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EQ6 with MCU-Upgrade problems with Indi_lx200basic driver

  • Posts: 26
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hi Guys

I bought an EQ6 about 15 years ago and upgraded with Rajiva's MCU-Upgrade Kit.
If I run the EQ6 with Skychart the internal driver and the control of the mount works without problems.
If I use the Indiserver indi_lx200basic with Kstars then i've got the connection to the driver but more does not happen.

I can still remember a libindi version that worked. But that has been many years ago.
I have run on the server the latest PPA from Jasem and connect with Kstars from the client.

In the "sync" of an object, I see the cross for a second, but immediately disappears. If I want to "slew" on a object, nothing happens.

This is the Kstars Indi-Control output

2017-06-09T08:42:21: Object below the minimum elevation limit.
2017-06-09T08:42:21: Error Slewing to JNow RA 2:44:12 - DEC 3:18:21
2017-06-09T08:42:12: Synchronization successful.
2017-06-09T08:41:56: LX200 Basic is online.


What should I do to run the EQ6 with the Indi_lx200basic driver?
I would like to use ekos, but as long as the assembly does not work it is useless.

I have already read that many EQ6 users with MCU upgrade, have problems with this driver.

Is there a solution for this problem?
If there no driver specifically for the eq6 with mcu-upgrade kit?

If I can help to solve the problem, so let me know how i can help.

Sorry for my bad english but google ist my friend ;)

Best regards
Thomas
6 years 9 months ago #17223

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What command set does it support? Which driver you used in SkyChart to control it?
6 years 9 months ago #17227

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Hi Knro,

lx200 if you this mean.
See Screenshot. It's the integrated driver.
Last edit: 6 years 9 months ago by Thomas.
6 years 9 months ago #17228
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Then please attach logs for communication with the mount.
6 years 9 months ago #17237

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I have a Skyview Pro with the an MCU Mod and had the same problem.
You can see my post here : indilib.org/forum/mounts/2148-rajiva-mcu-update.html

The best driver is the OnStep, but neither one works correctly. It should. But it does not.
In the meantime I am trying to make a custom driver to the MCU using the correct lx200 commands.
I had some progress but it's not ready yet and got stuck with some commands.
The MCU implementation supports a very small subset of the LX200 standard.
It's quite hard to make a driver for it.
Last edit: 6 years 9 months ago by nMAC.
6 years 9 months ago #17238

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Good Morning,

Please apologize if I can not always answer the same. I have family.

@KNRO
I have made 2 log files.
Indiserver -vv -l / home / thomas / indi_log indi_lx200basic
Indiserver -vvv -l / home / thomas / indi_log indi_lx200basic

"Sync" on Venus at "Slew" on Uranus. 2 times each.
I hope you can do something with it.
If you need other logs please tell it.

@NMAC
I have read your topic. I did not know you were still there. Is already a while ago
I would be glad if someone manages to get the thing to run.

I had already played with Kstars and Indi 15 years ago and it worked with this mount. Then there was a change in the libindi.
After that, nothing happened and I had to go to Skychart.

Somehow I had then Kontact to jasem and he has viewed with SSH the source from libindi. After that, it worked a while. At least until the first update but is certainly 6 years ago.

greeting
Thomas
6 years 9 months ago #17246

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Hi! Yes I am still trying :-D It's kind of a personal thing. If I can manage to do it, I will post it.

@Knro, I have the original author documentation (pdf) containing the command set but I don't know if I can publish because project had some conflicts and
was shutdown. I can send it to you if it helps.

Regards
6 years 9 months ago #17249

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Hello Thomas,
I have a HEQ5 that I modded with the Rajiva MCU Upgrade Kit also about 15 years ago :).
I was (and can use) the V4 Controller software to control my scope, but I want to use EQMOD with ASCOM. But I can not get it to connect to my HEQ5 mount.
Have you ever got your EQ6 mount to work with EQMOD and ASCOM?
I have tries LX200 Advanced Driver and LX200 Original Driver, do you think they should work?
Regards,
Markus
4 years 11 months ago #38466

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Hi NMAC (or anyone who has it),
Could you please send me the document containing the command set. I am also trying to get my MCU modded HEQ5 working with EQMOD?
Thank you,
Markus
4 years 11 months ago #38510

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Hi! I know I have it somewhere! It was very hard to find it at the time.
I will search for it. I remember it as a small subset of the LX200.
4 years 10 months ago #38526

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Found the page I used for a reference!
It's for a similar project but as you can see at the bottom of the page, the protocol is the same.

web.archive.org/web/20190308052918/http:...gbdt.com.au/eq6-old/

The original file is this one the the site if offline and there are no copies of it:

eq6.update.rajiva.de/eq6/data/mcu_doc.pdf

I will search for this file.

also see my original posting about this:

indilib.org/forum/mounts/2148-rajiva-mcu-update.html

and see the zip file attached, it may help too!
Last edit: 4 years 10 months ago by nMAC.
4 years 10 months ago #38527
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That's awesome NMAC, thanks for that.
I did some rs232 port sniffing and compared the values between using V4Control and ASCOM with the ASCOM LittleFoot Driver and I think I may have found an (hopefully the) issue.
As part of the ASCOM connection test, it passes a request to the mount for a few things, which are: #0:VX#, #:GR# and #:GD#. The mount replies to all of the requests, but it sends an extra character with the #:GD# which I believe kills the ability for ACSOM and EQMOD to correctly connect to the mount.
When the mount receives #:GD# it returns - "+00ß00".
It's very strange that the "ß" is in there, but V4Control still works fine with that, but ASCOM doesn't like it.
The Latitude and Longitude ASCOM shows after the connection (in Device Connection Tested) is 1612345:00:00.000 4898765:00:00.000, with the first numbers in each being clearly wrong.
When trying to connect in the LittleFootClassic Setup it errors saying 1612345 is out of range.

I am using MCU Firmware 4.17D and I did reflash my MCU Firmware to 4.10D, but is still had the same issue.

My next thought is to try and get the MCU firmware and modify it to remove the "ß", or try and get the ASCOM LittleFoot driver source code and modify it to correctly read values with "ß" in it.

Do you know if there is a later version firmware that 4.17D? I did see messages from Rajiva (from many years ago) talking of a version 6 Firmware, but can't find anything close and it seems there are no longer any traces of Rajiva on the Internet (maybe he was NEO :))?

Any thoughts on the "ß" in the value returned by the mount?
4 years 10 months ago #38538

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