Posts

PnP Focus: The simplest-ever Arduino focus controller

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PnP Focus: The simplest-ever Arduino focus controller I want to share with you the Arduino-based focus controller named "PnP Focus". As the name implies, I want it to be as easy as "Plug and Play". No soldering. No hassle with firmware upload. You simply 1) buy the readily available components, 2) stack them, and 3) upload the firmware by a single click. Features: - Manual control - LCD display - Temperature sensor - compatible with Moonlite ASCOM driver - compatible with commercially available focuser motors. I have tested with various motors from - Robofocus - Moonlite - USB_Focus All of them use the DB9 male connectors. See the wiring below. It also works with the popular DIY stepper motors: - 28BYJ-48  (5V and 12V) - 17HS13-0404S-PG27 (12V) Components required: 1) Arduino Leonardo board. ($5-$10) 2) Ardumoto L298P motor driver board ($9). Choose the board that use Pin 3, 11, 12, 13 for driving the motor. 3) 1602 LCD and keypad shield

PyTSX: Imaging automation for TheSkyX using Python

TheSky X by Software Bisque is capable to control the camera, autoguider, focuser, and mount. And the program also accepts commands via the TCP socket. There arises the possibility to fully automate the imaging equipment with a single click! Hence, I developed the automation program based on python 2.7. Python is used because it is portable and cross-platform. In windows, I recommend WinPython 2.7 for Windows. This program will perform 1) finding home 2) slewing to a target 3) autofocus 4) autoguiding 5) imaging with various combinations of filter slots, bins, and exposure time 6) dithering between frames 7) flipping the mount if crossing the meridian 8) parking mount 9) sending notification to your mobile device after completion via Pushover App. Need to set Pushover key/token in the program:     # Key/Token for Pushover notification (For more information, visit https://pushover.net/)     PUSHOVER_USER="YOUR_USER_KEY"     PUSHOVER_APP="YOUR_A

iAstroHub: IoT for Astrophotography

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iAstroHub is the world's first mobile and IoT platform for astrophotography. A user can interact with all astrophotography devices from any mobile device using only a web browser. iAstroHub is a software package embedded in ARM Linux platforms. This project has been developed on various platforms for more than 4 years as you see on the Cloudynights forum (Thanks to 1700+ posts and 220,000+ views ). https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/385710-piastrohub-raspberrypi-for-autoguidingdslrgoto/ https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/459674-iastrohub-tablet-astrophotography-comes-true/ https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/551998-iastrohub-30-iot-for-astrophotography/ Now, Raspberry Pi 3 (RPi3) is used for iAstroHub 3.0. Features: - only need a web browser on a mobile device to control everything! ( "i" stands for internet) - control an autoguider - control a DSLR camera (Canon, Nikon, and Pentax) - control DSLR setting and Liveview via qDslrDashboard - control a CCD camer