I just wanted to say thanks for the great software. It has taken me quite a while to get all my equipment working with it, but it is starting to live up to its promise. My biggest problems were with the mount and guiding. Recently, I discovered that, while in the guiding module, the RA rate was 0.5, the mount was set for RA rate of ***0.05***, and for some reason would get set back to that even after I set it correctly. Also, I had the guide scope focal length wrong, which, after using the alignment module with the guide camera, I was able to correct. At any rate, I've learned all the things I need to check, and now guiding is pretty reliable.
My favorite feature is the alignment module. I love that the camera FOV shows up in the Kstars view, courtesy of WCS information, not to mention I can point wherever I want to (or figure out where I'm pointed) with no effort.
But the best thing is that I now have a completely networked setup. Before Ekos, I was using an array of separate Windows programs and several 30 foot USB cables passing through the kitchen window to control everything. Now, with the Raspberry Pi, it's just a long Ethernet cable. Setup is greatly simplified and more reliable. Amazing work the INDI and Ekos team have done!
I do have questions about some aspects and some requests, but just wanted to say "thanks!" first.
Best regards,
Charles
Ubuntu 18.04 and Raspbian Jessie; INDI 1.7.4
Mounts: CEM-60 chiefly; iEQ45
Cameras: Atik 383L+, QHY5-II-M
Focuser: Moonlite
I echo these sentiments. EKOS/indi has enabled me to remain inside monitoring things on cold nights which I very much appreciate. When I review some of my recent posts, I understand they may come across as a bit critical which is not the intention. For me, the combination of phd2, astrometry.net and EKOS/indi has had a big impact on alignment and guiding: polar alignments are more accurate, framing objects is simple, and I'm guiding with an RMS of 0.5arcseconds, all with middle-of-the-road gear, and this would not easily be achieved without the open source software.
That being said, I think there is opportunity to improve configuration and ease of use - perhaps the team could consider using EKOS as the place where all the configuration takes place, and the indi panes to show the current state. A case in point is enabling cooling for the QHY9: - one can set the target temperature in the EKOS camera pane, but I can't turn off the cooling there, I have to go to the INDI pane to do this (and often this doesn't work, so perhaps there is more going on.)
I haven't written any serious code for decades, and when I do code, it has a lot of similarities to FORTRAN IV ... I am willing to help with testing. I've got TeamViewer on all my systems and am willing to have folks connect if that helps.
here a word from me too. Now after 3 years of use this tread might be a good place to thank you all.
I remember the problems with my workflow 3 years ago: I wanted to start using off-axis-guiding to enable long exposures to combat differential flexure. Available autoguiders were not sensitive enough so I had to use an USB connected guiding camera, and the USB limitations forced me to use USB extender cables. These USB extender cables worked but I had lots of connection losses. Looking for another solution without having to buy and place a laptop outside near the telescope, I tried using an USB server, but this solution failed big: the usb-network drivers crashed my laptop multiple times, and it did not worked with USB-cameras at all! ASCOM was not a solution either due to USB requirement.
Then I discovered INDI. It allowed me to monitor the capturing process from my seat behind my desk. Now having a "complete" remote controlled system I can testify what a difference it is. Streamlined it will reduce your setup time and have less frustrations. The INDI/Ekos project has undergone big improvements in the 3 years I've used it.
Surfing on the Internet I saw a lack of usage videos. It gave a false impression of Ekos as a small fringe project, so I decided to correct it by uploading some full usage videos. Hopefully this will help spreading adoption of Ekos/INDI too.
Thank you all for your testament! I attribute this project's success primarily to the countless contributions of passionate developers across all corners of the world and by this great supportive community!
I'm planning to add cooler ON/OFF switch in capture module for KStars v3.0.0. But on the topic of QHY not responding to this, it's another matter. I happen to have a cooled QHY camera so will check its behavior soon.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Alfred, Oliver
I see that's in 1.7.4; I'm on 1.7.3 - time to update!
But I had the impression that INDI/Ekos did not set the value in the mount and that we needed to manually make sure the Ekos setting matched the mount (www.indilib.org/about/ekos/guide-module.html, section 7). Is this documentation correct?
Charles
Ubuntu 18.04 and Raspbian Jessie; INDI 1.7.4
Mounts: CEM-60 chiefly; iEQ45
Cameras: Atik 383L+, QHY5-II-M
Focuser: Moonlite
Yes. Some drivers enable you to set the guide rate yourself via INDI Control Panels. For other drivers, you must use the handset to change the guide rate.