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

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

DIY motorised roll-off observatory roof - what INDI driver?

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Hello Tom or Jasem
I have stellarmate on a RPi4.
I have Arduino connected to RPi4
I run KStars/Ekos on my Mac.
I am also testing this on a bench.
I may be trying things without going through the right sequence of events to get it to work.
I have attached a zip file of what Tom has on the GIT page.
Could you perhaps please give me the steps I should follow to get the Mac side of things set up. 
Then which of the Arduino Sketches I should use for it to be compatible with the Mac side set up. 
Thanks
 
2 years 4 months ago #77155
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Krish,

So you have your drivers running remotely on the RPi4. The INSTALL file has the basic directions for building the rolloffino driver on the RPi4. If you have worked through that you should see the driver executable along with the other drivers you are running on the RPi4: /usr/bin/indi_rolloffino. Once there it can be started like the other drivers. It does not seem like anything special should be required for the Mac side compared to the remote specification of the driver.

So the focus can be on installing the prerequisites and doing the build on the RPi4 if that has not been completed. I would request that you again clone/fetch the sources to make sure you have a recent change made in the past few days to rolloffino.cpp.
If you have gone through the build steps then see if the driver is already running under the indiserver and if the issue is that the driver is not communicating with the Arduino. I normally do that with `ps -ef|grep -i indi` in a terminal window on the RPi4.

The Arduino sketch is responsible for the roof movement and safety. It receives the open or close requests and responds to queries about whether the roof is fully opened or closed. rolloffino.standard is a basic template example which provides the communication with the driver, generic relay control and switch input code as a starting point. The rolloff.ino.boutons is from Christophe's installation it tracks the roof movement and state controlling the motor to start and stop the motor used in his installation. rolloffino.ino.ar1450 is from my install using a sliding gate controller that itself controls when to stop the roof movement. The Arduino code is where the work is, its functioning is unknown to the driver. Christophe had a working sketch using local buttons to open and close the roof so that was adapted to add communication with the driver. For the AR1450 all that was need was to use a relay to act in place of a single push button. Such things as stopping or reversing direction if there is an obstruction came for free with the built in controller.
Use the standard version as a starting point if the other two do not provide features that are useful for your design.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Jasem Mutlaq
2 years 4 months ago #77173

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Lots of good information here.. maybe we can compile this into a structured HOWTO/Guide for prospective users who are looking for DIY rolloff solution with INDI?
The following user(s) said Thank You: Andres Rossi
2 years 4 months ago #77174

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I could draft something when things settle down a bit. I have been meaning to ask you if it could qualify to be included as a third party driver. To make it easier to find and more open to ongoing support.
2 years 4 months ago #77175

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Thanks Tom
I try and load the driver onto the RPi. 
That HowTo/Guide will be really appreciated, for us that don't work with code all the time.
Thanks again for the help.
 
2 years 4 months ago #77179

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Krish,
If you get stuck on errors, post screen shot of the terminal session or we can work through them offline with email if you prefer.
2 years 4 months ago #77180

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Tom
Thanks for the offer of help if I get stuck.
I did indeed get stuck when doing the last part - making the rolloffino driver.
I will give it another try and post the errors. Not able to do it this morning.
Thanks
 
2 years 4 months ago #77181

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It might well have to do with building on a system that does not have KStars installed. The last part is the install which includes making the driver available in the Ekos profile.

I went through the INSTALL directions on a somewhat clean machine, but it was a odroid rather than a Rpi. I did encounter a problem since last used.
At the start referring to the external indi howto web page. It is missing the clone of the 3rdparty drivers. So now
there should be a line "Section 4. Work down to and including the clone of the 3rdparty drivers. No need to do the build." After that it worked through okay.

If you got down to the `sudo make install` which is where you encountered the error. Then instead of that command try simply `make -j4` which will omit the actual install and leave the executable in the local directory.


 
Last edit: 2 years 4 months ago by wotalota. Reason: added info
2 years 4 months ago #77194

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Thanks Tom
I am not home for a few days.
I will try again when I get back home.
I plan on starting with a new Stellarmate on the RPi.
 
2 years 4 months ago #77206

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Hello Tom
I have started fresh.
I think I have done a bit better this time.
However I am getting a different error, that seems to be pointing to the CMakeLists.txt file.
I have attached the terminal details and the CMakeOutput.log files.
Thanks 
Edit: I have also added the CMakeLists.txt file
Last edit: 2 years 4 months ago by Krish.
2 years 4 months ago #77284
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Krish,We might not have the directory files placed and the defaults set to the expected place.

Before running the cmake command. Check that the following things are true.

libindi-dev is in fact installed.

In the ~/Projects there are 2 directories  that have been populated "indi" and "indi_3rdparty".

In ~Project/indi_3rdparty/indi-rolloffino/ are the files from wotalota github.

Your default directory is ~Project/indi_3rdparty/indi-rolloffino/build

I made some edits to the INSTALL file, not checked in yet, to try and be more explicit. Take a look and see if it helps.

I'm replacing the readme file with one with examples and more detail about the Arduino sketch. Will attach after getting through a first pass. Any suggestions to improve and additions that would help getting started are appreciated.  
Last edit: 2 years 4 months ago by wotalota.
2 years 4 months ago #77309
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Thanks Tom
I do not see an "indi" directory in the project directory
I may have missed something in the initial indi steps.
Thanks again for your help.
2 years 4 months ago #77311

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