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

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

Stellarmate - is it better to run on MacBook or on the Pi ??

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1. So is the best practice to run kstars and ekos on my MacBook or is it best to launch kstars on the pi and control it through the vnc ??

when I tried it running on my MacBook, the focusing seemed pretty slow and a bit unstable, in this case are the image files taken for focussing being transmitted over the wifi to the ekos on the MacBook, if so this it seems it would be a lot slower than having those files go to the pi through usb2.

2. will ekos pull the gps location and time from the gps puck built into my Ioptron Cem-60 ??

3. if I want to do plate solving at a dark site, with unreliable internet and run ekos on the pi and control through vnc do I have to download astrometry files onto the pi, or are they already there ??

4. my cem60 has a built in non powered usb2 hub on the dec saddle, should it work ok to connect a powered usb hub to the pi and then the usb2 hub built into the cem-60 mount to the powered hub ??

5. could I use the polar alignment tool to do the alignment while using the pole master as the alignment camera ???

6. can ekos do dithering without setting up a guide camera and scope ?? since my cem60 is the encoder version when imaging at F/2 with my C8 hyper star and I don't really need any guiding, simplifying and speeding up the setup time, but I still should probably dither.

7. any other tips/tricks or common issues I might need to know ?


thanks
4 years 11 months ago #37809

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I've tried all - the one you didn't mention is what I find to be best. The PI (not ktars running on it) but the SM server. Then run Kstars/Ekos on OSX and it will connect to the PI (server) remotely! I'm doing this but connecting with windows. (I love OSX but sold out of my Macs for astro gear compatibility).

Yes you could use the pole master camera for alignment tool. Yes you can dither, hub? (I prefer powered) but you'll have to test it and see. I use a powered 3.0 hub on the mount(added).

Tips... don't run kstars on the pi. Run the server. Allow the more powerful computer run Kstars/Ekos. Focus is quite quick, you can do them local or remote and you can save time and data transmit time by checking SUBFRAME
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

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4 years 11 months ago #37816

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1. Run the INDI server on the Pi and control everything by running kstars/ekos on your mac. The Pi is pretty slow if you try to do everything (kstars, ekos, phd2) on it. If you want to use VNC to remote in to something to run your imaging session, use something more powerful than the Pi.

2. Yes. I have a CEM60 and it gets the coordinates from the mount's GPS. Make sure you set the option "Mount Updates Kstars" in the INDI preferences.

3. The Solver options allow you to download all the index files you'll need for offline solving. It will recommend which files you need based on the FOV of your configured scope.

4. A powered USB hub connected to the Pi is what I am doing. Works great.

5. Just use the Polemaster. No need to use the PA tool.

6. The only dither options I can find are in the Guide module, so it appears dithering only works when you are guiding.

7. Have fun!
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Last edit: 4 years 11 months ago by steve bradley.
4 years 11 months ago #37821

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They will both do the same job, however, I have my Raspberry Pi sitting on the mount exposed to the weather and the Mac inside monitoring things, when required, sitting inside out of the weather.

It is much cheaper to replace the Pi.

INDI can plate solve locally so no need to have an internet connection.
INDI can also assist with Polar alignment.

Paul
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4 years 11 months ago #37824

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I'd have to say that I've found it less frustrating to run as much as I can on my MacBook. The Pi will run longer, since I've got a sizable sealed lead-acid battery for it, the mount, and the camera, but I run into endless gripes with plate solving failing, or the UI failing to respond for 15-20 seconds at a time, and the like. That said, I imaged with a DSLR for a good year using the Pi and remoting into it with VNC, so it certainly can be done.
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4 years 11 months ago #37825

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I second that. I run pretty much everything on the Pi, with the Mac just being a monitor/keyboard/mouse via VNC.
It's certainly do-able and not that slow (you need to adjust plate solving params to bin and downsample by a factor of 3 or so, but that's fine).
I started by partly running on the mac, and that was less reliable IMHO--no worries now about the mac sleeping, losing connection, etc.

As an added bonus, you could even, once your session was setup and started, just use a vnc client on your phone or tablet to monitor things, and at that point close the macbook altogether.
4 years 11 months ago #38096

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Heh. But don't yield to the temptation to try to DO anything with those tiny little user-interface widgets on the screen of your phone. That way lies...madness.
4 years 11 months ago #38157

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You second what...?? Nobody else has said they run it all from the PI, and so they shouldn’t it will work for a short time, but it’s not powerful enough to run in that way, especially with a power Hungary camera, and you should only use a Powered hub with the rpi not an unpowered, that comment was for the CEM60 owner.. :)
4 years 11 months ago #38211

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Astronerd,
I assume he was seconding my comments as I previously stated I run INDI on a Raspberry Pi 3.
It is more than powerful enough to do this and run PHD2.
I use VNC to initialise everything but can then disconnect and it runs alone.
Whether you need a powered hub is another matter.
I use all four USB ports on the Pi, for the main camera, the Lodestar guide, the focus controller and the Gemini 2, so I have no spare USB ports.
The only one that draws significant USB power is the Lodestar and even that is minimal.
I do not run the Raspberry Pi off a hub, I use a separate power supply.
Paul
Paul
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4 years 11 months ago #38215

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To clarify, I do run Indi, KStars and EKOS all on a single Raspberry Pi 3B+. It seems to work fine for me. I do use a powered hub for the USB devices, and I separately power my Raspberry Pi. In retrospect, not sure why I power it that way--probably mistrust for the hub. My imaging camera is the ZWO ASI 1600mm pro.

I happily recommend this system to my friends, while saying it's much simpler to start with the already put together stellarmateOS. I'm sure a more expensive computer would run the system faster, but what this setup does is more than adequate for me.
4 years 11 months ago #38247

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so you are using the internal guider ??

what usb bandwidth are you using for the asi1600 ?? i am using a asi183 mm pro .

I prefer the idea of running everything on the pi, if it can do it effectively !!!!

then there is also the IOS app coming pretty soon I read !!
4 years 11 months ago #38252

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I've been using PhD2 as the guider. That's just because some friends recommended it. I'm not saying that the ekos guider wouldn't also work.

Not sure what to say about bandwidth. The raspberry pi 3B+ comes with USB2. I wish it had come with USB 3, so it's a little slower downloading. Takes several seconds for a full resolution image to download. I can live with that. It is more of an issue if you tried to do things like polar alignment with the pi. I've been using a polarmate with a laptop for that setup. I mean you probably could polar-align on the pi, but the real-time feedback would be a little slower.

I've run the focus module on full frame mode, and it does work as well.

For me, the main speed issue for the pi was adjusting parameters for plate solving.

Feel free to ask here or message privately if you have any further questions.
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4 years 11 months ago #38257

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