OK, thanks Chip! One of the many reasons I like Astrophotography is I literally learn something new every day! Some things I learn by being stupid to begin with. Thanks for your patience!! ?Tom --- chiplouie@... wrote: From: "Chip Louie" <chiplouie@...> To: [email protected]Subject: Re: [Losmandy_users_io] G11 Gemini II ASIAIR Date: Tue, 08 Dec 2020 16:21:18 -0800 Tom,? A WiFi dongle is a self contained WiFi system you plug into a USB port to add WiFi or enhanced WiFi to an existing computer. I have not tried it on the ASIAIR-PRO because I imagined the ASIAIR-PRO would not be able to use a WiFi dongle without some work on the O/S which you do not normally have access to when running the ASIAIR app. I could jailbreak the ASIAIR-PRO and get into the O/S and while it would be entertaining on an inexpensive $35 R-Pi4B the ASIAIR-PRO is a $300 R-Pi4B I paid extra for just to never have to deal with any of the usual issues people using R-Pi4B computers have to deal with to make them work in this application using other software. The obvious solution was to add a small nano or travel router with better WiFi and extra Ethernet ports for the Gemini 2 which also allows me to use the same setup in the driveway of my house over the house WiFi so I can be sitting inside sleeping eating, reading surfing etc. while the ASIAIR-PRO ran the sequencer and collected data for me. For this s it is glorious!? ?
Magnus, I apologize for being dense, but what is a ¡°WiFi dongle¡±? ?Thanks Tom
-- Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?
? ?Astropheric Weather Forecast - South Pasadena, CA?
|
Hi Chip
>>> Buy an off the shelf solution that allows the ASIAIR-PRO to work at full speed with full power WiFi and adds capabilities that help Gemini users like me and other herem? on the Losmandy users group.? ? ?
I apologize but i'm a little confused now - what is the off-the-shelf solution?
[Edited Message Follows]
[Reason: clarity ]
Hi Magnus,
Yes, R-Pi4B WiFi sucks even in the open air, this is a known issue with the R-Pi4B boards. So when an R-Pi4B is put into a heavy aluminum (but pretty!) case then sandwiched with a Hat designed with a ground plane to carry current for the PWM power application the radiated Wi-Fi RF power getting out of the box is going to be pretty low and somewhat directional. This is what happens when you put the WiFi antenna in a Faraday cage.
Originally I was just going to modify the R-Pi4B board by adding a u/FL connector socket to the WiFi RF section and run a cable to an external connector and use a high gain antenna. But that seemed a little much for most people to attempt and it is easy to screw up the installation due to there being a very small pad area for the soldered down u/FL socket. Plus it required drilling the very pretty case so instead I found a solution anybody with a credit card with $60 left on it could do. Buy an off the shelf solution that allows the ASIAIR-PRO to work at full speed with full power WiFi and adds capabilities that help Gemini users like me and other herem? on the Losmandy users group.? ? ?
Hi!
Just about "the wifi sucks". The ASIAIR-PRO has a metal case, right? If so, that is why it sucks. Plug in a wifi dongle and you probably have good wifi. That is what I have with my R-Pi 4. Metal case, good for cooling, very bad for wifi. Dongle produce high speed wifi.
Or tried and tested solution: an ethernet cable. Which is what you do, Chip, right?
Best,
Magnus
--
Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?
? ?Astropheric Weather Forecast - South Pasadena, CA?
-- Brian?
Brian Valente portfolio
|
Hi Magnus, Yes, R-Pi4B computer WiFi sucks even in the open air, this is a known issue with the R-Pi4B boards. So when an R-Pi4B is put into a heavy aluminum case (but it's a very pretty case!) then sandwiched with a Hat board designed with a ground plane to carry current for the 4 ports of PWM power the radiated Wi-Fi RF power getting out of the box is going to be pretty low and somewhat directional. This is just what happens when you put a tiny WiFi antenna in a Faraday cage. Originally I was just going to modify the R-Pi4B board by adding a u/FL connector socket to the WiFi RF section of the R+Pi4B circuit board and run a cable to an external connector to use a high gain antenna. I posted the details on the ASIAIR-PRO FaceBook page including parts needed to do it this way. But the project? seemed a bit much for most people to attempt and it is very easy to screw up the installation due to there being only a very small pad area for the soldered down u/FL socket. It required drilling a hole in the very pretty case. So instead I found a solution anybody with a credit card with $60 left on it could do. Just buy an off the shelf solution that allows the ASIAIR-PRO to work at full speed with full power WiFi and adds capabilities that helps Gemini users like me and others here on the Losmandy users group.? ? ?
Hi!
Just about "the wifi sucks". The ASIAIR-PRO has a metal case, right? If so, that is why it sucks. Plug in a wifi dongle and you probably have good wifi. That is what I have with my R-Pi 4. Metal case, good for cooling, very bad for wifi. Dongle produce high speed wifi.
Or tried and tested solution: an ethernet cable. Which is what you do, Chip, right?
Best,
Magnus
-- Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?
? ?Astropheric Weather Forecast - South Pasadena, CA?
|
Hi Jamie,
Please cut off the end of your ASIAIR-PRO case and test out the WiFi for me. Thanks!?
--
Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?
? ?Astropheric Weather Forecast - South Pasadena, CA?
|
Tom,? A WiFi dongle is a self contained WiFi system you plug into a USB port to add WiFi or enhanced WiFi to an existing computer. I have not tried it on the ASIAIR-PRO because I imagined the ASIAIR-PRO would not be able to use a WiFi dongle without some work on the O/S which you do not normally have access to when running the ASIAIR app. I could jailbreak the ASIAIR-PRO and get into the O/S and while it would be entertaining on an inexpensive $35 R-Pi4B the ASIAIR-PRO is a $300 R-Pi4B I paid extra for just to never have to deal with any of the usual issues people using R-Pi4B computers have to deal with to make them work in this application using other software. The obvious solution was to add a small nano or travel router with better WiFi and extra Ethernet ports for the Gemini 2 which also allows me to use the same setup in the driveway of my house over the house WiFi so I can be sitting inside sleeping eating, reading surfing etc. while the ASIAIR-PRO ran the sequencer and collected data for me. For this s it is glorious!? ?
Magnus, I apologize for being dense, but what is a ¡°WiFi dongle¡±? ?Thanks Tom
-- Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?
? ?Astropheric Weather Forecast - South Pasadena, CA?
|
counterwieghts for GM811G
I am considering a GM811g for use with my celestron 9.25 SCT. Weight with what i have on the 9.25 with my evolution mount is about 24-25 pounds. The GM811G comes with one 11 pound counterweight . I have a 16 inch DOB and the evolution and many years ago a meade EQ mount. So no recent experience with EQ mounts. Any ideas on amount of counterweight i would need for balance?
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Hi Tim,
I started with a good laptop solution like you and then moved to a powerful on scope PC to run the usual SGP and PHD2. It was a very fast, expensive, heavy and power hungry solution.?So I jumped when the ASIAIR-PRO was released.
As far as I can see by using all ZWO components ZWO can ensure it all works together (and sells a lot of equipment) the system is plug and play. The ASIAIR-PRO has an easy to use built-in interface that allows control of all the parts, autoguider, main camera, focuser etc. and also does sequencing for you. If you can use PHD2, SGP etc. this is a piece of cake and it all works. The entire point of the ASIAIR-PRO is to have an integrated full featured system that works as your needs grow.
I see no good reason to go back to my fancier hardware based on the improving software and capabilities of the ASIAIR-PRO system. If I were a hard core imager in a dark sky area with a nnice big observatory dedicated to imaging the ASIAIR-PRO might not be enough. But if you are like me, a portable imager and often visual observer without a big annual budget and time for imaging I think the ASIAIR-PRO solves a lot of problems that people run into that slow or stop their progress in imaging.??
? ?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Well sounds a little more complicated than I thought it would be. ? Are there any other similar solutions to consider? ? I have a laptop with NINA PHD plate solving planetary software. ?I was looking for a simpler solution. ?Should I just stay with the laptop and get all the applications working? ? I could get a USB extenders and run cat5 into my house. ? Any thoughts or suggestions? ?Thanks?
--
Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?
? ?Astropheric Weather Forecast - South Pasadena, CA?
|
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Magnus, I apologize for being dense, but what is a ¡°WiFi dongle¡±? ?Thanks Tom --- magnus@... wrote: From: "Magnus Larsson" <magnus@...> To: [email protected]Subject: Re: [Losmandy_users_io] G11 Gemini II ASIAIR Date: Tue, 8 Dec 2020 23:14:25 +0100
Hi!
Just about "the wifi sucks". The ASIAIR-PRO has a metal case,
right? If so, that is why it sucks. Plug in a wifi dongle and you
probably have good wifi. That is what I have with my R-Pi 4. Metal
case, good for cooling, very bad for wifi. Dongle produce high
speed wifi.
Or tried and tested solution: an ethernet cable. Which is what
you do, Chip, right?
Best,
Magnus
Den 2020-12-08 kl. 22:45, skrev Chip
Louie:
Hi Tim,
First you need to know that the ASIAIR-PRO is a dedicated ZWO only
environment and it is only useful for imaging it is not a general
purpose computer. set up as I have it here you can use a phone
based planetarium app to find and direct the Gemini to an object
but the ASIAIR-PRO has a good sized database of objects available
internally so it is not a requirement and with the ASIAIR-PRO
plate solver you will get the best result.?
?
Anyway, I have been playing with an ASIAIR-PRO to run a ZWO-EAF
autofocuser, ASI290MM-mini for autoguiding, ASI183MM-PRO &
ZWO-EFW as the main imager and filter wheel on my G11G with Gemini
2-mini. The truth is the standard R-Pi4B WiFi sucks and this is a
known issue. So I looked for a solution and found it in the
GL.iNet Slate nano router. There are cheaper routers out there but
nothing combines AC750 WiFi speed, strong radio signal and a 3
port Gigabit switch in a nano sized package and let's be honest,
the $30 upcharge is not even a rounding error in terms of imaging
gear cost.??
The EAF, EFW, imaging and guide cameras are all connected to the
ASIAIR-PRO using appropriate USB ports. The ASIAIR-PRO is
connected to the SLATE AC750 router's 3-port Gigabit switch, the
Gemini 2-mini is also connected over a wired Ethernet connection
to the Slate. If you use the Slate in the default router mode you
can get to the ASIAIR-PRO through the Slate and it just works as
it was supposed to. There is some setup involved using the
ASIAIR-PRO app on a phone or laptop running under an Android
emulator over WiFi. Using static IPs are perfectly reliable so
that's what I do for this kind of application. You set static IPs
for the ASIAIRPRO, Gemini 2 controller and Slate router. Once set
you connect to the Slate using the Slate's IP addy and the
ASIAIR-PRO and? Gemini IPs will be accessible. One thing you need
to know is that by default the Gemini 2 uses UDP protocol with
port 11110 (top of my head) not TCP at port 4030 (also top of my
head). This must be set to get the ASIAIR-PRO to connect to the
Gemini 2.?
Anyway the short answer is yes it works pretty well once setup
right. Here are a couple of images to show the setup I'm waiting
to test again if the clouds clear out here in sunny southern
California.?
??
--
Chip Louie
Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?
? ?Astropheric Weather Forecast - South Pasadena, CA?
|
I personally use a NUC-style computer attached to my telescope, and I remote in from my home desktop (and iPad too, if i'm in bed or just want to check on things :) )
just like a windows machine, but it lives out there
if you have some $$ you can look at the prima luce Eagle, which is essentially a purpose-built windows nuc-style box, with a lot of bells and whistles specific to astronomy (power distribution, more USB ports, etc.)
Software Bisque has one too but it's pricier
Well sounds a little more complicated than I thought it would be. ? Are there any other similar solutions to consider? ? I have a laptop with NINA PHD plate solving planetary software.? I was looking for a simpler solution.? Should I just stay with the laptop and get all the applications working? ? I could get a USB extenders and run cat5 into my house. ? Any thoughts or suggestions?? Thanks?
-- Brian?
Brian Valente portfolio
|
>>>
I did open mine to 30 pixels, more as an experiment.
When using the Auto Select Star (love that!) it always finds one.?
?we might be talking about two different things?
the search region is not for the initial selection?of the guidestar: for that it uses the entire chip
the search region/subframe size is once it pics a guidestar, how much around the guidestar will it continue to capture, looking for star movement.?
my earlier comment might make more sense then. if you're guiding, the chances of your star moving >30 pixels (or even more than 5 pixels honestly) is pretty low, so imo there's no reason to keep a subframe size that large.?
but again, you may be using it in a way i don't know about?
On Tue, Dec 8, 2020 at 11:52 AM, Brian Valente wrote:
Sonny your images are looking much improved, nice work!
?
Regarding the search region/subframe size, i'm not sure why you would need a search region >50 pixels. we're talking about guiding around 1" (as a rough approximation). Your image scale of course varies, but if we call it 1" = 1 pixel, you are saying you need the ability to handle >50 pixel offset on the guidestar? at that point i feel like it would be a lost cause. It's entirely possible i'm not considering a different use case.?
?
you can also use full frame and get the full guide camera sensor size for your "subframe"?
Thank You Brian!
I did open mine to 30 pixels, more as an experiment.
When using the Auto Select Star (love that!) it always finds one.
Maybe if you have a more proper telescope than I, or a bigger guide scope than I, you can get an advantage with a wider area? (I'm guessing)
But for the moment, I'm aghast at the bigger area and sharpness of the stars from the ZWOASI290 camera upgrade.
Hopefully tonight I'll be back at it in the yard. I took last night off and did some catching up on sleep.
I wish I had the prowess to figure out how to make things a One Click (Slick!) Opening. I may need to go back into NINA now that I can get a proper Polar Alignment.
Jamie,
Sorry to run off in your post. My hope is to get and to give help.
I'm always one to explore things with my dumb questions, in the hope my own ability to look a fool will help others afraid to ask.
?
--
SonnyE
(I suggest viewed in full screen)
-- Brian?
Brian Valente portfolio
|
Well sounds a little more complicated than I thought it would be. ? Are there any other similar solutions to consider? ? I have a laptop with NINA PHD plate solving planetary software. ?I was looking for a simpler solution. ?Should I just stay with the laptop and get all the applications working? ? I could get a USB extenders and run cat5 into my house. ? Any thoughts or suggestions? ?Thanks?
|
Wow! Beautiful Images Jamie!
Heck of a nice dew shield you made, too!
Is that a Richey- Cretian telescope? Drool...
My Bahtinov mask is mounted into a modified 4" PVC fitting. LOL!
It works, for my little 80 mm.
--
SonnyE
(I suggest viewed in full screen)
|
If you're using a RPI4 with a flirc case you can just cut the end out and the wifi works great. That's where the antenna is:??I imagine that you could cut a hole in the ASIAir as well...
As far as I understand the ASIAirPro is a RPI4 with a 12v power board attached. It's running a branch of the standard kstars/ekos/indi stack. I believe that you can even load astroberry onto it. If you do that then it becomes a more general purpose computer, but you may loose control of the 12v power supply. I heard some talk of software to control the 12v power, but I'm not sure as I don't have an ASIAir.?
Jamie
|
On Tue, Dec 8, 2020 at 11:52 AM, Brian Valente wrote:
Sonny your images are looking much improved, nice work!
?
Regarding the search region/subframe size, i'm not sure why you would need a search region >50 pixels. we're talking about guiding around 1" (as a rough approximation). Your image scale of course varies, but if we call it 1" = 1 pixel, you are saying you need the ability to handle >50 pixel offset on the guidestar? at that point i feel like it would be a lost cause. It's entirely possible i'm not considering a different use case.?
?
you can also use full frame and get the full guide camera sensor size for your "subframe"?
Thank You Brian! I did open mine to 30 pixels, more as an experiment. When using the Auto Select Star (love that!) it always finds one. Maybe if you have a more proper telescope than I, or a bigger guide scope than I, you can get an advantage with a wider area? (I'm guessing) But for the moment, I'm aghast at the bigger area and sharpness of the stars from the ZWOASI290 camera upgrade. Hopefully tonight I'll be back at it in the yard. I took last night off and did some catching up on sleep. I wish I had the prowess to figure out how to make things a One Click (Slick!) Opening. I may need to go back into NINA now that I can get a proper Polar Alignment. Jamie, Sorry to run off in your post. My hope is to get and to give help. I'm always one to explore things with my dumb questions, in the hope my own ability to look a fool will help others afraid to ask. ? -- SonnyE (I suggest viewed in full screen)
|
Hi!
Just about "the wifi sucks". The ASIAIR-PRO has a metal case,
right? If so, that is why it sucks. Plug in a wifi dongle and you
probably have good wifi. That is what I have with my R-Pi 4. Metal
case, good for cooling, very bad for wifi. Dongle produce high
speed wifi.
Or tried and tested solution: an ethernet cable. Which is what
you do, Chip, right?
Best,
Magnus
Den 2020-12-08 kl. 22:45, skrev Chip
Louie:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Hi Tim,
First you need to know that the ASIAIR-PRO is a dedicated ZWO only
environment and it is only useful for imaging it is not a general
purpose computer. set up as I have it here you can use a phone
based planetarium app to find and direct the Gemini to an object
but the ASIAIR-PRO has a good sized database of objects available
internally so it is not a requirement and with the ASIAIR-PRO
plate solver you will get the best result.?
?
Anyway, I have been playing with an ASIAIR-PRO to run a ZWO-EAF
autofocuser, ASI290MM-mini for autoguiding, ASI183MM-PRO &
ZWO-EFW as the main imager and filter wheel on my G11G with Gemini
2-mini. The truth is the standard R-Pi4B WiFi sucks and this is a
known issue. So I looked for a solution and found it in the
GL.iNet Slate nano router. There are cheaper routers out there but
nothing combines AC750 WiFi speed, strong radio signal and a 3
port Gigabit switch in a nano sized package and let's be honest,
the $30 upcharge is not even a rounding error in terms of imaging
gear cost.??
The EAF, EFW, imaging and guide cameras are all connected to the
ASIAIR-PRO using appropriate USB ports. The ASIAIR-PRO is
connected to the SLATE AC750 router's 3-port Gigabit switch, the
Gemini 2-mini is also connected over a wired Ethernet connection
to the Slate. If you use the Slate in the default router mode you
can get to the ASIAIR-PRO through the Slate and it just works as
it was supposed to. There is some setup involved using the
ASIAIR-PRO app on a phone or laptop running under an Android
emulator over WiFi. Using static IPs are perfectly reliable so
that's what I do for this kind of application. You set static IPs
for the ASIAIRPRO, Gemini 2 controller and Slate router. Once set
you connect to the Slate using the Slate's IP addy and the
ASIAIR-PRO and? Gemini IPs will be accessible. One thing you need
to know is that by default the Gemini 2 uses UDP protocol with
port 11110 (top of my head) not TCP at port 4030 (also top of my
head). This must be set to get the ASIAIR-PRO to connect to the
Gemini 2.?
Anyway the short answer is yes it works pretty well once setup
right. Here are a couple of images to show the setup I'm waiting
to test again if the clouds clear out here in sunny southern
California.?
??
--
Chip Louie
Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?
? ?Astropheric Weather Forecast - South Pasadena, CA?
|
Hi Tim,
First you need to know that the ASIAIR-PRO is a dedicated ZWO only environment and it is only useful for imaging it is not a general purpose computer. Set up as I have it here you can use a phone based planetarium app to find and direct the Gemini to an object but the ASIAIR-PRO has a good sized database of objects available internally so it is not a requirement and with the ASIAIR-PRO plate solver you will get the best positioning results for imaging.?
?
Anyway, I have been playing with an ASIAIR-PRO to run a ZWO-EAF autofocuser, ASI290MM-mini for autoguiding, ASI183MM-PRO & ZWO-EFW as the main imager and filter wheel on my G11G with Gemini 2-mini. The truth is the standard R-Pi4B WiFi sucks and this is a known issue. So I looked for a solution and found it in the GL.iNet Slate nano router. There are cheaper routers out there but nothing combines AC750 WiFi speed, strong radio signal and a 3 port Gigabit switch in a nano sized package and let's be honest, the $30 upcharge over a standard nano router with only N150-N300 WiFi speed and a single 10/100 Ethernet port is not even a rounding error in terms of imaging gear cost.??
The EAF, EFW, imaging and guide cameras are all connected to the ASIAIR-PRO using appropriate USB ports. The ASIAIR-PRO is connected to the SLATE AC750 router's 3-port Gigabit switch, the Gemini 2-mini is also connected using a wired Ethernet connection to the Slate. If you use the Slate in the default router mode you can get to the ASIAIR-PRO through the Slate and it just works as it was supposed to. There is some setup involved using the ASIAIR-PRO app on a phone or laptop running under an Android emulator over WiFi. Using static IPs are perfectly reliable so that's what I do for this kind of application. You set static IPs for the ASIAIRPRO, Gemini 2 controller and Slate router. Once set you connect to the Slate using the Slate's IP addy and the ASIAIR-PRO and? Gemini IPs will be accessible. One thing you need to know is that by default the Gemini 2 uses UDP protocol with port 11110 (top of my head) not TCP at port 4030 (also top of my head). This must be set to get the ASIAIR-PRO to connect to the Gemini 2.?
The best situation is where you have the Slate working as a bridge which allows you to use as above but when you are near your home LAN it connects to the local LAN over WiFi and you can see the Gemini and ASIAIR-PRO on the network. Of course you need to run an emulator on your PC to use the ASIAIR-PRO Android app but this is an easy install using the BlueStacks Android emulator.??
Anyway the short answer is yes it works pretty well once setup right.
Here are a couple of images to show the current piggyback guide camera setup which will be replaced in a few days and retested using a new ZWO OAG with helical focuser to see if there is enough advantage to overcome any disadvantages of using an OAG behind a refractor. At some point I will also test the OAG behind a hot-rodded M10" f/6.3 SCT with a Starizona SCT II 0.63X Coma Corrector working @ f/4. Could be really good, or not we'll have to see.?I'm waiting to test again with the latest updated Android app and ASIAIR-PRO firmware if the clouds clear out here in sunny southern California.?
??
--
Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?
? ?Astropheric Weather Forecast - South Pasadena, CA?
|
Thanks! I'm getting a lot of photos done with the hyperstar. I really don't need fantastic guiding for it, because it's so fast and wide, but I like everything running at optimal just because I guess. And I will use longer focal length at some point.?
I designed and printed the shroud myself using blender to model it. I freely share the files on thingiverse:??Took over 5 days to print.?
Jamie
|
great job - i'm a total sucker for the flaming star nebula
looks like a 3d printed shroud on your hyperstar?
I think that I was using 30 pixels for the search box. I was worried in the past that phd2 would get lost if it had too many pixels to search through -- I have no idea if there is any validity to this worry.?
My alignment is generally good, both RA and DEC drift align were showing around 1.?
Yes, I've found that I can make out the deep space objects in the guide pictures. It's really cool to see that.?
Thanks for asking for photos! This hobby can seem pretty solitary sometimes!
These are some of my latest shots that I've taken trying out my Hyperstar. Only Ha, and OIII for now, and I'm still learning how to do things with the hyperstar. I've been having quite a bit of fun with it, I can get so much more data at F1.9 Wow!?
I designed and 3d printed a dew-shield-bathinov-mask-wire-guide-cap for it that allows me to leave the camera on as long as I like without getting too worried about it. I'm quite proud of my self!?
?
IC 410:
IC 405:
Pleiades
Clear sky's!?
-- Brian?
Brian Valente portfolio
|
I think that I was using 30 pixels for the search box. I was worried in the past that phd2 would get lost if it had too many pixels to search through -- I have no idea if there is any validity to this worry.? My alignment is generally good, both RA and DEC drift align were showing around 1.? Yes, I've found that I can make out the deep space objects in the guide pictures. It's really cool to see that.?
Thanks for asking for photos! This hobby can be pretty solitary sometimes!
These are some of my latest shots that I've taken trying out my Hyperstar. Only Ha, and OIII for now, and I'm still learning how to do things with the hyperstar. I've been having quite a bit of fun with it, I can get so much more data at F1.9 Wow!?
I designed and 3d printed a dew-shield-bathinov-mask-wire-guide-cap for it that allows me to leave the camera on as long as I like without getting too worried about it. I'm quite proud of my self!?
IC 410:
IC 405:
Pleiades
Clear sky's!?
|
Chip Louie
Jamie Amendolagine
Tim Kimbler