Hi all
After reading a post a while back about wireless control (and tripping over the lead to the mount a couple of times) I decided to see what I could do about installing a bluetooth module in my HEQ5 Pro mount. Since I run it with the EQMOD ASCOM driver and the handset in PC-Direct mode I figured that all I needed was the bluetooth serial connection anyhow and that it shouldn't be too difficult - and it's not.
I found a bluetooth module on ebay for ~A$30 that fit the bill then once it arrived I bought the parts needed (Jaycar) for connection to the mount's internals, total under $20 (I bought stuff for another project as well so don't know exactly how much). I did consider a sort of plug-in unit for the outside of the mount which would have been easier in many respects but given that I'd probably catch it or knock it in the dark and bust it...
Anyhow, vero board, voltage regulator and various resistors to set the output, a few bits of wire and the thing was ready to test. I added a USB socket for connecting into the mount instead of hard-wiring it. Shown here with clip leads from benchtop power supply.
The USB plug was patched into the plug from the power/handset panel on the mount head at the controller board.
The regulator board inserted in the mount head opposite the controller board. Attached with double sided (non-conducting) tape and nylon mounting plugs. The bluetooth module is hanging out the front on the end of the red (power) and blue (data) wires.
The bluetooth module.
I found that it's basically line-of-sight i.e. if you can't see it then neither can the laptop. That is, when I replaced the cowling to test I couldn't detect the BT module. Fixed by adding an external antenna (blue wire on the bottom end of the module). No special antenna, just a piece of wire of about the right length.
With the cowling in place and the BT antenna coming out the hole for the polar scope.
To make it all tidy, and since the polar scope isn't used much anyway, the antenna wire is wrapped around the plug. I figure it's easy to re-wrap if I use the polar scope plus I'm not going to be using the BT connection and the polar scope at the same time.
Finally. If you didn't know what it was, the antenna just looks like a blue O-ring. Nicely camouflaged eh wot? Total cost under $50.
The only tricky bits were soldering leads to the BT module on the microscopic solder pads and patching the USB plug into the controller plug.
The velcro pad on the side of the mount is to attach a voltage regulator package.
;-)
Mick