206 replies to this topic

[mlord]

CFM over WiFi is DANGEROUS if the firmware has NEVER been updated previously.  Among the initial fixes that CFM wants to apply are some to FIX use of CFM over WiFi.  Without those initial fixes, the update could fail midway and possibly "brick" the mount.

Edited by mlord, 16 March 2023 - 10:44 AM.

[Ice Cube]

CFM over WiFi is DANGEROUS if the firmware has NEVER been updated previously.  Among the initial fixes that CFM wants to apply are some to FIX use of CFM over WiFi.  Without those initial fixes, the update could fail midway and possibly "brick" the mount.

i'm sure that you're correct, but all the mounts i've updated with WIFI had been updated 

by either celestron or previous owners within the last three years.

 

(i had checked the version numbers and dates via the HC against the published celestron

firmware fixes before updating, so i'm reassured enough that the initial WIFI fixes have already been applied)

[mlord]

It's all good for you, so great.  But don't pass along that bad advice to others unless you are willing to finance a replacement mount for them after it gets bricked.

 

It _may_ work, or it _may_ destroy the mount.   See here:

 

https://www.celestro...-update-history

7.15.9120  July-2019 Bug Fix: Improved reliability of CFM updates over WiFi

 

That version or newer should be safe.  I regularly use CFM over WiFi, but only if the mount has already had a past update to at least that version.

Edited by mlord, 16 March 2023 - 11:51 AM.

[Ice Cube]

but your advice implies to NEVER use CFM via WI-FI without the caveat …

[mlord]

Yes, exactly as I first said:  CFM over WiFi is DANGEROUS if the firmware has NEVER been updated previously.

[rcooley]

Just a suggestion, you could use System Preferences > Users & Groups to create a second account on the computer for your own usage.  Then, any files you store in your account are in a separate location.  She'll never even know your astro files are there.

 

macOS is based on Unix, which has been multi-user from the start.

 

yup that’s a nice workaround and I’m sure it would work. i just decided to go another way. bought myself a dedicated windows 11 lap top online, a dell inspiron with a core 15 (received it in two days) for not that much money, and had my EVO scope, my 4SE, my garmin handheld gps, my garmin automotive gps, my nikon, my talentcell battery, and couple other devices that escape me at the moment all updated within a couple hours. no workarounds, no wifi, clean, simple, no problems, no geeking.  i’m a mac person, so will never use the dell for anything but windows type device updates and so it isn’t cluttered with anything but that kind of stuff. it’s essentially a toaster. cheers

[StarQuest56]

Bobby,

 

Thanks for taking the time to post these instructions years ago. I just updated (4/2/2023) my NexStar 127SLT from HC firmware 5.29.6225 to firmware 5.34.2065 using your excellent instructions. I first updated my system with the Prolific serial drivers on my M1 MacBook Pro running Ventura 13.2.1 macOS. I've attached a photo of the cable I used to connect to the NexStar+ hand controller to the MacBook Pro's USB-C port. The upgrade only took a few minutes. One note on my installation - CFM sequenced through all 12 packages automatically without my needing to prompt between each package.

 

Thank you!

 

/Bob

Attached Thumbnails

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Edited by StarQuest56, 02 April 2023 - 01:27 PM.

[Brocksky]

Hello All,

Has anyone had success performing this update with a CPC800 using a new Macbook Pro?  I've just bought a Skysense camera and will be heading down to try it out in the coming weeks, but wanted to make sure I knew how to get the most up to date firmware on my CPC800 and new hand control.

Did you get any joy?

Having just acquired an 8 year old CPC800 and want to update handset and motor firmware etc.    I'm not sure but looking at this long thread would the purchase of a Window laptop be the simplest way to do it?  I never thought I would have to go back to windows stuff !   All the Mac/ipad/iphone kit I have works seamlessly !!

[mlord]

CFM is a Java application, so it works on pretty much any platform, even MS-Windows.    And Mac, and Linux.  There are lots of threads here (including this one) where people have shared their recipes for Mac-OS.

 

Cheers

[davidgmd]

Did you get any joy?

Having just acquired an 8 year old CPC800 and want to update handset and motor firmware etc.    I'm not sure but looking at this long thread would the purchase of a Window laptop be the simplest way to do it?  I never thought I would have to go back to windows stuff !   All the Mac/ipad/iphone kit I have works seamlessly !!

  

I seriously considered doing just that when this thread was only 4 pages long. Before putting yourself through the trauma of Windows, try the following step by step instructions. It should work if your CPC800 has a Nexstar+ hand control and not an older one. It worked for me with a 2020 vintage Nexstar+.

 

The only tricky part is that the necessary Prolific driver is no longer available on the Prolific site. But johnnydecimal has posted a copy on archive.org at https://archive.org/...-2.1.0-20210311.

 

 

Another thanks here, worked a treat.

 

As this is now an old thread, and we're all on new technology, I'll do another simple list of steps in case it helps.

 

My technology

• 2020 MacBook Pro, USB-C ports
• Big Sur 11.3.1 (the latest, as of writing)
• Plain old USB-A to USB-mini cable, plus Apple USB-C to USB-A adapter
• New (woohoo!) Celestron 6SE

Steps for success :-)

1. Install the Prolific driver. [NOTE: the driver is no longer on the Prolific site. It can be found at https://archive.org/...-2.1.0-20210311 as noted in the quoted post below]
   • ​Note there are two links on the page. Confusingly the one at the top isn't coloured and doesn't look like a link! This got me first time.
   • So you need the top one, which is currently v2.1.0. The lower one is v1.5.1 and this will not run on Big Sur.
   • Don't forget to to go System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General tab and click the Allow button at the bottom. Then reboot.
2. Install Java.
   • ​Ugh, Java.
   • Go to java.com, follow the prompts, do the install. Pretty routine stuff.
3. Download CFM.
   • ​It comes as a .zip, which should decompress itself. If not, do that.
4. Run CFM.
   • ​Here's where it gets interesting. Double-clicking CFM.jar didn't work for me, not even with the trick where you have to right-click then select Open because the package isn't signed.
   • Instead, I had to run it from the Terminal. So, go ahead and launch Terminal.
   • Navigate to the place where CFM.jar is located. For me the file was still in my Downloads folder, so this did it:
     • cd ~/Downloads/CFM_2.7.9144
   • You will need to update this command with new version numbers as they're released, but this should work for anyone's Downloads folder because the ~/ part just means "this user's home drive".
   • Now run the Java file with this command:
     • java -jar CFM.jar
   • This assumes that the file name doesn't change from CFM.jar. Update accordingly if it does.
   • Bingo! CFM launches and does a bunch of updates.
5. Connect to the device.
   • ​CFM will look for your device and fail to find it. Because it's not plugged in yet!
   • It'll try to help you with instructions on how to connect, but these didn't work for me.
   • The problem was the step where you turn on while holding the Celestron + number 7 buttons on the controller. It should then display the BOOT LOADER Serial message.
   • I forgot that I have batteries in my device, and also as soon as I connected my controller via USB, my Mac started delivering power to the hand controller.
   • So "powering on while holding the buttons" wasn't working, because I wasn't really powering on.
   • So:
     • Unplug the USB-mini cable, if you've already plugged it in.
     • If you're using AC power, remove any batteries you have installed.
     • Check that your device really is powered off. The display should be dead.
     • Holding down the Celestron logo + number 7 buttons on the controller, power the device on.
     • The screen should say BOOT LOADER Serial.
   • And now you can connect the USB-mini cable to the controller.
6. Boom! That's it.
   • ​Mine picked up the connection almost immediately.
   • Give it 20 seconds to recognise the device and the Update button should become active.
   • Press the button, stand back, and wait for it to finish. Don't touch it! Interrupting a firmware update is really dangerous.

Hope that helps someone! This forum is terrific, it's why the internet was meant to be.

 

This is my first telescope, which as a 44-year-old astronomy nerd (since I was a kid) is quite a thing. We get clear skies here in Canberra, Australia, over winter, so I'm going to head out shortly and try to use the moon to practice my tracking ahead of the eclipse next week.

 

j.

  

Here's the post with the link to the Prolific driver:

Thanks @davidgmd, I stuck it up on archive.org as well for true posterity. 

 

https://archive.org/...-2.1.0-20210311

 

Now ... can anyone confirm whether it actually works or not? I can do that one day but not this day, I'm too lazy today. 

[Ice Cube]

there's a newer version of the prolific driver available in the app store

 

search for 'PL2303 serial'

 

personally, since my celestron WIFI was already updated, i stick to doing updates via WIFI

and avoid the prolific driver. 

 

 

as per mlord, don't do use the WIFI update if the celestron WIFI hasn't  been recently updated.

[davidgmd]

there's a newer version of the prolific driver available in the app store

 

search for 'PL2303 serial'

 

personally, since my celestron WIFI was already updated, i stick to doing updates via WIFI

and avoid the prolific driver. 

 

 

as per mlord, don't do use the WIFI update if the celestron WIFI hasn't  been recently updated.

  

Does that driver work for this application?

[Ice Cube]

Does that driver work for this application?

https://www.prolific...aspx?news_id=56

 

link above points to the app store version (it's even universal)

 

took the time to find the correct cable and this driver from the app store works just fine

updating my two evo mounts and starsense HC's using a 2020 Apple Silicon MBP running the

latest Ventura

 

seems to be quite a bit faster than using the WIFI for updating

[davidgmd]

https://www.prolific...aspx?news_id=56

 

link above points to the app store version (it's even universal)

 

took the time to find the correct cable and this driver from the app store works just fine

updating my two evo mounts and starsense HC's using a 2020 Apple Silicon MBP running the

latest Ventura

 

seems to be quite a bit faster than using the WIFI for updating

  
Thanks for the link to the updated driver Ice Cube. And for confirming that it works.

  
Updating over wifi always seemed too risky to me.

[KJR]

I've got a 15" MacBook Pro vintage 2015 with MacOS 10.15.7. The Prolific PL2303 driver on the App store only work now on MacOS 11. It appears Prolific just points you to the App store so you can't download a previous version.

 

Wasn't really interested in updating my MacBook to the latest MacOS but if I have to .... 

 

I need to get a Mini USB cable. 

 

Does Windows come with this driver standard or do you have to download it also? Ive used Windows somewhat the last job I had 6 years ago (I'm retired). Didn't get into it that much, relied on the IT department to fix any issues. My only troubleshooting knowledge of Windows is Ctrl-Alt-Del.

 

Kelvin

Edited by KJR, 17 June 2023 - 12:08 PM.

[mlord]

Linux has the driver built-in.  Mac and Win both require a lot of fuss.

[Ice Cube]

I've got a 15" MacBook Pro vintage 2015 with MacOS 10.15.7. The Prolific PL2303 driver on the App store only work now on MacOS 11. It appears Prolific just points you to the App store so you can't download a previous version.

 

Wasn't really interested in updating my MacBook to the latest MacOS but if I have to .... 

 

I need to get a Mini USB cable. 

 

Does Windows come with this driver standard or do you have to download it also? Ive used Windows somewhat the last job I had 6 years ago (I'm retired). Didn't get into it that much, relied on the IT department to fix any issues. My only troubleshooting knowledge of Windows is Ctrl-Alt-Del.

 

Kelvin

searching for 'prolific' in this topic yields this post for the archive location (post #135).

https://www.cloudyni...cos/?p=12723404

 

no idea if that driver works with 10.15.7

Edited by Ice Cube, 17 June 2023 - 01:26 PM.

[KJR]

Thanks, I followed that link and it shows a Torrent link and a link to a list of files with extensions I don't have applications to open them.

 

I've I upgrade my MacOS it will skip version 11 and go to 12.6.6 (Monterrey). This is the last MacOS that will support my 2015 MacBook Pro so I might as well upgrade to Monterrey. Anyone use the Prolific driver on MacOS 12?

 

Kelvin

[johnnydecimal]

Kelvin, I downloaded that torrent file and I've uploaded the package to my server.

 

https://static.johnn...2.1.0-20210311/

 

You want the first file in the list, `PL2303HXD&G_Mac Driver_v2.1.0_20210311.pkg`. Clicking it should download it to your computer.

 

Obviously you have to trust that I haven't done anything nefarious here. I was the original uploader of this to the archive site. But it would be irresponsible of me not to warn you to not trust random files that you download from the internet.

[KJR]

Thanks. I spent the afternoon upgrading my MacBook Pro to 12.6.6 (Monterrey).

Downloaded Java and installed

Downloaded the Prolific driver from the App Store and installed it.

Resarted

Downloaed the CFM 

I had to use the Terminal commands shown above as clicking on CFM.jar didn’t work. 
the CFM updater appeared.

All I need is the mini USB cable. I have one on order from Amazon.

 

now reading the addendum of the Nexstar manual that came with my Advance VX mount I should be able to connect the handset directly to the Mac via the USB cable and update it without connecting it to the mount. 
 

Kelvin

[mlord]

reading the addendum of the Nexstar manual that came with my Advance VX mount I should be able to connect the handset directly to the Mac via the USB cable and update it without connecting it to the mount.

Yes, that works just fine.

[ANM]

I have a Mac mini (Late 2014) with the Terra Byte Fusion drive running Monterey version 12.6.6, and installing and running CFM is simple and straight forward:

1. USB/Serial Driver? My version of Monterey (12.6.6) did not require any driver installation for USB to serial.
2. Install JAVA? From http://www.Java.com/ download and install the latest version of Java for your Mac. Reboot your Mac after completing the install.
3. Download CFM From Celestron’s Support and Downloads tab on the product page of your telescope at http://www.celestron.com/ click on the Celestron Firmware Manager (CFM) Software link.  Drag the downloaded CFM_2.7.9144 (or whatever the current version is called) file from your Download directory to your Application directory. On my Mac it seemed as though the act of moving the file unarchived it, but you may have to do that step manually by double-clicking on CFM.jar.cpgz. After doing that if you look in the CFM_2.7.9144 directory in Applications you will see CFM.jar.
4. Double click CFM.jar and you will get the Celestron CFM splash screen. Exit the CFM.
5. To connect the Evo HC to the Mac mini I tried using a long USB cable with a repeater in the middle. That would not work without introducing errors into the HC. I then took the mount head only and set it on my computer desk and tried a short USB cable. That worked, and I successfully updated the HC.

Usually Macs get short shrift as far as manufacturer's software is concerned but CFM was amazingly easy to install and use to update my Evo.

[KJR]

Finally got my mini USB cable. Upgraded to the latest Nexstar+ release

 

Since I had already installed the Prolific driver and downloaded the CFM all I needed was to get the USB cable

 

Took the handset and connected directly to the Mac USB. It is not connected to the mount. When I first tried to update I didn't have the handset connected to the USB port and the update failed for some reason. The CFM started up, I plugged in the handset and CFM showed the device was connected but the download failed. Connecting the handset to the mount and powering up the handset gave me a package error.

 

 

Connect the Nexstar + via the mini USB to the MacBook

Opened Terminal

cd ~/Downloads/CFM_2.7.9144

java -jar CFM.jar

 

CFM shows a device and I click on Upate

Another window opens up prompting me to choose the mount or have CFM determine the mount. I left it at default of Auto.

 

11 packages downloaded.

 

After the update finished tested the handset on the mount. Everything seems normal.

 

Kelvin

 

The Celestron Firmware Manager opens up and 

[Stolifishman]

In case anyone else is looking for this information, I've just gone through quite a bit of searching, and ultimately called Celestron technical support (thanks for your patience, Will…!) to find how to use the Celestron Firmware Updater (CFM) version 2.3.7111 to update my CGX mount and StarSense accessory from my MacBook Pro (late 2016, USB-C ports only) running macOS Sierra (10.12.5).

 

I've successfully updated:

1. The CGX mount with the NexStar+ hand controller
2. The StarSense accessory with the StarSense hand controller

 

Here's what I needed to do to get CFM to find the devices, and do the updates.

1. Download the Prolific USB-to-Serial driver from here: http://www.prolific...._id=229&pcid=41
2. Install the driver you just downloaded (restart of the computer is required, but no further configuration is needed)
3. (First, do the NexStar+ hand controller and related mount updates) With ONLY power and the NexStar+ hand controller connected to the mount and NO connection between the hand controller and computer:
   1. Hold down both the Celestron logo and the MENU/7 keys on the hand controller
   2. Turn on the mount
   3. Confirm that the hand controller says (1st line) "BOOT LOADER Serial" and (2nd line) "User Keypad Entry"
   4. Without turning off the mount, connect a known-good USB cable between the hand controller and the computer (I have a MacBook Pro with only USB-C ports, so I used the Apple USB-C to USB-A adapter)
   5. Open the CFM.jar (Java application). If the CFM doesn't discover your devices (NextStar+, CGX, CGX RA Switch, CGX Dec Switch), you need to check some settings in the CFM, as follows…
      • In the Options menu, be sure that ONLY the Allow Program Updates is checked "√" (check if if needed)
      • Choose Options > Connections… and be sure Serial is set as the connection type, Automatic for discovery method, (don't change anything in the default port settings), and check √ the box to update default settings when device is found. Click OK after confirming these items.
      • In the NexStar+ menu, choose Mount Types, click the radio button for Equatorial (GEM), and the radio button for Always do what I selected this time. Click Select to save and close the dialog box.
   6. Confirm the middle pane of the CFM main window shows "All packages successfully downloaded". If not, click the Try Again button until you get the packages downloaded.
   7. In the bottom pane of the CFM main window, click the Update button to start the first update. You should see the progress indicated below, such as (1/2 packages) and a percentage. The number of packages and speed will depend on the status of your devices when you started.
   8. Once the update completes, Click the Update button again. REPEAT UNTIL NO FURTHER UPDATES ARE NEEDED! (I needed to click Update and let the process run 3 times, for a total of 14 packages; 1 in the first run, 2 in the second, and 11 in the third.)
   9. Power off the mount
   10. Disconnect the USB cable from the hand controller
   11. Power on the mount and go through the initialization of the hand controller (language, location, date, time). I ran a bogus alignment sequence with the mount sitting on my office floor to be sure everything seemed operational, too.
   12. Power off the mount
   13. Disconnect the NexStar+ hand controller
4. (Now for the StarSense camera and hand controller) With ONLY power, the StarSense camera, and the StarSense hand controller connected to the mount, and NO connections between the computer and the camera, or the computer and the hand controller:
   1. Hold down both the Celestron logo and the MENU/7 keys on the hand controller
   2. Turn on the mount
   3. Confirm that the hand controller says (1st line) "BOOT LOADER Serial" and (2nd line) "User Keypad Entry"
   4. Without turning off the mount, connect a known-good USB cable between the hand controller and the computer, and another known-good USB cable between the StarSense camera and the computer (I have a MacBook Pro with only USB-C ports, so I used an Apple USB-C to USB-A adapter for one of these, and an Apple USB-C VGA Multiport adapter for the other)
   5. Open the CFM.jar (Java application). If the CFM doesn't discover your devices (StarSense HC, CGX, CGX RA Switch, CGX Dec Switch, StarSense Accessory Camera), you need to check some settings in the CFM, as follows…
      • In the Options menu, be sure that ONLY the Allow Program Updates is checked "√" (check if if needed)
      • Choose Options > Connections… and be sure Serial is set as the connection type, Automatic for discovery method, (don't change anything in the default port settings), and check √ the box to update default settings when device is found. Click OK after confirming these items.
      • In the NexStar+ menu, choose Mount Types, click the radio button for Equatorial (GEM), and the radio button for Always do what I selected this time. Click Select to save and close the dialog box.
   6. Confirm the middle pane of the CFM main window shows "All packages successfully downloaded". If not, click the Try Again button until you get the packages downloaded.
   7. In the bottom pane of the CFM main window, click the Update button to start the first update. You should see the progress indicated below, such as (1/2 packages) and a percentage. The number of packages and speed will depend on the status of your devices when you started.
   8. Once the update completes, Click the Update button again. REPEAT UNTIL NO FURTHER UPDATES ARE NEEDED! (I only needed to click Update one time, for a total of 8 packages.)
   9. Power off the mount
   10. Disconnect the USB cables from the hand controller and camera
   11. Power on the mount and go through the initialization of the hand controller (language, location, date, time). I ran a bogus alignment sequence with the mount sitting on my office floor to be sure everything seemed operational, too.
   12. Power off the mount

Celebrate the fact that you're now fully up-to-date with both your NexStar+ hand controller, and your StarSense camera/hand controller.

 

Clear skies!

 

Bobby

Hi Bobby, thanks!

i'm new with 8SE and have StarSense Auto Align coming today and i'm also Mac/M2.

my 8SE never really stays in alignment (we fight), hoping this new piece today keeps telescope aligned.

when do you know the products needs firmware updates?

[mlord]

The StarSense AutoAlign camera will arrive already up-to-date.  The matching hand-controller will undoubtedly be WAY out of date.  So fit that immediately upon receipt, while it's all still under warranty.