On Ubuntu MATE 16.04 all was working. (Notebook PC)
Instructions on github.com/knro/indiwebmanager were followed.
Any dependency packages were installed when prompted.

indi-web -v command worked -- INDI Web Manager started the server.
After reboot it did not start.


:~$ sudo systemctl status indiwebmanager.service
[sudo] password
● indiwebmanager.service - INDI Web Manager
Loaded: loaded (/etc/systemd/system/indiwebmanager.service; enabled; vendor p
Active: inactive (dead)
(INDI Web Manager localhost :8624 did not start)

[1]+ Stopped sudo systemctl status indiwebmanager.service

:~$ indi-web -v
2018-08-25 11:48:25,962 - DEBUG: command line arguments: {'logfile': None, 'verbose': True, 'fifo': '/tmp/indiFIFO', 'server': 'standalone', 'host': '0.0.0.0', 'conf': '/home/john/.indi', 'indi_port': 7624, 'port': 8624, 'xmldir': '/usr/share/indi/'}
2018-08-25 11:48:25,978 - INFO: pkill -9 indiserver
2018-08-25 11:48:25,987 - WARNING: terminating indiserver failed code 1
2018-08-25 11:48:25,993 - INFO: using Bottle as standalone server
2018-08-25 11:48:42,241 - INFO: Deleting fifo /tmp/indiFIFO
2018-08-25 11:48:42,252 - INFO: indiserver -p 7624 -m 100 -v -f /tmp/indiFIFO > /tmp/indiserver.log 2>&1 &
2018-08-25 11:48:42,256 - INFO: echo "start indi_simulator_ccd -c \"/home/john/.indi/CCD Simulator_config.xml\" -n \"CCD Simulator\"" > /tmp/indiFIFO
2018-08-25 11:48:42,258 - INFO: echo "start indi_simulator_focus -c \"/home/john/.indi/Focuser Simulator_config.xml\" -n \"Focuser Simulator\"" > /tmp/indiFIFO
2018-08-25 11:48:42,261 - INFO: echo "start indi_lx200gps -c \"/home/john/.indi/LX90_config.xml\" -n \"LX90\"" > /tmp/indiFIFO
2018-08-25 11:48:46,108 - INFO: pkill -9 indiserver
2018-08-25 11:48:46,122 - INFO: indiserver terminated successfully
^Z
[2]+ Stopped indi-web -v
:~$

After another reboot, the same situation.

:~$ sudo systemctl status indiwebmanager.service
[sudo] password for john:
● indiwebmanager.service - INDI Web Manager
Loaded: loaded (/etc/systemd/system/indiwebmanager.service; enabled; vendor p
Active: inactive (dead)

[1]+ Stopped sudo systemctl status indiwebmanager.service
_:~$ indi-web -v
2018-08-25 12:29:07,801 - DEBUG: command line arguments: {'logfile': None, 'verbose': True, 'fifo': '/tmp/indiFIFO', 'server': 'standalone', 'host': '0.0.0.0', 'conf': '/home/john/.indi', 'indi_port': 7624, 'port': 8624, 'xmldir': '/usr/share/indi/'}
2018-08-25 12:29:07,817 - INFO: pkill -9 indiserver
2018-08-25 12:29:07,826 - WARNING: terminating indiserver failed code 1
2018-08-25 12:29:07,832 - INFO: using Bottle as standalone server
2018-08-25 12:29:20,634 - INFO: Deleting fifo /tmp/indiFIFO
2018-08-25 12:29:20,643 - INFO: indiserver -p 7624 -m 100 -v -f /tmp/indiFIFO > /tmp/indiserver.log 2>&1 &
2018-08-25 12:29:20,646 - INFO: echo "start indi_simulator_ccd -c \"/home/john/.indi/CCD Simulator_config.xml\" -n \"CCD Simulator\"" > /tmp/indiFIFO
2018-08-25 12:29:20,649 - INFO: echo "start indi_simulator_focus -c \"/home/john/.indi/Focuser Simulator_config.xml\" -n \"Focuser Simulator\"" > /tmp/indiFIFO
2018-08-25 12:29:20,652 - INFO: echo "start indi_lx200gps -c \"/home/john/.indi/LX90_config.xml\" -n \"LX90\"" > /tmp/indiFIFO
2018-08-25 12:29:26,381 - INFO: pkill -9 indiserver
2018-08-25 12:29:26,393 - INFO: indiserver terminated successfully


INDI Web Manager started and stopped the server several times.


The same behaviour occurs on another PC with Ubuntu MATE 18.04.1.

(Note: the OS upgrade was made in order to install some other program that wanted the newest gnome.)

Any ideas?

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Hello fcasara, you said:
"By the way, you can flip the pier side of the telescope with FS2 without turning off or realigning. Just "simply" use the pad to move the tube to north until it crosses the north pole (south if you are down under). At that point FS2 flips his internal state of the pier side and you can slew normally and it will go to the other side of the pier. And don't remember to inform to the dome driver the new pier side. "

So let me check the procedure:
Using KStars first align the telescope on a reference star "Alpha whatever" in the FS2 data base.
Then engage KStar FS2 connect and sync.
Then use the FS2 hand control pad and press the N button to slew the telescope to the North Pole.
FS2 stopped the slew when it reaches North. ( I think that we saw this last time we had a chance to do some tests.)

Now the FS2 automatically flips its internal state?
If so then using KStars to select a target that is on the other side of the meridian and commanding a slew to this target should be accepted by FS2. That is FS2 will allow the slew from the north pole to the object on the other side of the meridian.

OR must KStars Ekos telescope mount control (FS2) first be set to change the side of the meridian? If so, where on which tab of the Astro-Electronic FS-2 Ekos panels is this "new pier side" command button?

We will test this tonight.

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Hello all,

Please watch my video which demonstrates in a 5.5m diameter dome the operation of a digital compass. dome digital azimuth sensor

A next step is to integrate the data stream into INDI. This post invites people with experience to suggest the approach. I have browsed the INDI documents and so it appears that a Python app will be the way.
Hardware details are described at the start of the video.
The dome motor control is via a switch box (clack clack). There are DC motor controllers; at present with fixed settings (binary mode).
The dome shutter mechanism which I developed is soon to be installed. It uses an Ardbox with code which I wrote.
This is connected to an RPI3 and uses its WLAN capability.
Another step is to ensure that the dome driver supports the OTA offset.
The code writer will be the wife of another member who already has a Stellarmate and who is also a big fan of INDI-ekos. We have to write the detailed software requirements first!

Not sure about the category for this post. It would be nice to have domes and roll-offs perhaps.

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Hello and thanks for the information about the FS2 controller. Also thanks to pch.

So we can save some fruitless work on the lx200fs2 driver.

Nobody in the club has mentioned the technique which you have described. I will try it asap with ekos-kstars. But as you mention a dome driver, that is where we will focus our work. I met a member who is more advanced with the use of INDI than I am. His wife is a code writer so we can formulate requirements for the necessary additions.

Please take a look at my new video posting on YouTube dome digi compasshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAH8GZesRPk

The data stream from the digital magnetic compass will be integrated into INDI via a Python app to feed the data to the server and dome driver.
As this is off topic I will also post the video link under the topic of dome drivers.

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The main telescope of the club sits on a GEM (Knopf) and is driven by an FS-2. The INDI lx200fs2 driver is used when I connect my laptop (Ubuntu + KStars bleeding edge INDI-Kstars update). I have not found a TELESCOPE_PIER_SIDE switch. Until now club member users of win CdC (with the latest version no longer working with the FS2) have always manually slewed the mount, powered the FS-2 off and on again, re-acquired a reference star, synced and then manually drive the dome to align the opening with the CDK20. All rather time consuming; especially when there are visitors.

So is there a TELESCOPE_PIER_SIDE switch in the LS200* driver? It is not in LX200basic. *=? Where is it?

I am still working on the dome automation: Testing an arduino nano+HMC5883L digital compass today....

John

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You will have lowest risk with a RS232 to USB converter which uses an FTDI chip. As I mentioned I use a LogiLink converter which has such a chip for the Linux laptop to FS2 connection. For my LX-90 the RPI3 also running Ubuntu MATE 16.04 in headless mode is connected via a StarTech.com ICUSB2321F which also has the FTDI chip.

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The astronomy club of which I am a member has a 0.5 m scope on a mount that is driven by an FS2. My own system is an LX-90 (20 cm) with a RPI3 running Ubuntu MATE and the INDI server and the LX-200 (LX-90) driver. With the FS2, the laptop is used to run the INDI server in localhost mode. I have the INDI Web Manager configured with a profile for the FS2. The Astro-Electronic FS2 driver is selected. The FS-2 software version is not the most recent (see www.astro-electronic.de/version.htm ). A LogiLink AU0002E USB to RS232 converter is used to connect to the FS2 via a 3 m long serial cable. Select the localhost-INDI client in KStars and connect .......

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I have not used KStars Lite for about a year. It previously worked OK with my LX90 and RPI3. Recently I added more SD memory to my Android phone (Android 6.0) The increased memory was set (formated) to be an extension of the internal. My phone still complains about not having enough free memory to install some app updates.. Although there are lest complaints than before the memory increase. So I removed a no longer wanted app and uninstalled Kstars Lite which still would not start.. Then installed it again (version 4.0 from Playstore). This version is claimed to overcome a crash on start problem.
Still no joy, The sand clock sits there for a while and then a failure to start is reported with the option to report the problem, This forum is more direct I think.

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Yesterday (9-09-2017) at the AME 2017 in Germany I saw an exhibit of a new type of telescope system. It had no means to use an eyepiece or external camera! Indeed there were no add-ons foreseen for the Stellin system. Only the 80 mm F5 APO lens and a start button are evident. The optical tube is square and sits between a U form body.

The French start-up company VAONIS founder and CEO Cyril Dupuy was able to answer all my questions and had the required features and functions inside the system. See www.vaonis.com/en But he and his technical support were not aware of INDI (Ekos & Kstars etc.) . However they intend to make public the API interface for all software developers.

The system uses a new SONY CMOS imager (3096 x 2080 pixels, A/D converter: 14 bits, Pixel size: 2,4µm x 2,4µm) and has a separate guider chip. The converging beam is brought to focus via a mirror through the tilt axis. A de-rotator device is integrated. I forgot to ask about filters for the monochrome version.

We spoke about the market and applications for such a system. Its price makes it very competitive with conventional GoTo telescopes plus all the add-ons which are needed to achieve a remote control astro-photographic capability. The 80 mm aperture may seem to be limiting but there are already many small automated survey camera systems and observatories for research. The camera is intended to support photometric data acquisition. Maybe you have questions for VAONIS or an application idea ……..

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Hi Peter,

The INDI Server for Windows was installed on the 32 bit Win7 laptop, localhost, and successfully tested with the ASCOM driver to connect to the LX200 protocol Littlefoot controller. Last Saturday night we tested it at the club observatory with the FS2 mount controller via a serial port. This worked. First the INDI Server for Windows configuration menu was used. The ASCOM Advanced LX200 option was selected. Also the CCD and Focuser simulators were selected. The option for the FS2 was displayed and selected. This worked.

We then tested the INDI option instead of the ASCOM option.
Again we had the Advanced LX200 and FS2.
Two error messages appeared.
The first said :
Server connected
Der Index war Auserhalb das Arraybereichs ( The index was outside of the array area).

What does that mean?

The second error message that we saw after thring again was:

Server connected
Der zugriff auf den Anschluss COM1 wurde verweigert. ( The access to the COM1 port is denied.)
Server disconnected.

Is this a permission problem? We checked other COM ports.

We will not continue with the 32 bit Win7 as my friend was given a used 64 bit dual core laptop with 250 GB of SSHD. --- Nice.
So the next steps will be to install Ubuntu MATE 17.04 etc. and use the reliable Linux INDI-Ekos-KStars configuration (or CdC 4.1 or HNSKY with INDI which both work ).

-- John

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