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  #1  
Old 22-11-2017, 03:12 PM
alex-borek
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[Solved] EQMod and NEQ6, a tale of love and hate

Hey all,

I just got a shoestring eqdir (serial to usb from bintel) and i cant get it working. Installed all the drivers, removed them, reinstalled, tried older versions, checked and double checked COMs and nothing.
It always ends up with a Connection timeout. The cable seems to be working fine, yet it cannot get a response from the mount.

What can it be? Is the mount's electronics blown? Or am I the problem? I can use the hand controller without any issue, and was currently guiding using phd and st4 with no problems... (and using win10)


Cheers!

Edit: If you are here cause you have the same issue, this thread will sort it out somehow (for sure).

Last edited by alex-borek; 29-11-2017 at 07:19 PM. Reason: Issue solved!
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  #2  
Old 22-11-2017, 03:47 PM
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Merlin66 (Ken)
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Alex,
certainly sounds like a cable issue....
How do you know """The cable seems to be working fine"""
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Old 22-11-2017, 04:00 PM
AndrewJ
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Gday Alex

First simple test. If the mount works with only the handbox itself plugged in, then the "mount" electronics are OK.
As per Kens post, how are you connecting it???? and how do you know it is working???

Andrew
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Old 22-11-2017, 04:12 PM
alex-borek
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My assumption is that when connecting the cable without connecting it to the mount and it pops up in the device manager, it should be alright.. (i guess i should not be assuming that)...
Any suggestions on how to find out if its a dodgy cable? Or just get a swap?

Thanks a lot!
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Old 22-11-2017, 04:34 PM
AndrewJ
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Gday Alex

I may be a bit confused here but the "Shoestring EQDIR" is just a lump that fixes to the mount and you then fit your normal ( rs232 ) USB2Ser adapter to it.
( ie it only converts the rs232 to TTL logic levels and remaps the wiring )
As such, if your existing USB2Ser adapter works into the Hbx using the Synta supplied Hbx update cable, then it should work with the EQDIR.

The "Shoestring USB2EQ6" is a dedicated TTL level cable with its own driver to suit the chip in it, and goes direct from lappie to mount.

The fact the "converter" shows up in device mangler means it is being detected, but we just need to know what it really is ????
ie an EQDIR wont show up there, only the converter will.

Andrew
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Old 22-11-2017, 04:48 PM
alex-borek
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AndrewJ View Post
Gday Alex

I may be a bit confused here but the "Shoestring EQDIR" is just a lump that fixes to the mount and you then fit your normal ( rs232 ) USB2Ser adapter to it.
( ie it only converts the rs232 to TTL logic levels and remaps the wiring )
As such, if your existing USB2Ser adapter works into the Hbx using the Synta supplied Hbx update cable, then it should work with the EQDIR.

The "Shoestring USB2EQ6" is a dedicated TTL level cable with its own driver to suit the chip in it, and goes direct from lappie to mount.

The fact the "converter" shows up in device mangler means it is being detected, but we just need to know what it really is ????
ie an EQDIR wont show up there, only the converter will.

Andrew
Sorry my bad wording, it is indeed the "Shoestring USB2EQ6" that I am using.. So I might drive down to bintel tomorrow and sort it out... So frustrating when this kind of stuff wont work
Thanks a lot Andrew!
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Old 22-11-2017, 04:56 PM
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Gday Alex
If thats the case, then what app are you using to connect to the mount to see if it works????
In the EQMod setup screen, have you confirmed you have the correct com port number and baud entered ???

Andrew
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Old 22-11-2017, 05:07 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AndrewJ View Post
Gday Alex
If thats the case, then what app are you using to connect to the mount to see if it works????
In the EQMod setup screen, have you confirmed you have the correct com port number and baud entered ???

Andrew
I've tried using SkytechX, Cdc, EqDirCheck and the eqascom toolbox. What happens is that the edmod window flashes once or twice and dies. When using the toolbox, I can read the connection timeout error. Double checked the port number and baud, tried to change the port number in the device manager and checked if the settings were correct.
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Old 22-11-2017, 05:45 PM
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Gday Alex
I have a little app that will connect to any Synscan mount using the low level commands, but doesnt use EQASCOM.
You could always try that to see if it finds your mount.
Only problem is the latest update of Firefoox has killed off my FTP manager so need to find out how to get you a link. :-(

Andrew
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Old 22-11-2017, 05:53 PM
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Gday Alex
Fooled those hillbillies at Firefox by going back to XP :-)
I have an app at
http://members.optusnet.com.au/johan...taTester30.zip
It is a standalone exe and uses low level comms to talk to the mount with nothing in between
Select the com port and baud and hit connect.
The log page will show what happens and if it gets a connection.
If it does connect, then there may be something wrong in your EQMod installation.
If not, then irts more likely the cable.
Andrew
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  #11  
Old 22-11-2017, 08:39 PM
alex-borek
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AndrewJ View Post
Gday Alex
Fooled those hillbillies at Firefox by going back to XP :-)
I have an app at
http://members.optusnet.com.au/johan...taTester30.zip
It is a standalone exe and uses low level comms to talk to the mount with nothing in between
Select the com port and baud and hit connect.
The log page will show what happens and if it gets a connection.
If it does connect, then there may be something wrong in your EQMod installation.
If not, then irts more likely the cable.
Andrew
It says "No Synta mount detected"
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Old 22-11-2017, 09:08 PM
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When you plug in just the cable without the mount (USB) do you get the "USB sound" from Windows recognising a new device?
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Old 22-11-2017, 10:36 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RobF View Post
When you plug in just the cable without the mount (USB) do you get the "USB sound" from Windows recognising a new device?
Nope
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Old 22-11-2017, 11:24 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alex-borek View Post
Nope
Mmmm, even without a driver it should give a sound and present as unrecognised device.
The good news though is you're dealing with Bintel - phone call sounds like a good place to start?
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Old 23-11-2017, 06:43 AM
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Gday Rob/Alex

Alex mentioned the cable was detected earlier in the thread, and as such, will normally just show in device mangler without sounds etc when replugged in.
If it showed as an available port in my app, that also tells us its "chip" has been detected, so its either a cabling problem between chip and mount, or the driver is somehow misbehaving.

Andrew
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Old 23-11-2017, 07:16 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AndrewJ View Post
Gday Rob/Alex

Alex mentioned the cable was detected earlier in the thread, and as such, will normally just show in device mangler without sounds etc when replugged in.
If it showed as an available port in my app, that also tells us its "chip" has been detected, so its either a cabling problem between chip and mount, or the driver is somehow misbehaving.

Andrew
Might be useful to see a screenshot of device manager ports versus EQMOD config screen perhaps?
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  #17  
Old 23-11-2017, 08:03 PM
alex-borek
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Update: got it replace today and guess what... it must be some driver issue. Gonna try on ubuntu in the next few hours in case i cant get it running using win10.
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  #18  
Old 23-11-2017, 08:26 PM
alex-borek
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RobF View Post
Mmmm, even without a driver it should give a sound and present as unrecognised device.
The good news though is you're dealing with Bintel - phone call sounds like a good place to start?
I've been clearing up some drivers and now it does make a sound when I plug the usb in!
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Old 23-11-2017, 09:05 PM
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AndrewJ

At least I got some logging this time...
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  #20  
Old 24-11-2017, 07:52 AM
AndrewJ
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Gday Alex

That data is not what is expected
the :e1[0D] command asks the mounts motor card to return the current firmware version loaded and "mount type"
It "should" have returned 4 bytes for version, 2 bytes that define the mount type and a following [0D]
ie AABBCC[0D] the value of CC sets the mount type ie EQ6/EQ8/AZEQ5 etc and an EQ6Pro should have returned CC = 00

If you are on Win10, some people have reported having problems with the latest versions of the prolific driver ( and IIRC, thats whats in the shoestrings ). They fixed it by loading older versions of the driver.

Andrew
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