ASIAir Pro & CGX Mount Integration: Page 2

ASIAir Pro & CGX Mount Integration

Tech@ZWO

NorthernNeck1
Can you do this on a Windows PC? I think it is easier since you have difficulties with ApplePi Baker.

NorthernNeck1

@tech@zwo#48830 Surely the less burdensome approach would be for you to send this to me in the mail? Are you suggesting that I purchase a PC just in case it works to burn a single SD card to correct a software failure?

Timbo

NorthernNeck1 I am in the same situation as you are. I bought a brand new CGX Celestron mount as well. I am running into the exact same problem as you are. I have just been letting the ASI air pro run the camera only. Then I star align the mount (The ASI air plate solve works lots better than the Celestron star alignment from what I have found out so far ) and let them it track on its own. But I have not done any long exposure shots yet. Just now getting this situation to work. Another bad thing is I have no dithering now. I have not tried any longer exposure shots with the CGX on its own. I have just done about 30 to 45 second shots with a RASA8 inch. It seems to track well on very short shots.

w7ay

Timbo I bought a brand new CGX Celestron mount as well.

1) First confirm that your mount has the Prolific chipset. See post #51 of this thread:

https://bbs.astronomy-imaging-camera.com/d/12787-connecting-asiair-pro-to-celestron-evolution-mount/50

2) if it does, then the problem is simply the lack of the Prolific USB virtual serial port driver (the USB chipset inside the mount).

3) you can wait for ZWO to do a real ASIAIR app update that was promised for sometime this month. That update, as promised, will contain the Prolific driver, and when you update the firmware, your ASIAIR will be able to see the mount.

If you prefer not to wait, and you have a version 2 ASIAIR (the Raspberry Pi 4 based ASIAIR; ZWO calls it a "PRO"), you can fix it now by burning a new firmware image which ZWO had released as a temporary workaround to fix an "EQ6-R Mount problem." It is the same problem -- newer EQ6-R uses the Prolific chipset. To do that, download and burn the image that is mentioned in this link:

https://bbs.astronomy-imaging-camera.com/d/12655-how-to-connect-the-new-sky-watcher-eq6-r-pro-to-asiair

Not mentioned by ZWO is that this image will only work with version 2 of ASIAIR. It will not work with the original ASIAIR (the one that came in the Raspberry Pi red and white plastic box). Further, as the folks in the first link has found out, the "EQ6-R" image is also larger than 32 GB, and you will need a larger microSD card to burn that image into. 64 GB appears to work dandy for the people who participated in that thread (I recommend reading that thread carefully starting at post #51 -- the first success was reported in port #64, followed rapidly by the other two that were affected -- all three of them have working drivers today).

If you are using Apple Pi Baker to burn Raspberry Pi microSD cards, in addition to using a 64 GB microSD card, it was also advisable to first uncompress the RAR file (the one from the Google drive in the "EQ6-R" link from ZWO). After uncompression, you will have an IMG file (Disk Image). Point Apple Pi Baker to the IMG file. Apple Pi Baker does not reliably uncompress an RAR image on the fly. (The RAR is about 11 GB, and the IMG is about 32GB.) This was also discussed in post #76 and #77 in that same "51" thread.

As mention further down the "51" thread, be damn sure to use a microSD card that is larger than 32GB.

Chen

Timbo

w7ay Thanks for the quick response. If there is a new release going to be out this month I think I will just wait for it. Thank you very much I appreciate your time. The weather around here is very limited. Right now I don’t have any clear skies showing for about a week.

NorthernNeck1

w7ay But not too much larger than 32. I have tried with 128 and 264 and no luck. Will try 64 today.

Timbo

NorthernNeck1 the chip in my asiair pro is 32gb. Like everyone else. Does that mean I have to move everything to a 64gb chip? I was just going to wait for the app update? I love the asiair pro with my eq6 r pro. Works perfectly. Multi star guiding is very tight and dithering. Works like a champ

w7ay

NorthernNeck1 But not too much larger than 32. I have tried with 128 and 264 and no luck.

Raspberry Pi 4s take up to 2TB (1 TB is the largest I tried). You just need to format them properly.

Chen

w7ay

Timbo Does that mean I have to move everything to a 64gb chip?

No you don't. You only need to use a larger microSD card to burn the special ASIAIR firmware that has the Prolific driver. If you can talk to your mount, it has the FTDI chip, and you do not need to install the special firmware.

Future updates should also work with a 32GB card. They just screwed up when building the version for the Prolific chip.

Chen

Markd2k

NorthernNeck1;

I just received a ASIAir Pro that I intend to use with a CGX mount. However, I live near Portland OR, and the mount is currently in storage in AZ. I'm planning a trip to pick up the mount in a month or two.

I've seen reports on another forum that the largest micro SD card the ASIAir will support is 64GB.

I ordered a few 64GB micro SD cards on Amazon.com, and I'm expecting them to arrive this Saturday. I have the means to set up the ASIAir Pro firmware, with the Prolific driver, onto these SD cards.

I can test whether these cards are bootable on the ASIAir Pro, but I don't have any way to determine whether they address the issues of the AAP communicating directly with the CGX mount.

If you'll pay the cost of one of the micro SD cards, I'll be happy to send one of the programmed cards to you. Let me know if you want to do that, and a phone number or email address where I can contact you, and we can make arrangements.

Mark

Timbo

Markd2k I was under the impression from What w7ay said. The next firmware update would resolve the problem. I was told the new firmware version would be coming out in August presumably. So I was going to wait until the next firmware update comes out. I live in Missouri and the weather is looking poorly for the next week at least. Question, what would happen to this version when the next update version of the asiair app comes out? Does it overwrite your version? I have one ASI air pro that I run with an EQ6R pro mount right now and it works perfectly. So then I was going to order another ASI air pro to run with the CGX mount. Maybe I was under the wrong understanding about the updated app to be released in August

w7ay

Timbo Does it overwrite your version? I have one ASI air pro that I run with an EQ6R pro mount right now and it works perfectly.

When you download a new app from the App Store, the app also includes all the neccesary files to update the firmware (presumably including the Prolific driver this time). When you run the new app and connect to the ASIAIR hardware the first time, the app will detect that the existing firmware is not up to date, and ask for permission to update the firmware.

If you are using the ASIAIR as a Hotspot for your iPad (i.e., iPad connected directly to the ASIAIR WiFi network), keep the iPad no more than a foot or two away from the ASIAIR to maintain a solid connection, before telling it to go ahead and update the firmware.

So yes, it will overwrite your existing microSD card (or, at least portions of it).

It is worth backing up the microSD card before downloading the new App; a backup copy is the fastest way to recover from a failed firmware update.

The "August" date is claimed in Post #2 of this thread.

https://bbs.astronomy-imaging-camera.com/d/12980-latest-162-errors-in-polar-alignment-routine/2

They didn't say August of which year, however.

Chen

Markd2k

Timbo;

My cost for the micro SD cards was $15 each. I offered to make one available to NorthernNeck1, at cost, so I could get some "read" on whether that version resolved the issue of the AAP talking directly to the CGX mount. Because, while I have do have an AAP, my CGX is halfway across the country right now.

As I understand it, the addition of the "Prolific USB serial port driver" won't replace the existing driver that is working with your EQ6R now.

I'd be happy to make one of these programmed 64GB micro SD cards available to you, and your could swap it out with the 32GB card in the AAP you have now. If you ran into any problems with it, you could put the 32GB card back in, and restore your AAP back to the state it was in before testing the 64GB card.

Let me know if you'd like to do that.

Mark

Timbo

Markd2k I really appreciate the offer. But I think I will just wait for the next asiair pro app update. I think I will go ahead and order another asiair pro as well. Weather shows bad for at least a week here and then moon. Again I appreciate the offer. Thanks, I’ll be glad when all this is resolved.

Markd2k

All;

Unless your microSD card is trashed (so that the ASIair PRO device won't boot), there's no need to use a computer to program a 32GB or 64GB card with updated firmware. Whenever you have the latest Android or iOS ASIAIR app installed on your mobile device, the app will automatically update the firmware on your AAP (ASIair PRO) device.

I just got my ASIair PRO fired up for the first time. I initially connected to the device from the ASIAIR app running on my iPhone, by setting the iPhone Wifi to the "Hot Spot" presented by the ASIAir Pro device. When I did that, the ASIAIR app on my iPhone immediately upgraded the firmware on my AAP device with the latest version of the firmware: 1.6.2 (8.11).

According to the recent posts on this forum, the 1.6.2 firmware version includes the "Prolific USB serial driver" needed to run recently manufactured EQ6-R and CGX mounts that have the Prolific brand USB-to-Serial interface chips instead of the FTDI chips.

I now am running the current Android ASIAIR app on my MacBook Pro, via BlueStacks Android emulator. I'm connecting the ASIAIR app to the ASIAir Pro through a wired ethernet router. That allows me to keep my MacBook Pro connected to the ethernet through my home WiFi network.

I tried connecting through the AAP "Station Mode" configuration, but didn't work because my WiFi router is too far away from where I'm working on my AAP device.

If your AAP device has the v 1.6.2 firmware, and you have a CGX mount, I would very much like to know if your AAP device can control your CGX mount through a direct connection, rather than connecting through the hand-control. Particularly... can you let the AAP device control your mount while you perform Polar Alignment, and can you perform "dithering" under AAP control?

Thank you

Mark

Markd2k

w7ay... Chen;

Assuming W7AY is your amateur radio call, it looks like we're neighbors. My call is AD7EF... I live in Oregon City.

As I mentioned in a post earlier this evening, my AAP device was updated to v1.6.2 (8.11) when I first tried to access it with the most recent iOS ASIAIR app on my iPhone, a few hours ago.

Do you know if the v1.6.2 (8.11) firmware contains the "Prolific..." drivers?

Just in case it doesn't, I'm downloading the ASIAIR_Pro_0806_OS.zip "special ASIAIR OS image" file now.

Depending on your feedback, I'll program the 64GB micro SD cards I'm expecting later this week with the "special ASIAIR OS image" file.

Do you have a CGX mount, or do you know of anyone in the Portland metro area who does? I'd sure like to know if the firmware with the "Prolific..." drivers properly controls this mount through a direct connection (not through the HC)

Mark - AD7EF

w7ay

Markd2k Do you know if the v1.6.2 (8.11) firmware contains the "Prolific..." drivers?

No, it does not. That is why ZWO released the "EQ6-R" firmware:

https://bbs.astronomy-imaging-camera.com/d/12655-how-to-connect-the-new-sky-watcher-eq6-r-pro-to-asiair

It is simply the 8.11 firmware build, with the addition of the Prolific driver. See this thread (starting at post #51) for the NexStar "Prolific problem."

https://bbs.astronomy-imaging-camera.com/d/12787-connecting-asiair-pro-to-celestron-evolution-mount/51

Post #64 of that thread points to the "EQ6-R" firmware as the solution.

All that a Prolific based EQ6-R or NexStar needs to work is to use the "EQ6-R" firmware. The only problem is that ZWO did not do a proper size build, so you need to use a bigger microSD card than 32GB. 64GB, 128 GB and 256 GB cards all work fine (as long as you format the cards first as ExFAT.) So, you cannot just burn an existing 32GB card.

This is how you can copy a new Prolific driver to an existing 32GB card:

https://gist.github.com/timucingelici/217ac492bc2b127c6645ce033463d265

By the way, check clause 2.5 of the EULA (Service Agreements in the About window of ASIAIR app) before you send a microUSB card to someone else. I would ask permission first from ZWO.

73
Chen

Markd2k

Chen;

Since users on the "ZWO Official User Forum" are not subject to any confirmation, firmware images published on this site can't be considered private.

Certainly, ZWO places restrictions on dis-assembly and other efforts to reverse engineer these files, but these can only apply to the end-user.

I am not at all concerned about providing uncompressed copies of the "special ASIAIR OS image" files on a micro SD card to other users that clearly will be using them as ZWO intends them to be used.

Mark

w7ay

The iOS TestFlight version of ASIAIR 1.7 with firmware 8.43 is now up at the Apple TestFlight site.

(Prior public version of firmware was 8.11, first beta on July 1, 2021.)

If you have iOS TestFlight installed, just download the ASIAIR beta. And update the firmware, without worrying about the size of the microSD card.

Again, making a backup before installing new firmware will reduce the effort to revert the firmware in case you need to go back to the non-beta version.

During the beta period, expect both the build number of the ASIAIR app (currently at 3 for ASIAIR 1.7 beta) and firmware version to keep changing.

Chen

Markd2k

I downloaded the "special ASIAIR OS image" .zip archive file from the ZWO Official User Forum, and then unpacked the 32 GB "ASAIR_Pro_0806_OS.img" file from the .zip archive onto the desktop on my Windows 10 laptop. I then did an exFAT format on a new 64GB micro SD card, and used the "Win32DiskImager" utility to load the image onto the card.

Booting that card on my ASIair Pro device resulted in firmware version 8.24 being installed on the device. Connecting to that ASIair Pro from ASIair app version 6.1.2 (iOS or Android) results in a "App version is out of date" message, which I can dismiss by clicking on "Not Now".

Now, if I only had a CGX mount I could try it on. Is there anyone out there with a CGX or EQ6-R mount, that has the Prolific USB-to-Serial hardware, that would like to see if this version of the AAP firmware addresses the mount control issues?

At this point, I'd be willing to send a programmed micro SD to that person (or those persons) at no charge, just to see if it does allow a working direct connection to those mounts.

Mark

Herbert

Markd2k I mounted the image you mentioned on a micro SD card. Than booted my ASIAIR und let the update to the newest version run. The updated version also connects without problems to my CGX mount. Just for information.

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