Astroberry setup

[pmrid]

It's raining so I'm messing about with old projects - and today's candidate is Astroberry. They have recently released version 2.something with all the bells and whistles to run a mount, CCD, focuser etc and I have installed it on my Raspberry Pi 4 (2 GB RAM version).

The problem is that I have reached a dead end as far as getting it running.

I'm wondering if there are any intrepid souls out there who have managed to get this thing operational.

It's not so much the basic connectivity of astrop gear at this stage. It's more about being able to control it all from a dry and comfiortable place indoors i.e. via wifi.

Any experiences would be interesting and helpful.

Peter

[Spartacus]

Hi Peter,
I have never used Astroberry but am using the very similar KStars/Ekos/indi on a Rpi4. It works really nicely and controls all my equipment from inside in the warm (using NoMacine to control the Pi headless). Just wish that it would set my equipment up for me too!
If you have not looked yet there is lots of info on Astroberry on the Indilib site as it all runs though indi drivers etc.
Here is the link (KStars and Ekos info on there too). https://indilib.org/forum/index.html
Go to category - Astroberry and have a look through the forum and see what others are doing with it.

Mike

[AnakChan]

I thought Astroberry was a packaged KStars/EKOS/INDI?

I managed to install Astroberry on my ASIAir Pro and it seems to recognise my cameras/EFW/Vixen mount. I have it running as a server on the ASIAir Pro, KStars/EKOS as a client on the Mac.

[xa-coupe]

I'm about to load up the spare Pi I have .. see if I can get it all to work, which will be amazing as I am still at beginner level for all this astro stuff, but one must have something to do when the clouds won't go away.

[pmrid]

Thanks guys.
I have decided to pimp my RPI4 a bit while I wrestle with this setup. I'm adding a USB GPS dongle to it so it can get location and live time data so KStars doesn't think it's still 1970 in Slovenia. But to make room for that I've bought a small Targus powered USB3 hub to handle the GPS and a wireless KB/Mouse dongle and of course the HEQ5Pro Mount. That leaves 1xUSB3 and 2xUSB2 on the RPI4 itself to take the CCD and QHY guide cam. Not a lot of room left but it should do.

Peter

[phomer]

Peter,


There are two ways to get this functional with wifi.
1) Have it connect to a router. This is simpler.

2) Have it act as a hotspot.


Either way you need to enable VNC or another way to control it and then VNC into it using its assigned IP address. This step is beyond a short response and I am not familiar with Astroberry other than knowing it is INDI based.



Paul

[jahnpahwa]

Sounds excellent!


Feel free to post links to what you've picked up, and pics of how its looking! Which case do you have? And do you reckon we astros need any more than the 2GB version?

[Spartacus]

Hey Peter,

Just checking that you have made progress and have things set up OK.

Mike

[pmrid]

G'day Mike.
Progress, well sort of. I installed Stellarmate OS instead and managed to get it working in a basic way using an app on my IPad. Basic Goto and shoot. SO far so good.

Attempts to get Astroberry not successful. I think it's something to do with my network setup. I'll keep plugging away at it though. Full moon approaching so I'll have time to mess around with it.

Peter

[Spartacus]

Hi Peter,

I am pretty familiar with most aspects of Stellarmate (KStars/EKOS/indi). It is now a pretty mature platform and lots of information and help on line. For specific info and help I would sign in on the indilib forum and post any questions there. Answers will come thick and fast.
In terms of going headless from a RPi4. I use Ubuntu 20.04 and Ubuntu Mate as the desktop and the process was seamless. I also find NoMachine (free) a really stable way to dial in and control the Pi remotely.

PM me if you are having problems and I can guide you through the process.
Use the stable versions and resist the temptation to update with nightly builds. These are designed for testing new developments but can also cause unexpected crashes.

Mike