it is a web server not a serial over IP

Sorry if I can't help just like that.

Bedankt voor uw interesse in OnStep
5 years 4 months ago #32008
Attachments:

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Posts: 14
  • Thank you received: 0
Hello azwing,

Thanks for your prompt reply.
I tried again to set up logging, when suddenly it started working! I also attached the log file.
Now I can also start tracking from INDI control panel in KStars.

2018-11-27T19:18:55: [INFO] Mount is unparked.
2018-11-27T19:18:54: [INFO] Site location updated to Lat 51:28:06 - Long 0:00:00
2018-11-27T19:18:54: [INFO] Time updated, updating planetary data...
2018-11-27T19:18:54: [INFO] Device configuration saved.
2018-11-27T19:18:54: [INFO] Saving device configuration...
2018-11-27T19:18:54: [INFO] Device configuration applied.
2018-11-27T19:18:54: [INFO] Pulse guiding is enabled.
2018-11-27T19:18:54: [INFO] Site location updated to Lat 0:00:00 - Long 0:00:00
2018-11-27T19:18:54: [INFO] Loading device configuration...
2018-11-27T19:18:54: [INFO] Site location updated to Lat 0:00:00 - Long 0:00:00
2018-11-27T19:18:54: [INFO] Mount is unparked.
2018-11-27T19:18:54: [INFO] =============== Parkdata loaded
2018-11-27T19:18:54: [INFO] Mount is unparked.
2018-11-27T19:18:54: [WARNING] Could not process mount date and time: 20-1982-11-26T01:42:42
2018-11-27T19:18:54: [INFO] LX200 OnStep is online.
2018-11-27T19:18:49: [WARNING] Communication with /dev/ttyUSB0 @ 9600 failed. Starting Auto Search...
2018-11-27T19:18:49: [ERROR] Failed to connect to port (/dev/ttyUSB0). Error: Port failure Error: No such file or directory. Check if device is connected to this port.

At the moment I have a working remote observatory running on Win7 and ACP Scheduler, but I want to get rid of Windows.
I am very happy to find a very active and lively INDI community and I will try to contribute!
There are more amateur astronomers that I know, who all want to switch to Linux!

Thanks for all your work for the OnStep INDI driver!

Best regards,
Albert
5 years 4 months ago #32010
Attachments:

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Posts: 257
  • Thank you received: 22
Off the cuff I'd say that looks like our old longitude polarity error. The fix for it is to use positive numbers. For example, -80 would be 279 in the longitude field. It can be cantankerous at times when the system tries to update the mount or vice versa. The no site name error is just because none are stored yet in the Site tab. Setting a positive number ther and naming it should hopefully update the mount firmware properly.

There's a new page for log file enable. You can reach it on the Ekos panel where you set up and connect to indiserver. There is a button for logs there that will load it. Or you can go through kstars preferences to get to it.

Hope this helps. :)


edit: [check version... I thought we fixed that to convert?]
Last edit: 5 years 4 months ago by Ray Wells.
5 years 4 months ago #32011

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Posts: 452
  • Thank you received: 71
Albert,
I don't know how you feel, but I don't like the suddenly it is working. Something must have gone wrong somewhere.
But I am happy to hear it works.
if you have some time you could describe a liitle bit the system you are working with (platform/hardware ...)
I am working too on an observatory burt for the moment it's only concrete and housing, nothing really installed in.
- Linux Debian Buster
- Kstars / Indi compiled from Github sources
- Mounts
=> 1 EQ6 with Nanotec Motors and 15/60 belts + Onstep MaxPCB
=> 1 EQ6-R for travelling
- Scope
=> One selfe made Deobson 270 F6 for visual use
=> One Newton 250/1200 for Observatory most photo use
- Autoguiding Lacerta M-Gen
- Imaging Canon EOS Rebel T3 non unfilmtered

regards
5 years 4 months ago #32012

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Posts: 14
  • Thank you received: 0
Thanks Blueshawk!
It looks like it is working now, I forgot to change my location in KStars.
For the moment I am very happy! I will use the log if I experience trouble...
Regards,
Albert
5 years 4 months ago #32014

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Posts: 14
  • Thank you received: 0
azwing,

Do you want me to describe my operational (Windows) system or the new system I am building at home?

You can have a look at my pictures, including the remote observatory at:
www.astrobin.com/users/Albert_van_Duin/
You will have to scroll down a bit for the observatory.

My new Linux system at home consists of an old i7 with 8GB RAM, Linux Mint, KStars 2.9.8.
The mount is an old Gemini G41, with OnStep drive V1.16e. Telescope is a 200mm F/2.8 ASA.
The camera is an old SBIG ST10XME, the focus motor is on OnStep (Maxi), or I can use Moonlite or OnFocus.
The roof is a garage door opener operated roll off roof, I can open and close it via Pythonscripts, so I hope to be able to use that with INDI too.
I hope to get it working soon.

Best regards,
Albert
5 years 4 months ago #32016

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Posts: 322
  • Thank you received: 31

Thanks a lot for doing this and let us know the status.

And thanks to Jasem, for this and everything else.

For me, the clouds rolled in early and I have not seen a clear night since the start of November.

Moreover, my astro laptop's solid state disk died, right when I was trying to change a few things in OnStep's INDI. Now, I am trying to recover the data from it, and it is taking weeks to read the data that is not corrupted.

So, I can't test anything until this recovery is over. Who knows how long it will take ...

The changes I wanted to do was add a button for 6 star align, and implement the tracking rates inside of OnStep rather than relying on inheriting from the generic driver (which does not seem to work). Specifically, I wanted to add the King Rate, together with Full Compensation Tracking. This is not urgent now that Howard has fixed all tracking accuracy issues for the STM32.
5 years 4 months ago #32018

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Posts: 322
  • Thank you received: 31
5 years 4 months ago #32019

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Posts: 322
  • Thank you received: 31

A tab would be great. Not essential but nicer.

Also a pull down list is nicer, but again not strictly required.

As an interim step, you can just add buttons for more stars. They don't need to be an exhaustive list. For example, we only need: Align 1, Align 2, Align3, Align 4, Align 6, Align 9, and that is it.

Later it can be refined to be a drop down list or whatever.

As the wisdom goes: do not let perfect stand in the way of good enough.

A button to write the alignment is a good thing, and easy to do.

As I said elsewhere, my astro laptop is out of commission for some time, so I would not be able to test things out for a while. That and the clouds ...
5 years 4 months ago #32020

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Posts: 161
  • Thank you received: 39

The clouds came. I just pushed something to azwing, with so far only the one change to the alignment: Namely that the kdialog isn't used for the align. (I'm using a mini pc outside (ECS Liva, though a Pi could be used instead, the Liva has GigE, and my pi doesn't) and... that it was popping up and freezing the whole system took me a bit to figure out. I'd gone out in the cold and actually reset the OnStep controller before figuring it out.)

So: Under the Align tab, here's how I see it as best, the popup I don't think should be used:
--Align--
Number of Align Stars: Dropdown: 1, 2, 3, 6, 9
Start Alignment: Button single
Alignment Status: Azwing's one currently on main labeled "Align Process"
Align Current sync: Button single

Instructions: Text box
(Which one, I'll leave to you, for now I'll leave mine as is.)

Write Alignment to EEPROM: Button Single (Might not be present until the results of the Align Process say complete.)
----
If stays cloudy (It's doing this really annoying thing where it's cloudy/not so i can't even take cloud flats.) I might do that tonight.

One other additional thing, I don't know why (Even after trying to look), but I've seen the issue with not connecting. I'm not completely sure of the cause, the reset script that kbahey (I think) posted on the OnStep list works. Not sure of the cause, but it appears only after I moved to CP 203?, Updated OnStep Alpha, Updated INDI, so of course it gives a great many possible problem locations.
5 years 4 months ago #32034

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

Time to create page: 0.801 seconds