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

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

New to this - would like to control camera & mount on wifi

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Hi all. I'm looking for a way to repurpose an old dell laptop with Ubuntu (lite) so that I can control my Canon 6D and Skywatcher EQ5 Pro mount from inside the house (in the warm) while they're out on the balcony (in the cold). I don't want to leave the laptop out all night, partly because the battery won't last very long so it needs to be plugged in, and there are no plugs outside. I'm currently running Ubuntu on a VM on my desktop for testing purposes to try to match the laptop's specs. It can run Kstars (+ekos) just fine.

Here's where I'm tripping up - I want to use wifi tethering for the camera and the mount. Canon 6D allows for wifi tethering, as it has it's own wifi hotspot built in. The mount has a dongle I can buy (I haven't bought it yet) that allows for wifi tethering. I haven't seen any tutorials or FAQs about connecting and controlling a camera or mount via wifi. Can it be done with Kstars/Ekos?

Many thanks in advance.

P

ps. for me, camera tethering is more important than mount, at least for now
5 years 2 months ago #34075

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For mount, go to INDI Control Mount --> Connection --> Select Ethernet then specify the IP address & Port for where to connect to the mount and that's it.
5 years 2 months ago #34077

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That bit is easy then. Thanks @knro - now I just need to figure out the camera!

P
5 years 2 months ago #34080

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I don’t have a WiFi enabled camera (I use the Canon EOS 450D and 600D), and rather than use a mount brand specific WiFi dongle, I’ve opted for setting up a Raspberry Pi 3 B+ as the WiFi hotspot using the Astroberry software package with the INDI drivers and interfacing with USB/Serial cable to my Sky-Watcher mount and USB cable to the camera. All is controlled from the warmth of my home on my ten year old Thinkpad laptop running KStars/Ekos under Ubuntu MATE 18.04. I’ve added a GPS dongle to the RPi to provide accurate location and local time. The total hardware investment for the RPi etc. was around £100. I use electrical mains to power everything although I could operate from battery if necessary.
5 years 2 months ago #34081

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Did you find any solution for connecting to canon 6D through wifi ?
Looks like this feature is still in testing/beta on gphoto side: www.gphoto.org/proj/libgphoto2/support.php
Last edit: 5 years 1 month ago by dolguldur.
5 years 1 month ago #35177

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I've been too busy to check it out, but now that I have my (old) laptop fixed up I hope to be able to test it soon.
5 years 1 month ago #35179

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My suggestion would be to use an RPi3B+, run it from a Li-Ion powerbank and use it to drive the mount and the camera via USB/Ethernet connection.
That's what I am doing when I am not in my backyard. I run Indi and Ekos directly on the Pi and just control the Pi then through VNC from my Phone or iPad. The Pi3 is a bit slow trying to handle everything, but it can be done, especially if you have preprogrammed your observations for the night in the Scheduler. At that point, the system runs itself, you won't even need to be connected anymore.
5 years 1 month ago #35182

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Thank you. I am running kstars Version 3.6.4 Beta with indi-libs 2.0.1. I do not see a INDI Control Mount option. Can you provide anything additional that would help get to the connection menu? This is exactly where I am stuck. Thanks in advance. Dan
1 year 1 week ago #91333

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In KStars you need to create an Ekos Profile for your ‘equipment train’. One item of this is your mount. You select there the mount type and interface eg Sky-Watcher EQMOD.
1 year 1 week ago #91338

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