A quick guiding interface question

[Davros]

So I am running a Toucam guider/finder into a Mac running PHD. That much i understand but i am bewildered by the array of options to connect the Mac to the mount (HEQ5) to complete the guiding setup. I cant run Ascom because its a mac and i dont want to run parallels because its a pain in the butt. Do i need some sort of shoestring style cable to connect the Mac to the mount? and is that all i need to complete the show? :sadeyes::sadeyes:

[Garbz]

I'm new at this too but I just setup a guider so I may be able to nudge towards the right direction.

As far as I know you have two options. One is to adjust the signal you send to the mount before you guide (i.e. Pulseguide with ASCOM and EQMOD). This has the obvious advantage of only needing one cable from the laptop to the mount when you use the computer for guiding / control. I use a USBTTL -> RS232 Serial cable.

The other option is to use ST4. To send a RA+/- Dec+/- signal to the mount directly. This is easy on some commercial guiders like the Orion StarShoot since they have an ST4 port out the back (and the Camera option on PHD will send and ST4 signal out back to the camera over USB and then out through this port), or you need yet another adapter like the shoestring adapter. This is both another cable and an expense if you don't already have the adapter and you already using the computer for control.

This may lead you in the right direction.

[Davros]

Any more words of advise on this people? is a GPUSB cable all that i need to make the magic work? If so i can order one and have time for a play before Astrofest.

[whzzz28]

Hi Mick,

Do you have software to allow your Mac to work with the scope? I am only aware of ASCOM/EQMOD for the HEQ5.
If you do have some software like this, then yes the GPUSB cable is what you want (Bintel has it for like $60~).

Your in a bit of a pickle i must say. The Toucam only has the one USB cable, which limits you to plugging it into the PC. You can get a USB to ST4 converter however you still need some way of getting data from the camera to your mac, thus Garbz second option isn't really possible for you.

There are two fixes for this, one is technically difficult, the other costs money.

1) Have a play with Wine (software) and try and get it working on your Mac. This will allow you to install Windows as a virtual machine and then install ASCOM/EQMOD. If you can get all that working, then yes the GPUSB cable is what you need. Plug it from your Mac to the scope and then setup ASCOM in wine.
There is a bit of a mention of using Wine and an EQ6, so possibly have a read here:
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=92445
This won't be easy if you don't know much on computers.

2) Purchase a guide camera that has a USB output + guider output, something like a QHY5. If you get that then all you need to do is plug the camera directly into the mounts guide port and then a USB cable to your mac, then guide with PHD. Its fairly simple, but obviously costs money.

I don't own a mac so i can't offer much more advice. Most software however is for PC only so maybe look into wine a bit more, just in case.

Good luck.

[2stroke]

Nathan sums it up pretty well, if you do a search you will find a ton of info. I think the only hard part is using wine or another virtual machine app to run eqdirect if you go the one cable method.

[silv]

Equinox 6 (http://www.microprojects.ca/equinox.html) on a Mac can talk to mounts. (No ASCOM needed.)
Whether HEQ5 is supported you can find out on the software's web page.
(They have a test version (http://www.microprojects.ca/software.html) that runs 30 days - enough to figure out if it works. LX200 should always work.)

PHD then guides the mount via Equinox. (See the feature page of PHD)

That's how far I understood the matter.

What kind of cable?
I had thought you simply buy a "USB/DB9 connector" for your Mac and plug that into the serial cable that comes with your mount.
(You know - the 2 cables you would use if you were to update the mount controller software, for example.)

I haven't done it, yet, myself. Just started the research, yesterday.

Are you on Lion 10.7 or an older OS? 10.6 is probably better - but that's just a hunch.
New versions of Mac OS take a while to be supported by the hardware and software vendors.

Edit: Planetarium software can control the mount via serial connection.
But for guiding, "Pulse Control" is necessary and that can't be done with only the serial cable. GPUSB is necessary. Aha. (from: http://www.stark-labs.com/wiki/doku.php?id=tutorials:phd:faq )

[silv]

Regarding Windows on Virtual Machines:
Virtual Box (Oracle) (https://www.virtualbox.org/) is freeware.
And it is like Plug n Play - easy to use.
(Just don't install 64 bit Windows versions - again just a hunch. But older software (and hardware) might not properly run yet on those.)

But Windows isn't necessary.

Another thought I had: I don't much like the idea of my precious Macbook Pro sitting there with me in the dewy field.
A small Windows laptop nowadays is cheap (300$) and it doesn't have to be fancy for guiding only since image processing would be done on the Mac.