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

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

Ron's obsy setup - Anyone connecting Indi to MACH1?

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I wish I knew. I THINK it uploads from my computer (in the house) It's seamless. No lag - so dunno. You can save to local or client or both.
I only want them local (I pick?) is local - MY LOCAL? or the PI being local to the devices? Since Kstars is running on my local in the house - I assume I want local. I do see my images saved in a directory I specified. I hope it's not filling up something in the dome?

Place solves. Lets eee - they appear on my screen (local to me) so I suspect mine is uploading them (via ekos) to astrometry. So really the best case scenerio. I haven't installed the local database yet - but the online solve is faster than SGP ever was. (that little ASIair I have for my portable setup solves in under 5 seconds. (how in the heck!? ). Ilike I said I was giving up... throwing in the towel. And then realized it's just few more issues and I'm golden. The dome since the shutter connected - has worked perfectly. EXCEPT. I parked it and was surprised the shutter didn't close. I'm sure something Jasem could tweak if it's not there already. I'd also ilke a SLAVE? [ ] box easily accessable rather than buried in indi control panel - under nexdome tab, then under control tab. (lots of cumbersome clicking).

I explored focus today - no problem manually (well remote manually). No luck automatically let. I'll try again tonght. Appears to be 3rd night in a row of clear skies after 4 months of clouds.

Mount the PI? I threw mine in the drawer = ) I have a tool chest with drawers and have some scope stuff in the drawers and tools and buttom drawer has nuc. (not in use now) and PI in there with all the wires routed into the drawer. I don't mount until I'm sure I'm keeping the setup. Else the PI comes in the house and the nuc goes back into workflow. I'll give it until the end of March else I go back to SGP as I'm losing clear nights. I'm a busy beaver when it comes to software - I jump in head first and when beat - I move on = )

MY PI is "mounted" in this drawer with a USB hub, nuc PC and the cloudwatcher/solo is in there.

AP Mach1 / CP4 APCC & PEMpro.
EXP SCI - ED152cf APO - Celestron 11" RASA - Stellarvue 80mm
Baader F2 HS NB filters, Lodestar X2 guide camera / OAG - ZWO 290mm mini
ZWO ASI1600MM Pro / ASI174M (solar) / ASI094MC
NEXDome, CLoudwatcher, AVX mount/ASIair and Stellarmate

5 years 1 week ago #36727
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UPDATE: last night 3rd "stars out" test. Over all better.

The bad:
while downloading - it seems to get lost sometimes and just runs on forever. (SGP did this on occation too). Might be my network if it's transferring a file? Not sure because the PI and devices are out... my kstars is in the house. But each image as to get from camera out side into the desktop inside. (so something has to be networked). I'm not real concerned at this point but it would be nice to know how to "GET OUT" of the stuck exposure in progress? It often timesout and takes another and that's stuck too.

Guiding was a nightmare. I kept playing with settings I don't understand and after much frustration... I got it working. But in PHD I tweak settings and I don't see those tweaks in Ekos? I wasn't guiding well, but I was... but at first there were no pusles. I kept tweaking (no idea what I was doing) and pusles started. I watched a guiding video Jasem had made and I'll go back and review that now that I'm at that point.

The GOOD
Focus - though I also do not understand it or that graph plot? - it works. (do I need to understand how?) probably not. A question (which only will get answered if I post it alone in a new msg = ( can I click auto focus any time during a series of sub captures?
I had it pick a star, crop it and resulted in HFR under 1.99 which is quite good. But unlike SGP I don't know it's settings for pixel size of star it selects etc.

DEBAYER was off (thanks for the help on that one). subs looked quite nice. I DO WISH THERE WAS A HISTOGRAM ADJUSTMENT... but it seemed to do a job that helps visually see the data. Oddly though sometimes when I click auto stretch icon I get only a WHITE screen?

Fairly good test nigt over all. EXCEPT again - I have no idea why, the shutter just closed up and (well I was tired and parked. IT happened after about 4 hours maybe 5 of working fine... scope was pointing HIGH near zenith, I was playing with guiding... and the shutter kicked in as if I had clicked close.

Well that's my blog for this epiode. I have a lot of screen shots, but I don't know if I should post them here or in a new msg. (I get better responses to new 1. question per post requests).
AP Mach1 / CP4 APCC & PEMpro.
EXP SCI - ED152cf APO - Celestron 11" RASA - Stellarvue 80mm
Baader F2 HS NB filters, Lodestar X2 guide camera / OAG - ZWO 290mm mini
ZWO ASI1600MM Pro / ASI174M (solar) / ASI094MC
NEXDome, CLoudwatcher, AVX mount/ASIair and Stellarmate

5 years 1 week ago #36749

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Here is where I'm at:
New things that work ----
Raspberry was connected into the observatory, all went together well and working.
I had my laptop in the observatory running Kstars as a client, so both were totally on the wireless and response time was good.
Tested out my new ASI120mm - mini guider camera for the first time nice image from that little thing on the refractor.
Scope pointing and sync with the sky works well. Seems there is sometimes a delay between the slewing and when it moves the crosshairs on the sky map on the screen.
Platesoving remotely with Astrometry.net is almost as fast as it was with the 9Gigs of files. Very nice! Syncing with the scope worked too.

What still isn't working: ----
Can't figure out how to sync the dome with the scope still. Scope moves, dome isn't
Even when shutter shows up "green" indicator, I had to open it manually with the toggle.
Dome rotates painfully slow.

At least my "working" list is longer than the "problem" list, so progress is being made.

Seeing Ron's video of his dome syncing and rotating with his scope appears about the same speed as mine did when I was using ASCOM and Windows.

Tom

Last edit: 5 years 1 week ago by Tom Gwilym.
5 years 1 week ago #36750
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Sounds good - (cursor won't sync with scope) that's common in all the astro software. I don't look for them to be sync'ed because I'm in the house. I watch the scope on a IP camera and sometimes it's near real time. But most of the time there is serious lag. So I don't expect to see them sync'ed. SOMETIMES I'll wonder why the shutter isn't opening (in the IP CAMERA) and after some frustration and multiple clicks, I'll look out my window to my right and see it's wide open. (but camera is sleeping. GRRR) = )

dome with scope. I'm not sure except for what I've done. I put snooping of the dome to snoop the scope and my weather watcher.
YOU MUST click under the slave settings 'ENABLE SLAVE". OFTEN not sure if it's a bug or just I'm missing something it won't slave.
I find I must click ENABLE or disable and Enable to get it to "WAKE UP" Jasem?

I'm not sure if there is a boot order of the devices. Because sometimes the dome tracks with the scope as it moves. Other times it waits or requires I click enable slave (like each time I slew). I suspect I'm unparking out of order or something Im' just not aware of. Dome first or mount first? It tends to be 50/50 for me since I'm not making note of how I start up and unpark.

Your slow rotation is odd... it is smooth. Mine is much faster. In ASCOM we had driver settings were we could set the speed. I don't see any such options in the nexdome driver tabs. Maybe Gerry will update it and add that. ESPECIALLY after Tim has the new firmware and ascom drivers done. He's really doing a good job - he threw out the axelstepper lib and wrote his own. I'm SURE it will be great.
Then if Gerry will update the indi driver we'll be golden.

PLATE SOLVING is good (usually) I crashed adn had to reboot and my scope was totally lost. I could't get a solve to take. I tricked it. (RA and DEC hints were so far off) I look at where the scope was pointing on my IP camera. And I clicked my best guess in Kstars. I then selected "SYNC" to get the mount at least in the ball park. I then could solve. I've considered installing the solve plates for local solving? ITS NO FASTER?

Again is your toggle on the shutter reversed with 1.1 firmware? (just curious).

YES my speed is really same as before. As you know I was going to throw in the towell on Kstars/Ekos teh other night. After a good night sleep I decided to stay with it. Last night was EXCELLENT - for a couple hours of testing. I then ran into some problems trying to focus the OAG... and ran kstars on the pi in the dome so I could see the focus locally. From that point on I messed something up on the server and gong back in the house - everything was a mess. A couple of hours again and I had it back. I tried guiding... and could not calibrate. Just like my first attempt. It JUMPS several degrees and the mount stars star hopping while calibrating. I have to abort. I had that before, but it went away with some tweaks. I don't know enough about the settings to make it move the guide star a little bit. (I dunno the setting for that) which would be the calibration steps in PHD2.

I am getting use to where to click to get to teh button I need. I was really enjoying it for the first hour last night before things went south.
Im' glad I stayed with it. clear nights are gone for a bit - snowing today. I'm very excited about this whole new software functionality.
AP Mach1 / CP4 APCC & PEMpro.
EXP SCI - ED152cf APO - Celestron 11" RASA - Stellarvue 80mm
Baader F2 HS NB filters, Lodestar X2 guide camera / OAG - ZWO 290mm mini
ZWO ASI1600MM Pro / ASI174M (solar) / ASI094MC
NEXDome, CLoudwatcher, AVX mount/ASIair and Stellarmate

5 years 1 week ago #36811

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I think it is perhaps best if I get to see all these things in real time. With logs, issues can be identified and fixed. I'll email you about how we can arrange this.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Ron Kramer
5 years 1 week ago #36814

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Another test run last night. REALLY getting use to it. Also finding it easier to navigate if I size the windows down and leave the two open side by side. (Ekos and Indi Control) in the corners and kstars in the center. Everthing worked last night except for guiding. I asked in another post by someone else as they had same issue). Last problem to solve for me. Guiding and Im' good!

On a good note, I just won a astrophotography competition and first prize was a STELLARMATE = ) (I bought the OS last week for one of my PIs) . I had no faith. While I knew mine was he best I didn't think everyone else would think so. ;-)
and bought it.
AP Mach1 / CP4 APCC & PEMpro.
EXP SCI - ED152cf APO - Celestron 11" RASA - Stellarvue 80mm
Baader F2 HS NB filters, Lodestar X2 guide camera / OAG - ZWO 290mm mini
ZWO ASI1600MM Pro / ASI174M (solar) / ASI094MC
NEXDome, CLoudwatcher, AVX mount/ASIair and Stellarmate

Last edit: 5 years 5 days ago by Ron Kramer.
5 years 5 days ago #36868

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I've had nothing but hours of frustration. I have 1.1 firmware installed, motor run slow and week. Won't sync with the scope, shutter just does nothing. I've swapped Ardinos and shuffled Xbees. I tried Windows and installed the 2.11 firmware and ASCOM drivers. The only thing that works is the "home slew" every 90 seconds since the computer connects, but nothing else works. Frustrating, I don't know what I'm doing different.
5 years 5 days ago #36876

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Tom good news for you. (US) Gerry was the indi driver author and is busy to he passed it to Jasem who spent the last several days redoing the driver... and testing it on my dome. Today it was golden. Seems the same to me, but now he knows it inside and out and when we need it tweaked we have him!!! = )
So if left me with the new driver, I'm sure you can get it from him. I'm using the old buggy 1.1 firmware. Once the new firmware is done in a couple months I think he'll be able to update the indi driver to be compatible!!! Im' stoked.

I am REALLY loving this software. Guiding is a problem, but Jasem is working with me on it. I just setup my NUC PC and old PHD to test tonight at first darkness. IT's sitting here ready to go. I want to test it to make sure my mount didn't fail in some way over this cold winter. Once I find my old PHD2 works fine, I'll back back to the stellarmate to log some if the problems to share the logs. Everything I think I shoudl go back to SGP - I stop and think about the awesome things this software does and how SGP use to lock up on me if I did anything it didn't like.

example - I was shocked last night I shot a plate solve and it uploaded to nova.as.. I then quickly clicked main camera shoot 300 sec sub and it did it. (while the solve was being done.) Setting the solve to slew/center is so cool - 2 solves and the target is DEAD center. I'm sure sure Jasem will get the guiding problem solved. so I'm in for the long haul.

See if you can get him to give you a link to the updated driver. T minua 3 hours and I'll be besting old PHD2 guiding. Wish me perfect success - as I'd like it to be a Ekos issue instead of my mount! = )

I'm quite sure he'd have control over your speed problem in the new driver too. (else it's 8 weeks? away if all goes well with Tim Long.)
AP Mach1 / CP4 APCC & PEMpro.
EXP SCI - ED152cf APO - Celestron 11" RASA - Stellarvue 80mm
Baader F2 HS NB filters, Lodestar X2 guide camera / OAG - ZWO 290mm mini
ZWO ASI1600MM Pro / ASI174M (solar) / ASI094MC
NEXDome, CLoudwatcher, AVX mount/ASIair and Stellarmate

The following user(s) said Thank You: Tom Gwilym
Last edit: 5 years 1 day ago by Ron Kramer.
5 years 1 day ago #37020

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Sounds like progress is being made. I'm glad to hear it! I've had pretty much zero luck with 1.1. I can rotate the dome manually through Ekos but it won't sync with the scope. The shutter.....total no go for me still. I'm not sure if I have "crud" in the EEPROM, but I have tried clearing it with some code I found, but not sure hot long it needs to run.
I did go back (in between fooling with the Stellarmate OS) to the latest Windows drivers that just came out. 2.11 ASCOM and the firmware. That worked pretty well, but the motor still rotates very slow. I had it running last night on ASCOM, APT, Cartes Du Ciel, PHD2. Unrelated issue, but my plate solving worked, but it seemed to sync up slightly to one side of the object I was trying to center on. Almost seems like a time issue since it was off to the side every time.

I'd be very happy to help test out the new firmware from Jasem, just let me know where I can grab it from!

Tom
5 years 1 day ago #37023

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Do you have teamviewer on your kstars machine? I suspect it's a setting. But I'd recommend you start by getting Jasems new driver. I could check in and check your settings.
AP Mach1 / CP4 APCC & PEMpro.
EXP SCI - ED152cf APO - Celestron 11" RASA - Stellarvue 80mm
Baader F2 HS NB filters, Lodestar X2 guide camera / OAG - ZWO 290mm mini
ZWO ASI1600MM Pro / ASI174M (solar) / ASI094MC
NEXDome, CLoudwatcher, AVX mount/ASIair and Stellarmate

Last edit: 5 years 1 day ago by Ron Kramer.
5 years 1 day ago #37025

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Yep. I have TeamViewer on all my machines. I'd like to try the new firmware when I can get a chance and see if it makes a difference.
5 years 1 day ago #37026

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