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INDI Library v2.0.6 is Released (02 Feb 2024)

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

SkySafari middleware?

So we're not really sure when will SkySafai support INDI if ever. At at the mean time, the current solution to connect an INDI mount to SkySafari with ser2net, but then you'd be stuck to SkySafari and you can't use anything else... so this got me thinking: SkySafari INDI Middleware!

So how would this work, you might ask?

The idea is to create an INDI SkySafari driver, it establishes a server on a specific port, and you specify there which INDI mount it should control. So then this is what SkySafari will speak to (might make it as LX200-compatible mount) and it would relay information back and forth between SkySafari and the actual Mount Driver.

So before I start on this, any issues I should be aware of?
6 years 11 months ago #16324

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hi!
i did an interface to sky safari for my controller project TSC - github.com/selste/TwoStepperControl/wiki/TSC
here is how i did it - i open a QServer that listens for an incoming connection and process the LX200 commands directly in the controller once a socket is established. the LX200 interface of sky safari is rather clean, by the way. if i would do that for another mount controller, I would use a pi zero w and a RS232 level shifter (like this one: www.sparkfun.com/products/449 ) to communicate with the mount ...
running an INDI server on the pi is of course also a possible method.
yours
wolfi
6 years 11 months ago #16353

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Replied by Jasem Mutlaq on topic SkySafari middleware?

Thanks, I'm almost done with the driver. The advantage of the this INDI driver is that it can communicate with all other INDI mounts and report the results back to SkySafari.
6 years 11 months ago #16359

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hi!
the driver is one thing - but how to connect? i already felt like doing a littlle project for this with a zero. why not run an INDI server on that raspian and let it take care of wlan-connections? i configured my raspian to do a hotspot, so there is always a wlan connection available, also in the middle of nowhere ...
yours
wolfi
6 years 11 months ago #16362

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Replied by Jasem Mutlaq on topic SkySafari middleware?

Gooooood news everyone! The driver is ready and documentation is here:

indilib.org/devices/telescopes/skysafari.html

It should be in PPA tomorrow, let me know if you face any difficulty!
The following user(s) said Thank You: Paweł, Patrick, Krzysztof, Stephen
6 years 11 months ago #16368

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Replied by Patrick on topic SkySafari middleware?

It is good to hear it. Will it work with basic DSC encoders ? That would be a killer solution for public observation that will come this summer.
Is it possible to do the same for Stellarium ?
Last edit: 6 years 11 months ago by Patrick.
6 years 11 months ago #16374

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Replied by Jasem Mutlaq on topic SkySafari middleware?

Yes it should work with all INDI mounts. However, with DSC encoders you obviously can't do Goto/Align..etc

NOTE: You still need to use LX200 GPS from SkySafari since the INDI SkySafari driver only decodes LX200 commands.
Last edit: 6 years 11 months ago by Jasem Mutlaq.
6 years 11 months ago #16375

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Replied by Patrick on topic SkySafari middleware?

I don't understand why you can't align with DSC ? You can calibrate the alt-az mount on sky with sync in skysafari. Isn't it equivalent ?
6 years 11 months ago #16376

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Replied by Jasem Mutlaq on topic SkySafari middleware?

Sorry yes you can align, but not slew.
6 years 11 months ago #16378

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Replied by Stephen on topic SkySafari middleware?

Thank you Jasem! This is great news!
6 years 11 months ago #16387

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Replied by Stephen on topic SkySafari middleware?

Skysafari is working with the simulator and connected local; beautiful. Does this work with indiwebserver on RPI3?

Setup used: the RPI3 KStars/Ekos connects to the indiwebserver running on the same RPI3. The config is remote using localhost:7624, and indiwebserver is on 8624.

Error:
2017-04-26T21:41:31 Failed to start profile on remote INDI Web Manager.
2017-04-26T21:41:30 Establishing communication with remote INDI Web Manager...

The Watchdog and Astrometry AUX, seem to work when using indiwebserver. Setting PHD2 for the guider also results in the same above error too.
6 years 11 months ago #16390

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Replied by Jasem Mutlaq on topic SkySafari middleware?

Make sure you are using latest KStars. The PHD2 issue was fixed a while ago.
6 years 11 months ago #16399

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