Thanks for the information, I will try that next time we have a clear sky, but it's summer now and not very dark up here.

/Lars

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Hi,
It's working better and better. But there is something with the auto guiding calibration that look strange to me.

First time I start Guide it do a calibration process. Many times it fails. When looking at the calibration plot it looks like it has only moved a couples of pixels. Shouldn't it move something like 50 pixels at least ? I can't see where I adjust this, or is it automatic ?

This is with the built in guider, when using PHD2 it works as it should, I'm used with PHD2 from my other setup which is a Windows machine.

I have attached a screen dump.

/Lars

Hi,
At last I have solved the problem with the FTDI cables. I found information that there are FTDI cables with faked chip out on the market. They can work very well when they are new, but when drivers updates they are not compatible anymore. I bought a new FTDI cable that I'm was convinced that it has the real FTDI chip.

Yesterday I have tested tha new FTDI cable in both my Windows 10 and in Astroberry system. Works in both system now. I made some notes over my work and made some links to information.

www.astrofriend.eu/astronomy/projects/pr...pentax645-300ed.html


Thanks for all tips and information I got from this forum !

/Lars

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Hi Radek,
I check the chip, it's labeled FT232R which should be the 5 Volts standard, I also check with my friend who once made the cables and he told me that they are the 5 Volts type.

I have to connect the FTDI cable once more and check if I can get more info about what's wrong. But I wait a week, this is the last week we have some darkness here until the summer starts.

Now when most of the functions work this Astroberry is fantastic to work with. Later when I get the EQMOD INDI to handle costom gear ratio I shall build one Raspberry more to my EQ6 mount too which has a special belt drive.


/Lars

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Later when I'm out on the field I will try your sugested method and the others to find out which of them are fastest and reabile. Thank you a lot for the information, I shall test it from the balcony later too.

From your photo it looks that you too travel to your favorite observing places. What's the total weight of your equipment and how big battery do you have ?

I'm thinking of replacing my lead battery 45 Ah and 74 Ah with some Lithium battery, maybe 20 Ah will be enough with my new power efficient equipment.

/Lars

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Hi,
Yes that's my version, should be the latest.

My observation place at home is a sad place. I have two small windows to observe through.
AZ 15 to 100, DEC 10 to 55
and
AZ 165 to 185, DEC 20 to 55

That's all and it is Bortle class 9.

The drift aligne method has always worked. But when I saw the Legacy Polar Alignment in KStars I thought it must be a faster method that I can use later when my equipment is ready for out on the field work. Is it something wrong with the Legacy Polar Alignment function ?

Thanks for answer and tips.

Lars

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Hi,
I got my Astroberry system to work the last days.

Astroberry Version 2.0.3 (and updated)
Lens 300 mm f/4
Camera Canon 6D
Mount HEQ5
Plate solve, installed all ref maps it asked for

From my balcony I can't see the polar star and normally use the PHD2 (Windows and Astroberry) and drift align. Now I want to test Ekos Legacy Polar Alignment function. It miss a couple of degrees and is not stable.

Example, I have already polar aligned the mount with PHD2 drift align to +/- 5' error of Latitude.

Then I use "Legacy Polar Alignment function". First time I run it for Latitude error/adjustment it says the error is 8 degres, next time 4 degree and third almost spot on. Never changed anything to the to latitude or anything else.

It's pointing to East and DEC about +10 degree. If I try to adjust the Azimuthal it behave about the same. Is it a problem because of my short focal length or is the function new and not fully working ?

/Lars

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Now I have tested the EQDirect cable a couple of nights. Everything looks to be perfect, still, this is the bad old PL2303 chip cable. Later I shall examine why my newer FTDI cable doesn't work.

One more positve thing, I got the GPSD to connect to a GPS dongle. I made a short project/tutorial how I set it up (with massive support from my friend):

www.astrofriend.eu/astronomy/projects/project-heq5/07-heq5.html

And the GPS NMEA driver works also, I use the Share GPS app that was recommended:

www.astrofriend.eu/astronomy/projects/project-heq5/08-heq5.html

/Lars

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Now I have done some investigations.

The EQDirect cable looks to cause these problems. I have another cable with a DSub connector, I tested with that one too. I get the same problem, even without have it connected to the mount. These two cables I bought recently to get the new FTDI standard and get rid of all problem I had in the Windows system I use.

I did another test with a third very old EQDirect cable with the PL2303 chip. To my surprise this cable worked, I haven't tested it very deep yet, but it behave as it should. I can cut off the Dub contact and solder a RJ45 connector to it. But I still want to know what's wrong with the FTDI cables. Better if I can get them to work.

Is the wrong driver installed for them, and how do I check which driver they use and if it's the correct one ? Is it any setup in the driver that's maybe wrong, and how do I check that ?

/Lars

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Hi Radek,
Thanks for your fast respons, not many week left of this dark season in Sweden.

You are correct, EQMOD direct cable, no hand terminal. EQMOD driver used. I have tried both to have it connected to RP direct or through the USB HUB.

I can have USB-Focuser connected at the same time as EQMOD. But not Canon DSLR or QHY5 camera (guide camera).

Before I enabled the GPSD driver my location was set to Warsav of Poland. Can I change the location from some menu or must I always use the command window and some sudo command ?

How it come that when I connect my devices one after one that they later change the USB adress and come in conflict ? For now I only have GPSD as a virtual, can it still conflict the USB address ? Later I shall attache a GPS device, but must first solve this conflict problem. I don't really understand, more Windows knowledge, not Linux.

In Windows I can always in advanced mode change the USB address the device is connected to, is there something similar in Linux ? I mean force each USB device to have a unique address. And if it's possible, how do I do that ?

Here is my project page with the new HEQ5 mount:
www.astrofriend.eu/astronomy/projects/project-heq5/01-heq5.html

Thanks for all help, because I'm stuck here.

/Lars

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Now I'm on the 4th year with Raspberry, still not working.

I have the Raspberry Pi4 with 4GB RAM. My earlier problem with focusing I have put on pause, I now know that older Canon lenses can't operate in remote focus mode when set to manual on the lens.

The software is Astroberry 2.0.3. It solved a lot of my earlier problem, but still I can't get it to work.

Now my real problem is how to get EQMOD Mount to work. I bought a new mount, this time the HEQ5, my older EQ6 mount had a special gear ratio after timing belt modification and it wasn't possible to setup in the Indi version of EQMOD.

Now that problem is solved with the new mount.

The new problem is this: When I connect more devices the EQMOD Mount disconnect after a couples of minutes. It dosen't matter if it's connected direct to the RP or through the 10 ports powered HUB.

This are the devices:
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub, internal USB HUB
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 0403:6001 Future Technology Devices International, Ltd FT232 Serial (UART) IC, EQDIRECT Cable (Mount)
Bus 001 Device 008: ID 0bda:5411 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. external USB HUB
Bus 001 Device 007: ID 0bda:5411 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. external USB HUB
Bus 001 Device 006: ID 0461:0033 Primax Electronics, Ltd, USB-Focus
Bus 001 Device 005: ID 16c0:296d Van Ooijen Technische Informatica, QHY5 guide camera
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 0bda:5411 Realtek Semiconductor Corp.  external USB HUB
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 2109:3431 VIA Labs, Inc. Hub
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub, internal USB HUB

If I have only the EQMOD connected direct to the RP it works.

This is the error message:

22021-04-17T00:02:16: [WARNING] Port /dev/ttyACM0 is already used by another driver or process.
 
2021-04-17T00:01:33: [INFO] Trying connecting to /dev/ttyACM0 @ 9600 ...
2021-04-17T00:01:32: [INFO] EQMod Mount is offline.
2021-04-17T00:01:32: [ERROR] Error: Communication failed -> tty read failed, check connection: Timeout error
2021-04-17T00:01:17: [INFO] Trying connecting to /dev/ttyUSB0 @ 9600 ...
2021-04-17T00:01:16: [WARNING] Port /dev/ttyACM0 is already used by another driver or process.
2021-04-17T00:01:13: [INFO] Trying connecting to /dev/ttyACM0 @ 9600 ...
2021-04-17T00:01:12: [WARNING] Communication with /dev/ttyUSB0 @ 9600 failed. Starting Auto Search...
2021-04-17T00:01:12: [INFO] EQMod Mount is offline.
2021-04-17T00:01:12: [ERROR] Error: Communication failed -> tty read failed, check connection: Timeout error
2021-04-17T00:00:56: [WARNING] Port /dev/ttyACM0 is already used by another driver or process.

I also have the GPSD installed in virtual mode. But it didn't work without it either. If I understand it correct I must have GPSD installed to get correct location, which I setup in GPSD.

Will there be any stars in my telescope ?

/Lars
 

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Hi Herr hausen,
Thanks for the answer, if I activate the liveview as you describe I can't do long exposures which I need when doing focus. If I activate liveview with the button on the camera I can do longexposures ( 5 seconds). But Indi driver crash then after a while.

But even better if I don't have to set the camera in liveview mode. But the Canon focus motor only rotate when in livemode. Maybe there are other settings to do focus without livemode that I have done incorrect ?

The liveview heat the camera and takes a lot of power, one big reason to not use liveview.

But how to control the focus motor that is built in the Canon lens without have the camera in livemode? Is it possible, or?

/Lars

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No one here that have the Canon built in focuser motor to do auto focus without crashes ?

My camera is the Canon 6D.

This is how far I have come:
astrofriend.eu/astronomy/projects/projec...rs-raspberrypi4.html

/Lars

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Hi Joaquin,
Yes it's strange with these crashes, but I think that different Canon cameras doesn't beheave exactly the same. I hope I get an answer from someone here about the Canon 6D because I'm stuck for the moment.

But I really want the Raspberry to work because it will be a very good astro server for me. And open source is always to prefer. I'm sorry that I can't write the code myself, but working on it. I have started with the EQMOD, it doesn't have the same futures as the Windows version. The setup of the gear ratio is missing. With help from people here I have done another version of the EQMOD with my own gear ratios. But haven't compiled it yet and installed it on the Raspberry. Everything take so long time for me when working with Linux.

The other problem with the GPS receiver I don't think is so complicated to solve. Could be the setup only to correct.

This is the last thing I have wrote on my Raspberry project:
www.astrofriend.eu/astronomy/projects/pr...rs-raspberrypi4.html

I have a parallell Raspberry project, that is a media center for the HTPC. Learn from that too.

/Lars

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