Got a Mac + iPhone/iPod?

gb_astro · #1 22-05-2009, 11:43 PM

This looks pretty good...

http://www.star-map.fr/starmapProFilm.html

It now has telescope control through WiFi.

gb.

Wavytone · #2 23-05-2009, 12:47 AM

I have iPhone + StarMapPro + iMac - and I also have a Vixen SXW with StarBook. And an Airport Extreme base station.

I saw that too and actually tried... There are some missing links to connect StarMapPro to my scope and I'm not convinced the telescope connection actually works yet in StarMap Pro for a couple of reasons:

1. In the settings there is one labelled WiFi... selecting it, the app shows "no service detected" yet the iPhone is happily connected via my base station.

2. Selecting a WiFi network is only part of the problem - there could be more than 1 host service (Mac) to connect to within that wireless net.

All of this suggests the WiFi networking part isn't yet implemented in the released version, but might be coming. The means to select the service is also missing in the app, so... again I suspect its still vapour-ware at the moment.

3. The developer mentions connecting to Equinox 6 running on the Mac and using Equinox to run the scope on the basis it has the ASCOM drivers built in... it seems a very roundabout and clunky way to do it - and all very well in theory - but having downloaded Equinox 6 I can only describe it as one of the more useless pieces of junk astro software.

What he really needs to do is build in support in the app to connect direct to the scope via WiFi... no mac and no Equinox. Then it might be useful.

However all said and done... with StarBook, I have to ask myself why bother in the first place...

Had the iPhone out again last Saturday night at the scope and StarMapPro is quite a good substitute for an atlas. Used the iPhone for leveling the tripod and getting the polar axis elevation spot-on, using a clinometer app, and setting my lat/long in StarBook.

Several aspects of StarMapPro suggest to me the developer really does use it at a telescope, in the dark - which is more than can be said of Equinox or many other apps where clearly the developer never left his study let alone went near a scope in the dark.

turbo_pascale (Rob) · #3 23-05-2009, 02:08 AM

I may be wrong, but my understanding is that only with the 3.0 release of the iPhone OS software will this functionality be available. Restrictions on what Apple will allow (ie hardware control) has been a limitation in their licence agreement to allow the software to control any kind of hardware device, but that is being changed with the 3.0 release.

That's not to say that it works, but I suspect there is more to it than it being vapourware. In my experience, the author has released several versions of the (non-PRO) version, and each one had significant improvements over the last.

Wavytone · #4 23-05-2009, 10:55 AM

... I have the dev kit...

I've downloaded the ASCOM source code too and had a fiddle with that to see if it's worth considering writing a simple app that works like a simple handset to drive the scope, but at this stage no, as it is only duplicating what StarBook does perfectly well.

And yes its probably better to wait and see what he does as there's not much point rewriting a copy of what he has already built. The other thing I've noticed is the feedback link on his website is broken, unfortunately...

AlexN · #5 23-05-2009, 11:04 AM

Interesting... Iphone to control my EQ6 Pro possible? or do I have to have the Imac as well? Hrmm.. Im sort of due for a new notebook as it is.. But I dont think I could handle a Mac... Good thought though?

White Rabbit · #6 25-05-2009, 10:50 AM

Forget star map and star walk. What you want is Jadu VNC installed on the Itouch/phone. Its a bit exe, around $30 from the apps download on the itouch but well worth it.

It's basically a remote desktop connection to the pc or mac. You see you pc/mac screen on the itouch/phone. I run starry night 6 on the laptop and control it from the itouch. There is no min resoloution either, the itouch displays in the native res of the computer. if it looks a bit small on the screen you just do the pinch thing to expand the view. I dont bother with the joystick to contol eqmod I just do on the itouch.

If you set up a peer to peer network on the computer you dont even need a wireless router becuaser the two devices can talk directly to each other.

Works a treat.

White Rabbit · #7 25-05-2009, 10:53 AM

http://www.jaaduvnc.com/

heres a link that will better explain.