Hello, there is a partial solution for working CGX & AsiAirPro… using the Starsense HC old version with serial RS-232 connector.
Last July 2021 I bought a Celestron CGX with AisiAir Pro (+ Asi 2600MC + Asi EAF + Asi EFW 7) … CGX alone works very well, but ASIAir Pro can’t detect the CGX.
Well, since 7 years ago I have been working with a Celestron CPC 800 and I like to use it with Starsense, the HC Starsense has old Serial Port RS-232 (no mini USB).
I started to do some test with de original HC CGX and with HC Starsense. I discovered that if I connect both HC to the CGX mount, the AsiAir Pro works very well. How:
0.- Turn off both the CGX Mout and ASiAir
1.- Connect HC Starsense to Aux 1 CGX
2.- Don’t connect the Starsense camera, I detected that its optional to connect the Starsense camera… you can or not use the Starsense camera, I don’t use it.
3.- Connect de HC Starsense serial to AsiAir pro with the convenient cables (RS-232 & adapter to USB)
4.- Connect original HC CGX to Aux2, don’t connect this HC to AsiAir Pro, don’t use cable mini USB from HC CGX to AsiAir
5.- Turn On CGX Mount, the Starsense will detect automatically the CGX Mount
6.- This step 6 should be developed only once time like my case because I come from using Starsense with CPC Alt-Az. I did the next 2 (a / b) steps the first time in HC Starsense,
a).- No matter the HC Starsense says “Waiting for camera…”, you press 7-Menu
b).- Scroll the options to “Hand Control”, press Enter, and scroll to “Use Profiles”… the scroll to “Save” and choose one “<UNUSED>” for adding the CGX profile
7.- Back to the main menu in the HC Starsense. Don’t do any Alignment in the HC Starsense.
8.- In original HC CGX proceed with “Quick Alignment”, Don’t do Polar Alignment with HC… and that’s it with this HC CGX.
9.- Turn On AsiAir Pro… wait few seconds
10.- Open the App AsiAir
11.- WOW!!!… Now you can see the CGX mount connected by Serial 9600.
12.- Once you can see CGX connect to AsiAir, In the HC Starsense, press 7 Menu and select “Telescope”, scroll to “Tracking Rate”, select it and it’s necessary to set 2 things:
a).- Rate: sideral
b).- RA Only
c).- When you input these 2 parameters, then the CGX Mount starts moving in sideral tracking, otherwise it remains static
13.- Now, you can manage the AsiAir & CGX with all the capabilities, including a perfect Solving and Polar alignment, fantastic.
I discovered this process by test and error, my conclusion is:
- You can connect 2 HC at the same time to Celestron Mount and the Mount can detect both HC… and work with both… why?, because during my testing, I update the firmware from CFM Celestron and at the same time the 2 HC (CGX and Starsese) were connected to the Aux Mount, and there was only connected to my LapTop the original HC CGX, and CFM detected both HC and update the firmware for both at the same time… you can imagine my surprise…
- I use the HC Satarsense only as By pass Connection from original HC CGX - Mount – AsiAir
- If my case, I don’t know why, but if I use only the HC Starsense connected to AsiAir and NOT connect and NOT use the HC CGX, All things work with AsiAir, but I have one problem with AsiAir: The Longitude Mount is different from actual Phone Longitude… with an average mistake of 180° (the Latitude was Ok)… I couldn’t solve this problem and I detected that this error was at the moment that I do any type of Alignment in HC Starsense, this is why I needed to use a 2nd HC (the original HC CGX), and with the Alignment from HC CGX both Longitude and Latitude were Ok.
- I think, you can use any Old HC Nextstar with Serial Port RS-232, only be sure that you update it with CFM to Equatorial mode and NO At-Az mode. Or even old HC Nextstar with mini USB with other Nexstar chip?
- I think this process could work with any Celestron AVX/CGE/CGEM/CGX-L Mounts
- When I would work HC Starsense with the CPC 800 Alt-Az I will select other Profile, the CPC and only Load CPC Profile in the HC Starsense main menu: “Hand Control/User Profiles/Load/CPC Series”
Note: Because the low noise level of the motors Mount, I bought a medical stethoscope for hearing if the RA motor was working… now the stethoscope is part of my Telescope accessories.
I hope the correct solution from ZWO for connecting direct HC CGX to AsiAir by mini USB-USB. But today (2021/August/13) I updated the new version App 1.7 and firmware 8.43 and it doesn’t work direct form HC CGX to AsiAir by mini USB - USB.
This is my 2 cts, and it worked for me… now I had my first night shooting to NGC 7000.
