373 replies to this topic

[jimhoward999]

I am/was a total beginner In EAA and so far have found the set up to be very friendly.  I have had 4 sessions and no problems so far.  However, I think a benefited greatly from the comments found in this thread.....like using my home internet, direct wiring the mount to the RPi, and using the latest Stellarmate SW.

 

I put my set up in my signature.

[jkelly]

It is true that the original thread describing issues with the "smart EAA" setup described by Cuiv has been diluted with variations on the setup of Stellarmate app, Stellarmate OS, and Az-GTI mount in Alt/Az mode. Some have described using Kstars/Ekos on mac/pc, astroberry, various mounts or equatorial configurations,additional accessories like focusers, other software like Sharpcap, and this has confused those of us who are trying to make the original configuration work. I haven't seen any other resources or threads to better address this issue, but wonder if there should be a new and separate thread dedicated to it. Some of us are in periodic contact with the Stellarmate developer but as far as I know he is not following this thread. The original promise of a reliable setup is still not realized by most of us who are still trying to make it work.
 

I think closing this thread and starting a new one is a great idea. Most of the content in this thread has been about trying to get something to work. Now that we are starting to have some success I think it would be great to start fresh. A Beginner Friendly…Part 2. What do you think?

 

EDIT: Overnight I was thinking that we should get some agreement on how far we stretch the rubber band on equipment. I think the mount and the software need to be exact. Would this work for Part 2?

 

Setup:

Optical: Evoguide50 or equivalant?

Optical: (Optional) Field Flattener

CMOS: ASi178MC or équivalant?

Mount: AZ-GTI in AZ/ALT mode.

Wireless: AZ-GTI wireless as Cuiv recommended OR other wifi setups OR USB cable? Might want flexibility here.

Software: Stellarmate tablet with RPI4 only.

Power: Any batteries.

Edited by jkelly, 24 February 2022 - 11:34 AM.

[Joey44]

I agree that some guidelines for a new thread should be set. The goal should be to realize the promise of a simple lightweight setup that uses only the Stellermate apps and OS. There have been improvements to the app and OS due to all the interest since this thread started, and I think with a more focused effort we can help the Stellarmate developer continue to focus on still unresolved issues.

 

My suggestions, and to allow some flexibility with those who have existing equipment which should work in a similar fashion:

 

Optical: Evoguide50 or equivalent, slightly larger small aperture refractors should be similar. I do have the field flattener but they are in short supply and not everybody may have one.

CMOS: ASi178MC or equivalent minimal FOV, in other words sufficient chip size for wide field views.

Mount: AZ-GTi or GTe, in alt/az mode only.

Mount connection: wireless in Stellarmate hotspot mode or direct connection with compatible cable. (I know some are using mount and device connection to existing home networks but since there have been issues with connectivity, I suggest we focus on a simplified setup, as per Cuiv's original description).

Software: Stellarmate device or RPi4 install of 32 bit Stellarmate OS or 64 bit beta, control with only IOs or android Stellarmate app on phone or tablet.

Community: Report results with your efforts and with descriptions of your setup to include: hardware specifics, how it is connected, what version of app and OS, any modifications of default settings in the app, any communications that you may have had with Stellarmate support.

Edited by Joey44, 24 February 2022 - 09:28 AM.

[Crist Rigotti]

I agree with jkelly and Joey44.  Keep it focused and simple.

[jkelly]

Looks good. I like your suggestions.

 

Joey44 do you want to start the new thread?

[Joey44]

Done, see A beginner-friendly smart EAA setup, restated, Ver. 2

[seasiderht]

I am having issues with my Ekos live stack image getting bands or blocks of different exposures after it’s been stacking for a little bit.  Has anyone experienced this problem?  Here’s what it looks like..

 

Edited by seasiderht, 25 February 2022 - 08:38 AM.

[Crist Rigotti]

 

I am having issues with my Ekos live stack image getting bands or blocks of different exposures after it’s been stacking for a little bit.  Has anyone experienced this problem?  Here’s what it looks like..

 

Yeah, I have the same problem!

[jkelly]

I know there will be an update to the stacking portion of Stellarmate in the next app release which is supposed to be in early March.

[halsmaulwurf]

I have finally found the time to present my setup here. I'm experimenting a lot with old lenses, and currently with the Nikon 180 mm F/2.8 AI-S ED.

 

 

Since I live in a rented flat without a balcony, I have built a floor for the window sill where the whole setup sits.

 

I used the AZ-GTI as the mount, but in equatorial mode. This allows me to expose round stars for up to 80 seconds, but also up to 120 seconds.

 

I can only look to the east side, why i use PHD2 with drift alien to Polealign, which works very well.

 

The camera I use is a ZWO ASI485 with which I am also quite satisfied, I screw the 1.25" filter directly into the T2 connection of the camera, asi offers an adapter.

 

For the operation I simply used kstars which works very well with Platesolve etc..

 

 

I have published the 3D printing adapter on PrusaPrint if anyone wants to try something similar.

 

https://www.prusapri...photography-rig

 

I'll add a few more single-shot recordings.

 

[DavidWasch]

I ran a search on the word "tilt" in this thread, and there were no hits. I assume this means that nobody is concerned with sensor tilt in their setup. Is that correct?

 

Adjusting for tilt is reporedly a pita, but should also only need to be done once. I'm not even sure how many in AP adjust tilt, much less EAA.

 

I'm awaiting my asiair and then I'll be ready to go. I'll post my setup once its, well, setup.

[jmiller1001]

I've been playing with this set-up as well - more fun than anything else.  My equipment:

 

Scope: Stellarvue SV70T with FF/FR (Had it)

Mount: SW AZ-GTe (Used) in Alt-Az Mode

RP 4GB
iPad with StellarMate

 

I got it all to work successfully and captured M101/M94/M3/M13 last night.

 

The only issue that I seem to be having is that the image being displayed on my iPad through the Ekos App during live stacking (I'm using a 3 sec. exposure) seems to be not updating with a stacked image - it appears to be just a single image (the most recent exposure unstacked). 

 

Has anyone else seen this issue?

[Joey44]

I've been playing with this set-up as well - more fun than anything else.  My equipment:

 

Scope: Stellarvue SV70T with FF/FR (Had it)

Mount: SW AZ-GTe (Used) in Alt-Az Mode

RP 4GB
iPad with StellarMate

 

I got it all to work successfully and captured M101/M94/M3/M13 last night.

 

The only issue that I seem to be having is that the image being displayed on my iPad through the Ekos App during live stacking (I'm using a 3 sec. exposure) seems to be not updating with a stacked image - it appears to be just a single image (the most recent exposure unstacked). 

 

Has anyone else seen this issue?

Yes, this is a known issue with the current version of the app and Stellarmate OS. Also an issue is inability to save the stacked image, and some random crashes. The developer is aware of these and hopefully working on fixes. 

[jmiller1001]

Yes, this is a known issue with the current version of the app and Stellarmate OS. Also an issue is inability to save the stacked image, and some random crashes. The developer is aware of these and hopefully working on fixes. 

Hmm....well, this is definitely a disappointment.....

[Crist Rigotti]

Hmm....well, this is definitely a disappointment.....

I've had Stellarmate for 6 months now and I am still disappointed with them.

[jkelly]

While I can't promise any improvement, 2.5.1 is a week out according to Jasem.

[Crist Rigotti]

While I can't promise any improvement, 2.5.1 is a week out according to Jasem.

See post #359!

[Crist Rigotti]

I do want SM to succeed.  I think their OS would be terrific, if it only would work.  Last November, when I started this, Live Stacking worked well.  Then in February with an update, SM stopped Live Stacking.  This is one of the best main components of their OS!  It's been 10 weeks now and at least another till they have sorted out something that worked months ago?

 

I just recently bought a NIB Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 tablet in hopes that would solve some of my problems using my cell phone (like in Cuiv's video).  BTW, this is the same tablet that Jasem uses and says it works perfectly.  That is one reason I bought one. 

 

I'm looking forward to the new release which is for the tablet/cell phones.  It is not for the OS system itself which resides in the RPI as far as I can tell.

[Ripfer]

Hi folks,

 

I watched Cuivs videos and decided I build an anti biscuit with the following old gear a nexstar se 4 Mount with usb to serial connection and a canon m50ii with a vivitar 135 f2.8

 

no almost all works but no live stacking and file paths not right.  Spent hours trying to fix between iOS app and vnc connect. Some more hours later and found this thread. 
 

the great feature for me was the live stacking to make the anti biscuit.

 

once I’ve got it all working I’ll swap out some the gear for proper stuff.

 

anyway will lurk in the new thread waiting for news of updates.

 

just a little vent.

 

Cheers

Chris

[Crist Rigotti]

Live stacking isn't working on the current software.  An update to fix it will be released soon.

[jmiller1001]

JFYI, I had a puzzling exchange with the Stellarmate team over the last 24 hours.  I pointed them to this thread - evidently they are unaware that live stacking is not working in the latest software release.  

[jkelly]

Be mindful that there is an updated version two of this thread…

https://www.cloudyni...ed-ver-2/page-9

Not that the results are that much different…

[megasalexandros]

Question on using Stellarmate;

First off, seems ~75% of alignment are unsuccessful but when you go to Ekos and hit the camera icon, target is centered, okay, whatever.

So far I figured out if you hit the camera icon, a picture is taken. If you hit the squared-off arrows, multiple pictures are taken one after another.

Now to my question, I'm a noob, to live stack, I would need to highlight the LIVE button, right? Otherwise just hitting the squared-off arrows will only refresh the image, right?

I'm new to so please take it easy on me I also started building a rig using Cuiv instructions, I started using recently I noticed that when you go and solve the telescope does reach it's destination successfully, but then comes up with a message that astrology failed alignment, I spoke to Jasem from Stellarmate in regards to this: this is the following reply I got: "Simulators can sometimes fail, that's normal. Especially with default settings since the FOV is quite narrow (less than half a degree)" So I think you are right most of these alignments are unsuccessful.

Edited by megasalexandros, 13 July 2022 - 04:10 PM.

[va1erian]

 

I hope this can be useful to anyone starting in EAA (as I am!)

 

Cuiv

You constantly say in your YouTube videos that the sky in Tokyo is light-polluted. How do you manage that while doing EAA ? have you developed any EAA better techniques in 3 years which passed since the original post ?

 

And while we are at it... if you do not mind me asking... how long have you lived in Tokyo and what is your day-time occupation ?