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Old 16-04-2021, 02:44 AM
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Astrofriend (Lars)
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Raspberry controlled HEQ5

Last night I could do my first test with a Raspberry controlled HEQ5 mount. Worked much better now compare with all problem I had one year ago. I succeeded to: Plate solve, auto focus, take images. What's left to fix, auto guiding, GPS module to communicate.

Tonight it looks to be a clear night too. I will do a new test run, concentrate me on the auto guider, now in the beginning I use the internal guider, later maybe I change over to PHD2. Very exiting.

My setup of HEQ5 and a 300 mm Pentax 645 lens:
http://www.astrofriend.eu/astronomy/...5/01-heq5.html

/Lars
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Old 27-04-2021, 03:44 AM
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Yesterday I got a massive help from my friend. It was the stup of GPS unit for the Raspberry which has caused me problem the last 5 years.

Now we got the GPSD driver to work direct with a GPS dongle:
http://www.astrofriend.eu/astronomy/...5/07-heq5.html

And the GPS NMEA where the Raspberry get the clock and psition from a smartphone:
http://www.astrofriend.eu/astronomy/...5/08-heq5.html

Very glad to solve these problems.

Next step is to install KSTars on a Android pad. My own was to old to install the software.

/Lars
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  #3  
Old 27-04-2021, 07:45 AM
Zuts
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Astrofriend View Post
Yesterday I got a massive help from my friend. It was the stup of GPS unit for the Raspberry which has caused me problem the last 5 years.

Now we got the GPSD driver to work direct with a GPS dongle:
http://www.astrofriend.eu/astronomy/...5/07-heq5.html

And the GPS NMEA where the Raspberry get the clock and psition from a smartphone:
http://www.astrofriend.eu/astronomy/...5/08-heq5.html

Very glad to solve these problems.

Next step is to install KSTars on a Android pad. My own was to old to install the software.

/Lars
Hi,

Sounds like a real learning experience; but totally worthwile when you re making such good progress. I have an ASIAir pro and the freedom of controlling everything from a smartphone (as you appear to be doing) is great.

Cheers
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Old 28-04-2021, 07:16 AM
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Astrofriend (Lars)
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Hi,
I only use the smartphone to set clock and position from its GPS and adjust focus on the guide camera lens. But to control the total setup feels for me impossible. How do you manage to do that ?

I will later change from lap top to Android pad to save weight and power consumption. The lap top I have today has very low resolution, 1366x768. Very difficukt to work with.

Lars
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Old 08-02-2022, 08:10 AM
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It was a long time since last I wrote something about my HEQ5 project. One important part in my travel equipment.

It replace my EQ6 that weight 70 kg with TS130 APO and car acid batteries. Newer did any tavel with that equipment. With the new HEQ5 I have as a goal to be close to 20 kg and at battery operation for ten hours.

The Raspberry is also important, it save a lot of energy and I can have a much smaller battery and it's a Lithium battery, 3kg.

I have now got the GPS device work, it's important when traveling to different places. The Raspberry doesn't have any battery backup for the clock either.

I can't have the heavy TS130 APO refractor on this mount. Instead I replaced it with a Pentax 645 300 mm ED medium format lens, a nebula hunter.

The HEQ5 mount is Rowan modded and from my balcony I can after some tweaking of the paramneters have a total rms guide error at 0.8", it should be even better from outside the city where I live.

Now when I got it working I concentrate me on to get it even more compact and lighter. The last pages is about how I shorten the legs on the tripod and 3D-Print a special head that hold the lenses.

That was the short story, more details here:

http://www.astrofriend.eu/astronomy/...5/01-heq5.html

The Raspberry with Astroberry works nowadays much better compare to my Windows server. Here is an overview:

http://www.astrofriend.eu/astronomy/...sequencer.html

I just say, have a look at it if you don't already use a Raspberry to control your equipment. It's amazing what you can do with this little matchbox size computer system. And it can be powered from a USB Backup battery.

/Lars
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Old 09-02-2022, 06:38 AM
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Great write up. I too use an HEQ5 with Astroberry and it is a great portable and home set-up. I have set an automated procedure now for Network connectivity so I don't have to think about it. I simply set the network priority according to how I operate my set-up

Your explanation on mobile phone Share GPS is excellent, I have set that up until I get my dongle working and managed from your details to got it spot on the first time and operate much more how I want it. The dongle would be the ultimate for those non-network locations.

When the weather clears here, I will try the guiding configuration, I have left it default but would like to see if I get a better result.
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Old 20-02-2022, 09:42 PM
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Hi Malcom,
The GPSD is difficult to setup, maybe because my old GPS dongle. The biggest problem is that the HEQ5 mount complain that some other device already use that port.

But with the latest I did I got it to work. But if I change some USB connection I have to do it ove all again.

Now when the GPSD works it's great, no problem with clock or position, always correct.

/Lars
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Old 16-03-2022, 11:55 AM
NSpillars
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I too used the heq5 but with my own Rp4 8gb and a stellarmate os in it.


You can set location in EKOS/kstars. Why would you like a gps dongle?


Time can be synced the only thing I installed on my rpi was a RTC module from Jaycar with some code from github that worked like a charm
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Old 16-03-2022, 12:35 PM
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Hi,
That will be a lot of figures to type in. With the gps both time and location will be almost exact. And when control it from a pad every input is a nightmare.

I try to have it as much automatich as possible.

Lars
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Old 17-11-2022, 09:08 AM
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I have now used my compact equipment for two seasons. It's based on the HEQ5 mount and a lot of 3D-printed brackets, gears, feet, lids. With the knowledge I collected I now update most of the brackets with the goal to have it more stiff. I'm very satisfied with my equipment. The widefield telescope, or astrograph I should say maybe, is a Pentax 645 300 mm ED f/4 medium format lens, a Canon EOS 6D fullframe camera.

This is the last modifications:
http://www.astrofriend.eu/astronomy/...5/19-heq5.html

Total weight 24 kg included the battery, for the first time I can now put all these stuff in my car (very small car) and drive to dark places.

What boring life had been without the 3D-printer.

/Lars
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