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Raspberry Pi 5 Dope Slap

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#1 clc

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Posted 25 March 2025 - 01:50 PM

Not being the kind of guy that buy an off the shelf solution for something for $200 when I could spend $500 to make it myself, I put together the software suite I wanted for the Raspberry Pi v5 to run my scope/mount/camera remotely (from inside the car or cabin 20ft away).  Tested at home everything worked fine.  Polar alignment via Polemaster worked nicely, and a two star alignment set the model well enough to find what I wanted.

decamp to a park 5 miles away that has a larger sky and less light pollution than my yard.  Polar align and start model alignment and the mount poiints seemngly random directions, anywhere but where the thing is.

 

I'm sure many reading this will start to laugh at this point (well deserved), but it took me 4 months to realize the Raspberry Pi has NO REAL TIME CLOCK!  I was getting out to where there is no wireless signal, and the pi was starting with the last time and date it was run.  I was not resetting the date and time when I booted it.  Dope Slap!  everything works well if I remember to do that.

 

There are small modules you can install in the Pi that provides an RTC - DS3231 is just one of the chipsets used.  Works well if it will fit in the case.  If you get one, be sure to check if it will fit over the cooling fan and heat sink for the Pi 5.  the one I got won't, so required modification to mount it elsewhere.  these things are cheap.

 

I have found the Pi 5 to be quite capable as on telescope control computer.  I use both the internal WiFi and a WiFi dongle.  the internal sets up a hotspot to remote into, and the dongle connects to the WiFi dongle on the mount.  The fewer wires the better.  For the EQ6-r, the WiFi dongle can also be used to remote into the pi, but for the AVX the celestron mounts wifi  won't.  Probably a way to fix this, but haven't tried.

 

I put together a power supply distribution box that takes a single 12v input and splits it to everything that needs it, and supplies a USB-c with 5v for an iPad.  

There is also a 6v to 24v input power supply for the Pi (5v), so it all works well with only a single 12v wire from the mount to the battery.

 

The Pi 5 also has a PCie bus so you can install an SSD drive.  I installed 512 GB SSD.  Lots of room for pics before I have to download everything.

 

I use primarily Siril, Kstars, PHD2, and Polemaster.  l did have to install most of this from source, but the details are out there.


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#2 gmiller123456

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Posted 25 March 2025 - 04:31 PM

Another option is a GPS module for like $6. Of course the downside is you have to wait for a fix.
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#3 decep

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Posted 25 March 2025 - 08:19 PM

The Raspberry Pi 5 actually does have an RTC, but you have to add a battery to make use of it.


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#4 mich_al

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Posted 25 March 2025 - 09:53 PM

I've been looking for a good reason to use a Pi 5 in a project.  Started down that path a few weeks ago but ended up with a low end mini PC as a much better fit.



#5 clc

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Posted 27 March 2025 - 01:30 AM

I use rpi for several things.....  I have a Rpi3 at the cabin that bridges my solar battery controller to my Starlink out there so I can keep tabs on it when I'm in town (summer only).  I use another Rpi3 to serve casual photos on the net for family in the lower 48,  Rpi 4 loaded with Astropi - I'm about tto repurpose this one, and 2 rpi5s idenitically configured for t the scope.  a primary and backup.  These both have 512GB SSDs.

 

There is a fake hardware RTC in the RPi 5,  it keeps the time/date from the last time it was booted, but I'm not aware of a functional RTC.  There isn't any dtoverlay to activate one unless you install one.  I'll have to go look at the board specs again.  just adding a battery to keep it up would be alot simpler.  Same with the GPS module.


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#6 decep

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Posted 27 March 2025 - 08:17 AM

https://www.raspberr...-time-clock-rtc


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#7 clc

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Posted 27 March 2025 - 05:13 PM

Thanks!  I missed all of that. I will see if I can get that going.

 

c



#8 Bob Denny

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Posted 28 March 2025 - 11:23 AM

And the Pi 5 kit I bought came with the wired coin battery to keep the RTC alive.



#9 clc

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Posted 04 April 2025 - 06:51 PM

nice.  I ordered a few of the batteries and installed them today.  works.


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