Older Synscan units use a combination of USB Cables and WiFi dongles to communicate with the hand unit via INDI and or the Synscan APP. It works, but is not gear-reduction-friendly.
Recent models of SynScan have the WiFi included and built into the motor controller and eliminate the dongle. Now you can eliminate the hand unit completely (and stick it in a box in the cupboard, like I did) and lose the USB cable by configuring INDI to talk via WiFi to the SynScan APP and from the SynScan APP to the WiFi on the scope mount. Um..Yippie! A great reduction in fiddly-bits.

With the above-captioned setup, you may use INDI, with the SynScan APP as a pass-thru or use the SynScan APP in addition to INDI. They seem to work and play well together. In my instance, I put all the devices on my home WiFi network. Away from home, I'd probably bring along a cheapo WiFi router setup as the same network or use the laptop as a hotspot in adhoc mode.

The idea of having the tablet along as just a pass-through for commands from INDI still bugs me. A champion of "less is more" should consider that there should be some way to get the INDI bit talking directly to the WiFi motor driver and put the SynScan tablet in the aforementioned box with the USB cable and SynScan hand unit.

I imagine a land where I have my scope mount, my Pi running INDI server mounted to the scope mount and the only cables going from the Pi to the cameras and focuser with the whole thing is operated via WiFi from inside the house on my laptop . No SynScan APP. No SynScan hand unit. No USB cables running everywhere.

Please let me know if I have misunderstood some key element of this that makes it impossible or improbable.

The sentiment is great but IME wired ethernet networking still rules :-

1. Totally dependable - wired vary rarely lets you down
2. High Speed - as yet wireless does not come close and then there is the wireless delay factor. 1gb wired - wireless is never the quoted figures and not both ways.
3. Its only one extra wire to your PI and then short USB cables from your mounted PI to your devices
4. Easier to support when trouble shooting. if wireless was involved everywhere then IMO it would be a nightmare with the present relibility - especially 2.4ghz .

I know lots love wireless but for now I will stick with my 1 wire ethernet connection - even in "the field" a simple cheap TP-Link 5 port hub (£<£10) enables seamless laptop to mount connection.

Why would you want to use Synscan App - Indi will drive most SW mounts directly - unless I am mis reading your thread.

In the end its what the Individual is happiest with

Now if manu's og Camera's have >10gb fibre IP connections that would be something - no USB at all but then you are only as fast as the slowest component

Just my take on it.

Apparently you are missing my point. And perhaps I am missing something as well, but I do not disagree that wired ETHERNET over CAT5 or CAT6 with a decent router can only be beat by RF Cable or Fibre. WiFi can't compete. Though I am only marginally happy with USB due to range issues and the reality that there always seems to be a USB2.0 "thing" in the way of real performance in a given network.

So...to be clear:
1. I absolutely DO NOT want the tablet and SynScan APP involved. It was my understanding (clearly more of a misunderstanding) that I could not run the mount directly without involving a USB connection from the Pi to the SynScan HandUnit (serial port). As much as I dislike the SynScan APP just sitting there passing data, I absolutely despise the Synscan HandUnit flopping around in its weak little mount doing virtually the same job passing data. I also seem to recall that the last time I tried using Pi->USB->HandUnit->mount, INDI barked loudly if I didn't do an alignment using the HandUnit first and refused to connect. When I connect Pi->WiFi->SynScan App->WiFi->Mount, it is very happy to quietly connect if I merely have the mount level and pointed North when I turn it on.

2. I would be fairly happy running KStars/Ekos/Indi on the Pi with a direct USB connection to cameras. All the heavy lifting could be done by the Pi, data-wise, and I could run the Pi over WiFi as a remote desktop for the purposes of controlling things such as focus and composition.

3. If there is a non-USB ethernet method to connect to my SkyWatcher Dobsonian GOTO mount, then I don't see it (which doesn't mean I haven't missed something obvious). Is it possible that the 6-pin TELCO jack that the HandUnit is plugged into is just a straight serial input that does not require any repackaging or manipulation of data by the HandUnit? I could be fairly pleased with that answer, as it would just require the addition of a USB to TELCO6 cable, given a wiring diagram.

I hope I made myself a bit clearer here. If not, say so, and I will try again.

Ok maybe misread it no problem.

I must have also missed your SW Dob GoTo which I am not that familiar with BUT for most of SW mounts its a simple case of a UDB to TTL adapter that plugs directly from the PI to the Mounts port where the handset usually goes - exception are the newer SW mounts which come with a USB port which seems to be a Prolific chipped USB-TTL adapter. Not a handset in sight but as I say SW Dob GoTo I confess I dont know - sorry about the confusion.

If the wiring is in the SW Dob manual you may be able to create a USB-TTL adapter cable (Assuming its TTL and not RS232C - done a number for SWEQ and SWAZ just a case of voltage matching for the TTL 5v or 3.3v and knowing the wiring of the mount) but you would still need a Indi driver - maybe the SW AZ might work - but I haven't a glue if that would drive your mount. If the port is true RS232c then the adapter would have to be a serial(rs232C)->USB as the voltage levels are 12V. Get it wrong bye bye board !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Perhaps someone else on here has used a SW Dob GoTo with Indi or a Dev might know.

Sorry about the confusion.

Thanks, and no problem. Now you see why I was interested in WiFi. The traffic I am interested in is just the mount control, so connectivity is paramount, and blazing speed isn't terribly important. Also, I can't find documentation from SkyWatcher on their new setup. It was apparently so new when I bought it last January, that OPT sent me a WiFi dongle, not knowing it had WiFi built-in. At least with WiFi controlling the mount, there is no connectivity issue with logic matching. Although, I don't know what else the SynScan APP does to the data coming from INDI before sending it to the mount. It does work very well with the Indi_synscan_telescope driver configured to talk to the SynScan tablet APP via WiFi over a UDP port and on to the mount via a different UDP port. I suppose it just bugs me that the SynScan APP has to be there when it should be a direct WiFi connection from INDI to the UDP port on the mount.

I suppose I can run WireShark and packet sniff my way the answer for my question about how the data is passed from INDI to SynScan APP and SynScan APP to the mount, but I had hoped it was already known.

Have you thought of just buying one of these www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-mou...can-usb-adapter.html may have to check with FLO first that it fits your mount but as it is new ,like your mount,it might :-)

www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-mou...can-usb-adapter.html

The only down is its a Prolific chip but they normally work on Linux ok - but this is new so who knows.

quote from a user "Given those caveats, it works brilliantly with my EQ6 and my Skywatcher Dobsonian AZ goto".

If you look on the Sky Watcher Global Site under developers there is a complete write up on the couple of protocols used skywatcher.com/download/manual/application-development/

Worth trying the above adapter with either Synscan or SW AZ indi drivers as I drive an old SWAZGOTO with a usb adapter I made which used to use Synscan App running under Wine - not on a PI !!! - but worked without Synscan App/Handset using the SWAZ Indi driver.

Just a thought!

Interesting. That may be my answer. I will try to get one of those adapters and report back. ANYTHING to prevent taking the HandUnit back out of the box in the closet. I might not be able to keep myself from taking it to the pasture and running it over with the tractor.

I couldn't find that USB adapter from a US source, so I sent a note to SkyWatcher support. This is their reply:

Jon,

We are working to bring the USB adapter in North America and are in the final stages of preparing the product for market. We do not have pricing but we hope to have these in stock by mid to late summer.

Thank you!

Sky-Watcher Support


DOH!!!!!