ASCOM Driver for HEQ5 PRO Mount

[RPW]

Hi,

I have just downloaded the PHD autoguide program and am trying to get it to talk to my HEQ5 PRO mount. I have downloaded the ASCOM platorm. My PC runs on Windows XP. I connected my PC to the mount via a serial to ST-4 adaptor connected to my COM2 port. I did a bit of research and found that the Celestron driver could be used to talk to my HEQ5 mount. I set up the driver properties to select the Synta Synscan setting. I tried to connect to the mount in PHD and got an error message "Scope does not support pulse guiding".

Does anyone have any advice on how to get my system to talk to the HEQ5 mount?????

[Astrobserver99]

Instead of using PHD to talk to the HEQ5, it is probably necessary to use EQMod. THere is heaps of info on the internet. This is the main site:

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/EQMOD/

If you want to autoguide, PHD is connected to an autoguider camera, which is then connected to the ST4 port

[bert]

What autoguiding ccd are you using?

[Glenhuon]

Not sure about the HEQ5pro mines a EQ5 with synscan upgrade, but my setup has a DSI guide cam connected to the lappy via a usb port and the mount connected through the Handpiece to the com1 serial port using the standard cable supplied with the mount, connecting to the port on the motor driver does not work. PHD is the guiding program.
Ascom driver is the celestron one you mentioned.

Bill

[RPW]

Everybody,

Just some context here. I have a 180mm Skywatcher Mak-Cassegrain and a Meade DSI-II imager. I am about to buy a guide scope and another imager for guiding (probably a QHY5). My plan is to guide the telescope using PHD and to image using the Meade software.

Before I purchase the guide scope, I wanted to make sure that I could get my mount and PHD communicating. I wasn't planning to use a planetarium program to control the guiding sessions, instead pointing to the target using the Synscan hand controller and establishing autoguiding.

I am confused about the comments on connecting through the Synscan hand controller??

I am also confused about the comment about connecting to the port on the motor driver not working. Is there anymore detail here to help me understand this??

Sounds like my proposed setup is not sensible?????

Advice would be highly appreciated, including some sort of common sense, simple summary somewhere on how to setup autoguiding. My proposed set-up above seems similar to something I read on the shoestring astronomy website.

[bert]

Do you have a shoestring gpusb?

If not, you cannot guide with the dsi on a non meade mount, and yours isn't. Buy the qhy5, and it has a st4 cable that goes directly between the camera and the autoguide port and phd will control it.

The dsi does not work for guiding without the gpusb or EQMOD except with the meade autostar suite, which only works with autostar mounts and sux to use anyway.

Brett

[RPW]

Thanks Bert.

I don't have the shoestring GPUSB and I wasn't intending to guide the scope with the DSI - just to do primary imaging.

In terms of the Q-guider, how does PHD control it? I understand that a cable runs from the guider to the scope autoguide port. How do you connect back to the laptop?

Agree with your comment on autostar suite too!

Thanks.

Rod

[White Rabbit]

Hi, I have the same set up as you and here is what I do.

Well kind of the same set up. I use my dsi2 for guiding and a dslr for taking the pictures.

First off, go here and down the eq mod driver.
http://eq-mod.sourceforge.net/

If you dont already have one you'll need to get a usb to serial convertor . they are much ceaper than the shoe string adaptors but they do require the synscan controller. if your laptop already had a serialport on it then your set.
With the mount you should have gotten a serial to rj12 connector lead. the rj12 looks like the end of a telephone cable. the rj12 connector plugs into the synscan control box and the serial into the pc. If you go into utilities on the synscan and select PC DIRECT MODE you scope should be ready to talk to the pc.

Next open PHD, and click on the camera tab and select the dsi. It should show as connected on the bottom of the screen under the buttons.

Next click on the telescope button, and select eqmod from the list, a box will apear click on properties and set the baud rate to 9600 and enter the port number of the serial device that you are using. click ok and eqmod should start talking to you mount. You may need to down load the lastest anscom driver from thier site before you install eqmod, not sure about that one.

hope that helps

sandy

[bert]

Phd controls the qhy5 via USB cable. It has the direct camera to autoguide port cable (ST4), the design saves having 2 cables run to your computer.

If you are going to use eqmod, which you should cause its great, get a serial adapter from shoestring and go direct (ie not using your synscan handset). Using your handset is doable but it is a little compromised (my 2c).

Brett

[White Rabbit]

Brett, why would you say guiding through the synscan is compromised, it seems to work perfectly well?

I know that your not intending on using the dsi as a guide camera, but if you are only wanting to test to connection and see if it works the way I described above will work.

BTW before I bought my guide scope I used an old web cam that was lying about the house as the guide scope and just taped it to the finder scope. it took a bit of fiddeling but I could get it to work. If you have old webcam lying around try it and see. Look for the WDM driver in phd that should work with any old webcam.

good luck