Newbie needs a sense of direction - autoguiding??
Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 5:15 pm
Hi everybody. I'm new to the art of pointing a telescope by magic but have acquired a few bits of kit to start with. Perhaps if I ramble on a bit, I might give a few clues concerning what I need to do.
I acquired a Newtonian on a german mount, which I understand to be a CG5 or EQ5. This mount has been motorised on both axes using a Nexstar controller. It works OK as a GOTO system for visual use.
My intention is to control it from a Laptop rather than the little handset, and to autoguide it using a guidescope. Then, if it is steady enough, I can bother everybody with awkward questions about taking pictures . . . . .
However, two things are interfering with the masterplan. First, the only laptop I have is borrowed. I shall buy one in due course, but for now this is out. The borrowed one only runs Linux (debian)
Second, my mainframe (OK, Midi-tower) just went pop and is being replaced. If I have to spend money on Windows then I suppose I must, but astronomy will then be the only application on this platform. Everything else I do avoids Microsoft like the plague. Therefore, instead of the new machine being dual-boot Win and Linux, I would prefer to keep it all Linux, as long as I can do my stargazing on the Linux platform.
Back to my GOTO , the motors both plug into a control box which is clearly home-brewed, but which I assume contains the motor control hardware. I haven't dismantled it to see inside - yet. This box has a number of sockets: one each for RA, Dec, handset and one labelled Aux. RA is a round plug/socket with about 8 pins, of a type I am not familiar with. (With which I am not familiar, for the purists) whereas Dec, HS and Aux are all RJ12 sockets (at least, they are all the same and they are all RJ something). I decided that the most likely way forward (now tell me I'm wrong) was to get hold of a GPUSB, which I have done, and to plug it into the Aux socket (which I dare not) in the hope that it will work the required miracle.
I then downloaded and installed wxAstroCapture (Linux version ) on the little laptop, intending to use GPUSBcheck to see if it will work the motors. Then I realised that this software is for Windows only, as far as I can see.
So how can I check if wxAC will successfully drive this mount?
Anyone who has bothered to read this far now knows all I know and probably a lot more. I would appreciate any suggestions, especially if those using Linux can help me avoid an expensive purchase of Win7.
TIA
Richard
I acquired a Newtonian on a german mount, which I understand to be a CG5 or EQ5. This mount has been motorised on both axes using a Nexstar controller. It works OK as a GOTO system for visual use.
My intention is to control it from a Laptop rather than the little handset, and to autoguide it using a guidescope. Then, if it is steady enough, I can bother everybody with awkward questions about taking pictures . . . . .
However, two things are interfering with the masterplan. First, the only laptop I have is borrowed. I shall buy one in due course, but for now this is out. The borrowed one only runs Linux (debian)
Second, my mainframe (OK, Midi-tower) just went pop and is being replaced. If I have to spend money on Windows then I suppose I must, but astronomy will then be the only application on this platform. Everything else I do avoids Microsoft like the plague. Therefore, instead of the new machine being dual-boot Win and Linux, I would prefer to keep it all Linux, as long as I can do my stargazing on the Linux platform.
Back to my GOTO , the motors both plug into a control box which is clearly home-brewed, but which I assume contains the motor control hardware. I haven't dismantled it to see inside - yet. This box has a number of sockets: one each for RA, Dec, handset and one labelled Aux. RA is a round plug/socket with about 8 pins, of a type I am not familiar with. (With which I am not familiar, for the purists) whereas Dec, HS and Aux are all RJ12 sockets (at least, they are all the same and they are all RJ something). I decided that the most likely way forward (now tell me I'm wrong) was to get hold of a GPUSB, which I have done, and to plug it into the Aux socket (which I dare not) in the hope that it will work the required miracle.
I then downloaded and installed wxAstroCapture (Linux version ) on the little laptop, intending to use GPUSBcheck to see if it will work the motors. Then I realised that this software is for Windows only, as far as I can see.
So how can I check if wxAC will successfully drive this mount?
Anyone who has bothered to read this far now knows all I know and probably a lot more. I would appreciate any suggestions, especially if those using Linux can help me avoid an expensive purchase of Win7.
TIA
Richard