373 replies to this topic

[alphatripleplus]

Let us know if you meet with some success.

[Psionmark]

Well, after several nights of trying to get this set up to work, I'm at wits end.  I keep getting an Astrometry Alignment Failed  message, and keep loosing sync, and now targets are failing to show up, etc. 

 

All I want it to do is work!  I keep reading the SM is great.  Well not for me.  I'm close to jumping ship on this.

 

Jasem wants me send send him my alignment logs and a picture of what I was trying to image.  That was a royal pain to figure out how to set up logging.  Now I hope I can get to them and send them off to him.

 

Did I mention I was at wits end with this thing?

I'm about done I think, too. It's probably just me missing something. I've aligned the AZ with SynScan prior to starting Stellarmate. It aligns fine. If I don't use Stellarmate and stick to the SynScan app, it works exactly as it should - always navigating where it should, maybe needs a little nudge here and there but that's fine.

 

I was assuming (obviously wrongly!) that, once aligned, I could just switch on Stellarmate and go. But it seems I'm missing a step, because if I then try and use SM to GoTo somewhere that the mount was perfectly happy going to before switching on SM, it just goes somewhere apparently random. It's as if SM doesn't realise the mount is already aligned and is trying to do its own thing. I've a hard wired connection between mount and SM.

 

Prior to this I was trying to leave the initial alignment to SM as per the video. And that worked perfectly. Once.

 

It's beginning to become not fun, so I'll probably move on to other things. That's a shame because, as with so many others, it worked absolutely perfectly the first time I tried it, and never again since lol.

 

As the mount seems to work fine just using SynScan, I might try just using that as intended for locating and tracking and try using SM just to grab some images.

[Joey44]

Did I mention I was at wits end with this thing?

I encourage you to hang in there-I think this setup can be made to work.
There are some Stellermate youtube videos that talk about setting up and using various features. I looked at several and although they are not current with the newest app and OS versions I did pick up a couple of tips. Regarding plate solving, Jasem mentions that on a wide field setup it might be beneficial to set the SEP Profile to LargeScaleSolving, rather than Default. It looks like your setup might qualify. Cuiv mentions setting exposure to 3-5 seconds and accuracy to 270 arc seconds but I have found that I get better results with to 5-10 second exposures. I think shorter exposures don’t show enough stars for the solving to work sometimes-this will probably vary depending on local conditions, light pollution, etc.
It seems that some folks have had good luck connecting Stellarmate to their home network. I don’t want to go that route so am persisting on getting the Stellarmate hotspot to work. I think the  weak link is that the Rpi to app wifi connection is inherently weaker than a hardwired connection or home wifi connection.Jasem does recommend using 5 GHZ wifi for the app to Stellarmate connection. I decided to move the location of the RPi box from strapped to the side of the scope and placed it in the plastic tray on the bottom of the mount. I was having some occasional disconnects where the app would seem to loose connection and give a “waiting to re-sync” error. Since I had already gone to the wired connection with Synscan USB adapter to the mount, I assumed this was an app to Stellarmate connection issue. Since metal and glass obstruct wifi signals to some extent, I wanted to get the box away from the mount and scope. There is a known issue with the ASIair boxes (which are metal) and poor wifi, and an external antenna seems to be the solution for them. Hopefully you are using a plastic case. I am not going the external antenna route at this point. I haven’t had a chance to test outside yet, but indoor testing with the connection seems good now with the box moved away from the scope and mount. I am sitting adjacent to the scope, not trying any long distance connection at this point.
Regarding the app- I am using the IOs version and found that unless I uncheck “auto-login” on my other home wifi connections the Stellarmate hotspot connection would occasionally drop as my Ipad would reconnect to the home network. I keep auto-login checked for the Stellarmate connection. Not sure if this is an issue with android.
Finally, Jasem says that the most common issues relate to inadequate power. Before using a battery solution I am testing the mount and Pi with wired adapters to hopefully remove this as a potential issue. Apparently it is important to be sure that the RPi is getting at least 5v/3A power.
 

Edited by Joey44, 07 December 2021 - 07:43 AM.

[Crist Rigotti]

Count me in!

After having problems every night using the Cuiv setup, I have been trying to confirm that it does actually work reliably and what is the reason that most of us are having trouble.

 

After crashes, lock ups etc. I have done this:

 

1. Installed external wifi antenna on RPI.

2. Connected Synscan USB adapter/printer cable from mount to RPI.

3. Established that the system works fine with Mac Kstars and INDI RPI server (not stellarmate and stellarmate app).

4. TO DO: Go back to Stellarmate with Synscan USB adapter/printer cable using vnc and confirm that system works fine.

5. TO DO: Go back to Stellarmate with Synscan USB adapter/printer cable using Stellarmate APP and confirm that system works fine.

 

I'm hoping that like Crist above, the AZGTI cable fixes most of our issues, but I want to go step by step so I can see when problems (if any) come back.

Which external wifi antenna did you use?
 

[jkelly]

https://www.etsy.com...o=1&frs=1&sts=1

Using the +2 db antenna. He can do the install as well.

[jkelly]

I finally have a system that I can use.

I'll take you through what I did so that you can consider this for yourself, BUT there are no guarantees.

I just did 10 targets without a glitch, but I don't want to spend anybody's money. Enough said.

 

I installed the 8GB RPI into a Argon One M.2 case with a 256 GB SSD drive.

Copied Stellarmate over to the M.2 sata drive and made it bootable.

This made Stellarmate on the RPI much more responsive.

 

Turned off the RPI wireless and/or hotspot.

Took this job off the RPI.

 

Configured a mild overclock of 1.750.

Why not!

 

Connected a Vonets VAR11N-300 to the ethernet port of the RPI.

Created a network on the Vonet called "Astronomy". The iPad will connect to that network.

The Vonets will handle the wifi duties and is powered by an external 5v battery.

 

Connected Synscan USB adapter/printer cable to RPI. 

Hardwired to the RPI.

 

Incorporated some of the software settings from Joey44.

 

All these changes made the RPI quicker and stable.

 

In using the app, I stay away from the Target screen.

I use T telescope icon on the upper right, select the target icon, and enter a target.

I then select EKOS and use the EKOS controls across the top like you would in KStars.

I go to align (circles) and do the plate solve there.

Once solved, I go back to the camera on the upper right for live capture.

I don't really like the live stacker that much and hope that it can be further developed.

 

This has worked fine so far. I noticed once that the 10 second countdown froze for a while but it came back.

 

Jeff

 

 

Edited by jkelly, 20 December 2021 - 10:18 AM.

[Joey44]

I finally have a system that I can use.

You have made so many changes to the "base model" that it is hard to know what weak links have been strengthened. I am inclined to assume that until proven otherwise the app and/or wifi connection to the Stellarmate OS are the weak links, especially since the standard Stellarmate appliance uses the stock RPi 4 and apparently those who use other (non mobile app) methods of connection have better luck with Ekos functionality.

• Did you try your targeting and plate solving workarounds in the app prior to doing the hardware upgrades?
• Did you try a wifi extender/hotspot that is dual band (will connect in 5 GHZ mode)? Those of us in areas with heavy 2.4 GHZ traffic could potentially benefit, and Jasem does recommend connecting at 5 GHZ.
• What SEP profile are you using for plate solving?

Edited by Joey44, 20 December 2021 - 09:20 AM.

[jkelly]

1. Yes, but I was plagued with disconnects and lock ups. Working through the align button is only to be able to see what is going on and have a better chance at stopping a solve that isn't solving. I got stuck on the Targets screen many times and had to reboot.

 

2. Honestly I had a Vonets in the junk drawer and used it.

 

3. I did switch to LargeScaleSolving, as suggested.

 

So the three areas that I had trouble with:

 

1. Mount wifi connection and who runs the hotspot.

2. Slow response at times on the RPI.

3. Solid wifi signal to the app.

 

...have been improved - perhaps there are better and easier ways to get there!

Edited by jkelly, 20 December 2021 - 10:51 AM.

[amitshesh]

I'm experimenting with a "new" setup for this. I haven't tried it outside yet (much too cold and windy here for the last few days). But it seems to work inside my home.

 

As I use the Stellarmate app more, I have faced the following difficulties:

 

1. (Not fault of the app): while using it on my phone is very convenient, the small screen means things are difficult. For me since I'm using an EQ mount, the polar alignment tool is in particular hard to use on a small screen.

 

2. While the live stacking works, there are very few tweaks available. It can do dark frame subtraction and allows me to save image on my phone easily. But there is no image stretching. I have missed this because often I feel the stacking result will be better when stretched. There are contrast and saturation adjustments, but again on a small phone screen they are difficult to use.

 

So my "new" setup:

 

1. Connect mount to RPI 4 via USB, connect camera to RPI4 via USB, connect RPI 4 to home wifi (same as before).

2. Run INDI server on RPI 4.

3. On Windows desktop at home connected to home network via ethernet, control the mount outside using KStars/Ekos.

4. Take image sequence using Ekos, but save "locally" on a folder on my Windows desktop.

5. Use Sharpcap on Windows desktop that monitors this folder to do live stacking.

 

I read the last two things from a thread at Cloudy nights (don't remember if it was this thread or some other on the EAA forum). But thanks to whoever came up with that idea!

 

This means (in theory, still waiting to be tested in real circumstances) that RPI 4 provides "I'm warm while it is cold outside", Ekos/KStars provide remote control + platesolving without any 3-star alignment (so never use an eyepiece), and Sharpcap provides more controls for live stacking. Now the missing link is my own skill...

 

So how does it work?

 

a. Initially step 4 took a long time. I did some speed tests using the iperf tool and found that it seems to be a function mostly of how cold it is outside (the RPI 4 seems to draw less current from the portable battery). I now have it so that the speed seems to be around 80Mbps, which I think is the best one can get from the RPI 4 wifi. Using my IMX 178 MC a single image (12 Mb) takes about 5 seconds to download onto the windows folder. This seems quite acceptable.

 

b. Using KStars/Ekos on a windows desktop means that all the controls are bigger, and more informative. The drawback is that Ekos does not have live stacking yet on the desktop apps, only on Stellarmate app. I hope this changes in the future.

 

c. I can remote-desktop into my home desktop from anywhere in my house, to (partly) maintain the mobility that I had before.

 

Polar alignment is still something I'm mastering so it is a pain...but that is a self-inflicted wound as I chose an EQ mount!

 

 

 

-----

 

Its nice that the overall setup works in a more mobile solution (without any laptop/desktop) but potentially works better/faster if one is still at their own home with their usual hardware/internet, while still being inside. For someone like me who will never be able to afford an actual observatory in the backyard, and is cursed with Bortle 8 skies and plenty of local light pollution, this is a reasonable setup.

Edited by amitshesh, 20 December 2021 - 11:27 AM.

[jkelly]

Awesome! I think you are referring to my #176 post.

I agree - that system - with a Indi server on a RPI at the scope and

KStars and SharpCap (or ASTAP - has folder pickup also) on a laptop is a joy to use.

[Crist Rigotti]

Well guys here's an update.

 

After many emails with Jasem, and 3 complete reloads and starting over, Stellarmate is still not working.  Jasem answers my email promptly (seeing he is in Kuwait) with suggestions to fix my problems.  However each solution doesn't work.  for example, he wants me to install TeamViewer so he can remotely log in and see what is going on with my set up.  I'm fine with that, however in installing TeamViewer, I get to step 11 and I'm supposed to click on the TeamViewer icon and another window is supposed to open up.  Well it doesn't.  Nothing happens.  This has been an exercise in total frustration getting this questionable software to work even some of the time.

 

I'm really close to just buying ASIAIR Plus and moving on.

 

Personally, I think Jasem is in over his head with this software.  Not one thing he suggested I could get to work.  The Tutorials are out of date and it seems he is always suggesting some kind of work around.

 

Sorry for the rant, but I needed to vent somewhere.

[Psionmark]

Well guys here's an update.

 

After many emails with Jasem, and 3 complete reloads and starting over, Stellarmate is still not working.  Jasem answers my email promptly (seeing he is in Kuwait) with suggestions to fix my problems.  However each solution doesn't work.  for example, he wants me to install TeamViewer so he can remotely log in and see what is going on with my set up.  I'm fine with that, however in installing TeamViewer, I get to step 11 and I'm supposed to click on the TeamViewer icon and another window is supposed to open up.  Well it doesn't.  Nothing happens.  This has been an exercise in total frustration getting this questionable software to work even some of the time.

 

I'm really close to just buying ASIAIR Plus and moving on.

 

Personally, I think Jasem is in over his head with this software.  Not one thing he suggested I could get to work.  The Tutorials are out of date and it seems he is always suggesting some kind of work around.

 

Sorry for the rant, but I needed to vent somewhere.

Yes, I've given up with it for now - was very frustrating. However, it did remind me how good my AZ-GTI mount is, so not all lost! I was going to try just using that as intended (to find and track) and maybe try Stellarmate just to take the photos.

[ahmadeus9]

Agreed on all counts. The software is just far too frustrating. I wish I could get all my time back. That said, I will continue to follow this thread in the hopes that someone can get this to work, as I wouldn’t mind selling my eVscope at some point in favor of a more capable and cheaper DIY setup. Until then, I will continue to enjoy the sheer ease of use despite the enormous cost.

[acrh2]

Do you think that Cuiv should issue a retraction in light of these findings?

[steveincolo]

Well guys here's an update.

 

After many emails with Jasem, and 3 complete reloads and starting over, Stellarmate is still not working.  Jasem answers my email promptly (seeing he is in Kuwait) with suggestions to fix my problems.  However each solution doesn't work.  for example, he wants me to install TeamViewer so he can remotely log in and see what is going on with my set up.  I'm fine with that, however in installing TeamViewer, I get to step 11 and I'm supposed to click on the TeamViewer icon and another window is supposed to open up.  Well it doesn't.  Nothing happens.  This has been an exercise in total frustration getting this questionable software to work even some of the time.

 

I'm really close to just buying ASIAIR Plus and moving on.

 

Personally, I think Jasem is in over his head with this software.  Not one thing he suggested I could get to work.  The Tutorials are out of date and it seems he is always suggesting some kind of work around.

 

Sorry for the rant, but I needed to vent somewhere.

The ASIAir Pro has been trouble-free for me.  The live stacking (EAA) feature is not perfect, but it should work well enough for a widefield scope like the EvoGuide.  However, I have not tried the ASIAir with the Skywatcher AZ-Gti mount.  

[Mitchell M.]

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?

[Joey44]

Correct, the LIVE button starts the stacking process and , if it works for you the screen will update in realtime as the stacked image improves in quality. you can then save it-with the Ipad app the saved photo should appear in the photos gallery. Many of us have found however that live stacking in the current version of the app is frustratingly unstable. Hopefully Jasem is working on getting the app working, as I am sure that he is getting a lot of feedback from new users attracted by the currently unrealistic expectations touted in Cuiv’s very popular video.

[Crist Rigotti]

Another important update.

 

Yesterday, I decided to reoad the SM and start all over for the 4th time.  The reload went well and everything worked well in the shop.  I even loaded in TeamViewer and turned on logging the Astrometry logs.

 

The viewing session went ok.  I had to restart the app a couple of times and it seemed to slow up at times.  After several targets, the Astrometry Alignment Failed message showed up again.  I save the image to show Jasem in my next email.

 

I put the scope away and checked my email.  Jasem said that he was on live chat and go there.  I did and through TeamViewer he corrected a few settings I had wrong and uploaded some beta software.  I also set a sequence file to save the pictures as fits instead of jpeg that is saved from the live stacking screen.

 

I went out again and did another viewing session.  This time all seemed to go well with no Astrometry Failed messages IIRC.  The next session out will be the one to see if it all works well now.  BTW, I'm using wifi to connect the mount to the RPI4.  That might change to the hardwired version though.

 

So all in all Jasem took the time to work with me and improve my set up.  He is working on improving the overall SM experience. 

 

I'll let you know how the next session goes.  It looks like it might be a few days though.

Attached Thumbnails

• 

Edited by Crist Rigotti, 26 December 2021 - 11:32 AM.

[alphatripleplus]

  I also set a sequence file to save the pictures as fits instead of jpeg that is saved from the live stacking screen.

 

 

So how exactly did you get the image from a sequence of fits if you did not use the live stack?

[Crist Rigotti]

So how exactly did you get the image from a sequence of fits if you did not use the live stack?

I did use live stack.  The sequence saves the images in SM and are viewed as FITS.  If you hit the save button in live stack the image is saved as a jpeg in my Gallery folder on my smartphone.

[alphatripleplus]

Thanks for the clarification.

[amitshesh]

For what it's worth:

The astrometry alignment failed message I have gotten multiple times.

When you ask it to slew to a target, it will first slew. Then it will try to refine the alignment by taking pictures. The admittedly subtle clue that it is done slewing (on the app) is that in the target tab, the target you chose is now enclosed in a yellow rectangle. Of course you could actually look at the mount to see if it was done slewing.

Anyway, whenever I got the failed message after slewing but before refinement, it was because it could not plate solve from the camera image it took during the refinement stage. The reasons for this ranged from the scope being out of focus, the image being too noisy, to the arc length error being set too low. So ensuring that all of the steps were done I have managed to avoid that message:

1. Ensure that the camera is in focus. I use a bahtinov mask, but eyeballing to ensure stars are as small as they can be also seems to work.

2. Take dark images. This was the missing key for me. I had not anticipated that this would make a difference not only in the live stacking, but in the alignment as well. It makes sense now that I think about it, but at the time it was a surprise.

3. Make sure the arc length error is set to a reasonably high number. I think cuiv sets it to 270 in the video. I am using an EQ mount, so after polar alignment I set it to 50.

For those who are struggling with the alignment failure error, try taking darks if you haven't. Maybe that will make a difference?

[Crist Rigotti]

For what it's worth:

The astrometry alignment failed message I have gotten multiple times.

When you ask it to slew to a target, it will first slew. Then it will try to refine the alignment by taking pictures. The admittedly subtle clue that it is done slewing (on the app) is that in the target tab, the target you chose is now enclosed in a yellow rectangle. Of course you could actually look at the mount to see if it was done slewing.

Anyway, whenever I got the failed message after slewing but before refinement, it was because it could not plate solve from the camera image it took during the refinement stage. The reasons for this ranged from the scope being out of focus, the image being too noisy, to the arc length error being set too low. So ensuring that all of the steps were done I have managed to avoid that message:

1. Ensure that the camera is in focus. I use a bahtinov mask, but eyeballing to ensure stars are as small as they can be also seems to work.

2. Take dark images. This was the missing key for me. I had not anticipated that this would make a difference not only in the live stacking, but in the alignment as well. It makes sense now that I think about it, but at the time it was a surprise.

3. Make sure the arc length error is set to a reasonably high number. I think cuiv sets it to 270 in the video. I am using an EQ mount, so after polar alignment I set it to 50.

For those who are struggling with the alignment failure error, try taking darks if you haven't. Maybe that will make a difference?

Thanks for the info.  I'll give it a try.

[amitshesh]

There was one other reason for the failure, that was mysterious to me. I tried connecting to the pi using an ipad once, and I got all these astrometry failure messages. It turned out that the iPad stellarmate app did not transmit the correct position and time to the pi, which basically meant the pi did not know where it was. I don't know why this happened. I am otherwise an Android user, so I went back to using my phone and I never had that particular problem again.

The target tab shows on the top left the location and time it thinks it is at.

[Crist Rigotti]

There was one other reason for the failure, that was mysterious to me. I tried connecting to the pi using an ipad once, and I got all these astrometry failure messages. It turned out that the iPad stellarmate app did not transmit the correct position and time to the pi, which basically meant the pi did not know where it was. I don't know why this happened. I am otherwise an Android user, so I went back to using my phone and I never had that particular problem again.

The target tab shows on the top left the location and time it thinks it is at.

I'll check on this too!  Great info.