ASI Air Communication with Gemini 2 L6.02
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On Sat, Dec 14, 2024 at 05:48 PM, <dkfcpalfd@...> wrote:
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Hi Dan,
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I have been using the ASIAIR since the Pro version was released.? I have been using it on a G11G and GM8G with Gemini 2 minis and Tall boys communicating over Ethernet with both the ASIAIR imaging rig and Gemini 2 connected to high performance travel routers.? The Gemini L6.1 / HC v1.63 firmware and ASIAIR 2.2x and 2.3BETA apps and related firmware have been working very well, they just flat out work.??
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Hold off on buying an ASI2600MC AIR.? There are several issues with this product, some permanent due to the DUO design some and some at the moment are not known if the problems are hardware (power related) or firmware related.? Some issues look like hardware problems and so far the firmware fixes have not resolved them.? This product is not ready for prime time by a long shot.? ?
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Additionally you will always be more flexible by keeping the controller, guide camera and main imaging camera all as separate peripherals which allows individual components to be swapped out as needed (failures) or desired (better tech, new features) in the future.? The DUO self-guiding design is problematic as many people found out many years ago with the almost identical but CCD based SBig cameras.? What do you do when one or the other fails?? Trust me, you DO NOT want to have to send it to China for a few months for repairs.? It's not like you can easily swap out the main imaging or guide camera sensors in the system if you have a problem.? And to make it even worse what happens when the new ASIAIR controller fails, you have no access to the internal cameras to bypass the internal ASIAIR controller.? And what about auto guiding behind a dual or multi-band filter with a 3nm bandwidth?? You end up with a guide settings that are a compromise and that may or may not work optimally with your mount and telescope AND you are handicapped by the reduced tunability of the ASIAIR autoguiding software which BTW works very well with standalone piggybacked guiders and the ZWO OAG-L with ASI174mm mini.? Is it initially more convenient then having separates, cheaper?? Absolutely, but life is long and the initial ease of use and slight cost savings will be quickly forgotten when the issues I mention come up and I assure you they will.? ??
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Some actual thought needs to go into this whole AIO (All-In-One) idea and a full redesign for easy field serviceability and external access the main and guide cameras before it might make even a little sense.?
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Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware? Astrospheric Forecast - South Pasadena, CA? ?
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开云体育Chip, What is the problem you see with the Duo design ?? I am seriously considering a 2600MC Duo (not Air). ? Cheers, David ? From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Chip Louie via groups.io
Sent: 16 December 2024 01:14 To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Losmandy_users_io] ASI Air Communication with Gemini 2 L6.02 ? >? There are several issues with this product, some permanent due to the DUO design |
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If you have the inclination and time I'd go with a mini pc like a mele. You can then run the full indi / ekos stack that does not have competitor cameras disabled --? the asiair is using a branch of indi, but with non-zwo cameras disabled .You can also choose to boot to windows if you want to run an ascom / nina stack. If you want the easy to use ui you can load stellarmate on the same hardware. Just my 2 cents!
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On Mon, Dec 16, 2024 at 08:16 AM, Jamie Amendolagine wrote:
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The ASIAIR UI is tightly integrated and makes sense once you have some time with it.? But I don't like the handicapped autoguiding section which honestly would make it easier for experienced PHD2 users but also flood the web with "ASIAIR autoguiding doesn't work" comments and complaints.? Would I like a couple of other features included, sure what experienced imager wouldn't like their pet features included.? But any experienced imager will be using the best imaging cameras from ZWO and the read and amp noise is so low that if you are working you top post capture apps that most experienced imagers use to stack and process who cares??
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That said I would love to have a cheap, fast actual mini-pc running Windows 11 connected to a Pegasus Ultimate Power Boxv3 with all the usual ASCOM apps and an RDP interface on my tablet or phone.? At this point I would be spending $1,000 before cables and mounting solutions.? The 2024 ASIAIR Plus 256GB V3 is $270 and takes up about 20% of the volume as the technically better solution.? I think the ASIAIR offers a much better value position and solves 98% of the needs of imagers out there.? ? ?
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Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware? Astrospheric Forecast - South Pasadena, CA? ?
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On Tue, Dec 17, 2024 at 07:03 AM, Jamie Amendolagine wrote:
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AFAIK there is no $200 model with a full speed N100 processor with enough RAM and storage for people using large sensor cameras imaging multiple nights with short subs.? Windows can run with 8GB but is a lot faster and happier with 16GB and 0.5TB is the minimum storage space once Windows 11 Pro and all the ASCOM imaging apps are loaded.? If you can find one of these they are about $350 plus.? To which you will still want to add managed power ports for dew heaters and USB ports which you will need for a full imaging rig.? This is still going to add at least $325 for a Pegasus Pocket Powerbox Advance Gen2.? So still double the price of the ASIAIR Plus 256GB.??
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This combination will be more flexible and have more capability but in the end the ASIAIR Plus will provide the same images and in the real world the real power is in post capture data processing.??
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Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware? Astrospheric Forecast - South Pasadena, CA? ?
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I've been quite happy with the 8G version, but I normally run Linux. The 16G / 512 version is only $229 though. As you mentioned, it does not have the 12v power control. I just use a non computerized dew heater control if I need to, but I usually don't.?
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I used to run a raspberry pi 4 with ekos but found that it was a bit underpowered. I believe that the USB data rate was the biggest factor. It looks like the latest asiair pro is using a rpi 5 which should help, but it's still not as fast as an n100.?
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MeLE Fanless N100 Mini PC 16GB LPDDR4x 512GB SSD Quieter4C Micro PC 2X HDMI 4K USB-C Triple Display 2.4G/5GHz WiFi BT5.1 GbE Small Desktop Computer on Business Office IoT Astrophotography NAS MES WMSMeLE? ??
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On Wed, Dec 18, 2024 at 12:46 PM, Jamie Amendolagine wrote:
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What US based source supplies the full speed N100 16 or 32GB / 512GB Mele for $230? I guess I could buy a lower storage model and shove my own SSD in. IME there are too many problems ordering from Chinese sources.??
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If you are going to compare the Mele mini PC to the ASIAIR you need to compare ports and application capabilities.? Compute power and OS comparisons are only relevant in so much as how well the apps run in use.? So for the mini PC what other hardware and software is needed to provide similar port and function as an ASIAIR?? When you do the analysis this way there is really no comparison to the ASIAIR between the them unless you actually need more capability than the ASIAIR can provide.??
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For a Windows based system faster is almost always better.? Linux is so much more efficient having none of the overhead Win11 has so it runs very well on these small boxes.? But I don't want to deal with the issues of a Linux based imaging app and prefer the wider software base of Win11.?
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Don't get me wrong, I'm a long time UNIX person having started with AT&T UNIX back in the day on AT&T 3b2 mini computer boxes.? But for this application Windows offers more mature ready to run apps with fewer issues than Linux.??
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Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware? Astrospheric Forecast - South Pasadena, CA? ?
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On Thu, Dec 19, 2024 at 09:51 AM, Jonathan wrote:
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The whole idea behind ZWO stealing the application software then building a silo around the supported peripherals which only inclides their products is to provide a stable well understood environment.? This allowed them to bring the ASIAIR to market up and running with full support of their cameras and added hardware faster.??
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I was an ASCOM app user and fan with multiple imaging apps and brands of imaging hardware.? It was not a bad place to be, with some issues until SGP started charging me for software I had already paid for.? The only other realitic option N.I.N.A. at the time was buggy as heck and while much improved still has issues.?
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The ZWO ASIAIR was new and a revised PRO model was announced.? So I jumped and order one from China.? I hate dealing with Chinese sourced products as repairs and support are usually non-existent.? But ZWO was doing well for me and I preferred their cameras and the drivers were more stable than QHY. Yes the ASIAIR has limits but they are there for a reason and the limits have paid off with a fairly stable product over the years I've used them.
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I'm also playing with NINA and while the ASCOM apps and flexibility are nice they also create many ways for thing to not work well or at all together.? The single brand ecosystem forces ZWO to be more responsive and it has for the most part been very successful.?
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Don't worry about being more familiar with Windows astro apps,? the ASIAIR UI is almost intuitive and it basically just works with whatever ZWO combo you plug into the box AND that interface is the only one you need to use for any of their products and ZWO is the ONLY maker that offers a complete vertical product line from tip to tail imaging solution, not that I'm switching to a strain wave mount anytime soon. It just works and they are excellent products generally speaking.?
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Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware? Astrospheric Forecast - South Pasadena, CA? ?
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Chip Louie
David C. Partridge
Jamie Amendolagine