ASIAIR v2.4.2 has been released!: Page 11

ASIAIR v2.4.2 has been released!

Corsair

Well I've decided to take the plunge and updated my ASIAIR Pluis 32GB model from app-firmware 2.1-10.74 to app-firmware 2.4.3-12.xx (not sure of the last two digits right now). So big update for me.

I only do unguided EAA using Live Mode for Live Stacking (so my experience will be different but there will be areas of overlap).

I have C8 SCT with f/6.3 Reducer, HEQ5 Pro Mount, and an ASI294MC Pro camera (cooled to 0°C). I'm in the Southern Hemisphere and have a view of the SCP so have not turned on the option to use All Star Polar Alignment nor have I turned on the option to use New Plate Solve.

My process for updating the ASIAIR was as follows:

Disconnect everything from the ASIAIR
Connect power to ASIAIR
Turn on ASIAIR and wait for a minute or two
Connect to ASIAIR Wi-Fi with my phone
Launch ASIAIR App (2.1) on my phone and connect to the ASIAIR
Go to the "i" menu (I think) and choose the option to Reset Firmware. Confirm this reset of the ASIAIR Firmware back to it's original, old, firmware.
Once the reset is done - click Next but don't upgrade yet. Exit the ASIAIR App on the phone and close the app. Leave ASIAIR itself turned on.
Complete uninstall the ASIAIR App from phone (I went to the settings for the App, cleared cache, cleared storage, then uninstall).
Shut down phone (not restart). Wait 10 seconds. Turn phone back on.
Install latest ASIAIR App (2.4.3) from Play Store. After install - check to make sure auto-update of the ASIAIR App is turned off.
Don't connect to ASIAIR Wifi yet but Launch the ASIAIR App on the phone. I allowed access to location information for the app. Tapped on location info (not Enter Device) to check location info was correct. Good to see that you can edit location information here. Confirmed the info then tapped Enter Device. Waited for it go through the inital unpacking process before showing the screen that it couldn't connect to the ASIAIR. Exit the App. Close the app.
Connect to ASIAIR Wifi on phone.
Launch the ASIAIR App and connect to the ASIAIR. Upgrade the firmware.

14. Important step: around 35% it appeared to hang but what actually happened was the ASIAIR had to restart. When this happened - my phone connected to my home Wifi. So I waited for a 5 minutes or so - swipped down from the top of my phone and tapped on the WiFi icon to change the WiFi network from the home WiFi to the ASIAIR WiFi.

When connection was established the ASIAIR upgrade automatically refreshed to show the firmware upgrade was successful.
Confirmed it and checked I could launch the app properly and connect to the ASIAIR etc etc.
Went to the menu in the ASIAIR and chose the shutdown option.
Exited the app and closed it off.
Waitied 5 minutes before powering off the ASIAIR.

Will test it when I next get the chance.

azskyguy

Just for version 2.4.4 for iOS. Says all known bugs were fixed. Installed it and will try next clear night. I have my doubts 'all bugs are fixed', but would be thrilled if plate solves and meridian flips finally work again.

gm6wS8xS

azskyguy

the binaries for platesolving (from Astrometry.net) has changed

franco

fA426YZQ You can just mirror your phone to a smart TV.

I hate VNC - well actually I use it all the time for work but I hate trying to run it on a tablet or phone. I too have tried StellarMate on my Pro but the hardware is too slow and the wifi is crappy, so I bought an OrangePI and put StellarMate on that. I added USB wifi with a big antenna and not had of the reconnects that you often get with AsiAir, I also have the AA mini and that's got better wifi than the Pro but not by much. Only problem with StellarMate is having to use a dummy HDMI because the VNC session is the desktop server, and the OrangePI will not start X with it plugged in. And the other problem with StellarMate is the app - which to me is the whole point of these astro controllers - it's just too cluttered and the icons and buttons are tiny, plus it's still in beta release after many years. I have to say the ToupTek AstroVita app looks very promising, could be just what I'm looking for!

Luxo

be careful - you might not like the ToupTek AstroVita - it too is a buggy, incomplete, and poorly tested solution- arguably worse than the ZWO ASIAir.

Out of the box the initial experience was really awful - so bad I was on the brink of throwing it in the trash. However after installing the latest update and a cold shutdown/reboot it worked well enough, to the extent that I managed a session:

WiFi worked OK with my iPhone, didn't drop the connection;
it communicates successfully with my mount, cameras and focuser, but not the CAA;
plate-solving works;
polar alignment worked;
auto-guiding works and is stable; guiding performance looks a bit better than ASIAir guiding;
imaging worked well enough.
meridian flip works and it finds a guide star, restarts guiding and imaging.

There are lots of little uglinesses like controls in the UI that either don't seem to work (no code behind them) or worse, do something unexpected (and clearly wrong). So it too is very much an incomplete "work in progress" with poor quality assurance (none, really).

But - and it's a big B.U.T. I was able to get useable subs from my first session with it. Which is more than I can say for versions 2.4.x of ASIAir.

Of course it has turned cloudy here today so no more for a few days.

franco

Luxo thanks for the heads-up, I was hoping for something a little better. ToupTek know the standard of the competition so you would have thought they would want to make a good impression, especially as they are already on version 2.

IyicJ98s

Hello, I'm also having issues with guiding with the new versions (2.4.2 and 2.4.3). I have checked logs at the exact time one of guiding disruptions happened and there is just nothing there. Log looks like this:
...
4865,2491.291,"Mount",-0.007,0.199,-0.198,0.020,0.000,0.000,0,,0,,,,3781,42.19,0
Guiding Ends at 2025-09-27 10:24:27

Guiding Begins at 2025-09-27 11:54:21
...

Nothing in the autorun log either, this happened in the middle of an exposure which went ahead as usual just without guiding. The start of guiding 1.5 hours later was me connecting to ASIAIR and pressing guide button (it was just looping). Thinking about restoring ASIAIR firmware to factory version if this does not get fixed soon :/

franco

Tested 2.4.4 (12.63) and can confirm the planet stacking and editing now works.

The odd looking histograms when in video mode still persist.

Luxo

gm6wS8xS
Really ? How did you know that ?

azskyguy

Is that good? I hope so. Clear tonight so will see how plate solving and meridian flips go. If this is another horrible release I'm going to drop ZWO. There's something wrong when a company stops communicating with customers and issues several bad releases in a row?

viperduude

viperduude I used a different AA+ with same cables and guiding never dropped. It seems my "guiding to looping" issue is with that AA+ unit.

gm6wS8xS

Luxo

I unzipped the firmware update archive in the app bundle and looked at the debian package in it, then the changed binaries.

givoly

PMTeam@ZWO So what is the recommended gain for the ASI585mc Air? Should it be sent ideally to 200? Under what circumstances what gain should be used? It would be helpful to have recommendations for this, in general.

flappah

givoly afaik this depends on the software you’re using. If you use the ASIAIR or ASIStudio latest versions then gain is to be set to 200 for HCG. If you’re using the Ascom drivers it’s still 252. Unless there’s a new ascom driver update I’m not aware of.

Steden

I've not been able to get the rotate function to work, both that and the frame button are greyed out in the sky atlas.

I have tried something I saw online about taking a preview image, plate solve then sync mount but its still greyed out.

Luxo

Version 2.4.4. has issues, see post #49 at https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/973090-asiair-242-beta-is-available-for-testing/page-3

Regarding GOTO with plate solving never finishing, I experienced that too with 2.4.2; GOTO with platesolving is broken in that it never completes.

As gm6wS8xS noticed, you have changed the binary for platesolving and in the process you have broken it.

For the bazillionth time STOP CHANGING STUFF THAT WORKED.

malc

After weeks of problems, and using ASIAIR v 2.4.3 on my Android phone I was able to get a good imaging run last night, 19-360sec lights before thick fog put paid to it. Calibration, DEC Duration & RA Duration on ASIAIR are 2000, 2000, 2000 by default. I chaged these to Calibration=600, Max DEC Duration = 450, Max RA Duration = 450, and also Guide Camera Gain to 200. Platesolve took around 3 seconds and guiding was almost instant. I’m slightly in disbelief, it will be several days here before weather clears sufficiently for another night of tests. In also upgraded my PC from Windows 10 to 11 yesterday, and installed ASIAIR plus camera drivers. Tried Maxim DL6 (which was installed on the PC several years ago) and it recognised and opened the ASIAIR2600MM Air camera and guider though I haven’t yet tried a test run using it.

azskyguy

Tried version 2.4.4 last night. Meridian flips still fail. Sent logs to ZWO, but heard nothing back. Scope swings to the west properly, plate solves, then tries to acquire guide stars. That fails and it looks like tracking is off, because as I watch the guiding camera the stars are slipping away. I'm on an AM3 mount, with the ZWO rotator. I'm stumped. I think it's a software issue. Guiding is perfect to the east. A disaster to the west. ZWO is unresponsive. Tried to log on to their new and unneeded site, but it wouldn't let me, insisting I check off the privacy and rules box, but none appears for me to check off.

ZWO seems to be headed downhill rapidly, taking their customers along with them.

« Previous Page