Can you use minicom or Cutecom to send the command directly the HC and see what its response is? i.e. send it

:SC 03/04/18#

There are many IOptron and I am confused about the different models as well. If there is a correction to be made to INDI drivers list, please let me know.

Hello knro,

I found in my testing that the issue is formatting of the time/date. For example, I receive a response of "1" when I send command (using proper date)to the mount, which is the proper response. There is no response when I send.

Here is the output of my serial session:

I was able to locate an iOptron® Mount RS-232 Command Language document from 2014. It doesn't apply to the iOptron SmartEQ/pro, but the command format is correct. All commands I tested (which wasn't all of them) provided the proper response from the mount and the changes were reflected on the HC. I'm certain you are familiar with this document so I haven't included it.

I host my own Gitlab server so I am familiar with git, I would offer to make the changes myself but have limited time right now. I would however LOVE to contribute in the near future. Is there any other info I can provide at this time?

Thank you kindly,
cl330b

Is this the only command that simply removes the space or all other commands for the iOptron SmartEQ/Pro are "spaceless"? Is this the only difference that distinguishes the command set from the official iOptron Mount RS-232 document?

In case it helps: I was in contact with Ioptron support yesterday, asking about their support of ASCOM/INDI for their CEM120 range. The answer I got was that ASCOM was supported but not INDI, but they were willing to give the command set to a INDI developer. Has anyone tried reaching out to them for this type of documentation?

Given the number of IOptron users using INDI drivers, maybe they should pressure iOptron for more support?

I agree with you. If anyone reading this is in this category, I suggest sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to politely request INDI support for your mount. While you are likely to get a response back similar to what I received, perhaps the volume of requests might sway their thinking to helping more.

I will send them a request. Hopefully they will at the very least provide the rs232 command language document for the iOptron smarteq/pro mount.

On a side note, I tested the "cem60" driver, which is actually "indi_ieq_telescope" to the best of my knowledge. And I can say with certainty that the time, date, and coordinates are being updated properly on the HC 8408. I wasn't able to locate the source code for this driver in the indi repo though.

I will be able to perform more in-depth testing this weekend and provide knro a more detailed list of what is working and what is not. To directly answer your question though, another item I observed not working properly is the UTC Offset and local time. Formats below:

Both commands should return "1".


Kindly,
cl330b

So if you use indi_ieq_telescope driver with your mount, everything works? The driver is available here

I posted about a similar problem with my SmartEQ Pro before. I am just using the CEM60 driver, I can control the mount fine with that one for all practical purposes, except for parking. That needs to be done manually by telling the mount to go Home, not Park. Another problem is that if you try to change the guide tracking speed to 0.5 x sidereal, the mount will set it to 0.05 and all guiding will fall apart then. Otherwise, no problem. Just use the CEM60 driver.

So is the issue with the current SmartEQ driver just the date/time settings? or there are other problems?

I can confirm the aberrant behavior re date setting under the iOptron SmartEQ driver. However, as far as I understand it, the iOptron drivers are not controlling the mount, they are programming and controlling the handset. I cannot directly connect the serial cable to the mount, only through the handset, and that is then being reprogrammed during startup by Ekos. So, the handset # is the critical piece of information which driver to use, not the mount. For the iOptron SmartEQs, at least those acquired during the last year, that seems to be #8408.
HC #8408 responds (almost) flawlessly to the iOptron CEM60 driver. No problem with date there, only two minor issues I found for which there are workarounds:
It is not possible to 'Park' the mount, i.e. it slews fine to the Home position, but remains in the Unparked state. Not a major issue as far as I am concerned.
The second concerns sidereal guiding rate. I already pointed that out a few weeks ago. See attached screenshot. The default set of the x sidereal guiding rate is 50.5, obviously way off. However, if you now set it to the proper value of 0.5 using the set button on the right, Indi Control Panel will show the rate as 0.5x, however, the handset will have been reprogrammed to 0.05x, so one power of 10 off, but in RA only, NOT in DEC.
Again, not a major problem for practical purposes, as long as one is aware of it and checks the guiding rate on the HC before starting the night session. Still, it would be nice if that could be fixed, others using iOptron mounts may not notice why their guiding is way off.
Jo

The only issues I have observed so far are the local time, UTC offset and date settings. I have already posted the proper format for these three changes. I am waiting for an email from iOptron to see if I can obtain the rs232 command list. The correct serial command syntax for the three issues I have observed are below. This format returns "1" for the 8408 HC on all three commands. I don't know if knro plans to work on the ioptron smarteq/pro driver, or create another link to the indi_ieq_telescope for the smartEQ/pro HC. I am willing to continue to test the former until it is functioning properly.

Correct command syntax.
kindly,
cl330b