The ASI120 does not work with Linux, this is known, as it is not supported anymore.... ?

I was able to get the ASI120mm working, for a few moments. I removed my DSLR from the CCD profile and had the 120mm as the guide and the AVX mount.

Started EKOS and tried to capture and solve with the 120mm. It would not capture and showed 3 failed attempts in the INDI control panel.

changed the Capture setting in EKOS from the default 1 second to .1 and suddenly it worked. Disconnect and restart INDI and now it won't work again. It will however capture Subframes. So setting must be incorrect and is not being preserved across restart.

Thought I would peruse the INDI logs, but when I clicked the button in Settings - KStars restarted.

I purchased the ASI120mm as a bundle with Stellarmate and now you're telling me it isn't supported on Linux?

So I am even more confused.

The annoying thing is prior to the SD crashing or going gaga on me I had just almost felt like I was getting somewhere. USB cable setup before it went into this coma was working so assume with no cable changes and a clean image install it would be ok. How wrong was I. It hated it.

Back to Knro's comment:

1. FocusCube Zero: If the focuser if fully retracted, in INDI control panel, you can set SYNC to to zero. Just put zero and press set and that's it.

This may be the case but every time I get a crash with this system the focuser isn't at Zero. The software within INDI or eKos does not allow me to go to negative. It stops at Zero which isn't zero because it crashed somewhere nowhere near where it restarts. This means each time I have to physically get the focuser retracted I need to hook it directly onto my PC and use the Pegasus software to retract the tube and zero it before reaching it back to the RPi4. A very long and boring process. Then, within the INDI software, anything I set and then save it isn't set or saved. Options like enabling backlash are hit and miss. I got it to enable before it had that coma. Now it won't let me even enable it. Same with reducing the USB speed on the Hypercam from 3 to 2. You hit set. Save it. Go back and it's back to 3! Nothing saves. Nothing sets. Nothing works.

I'm thinking of wasting some more money on Amazon in buying a powered USB hub. The whole idea of this was to reduce cables. The RPi4 has 4 USB ports. It should work with the 4 USB cables I have. I assume the fault is not hardware but rather software. So if I haven't more that 4 USB cables I see no reason to buy a hub. It should work.

I have 2 more days to crack this before the RPi4 becomes RiP4 and becomes something more useful - an automated dog biscuit dispenser or other. I'm wasting clear skies frustrating myself with this junk. So far... Not impressed. Maybe ASCOM is the way forward.

mactech, which version of ASI120MM do you have? The ASI120MM (USB2) version or the ASI120MM-S (USB3) version? The USB2 version doesn't work on modern Linux kernels (from some kernel version 4.0.x on) so it is possible that with an older Stellarmate version an older kernel (possible 3.8.x) was used and with that the USB2 version would work. Please search this forum for ASI120MM and also for ASI120MC (the same camera but a color sensor instead of mono) and you will see what I mean. There is firmware that you can upload to the camera which for some people fixes the camera but for others (like me) not. I got rid of my ASI120MC (USB2) camera and bought an ASI120MC-S (USB3) camera and then another because they work very, very well on Linux.

Please note that the situation is different for Windows since it didn't enforce the USB2 standard (which is what was the faulty part of the USB2 camera) as much as Linux. But even Windows 10 now doesn't support the camera anymore.

So, once again, please search this forum. You'll understand what I mean.


HTH, Wouter

jaq1967 I understand your frustration but unfortunately you are not the only person having problems with RPi4, even the ones who don't use Stellarmate. It seems that the RPi4 hardware still is not fully supported by Linux, or at least that's my impression. Do you have a laptop or so on which you can install Ubuntu MATE 19.10? If yes, I'd advise you to give that a try at least to see the true power or Ekos and INDI because I have been using it for 2 years now (admittedly not on an RPi4 or even 3 for that matter) and it does work.

Wouter I have the USB2 version.

I feel duped now... OPT selling me something knowing it's obsolete. Buyer beware.

Having a Windows 10 laptop and APT, I was thinking of switching to it and you're saying this camera isn't supported under Windows 10 either?

Sorry to hear that mactech. To be clear: I am not a Windows user and have not been for 20 years. From what I have read here and there indeed Windows 10 doesn't support it anymore as well. I may very well be wrong.

I am not a Windows user until recently, hence my user name. While I need it for a programming job coming this year, I thought I would dabble into AP with it too. I still love the StellarMate concepts and upgraded to RPi4 as the 3 was under-powered, but functional.

There are some odd things happening with this camera for sure that were not there in Rpi3. I've been saving for a ASI533 and also a big reason to move to RPi4 for USB3 support. I am not going to fight with this thing and will sell it or place it in the used parts pile.

It appears that I now have a working configuration with the RPi4 and it works across restarts, supports both my Nikon and the ASI120mm mini USB2 guide camera. The 120mm is plugged into a USB2 port and I have marked the respective ports for each cable hoping that wasn't a cause.

I have successfully used this config before for a several hour session tracking, plate solving, etc. and then something went wrong in the software. It stopped guiding and plate solving as the 120mm wasn't responding to captures. I need to burn this to an image that I can easily restore.

One thing I have found that if you're unable to successfully exit Kstars, or an INDI driver has crashed, any settings changes you've made will not have saved causing future issues.

Aaah wait, you have an ASI120MM mini! That is a completely different story because this one does work with modern Linux kernels but, again to my best of knowledge, only on USB2 ports. Please next time be VERY specific as to which hardware you have EXACTLY

My bad on the hardware. I should know better, as I always ask my own users the same thing. I wasn't aware there was a non-mini version. Nothing like confusing your product lineups easily.

There are still some instability issues but I may have found what works. Thanks for your help... fingers crossed.