Setting up a SkyWatcher Mount using EQMOD, Stellarium, and N.I.N.A.
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- Опубліковано 31 лип 2024
- This is how I set up the new SkyWatcher EQ6-R equatorial mount using EQMOD software to replace the need for the GoTo Hand controller. Included is the use of the software of Stellarium and N.I.N.A. to completely automate the telescope.
Once set up is complete and the target(s) is/are selected, the entire system is automatic, even while you sleep. The target in this video is the Western Veil Nebula (NGC 6960) and the globular cluster in Hercules (seen at the end of the video)
Here are the links to the software vendors:
EQMOD:
sourceforge.net/projects/eq-mod/
Stellarium:
stellarium.org/
N.I.N.A.:
nighttime-imaging.eu/
ASCOM Platform:
ascom-standards.org/
My weather and nature website: www.savannahpat.name
My Astronomy website: heavenlybackyardastro.com/
My Astronomy Facebook page: / heavenly-backyard-3393...
My Weather and Nature Facebook page: / pat-prokops-weather-an... - Наука та технологія
I found out why I was struggling with EQMOD and my mount thanks to your video. I was trying to point it to the ASCOM device hub instead of EQMOD. I have to do it this way for my PMC8 mount but not for my Orion Sirius EQ G mount. Thanks for pointing that out. Now I should be all smooth sailing from here.
There are so many little pitfalls in this hobby. You have to be a serous researcher to succeed.
Cheers!
I am glad I was able to help. Oh, you are so right about all those little pitfalls ... so many pitfalls, so many times. keeps us on our toes I guess.
Nie mogłem ogarnąć połączenia SyncScan GOTO Wifi przez USB z N.I.N.A, ale dzięki temu, że pokazałeś krok po kroku konfigurację EQMOD, udało się zestawić połączenie. Wielkie dzięki za materiał. Google Translate: I couldn't figure out how to connect SyncScan GOTO Wifi via USB to N.I.N.A, but thanks to the fact that you showed the EQMOD configuration step by step, I managed to establish a connection. Many thanks for the material.
I am so glad I was able to help.
Nice video Pat, I placed my hand controller in the box 5 years ago and never touched it since, Wish we had better weather here in the UK its very wet at the moment , keep up the good work. Your garden is looking stunning ! Pete
Thank you, Pete. Well, the clouds and rain are definitely good for the garden. I have more clouds streaming in for the next several days/nights so I won't be out until probably when the moon is full, just what I need, a clear night with a full moon. Oh well.
Awesome video. Thank you.
thank you very much, I have just bought an eq5 pro and am clueless about the hardware side of this hobby this has helped a lot
Hi Harry,
I believe the setup with the 5 is the same as the 6. I am glad this helps you out. Let me know if you can connect and operate it via EQMOD and your capture program
@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy I’ve managed to get it working and it all seems to be good
@@harrysteven4927 ... Excellent... now you need some clear skies
I really, really wish I found this video 4 hours ago. Thank you for the upload, it was a huge help.
Thank you, Matthew.
So, what was your issue(s)?
@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy Ultimately, not really knowing enough about ASCOM and the inner workings of NINA and the associated programs. The toolbox part is what made all the difference for me, once I followed that step, a lot of it all came together. I couldn't get my NUC to see my Skywatcher AZ-EQ6 Pro Mount in any program that I had installed. I didn't know about the comms port etc.
I am a Mac user primarily, and I use the ASIair on the iPad, and like all things on my Mac it just works, but I wanted to try out a computer-based program so I can have a larger display and sit at my workstation.
I came away from windows after they released Vista and went to Mac and so I haven't had to delve into drivers and things for a long time.
You certainly made my life a lot easier tonight. Thank you.
@@RuffNRuffer Well, I am certainly glad I could help. This is what these videos are all about. I am currently shooting Venus and the moon together in the sky but using SharpCap
@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy Thick clouds here where I am in London 🇬🇧 no imaging here for around a week I think unfortunately.
What an awesome mount!
Thank you, Jeff
Nice video Pat I use this method also for finding the Moon with Stellarium. Lovely Veil.
Thank you, Ollie
Love the tutorial Pat :-)
Thank you, Ray. I hope it helps you in any way
Thank you for this. I'm very new to astro- well... everything! just trying to get my first mount, auto guider, camera and the PC talking to each other. You almost need a degree in computer science to figure everything out.
I'll try using these three programs and see how I do.
Fair winds and clear skies!
Thank you, Nicole. This is why I made this video ... to help other getting started.
Great tutorial Pat! - I appreciate the amount of time and effort this would have taken! :)
I'm sure it will help a lot of people 👍👍
Thanks Luke. I'm hoping it will help a lot. That's why I made this video
Helped me a lot. Thank you very much.
You are very welcomed. If you are using NINA beta 11.1, be sure to download the updated nightly builds. Also their 3 point polar alignment
Plugin is awesome
Really comete tutorial!
Thank you
Thank you.
Great informational video, thanks for making it! FYI, micrometers and millimeters units are 3 orders of magnitude apart...
Ha, ha ... yep, oh, I have been reminded about the difference between a micrometer and millimeter several times. I've should have known better. Thank you for watching my video
Sir..As you suggested I sent N.I.N.I. a donation and Thanked Stan for his Software...Thank you Heavenly for all you do...
Thank you Willis ... BTW, I just gave you a shoutout on my latest video of the Heavenly Backyard Garden and the stars above. Thank you for your support
ua-cam.com/video/FBNDoOQGuU4/v-deo.html
@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy Thank You Sir
Really nice garden! from Andrea, Italy, Novara
Thank you, Lorenzo
This had to take a while to learn all this software.
Hi Geof.
You are correct ... it did take some time, but after reading the instructions and going through many nights of trial and error, it slolwy all came together. Once I got all things working, it is now a snap to start an observation session.
Great tutorial Pat, very nice! I only take out my hand controller to update the firmware on my mount, otherwise it stays in a box. 20 years from now when the mount is old, wore, and rusty, I'll plug in the hand controller and it will be looking like new lol.
Thank you, Joe. AND... Congratulations on getting an APOD for your collaboration with Glenn and Rusell on the Crescent Nebula.
@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy Thanks Pat, we'll have to try and get one together now as well!
Thanks!
Thank you so much for your "Super thanks". If you just purchased the SkyWatcher mount, I am sure you will get excellent tracking from it.
Just do polar alignment with the hand controller as you don't need to see Polaris. I couldn't be doing with going up and down a ladder. Once done you can then use EQMOD to control everything.
I'm using the same software! Now I just need to catch up with your knowledge on how to use it ... 🤣🤣
That will come with practice and by watching those UA-cam videos. Patriot Astro is an excellent channel ... ua-cam.com/users/PatriotAstro
How do you set the position of your mount/telescope when you first connect to ascom? I thought it was weights down and scope pointing at the celestial pole. But on the Eqmod interface it says scope on east pointing west.
To start, with every think OFF, I point the scope to the north celestial pole, or as close to it as possible. Then I power up the system. At first EQMOD sometimes gives strange settings, but once I start tracking, it give the proper coordinates.
Thanks for the vid. New to the EQ world. How do I align the mount with NINA prior to the polar align. Should I just use the SkySyn app to align the scope and then switch to NINA? Thanks
Hi Damain,
What I need to do is to get it roughly polar aligned by any means. Once there, I can then fine tune it with NINA's 3 point polar alignment.
Thx for that video, I save it to watch back again and do everything step by step. A question, how do you call that pipe on your mount? To get your EQ higher. I search on astromarket but can't find that name
Hi Stefan,
That is a 'pier extender'. I found it on Highpoint Scientific's website.
Thank you for watching my video
Thanks for the tutorial, what device are you using on your mount to remote to your house indoors?
Hi Nick,
I have a mini remote Windows 10 computer attached to the telescope tube carriage where the tube is connected to the mount. This has WiFi and I installed a WiFi transmitter (hot spot) outside my office. I get a very strong signal from the minicomputer and easily remote to it via my desktop Windows 10 computer using "Remote Desktop". The mini is attached with Velcro so I can easily remove it.
Here is a link to the minicomputer via Amazon ...
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08CDC91NV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I hope this helps
Patrick
Just be careful of the extended legs as far out as that Pat, my EQ6R-Pro had a habit of the adjustable leg clamps slipping . I ended up getting some stainless steel hose clamps around the legs as a safe guard to stop the leg clamps slipping.
Good point Simon. I'll make sure those clamps are super tight.
Very informative video, thank you 👍👍
But when did you do the focus correction ?
Hi Sigfried,
The focusing was done once I started the sequence in NINA. It slewed to the target then performed the autofocus sequence before starting to record the images.
@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy Thank you 👍
Could you briefly mention why remote desktop is neccessary?
Do your mounts have an OS you can remote into; whats RDS being used for?
Hi Angelo,
I have a Windows mini-computer attached to the mount which totally operates the rig. I just simply remote into it from my main desktop computer inside.
very good video just one question,with a good polar alignement could stellarium with eqmod find a target more or less precisely,im using a eqm 35 pro + dlsr and 500mm lens
You can certainly use EQMOD with Stellarium. The two work very well together. Once you are polar aligned, with your scope pointing to the north celestial pole, you can find your object in Stellarium and tell the scope to go to it. If it is off target a bit, you can use the slew controls in EQMOD to center the object ... then you can give the command to Stellarium to synch the scope to it. You can then select any other object and Stellarium will do a good job pointing the telescope to it. However, I strongly suggest also using NINA or Sequence Generator Pro to take advantage of using plate solving to perfectly align your target
@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy thank you very much,I will give it a try in the future
Thank you Pat, but I am stuck at the cable connections stage...how is the mount connected to the computer? Once I get that worked out your presentation will be very helpful. Cheers from Adelaide, South Australia.
Hi Andrew,
The SkyWatcher EQ6-R Pro mount has an USB outlet on the control panel near the Hand controller connection. Simply plug in a USB 2 cord into it and connect the other end to a standard USB port on your computer. Check out out which com port the mount connects to via 'Device Manger'. Once there, go to 'Port Settings' and set the
Bits per Second' to 115200 and leave everything else alone.
EQMOD should see it now and connect.
If your mount doesn't have a USB port, connect via the bottom end of your hand controller via a USB connection
Let me know if that works.
@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy yes thank you, all up and working now.
Many thanks.
I'm getting an error message " Connection Error: Timeout" any idea what I'm doing wrong?
Did you set the baud rate in your USB settings under device manager... I think it it should be somewhere around 11280
What is the Remote Desktop for?
The remote desktop is so that I can connect (via WiFi) to the computer connected to the telescope from my inside desktop computer in my office, where I can control the rig from inside.
Can u use EQMOD wirelessly?
I connect the mount via it's USB port directly to the onboard mini computer. That computer is WiFi capable and I remote into it via WiFi to my indoor desktop via Windows Remote Desktop Connection. The SkyWatch EQ6-R Pro has a direct USB 2 port and I use that. This way, I don't even need to connect the synScan hand controller.
How long did it take to download all these sites? Good video
Hi Geoff,
Thank you.
It didn't take long at all to download those drivers and software. Plus, that is just a one time thing. Once you are set up, everything is automatic.
(I need to redo this video. Since I've made it, I acquired better editing skills, better video cameras, and better lighting)
Can I still use my pole master for polar alignment? I asked this question to agenda astro they put me on hold and I did not hear back. I just wish we had a group here in Columbus Ohio we did have but due to covid they don't meet
Once I have all this stuff downloaded can I still use my pole master for polar alignment or do I need that? Thanks pat for all your help
Just use Nina’s polar alignment and you can lower your scope. Polaris not needed.
Hi A Luginbill,
Yep, you are certainly correct. I still like to have that mount raised high so that I can see more of the northern sky. There are lots of great targets in that direction.
Hi Pat, you are giving us a wonderful & uncanny virtuoso solo performance to enjoy !
However, respectfully, if your prersentation is ment to be educationally then it is, for me at least, quickly lost.
Maybe first, please explain your minimum requirement of astrophotography understanding as a minimum knowledge before viewing this session or you will lose your audience.
I am eager to learn, I have a basic rig, I take astro pics, but this is overwhelming firehose information and is not helpful for starting amateurs, it is rather depressing.. As a professional educator i maybe know just a tinny little bit about educatrional presentations.
The following is just an observation, I love astrophotography, the subject is very complex and mostly it is poorly represented on youtube . Your presentation is very professional and at a PHD level but only for dito students!
After viewing many videos about the subject it is strange to observe that there are never ever any downthumbs, also never ever negative reviews. Nobody can lean that way.. Any thoughts?
Hi Gus,
I wish I had more reviews like yours. This is very helpful. Being a a retired broadcast meteorologist for 38 years, I enjoy helpful critiques.
I agree, my videos are aimed more toward the advanced users, since most of the videos I watch are from other very experienced astrophotographers, and I seem to compete with them. Your recommendations are very valid and I have been recently thinking about the same thing. I need to present at least two different forms of video, one advance-type (like what I am currently doing) and one for the less advanced viewer. Basically, I need to also create the "Keep it Simple" type video. I will certainly execute this idea in my upcoming videos (if the sky ever clears out).
Again, thank you so much for the positive critique.
@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy Hi Pat,
What a coincidence! We both have spend our careers with our heads in the clouds!
You as a meteorologist and me as an airline instructor pilot for nearly half a century 😅.
Thank you for your reply, I am looking very much forward viewing your “Keep it Simple” video projects. If I may give you a small teaching hint from one of my recurrent sessions and this might be surprising, but even a motivated student can only assimilate three new items out of a complex presentation! The rest is even not remembered.
As a teacher that made me seriously question my teaching methods, if a student gets lost, we, the facilitators (that is what we are, not instructors and certainly not lectures) need to improve.