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Connecting ASIAir Pro, Gemini 2 (on my GM811G) and a Mango mini-router
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With my new GM811G and a set of cloudy Pittsburgh days at hand, I have begun to take on the project of connecting my ASIAIR Pro (AAP) and my ASI290mm-mini to my Gemini 2 and a GL-iNet Mango mini router.? ? My setup and goals:? o???I have all Apple devices and want to keep it that way o???I have an ES ED 127 CF refractor. No upgrades planned. Very happy with it o???I observe from a 2nd?floor deck which is great for visual, but too bouncy for AP. I will want to be inside or remote for any AP work b/c of OTA stability? o???I have been primarily a visual observer, and will continue, but am ready to start into AP. o???I control my scope via SkySafari+ and also with the ASIAIR app off my iPad, hooking up as much as possible to the AAP (even my dew heaters, with the new sliders on the app) o???I am starting with learning how to PA with my ASI290, the AAP, and my iPad, and then learning how to guide and then use my Fuji XT-3. Upgrade the camera later, maybe. ? I got the Mango today ($20!), and have somehow managed (I¡¯m no network wonk) to: o???Convert a WLAN port to LAN, giving me two LAN ports o???Bridge the Mango wifi into my home network o???Setup the AAP to depend on the Mango¡¯s wifi o???Established static IP addresses for my Apple devices and the AAP o???Connect the Mango with my Macbook, iPad, and iPhone - and the Gemini, enabling me to run the scope off of any of the devices via the AA app and/or SkySafari+ ? So lots of progress, with plenty of frustrating moments along the way. I can run my scope from 50-60 feet away through walls with the Mango¡¯s wifi network.??Great!! ? Here¡¯s where I need some help with my ¡®normal¡¯ setup:?AAP/Mango/Gemini 2, all wired -? o???I have two cords going to the Gemini 2: an ethernet (from the Mango) and a USB (from the AAP). Are they both needed? o???When I originally set these up, the Mango did not see the Gemini 2, no matter what I did. After considerable hunting I ran across a sentence on a Losmandy page that said to turn the router on first before the Gemini. When I did that, the Mango saw the Gemini! Is the start-up sequence of these three devices critical? If the router has to be on before the Gemini, then I can¡¯t use the Gemini SV-USB Power port to power the Mango, right? o???What is the little ¡®mode¡¯ switch on the side of the Mango? How should it be set? ? Here¡¯s where I need some help with my ¡®occasional¡¯ setup: Computer/Mango/Gemini, all wired: o???I got far enough into the video Brian and Tanya did with Woodland Hills on micro-routers to get through the setup, only to find that access to the Gemini web portal was not going to work on my MacBook. That¡¯s right, isn¡¯t it, unless I host a copy of Windows??via parallels or some alternative???Am I missing anything important by not taking advantage of the web portal?? ? Any other advice would be welcome!! |
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýHi Geoff,Thanks for the details on the equipment ¡ that makes it easier to answer questions. ? I did not notice what you are using as a guide-scope for your ASI290-mini. ?Are you using a separate guide-scope? As for your questions, answers are inline below¡ I am glad to read that you are dipping your toe into Astrophotography by starting with a refractor. ?It is MUCH easier to start with telescope that have a reasonably low focal ratio. ?(if you had a 500mm scope¡ you wouldn¡¯t even need an autoguider as long as you have an accurate polar alignment). ? ? I¡¯ve had some friends that will ¡°start¡± with an 8-10¡± Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope (2000 to 2500mm focal ratio) and the higher the focal ratio¡ the more critical it is to have bang-on accurate alignment and tracking. ? Using a lower focal length to start out translates into less fuss and grief for you ¡ and therefore more enjoyment. ?
¡°needed¡± is perhaps a strong word because it presumes a requirement. ? There is no requirement (so not ¡°needed¡±) but ¡ The convenient way (and the way I do it) to connect from the AAP to the Gemini 2 is to use a USB cable between devices. ?I¡¯m guessing you have this working already. ?The ASIair is actually a Raspberry Pi running Linux (specifically a flavor of Debian which used to be known as Raspbian but is now referred to as ¡°Raspberry Pi OS¡±). ?The software that handles all communications to devices is INDI (see: ??)? In Linux, devices show up as if they are files in the filesystem¡ specifically in the /dev folder. ?If I recall correctly, when you connect the Gemini 2 it will show up as /dev/ttyACM0 (the final character is a zero ¡ but if for some reason another device claims ttyACM0 first, then the next device will be /dev/ttyACM1, then 2, then 3, and so on. ?But if the Gemini is the first (or only) device that shows up as a /dev/ttyACMx device then it will be zero (/dev/ttyACM0). ? With that, the ASIair can control the Gemini. ?And since the ASIair creates a SkySafari ¡°bridge¡± (it fakes being a telescope ¡ and any commands SkySafari sends it will be repeated to the actual telescope and any responses back from the scope will be repeated back to SkySafari) you don¡¯t technically need a second interface to the telescope. Having said that¡ the Gemini *also* runs a webserver and can be controlled via a web browser. ?There are also some things you can configure via this interface. ?For example when you boot the Gemini and look at the hand-box you¡¯ll see the four ¡°favorite¡± observing locations¡ you can edit/change those favorites through the web interface. ?This is something you cannot do via the hand-box, nor via Sky Safari, nor via the ASIair ¡ so that¡¯s a reason you *might* also connect the ethernet cable. ? But the main point is ¡ that¡¯s an optional reason to connect the ethernet cable and not a *requirement* that you connect the ethernet cable.
Generally YES ¡ power up the router before powering up the Gemini and that will be the most reliable. ? There are protocol for clients to auto-detect when the network cable is connected and/or when a network port has gone ¡°live¡± ¡ but I don¡¯t know that Rene uses that. ?It¡¯s a simplistic version of a network stack running on the Gemini. ? You can statically configure the network IP address or even tell it to use DHCP for automatic configuration. ?But if using automatic configuration it needs to be able to reach a working DHCP server (usually your home router is a DHCP server). ? ?Of course it wont be able to reach the DHCP server if the WiFi or Mango isn¡¯t running. While there are work-arounds ¡ you shouldn¡¯t need them if you make sure your network router is powered up and reachable *before* you power up the Gemini.
According to their docs:
From this, it looks like the position of the switch probably does not matter based on how you intend to use this device (provided you don¡¯t configure to enable any special service.)
I have not seen this video ¡ but I am also a mac user and there is nothing in the Gemini that creates a requirement to run any particular OS on your computer. The Gemini¡¯s web interface is a basic HTTP server ¡ ANY web browser can access that. For purposes of running lots of gear ¡ commonly in the world of Windows users, the ASCOM standard is used. ?ASCOM acts as a kind of middle-man. ?Most devices (especially devices that use an RS-232 serial port) are designed for a point-to-point communication (two parties talk to each other over the wire) ¡ they are not a bus or star / hub & spoke design that can support lots of devices. But when you do astrophotography ¡ you want to control the scope (e.g. via Sky Safari), the auto-guider wants to control the scope, the ASIair wants to control the scope, etc. etc. ?So you need some piece of software that acts as a kind of middle-man. ?Everything talks to that single piece of software ¡ and that single piece of software controls all devices. ?It¡¯s a kind of ¡°hub & spoke¡± architecture where ASCOM is the hub. ASCOM is written using Microsoft .Net code ¡ as such it ONLY works on Windows. ? There is another standard for basically everyone else called INDI (see: ) ¡ it basically copies the ideas of ASCOM but, being written 2nd ¡ it has ¡°second mover advantage¡± (meaning it corrects several deficiencies of ASCOM ¡ for example, ASCOM was traditionally not network-aware ¡ everything had to be connected to one physical computer (no network). ?ASCOM ¡°Alpaca¡± addresses this by adding network support. ?But INDI was written with network support in mind. You do not need ?to run ASCOM ¡ and can use EVERY feature of your Gemini without any need for ASCOM. The ASIair is basicallly taking the place of ASCOM ¡ because the ASIair implements INDI. ?INDI is mostly hidden from you via the ASIair ¡ so you don¡¯t need to learn about INDI nor do anything special to configure it ¡ ¡°it just works¡±. ? I hope that is helpful. Clear skies, Tim |
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Very helpful, Tim. *Thanks* for taking the time for such a thorough reply. I'm going to have to learn a good bit about some of your paragraphs, but I have a son nearby who launched his career overseeing data security for a local bank in Mass, so... ;-)?
In your final paragraphs, I must have misunderstood the video. I went back on the mango this am and bookmarked the mango, looked up the G2 IP address and entered it, had to look up the 'admin' for name and blank for password, and boom! I'm onto the Gemini Web server! Bookmarked it also. Thank you... Geoff |