PRE-REQUISITES

Included as part of the EQASCOM distributable is a telescope simulator. This allows you to evaluate the EQMOD applications without needing a connection to a real mount.

In order to use the EQMOD Simulator you will need:

In order to use the EQMOD software you will need:
Depending on your setup and individual requirements you may also need:
  • A USB to Serial convertor. The EQMOD Yahoo group contains a list of known compatible devices.
  • A joystick/Gamepad for manual control of the mount. EQMOD also supports the use of numeric keypads, mice and even Wii controllers for this purpose. Many people opt for a wireless gamepad.
  • GPS device with serial/USB interface. The EQMOD Yahoo group contains a list of compatible devices.
  • Panetarium Software that supports an ASCOM telescope interface.

Mount Types supported:
EQASCOM currently supports the following mount types:

Mount Type RA Gear Teeth RA Gear Ratio Microsteps per RA Revolution Microsteps per Worm Revolution Resolution (arcsecs) MicroSteps
EQ3-2 with Synscan Upgrade 130 715:1 4576000 35200 0.283217 32
EQ4 with Synscan upgarde (EQ5) 144 704:1 4505600 31288.89 0.287642 32
EQ5 Synscan 144 705:1 4505600 31288.89 0.287642 32
EQ5 with Synscan Upgrade 144 704:1 4505600 31288.89 0.287642 32
EQ6 Pro 180 705:1 9024000 50133.33 0.143617 64
EQ6 Syntrek (No Synscan) 180 705:1 9024000 50133.33 0.143617 64
EQ6 with Synscan upgrade 180 705:1 9024000 50133.33 0.143617 64
HEQ5 Pro  135 705:1 9024000 66844.44 0.143617 64
HEQ5 Syntrek (No Synscan) 135 705:1 9024000 66844.44 0.143617 64
HEQ5 with Synscan upgrade 135 705:1 9024000 66844.44 0.143617 64
NEQ3 Synscan 130 715:1 4576000 35200 0.283217 32
Orion SkyView Pro EQ 144 704:1 4505600 31288.89 0.287642 32
Orion SkyView Pro with Upgrade Kit 144 704:1 4505600 31288.89 0.287642 32

Note: The Orion Atlas EQ-G is the same mount as the  EQ6 Pro, the Orion Sirius EQ-G  the same as the HEQ5.


Ascom Platform:
The ASCOM platform must be installed. This is freely available for download from the ASCOM website.


Mount Interface:
EQMOD talks to the mount by issuing comands out of an RS-232 serial port connected to your PC. This may be an 'on-board' port or could be a USB to serial convertor.

The mount itself does not accept RS-232 level signals and so an additional piece of  hardware is required to convert the output of the serial port to TTL levels. There are a number of options available to do this.

  • SynScan "PC Direct" 
This "feature" was introduced into the SynScan formware with release V3.21 and provides a communicaiton path such that PC messages recived by the synscan are forwarded to the mount. The initial releases of PC-Direct mode had problems, particuarly with regard to loss of tracking, however these appear to have been addressed with the release of SynScan Version 3.25.  This said PC-Direct mode is an undocumented feature of the Synscan handcontroller and the EQMOD developers have no knowledge of how it works or of its limitations. We cannot therefore make any guarentees as to its operation with EQMOD which was designed only for direct connection to the mount. Whilst PC-Direct mode offers a means for users to try out the EQMOD applications we would advise that for extened use one of the options below is adopted, particularly if the mount is to be left unattended.
You can build your own convertor.
Ready made EQDIRECT units are offered by several vendors
If you have a Version 2 Synscan handcontroller then you could modifiy it to use it's on board components

The cabling between the USB-RS232 convertor / PC and the EQDirect should be a 'straight' RS232 cable. The Cabling between the EQDirect and Mount should be a 'straight' cable but the connector type may vary with different mount types.

TTL signaling is basically a circuit board level interface and is not intended for covering long distances so keep the connection form the EQDirect device to the mount short (a guide to the maximum length would be the length of the synscan-mount cable though we would recommend the shorter the better).

If using a USB EQDIRECT device the usb cable is limited to 5m .For longer lengths you either need an "active cable" or a hub (powered).

If you need to cover longer distances then use a USB-232 convertor at the PC but make sure it is a good one that suppies true +-9V RS232 signals - these are typically the more expensive types. Run a standard shielded RS232 cable to the mount and fit an EQDIRECT (232-TTL convertor) at the far end. As before keep the distance form the EQDirect to the mount short. RS232 should be good for up to 30 metres.