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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

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There is one bug, but it's an Ekos one from what I can tell related to the mount model alignment tool, which is if there's a delay changing to slew, and it gets checked too quickly then Ekos/Kstars assumes it's done with a slew before the command even gets sent.

I've filed a bug for kstars. bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=410094 as I believe that's where the issue lies.

And since I left this post up overnight, before hitting submit, it's already fixed (or at least looks like it) in kstars git, and if I do observing tonight, I'll see if I have any issues. Thanks Jasem!



One thing that should be good shortly, once I'm finished is the :Gu support, is that it should be a bit less talky over serial, which hopefully will reduce the time and maybe? the load on the microcontroller it takes for updates. (I've noticed sometimes that megas have a bit of a delay some times, which I presume is due to load on the microcontroller, it seems less of an issue on STM32)

Planned to be replaced by :Gu#:
:Gm# (Pier Side)
:GX90# (Pulse Guide rate, still would need to be called for any custom/non-standard rates (aka not 0.25/0.5/1x sidereal) which I'd have to play with)
:GX95# (AutoFlip)
:GX96# (Preferred Pier Side)
:$QZ?# (PEC Status)

Not Replaced (and currently called)
:%BD and :%BR (backlash, can probably be read only occasionally)
:GXE9 :GXEA (minutes past meridian)
:A? (Align Status)
:GX02 :GX03 (Can probably be reduced and only dealt with in certain situations)
:GR :GD (Not changing, Dec and RA coordinates, need to be called!)

Though I do plan on still calling :GU# for now, because it's a LOT easier to read in either the status tab or logs, even though there's everything in :GU should be in :Gu (Along with more)

One other thing is possibly to allow for higher bitrates, which may (or may not) help or hurt. Unfortunately, most all of that is in the serial connection, which gets pulled in via telescope, and as far as I can tell, doesn't allow for on-the fly, so it'd have to send the command to change :SBx# then disconnect and reconnect. (Most all LX200 derived mounts should have the ability to do that, as Meade has had it in the lx200 protocol from close to the beginning of the protocol (Or at least there's no notation of anything not supporting it, as there is with almost everything added later))

I'm still working on the multipoint thing, but that's still proving a bit annoying. (I've got a bug, or a misunderstanding of what's being done, as it's coming out fairly off compared to the mount calculations.)
4 years 8 months ago #41299

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Do note, it unfortunately isn't fixed, yet. I thought it was, but just had it happen again. >_<
4 years 8 months ago #41343

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Folks,

I updated LX200Telescope class to support INDI::FocuserInterface which resulted in some minor but necessary changes to OnStep driver. Can you please check that I didn't break anything?
4 years 8 months ago #41419

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This bug is still there. Very annoying ...

Mount Model will slew and solve a star, then go to the next, then solve and slew too fast. The image is a streak and not a point.

I am using the latest Ubuntu 18.04 packages from Jasem's repositories, built a couple of days ago.
4 years 7 months ago #41634

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It broke, but mostly because I'd been messing with enough stuff that wasn't in master. Then the stupid spaces/tabs thing. (Which is now all spaces, but Gah that was annoying!)

As azwing is having fun with his internet (/s) I just bumped the OnStep version and submitted version 1.7, with the following changes, but likely some I may have forgotten, or missed going through commits.
Version 1.7:
- Added support for Reporting Guide rate (to PHD2 among others)
- Updated Error codes to match up with Android/SHC (Unknown reserved for unknown, so Unspecified = Unknown on other platforms)
- Added descriptions to SlewRate to match, slider kept which matches OnStep values
- Support for up to 9 stars for alignment
- Changed align so the last step isn't the (Optional) Write to EEPROM
- Added support for polar adjustments, without having to redo the entire model. (:MP# command)
- Support for Full Compensation/Refraction only, and 1/2 Axis tracking
- Cleanups


I don't have the :Gu# settings done yet, or a few other things in progress, but I figured the above would be welcome by people. And gaffes about merging an old variable name aside, I think things have been fairly well tested.
4 years 7 months ago #41644

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I added a Qtimer for 5 seconds (likely should be adjustable) to my own local copy to test if that fixes it. If so I'll send it on up to kstars. (It's supposed to be clear tonight! HUZZAH!)
4 years 7 months ago #41645

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Do you mean the text of the instructions change, or there is a functionality change somewhere? If the latter, please elaborate more.


If you have a polar alignment that has significant errors (say > 3'), and you do the RefinePA (:MP), then you are better off re-doing the polar alignment since your gotos will off if you don't.

So now we have a Single and Dual button next to each of Full and Refr?

One more thing: the units for the polar error in the Align tab are wrong. They are ' but should be ". I am sure I reported this to Alain way back when, and it was fixed. Perhaps overwritten by some other change.

Thanks for your continued work on this ...
4 years 7 months ago #41649

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Yes, text changed.


Write align got set to Write Align to NVRAM/Flash (Actually should be EEPROM/Flash, but whatever, storage that doesn't go away with power!)
No, I did it a little differently, along with status, which shows Single Axis, 2-axis or N/A (If off)



See probably the first screenshot, Alain corrected this a while back. I don't think it got pushed up to the main one though. It's there now.
No problem, Open source is awesome.

Now if I can just find what the hell is with that bug in the alignment routine. (I've somewhat narrowed it down bringing out things like wireshark, but whatever the issue is, it seems to defy my finding it. Though I've narrowed it down some as to what gets called, but that shouldn't as far as I can tell. Somehow kstars thinks that the EqNP.s is busy when as per wireshark it's not, so it goes into the case of IPS_BUSY (== Slewing) when it's actually another status, but I don't see HOW. At least I know it's not the OnStep INDI driver side (or the INDI side, or the OnStep side... I think anyway :dry: ). )




Also: If anything breaks that was working before, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. There were a bunch of stupid spacing things that git decided a whole function constituted a change, some of which had actual changes in them, and I think I decoupled the spacing changes from actual changes, but... I'm only human, and a little bit more persistent than git. ;)
4 years 7 months ago #41758
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Thanks for the clarification. These are all great changes.

This bug is merely an annoyance.
I found it easier to just point and slew to each star, and repeat 6 times.

The reason is that populating the Mount Model tool takes a lot of time, so in the end, both methods work out to the same time.


I will. Although I will not get the changes until they make it all the way to Jasem's PPA, then him building packages. So it will be a while.

Maybe it is something more mundane? Such as tabs vs spaces?
4 years 7 months ago #41760

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For me, any of the automated methods work in a very short amount of time. (When playing with it, I've tried to find an option that would take a while, but everything from grid to named stars seems to populate pretty much instantly for me. The only thing I have to sometimes check for is where I have trees. In which case, I can just generate say 8 when I want 6, and kill those too far NW, or use a higher altitude.

In any case, I did some local testing and 17/25 hit it. However, I did test a timer, and that worked great to mask whatever is causing the issue, and while reporting that, had an idea which should mask it fairly easily. (Provided Settle Time > polling time) Still haven't found the cause, but maybe a bandage will get to kstars relatively soon?
I believe since it's in INDI master, it should be in Jasem's PPA.

Yep. I added a .katesettings (I think that's the name) with the tab settings. Actually that might be worth pushing up to INDI master. (Doesn't solve it for all editors, but... (Hrm, a standard for that that all editors look at would be great.))
4 years 7 months ago #41946

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Hello,

I have an install of INDI 1.8.0 built from source on a Raspberry Pi. I have OnStep installed onto an STM32 Blue Pill based PCB. I connect the RPi to the STM32 via WiFi link, which works fine.

Loading Kstars and opening Ekos I can connect, over wifi, to indiserver using the Ethernet method.



However, after the initial connect there is no further data exchange, no control works and I can't slew the scope at all. I have posted to the OnStep group (onstep.groups.io/g/main/topic/32712176#12458) and others have similar results. I can get the scope to run fine by connecting the STM32 pcb to the RPi via USB.

Is there something I am missing in the configuration, or does it simply not work yet?
4 years 7 months ago #42479
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Just pushed a pull request up, and updated to version 1.8. No new features, but it does fix a delay issue for fork mounts.

It also changed the mount type to be an enum, because that seemed a bit more readable, and has a few incomplete things for looking at the PEC recorded values.

As I look at the PEC values, it strikes me, that everything using a ms value derived from an ancient interface is silly, as opposed to sending it in arc-seconds, or fractions thereof.
4 years 7 months ago #42533

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