PRE-REQUISITES

In order to use the EQMOD software with your mount you will need:
Included in the EQASCOM distributable is a telescope simulator that allows you to evaluate the EQMOD applications without needing a connection to a real mount. In order to use the EQMOD Simulator you only need:

Mount Types Supported:


RA Gear Teeth RA Gear Ratio Microsteps per RA Revolution Microsteps per Worm Revolution Resolution (arcsecs) MicroSteps
Skywatcher / Orion
EQ3-2 + Synscan Upgrade Kit 130 715:1 4576000 35200 0.283217 32
NEQ3/HEQ3 Synscan130715:14576000352000.28321732
SkyView Pro + Synscan Upgrade Kit144704:1450560031288.890.28764232
SkyView Pro EQ144704:1450560031288.890.28764232
EQ4 + Synscan Upgarde Kit (EQ5) 144 704:1 4505600 31288.89 0.287642 32
EQ5 + Synscan Upgrade Kit 144 704:1 4505600 31288.89 0.287642 32
EQ5 Synscan144705:1450560031288.890.28764232
HEQ5 + Synscan Upgrade Kit135705:1902400066844.440.14361764
HEQ5 Syntrek 135705:1902400066844.440.14361764
HEQ5 Synscan (Orion Sirius)135705:1902400066844.440.14361764
EQ6 +Synscan Upgrade Kit
EQ6Pro Syntrek 180705:1902400050133.330.14361764
EQ6Pro Synscan (Orrion Atlas) 180 705:1 9024000 50133.33 0.143617 64
NEQ6 180 705:1 9024000 50133.33 0.143617 64
EQ6-R PRO180720:19216000512000.14062564
AZ-EQ6GT  (Orion Atla Pro AZ/EQ-G)180720:19216000512000.14062564
AZ-EQ5GT  (Orion Sirius Pro AZ/EQ-G) - see note below135405:1 5184000 384000.2564
EQ8 (Orion HDX110 EQ-G)435435:111136000256000.11637964
EQM-35 Pro180360:14608000256000.2812564
AzGTi - see note below1442073600144000.0625
Avalon Instruments
M-Uno Fast Reverse Single Fork Arm EQ180705:1902400050133.330.14361764
Linear Fast Reverse EQ180705:1902400050133.330.14361764
Vixen


Vixen GPDX fitted with Synscan Upgrade Kit (EQ5)144704:1450560031288.890.28764232
Vixen SP fitted with Sysncan Upgrade kit (EQ5)144704:1450560031288.890.28764232

Note: The Orion Atlas EQ-G is the same mount as the EQ6 Pro, the Orion Sirius EQ-G the same as the HEQ5. In different countries the branding/ designations of these mounts may vary slightly - If in any doubt please consult the EQMOD Yahoo group for advice.

For the AZ-EQ5GT mount:
Total Steps: 5184000
Worm Steps: 38400
Tracking Offset:0
  • To use the internal USB port set the EQASCOM communications baud rate to 115200bps via the EQASCOM setup screen.
For the AZGTi mount:
  • You will need to download and install the skywatcher EQ mode firmware to your AZ-GTi
  • You must set EQASCOM to use custom gear settings with the following parameters:
Total Steps: 2073600
Worm Steps: 14400
Tracking Offset:0

Other Mount Types:
Mount types other than those listed above may be made suitable for EQASCOM support either by:
  • fitting a synscan upgrade kit to your mount.
  • building your own EQASCOM compatible mount controller (see the AstroEQ project by Tom Carpenter for an example of how this can be achieved).
  • modifiying the EQASCOM source to interface with your mount's goto controller.

Mount Interface:
EQMOD talks to the mount by issuing comands to a serial port is connected, by a special cable to the mount hand controller port.  The PC may use an 'on-board' RS232 port, or a virtual port associated to a external USB serial adapter or Bluetooth interface.

Whilst the connector types used for your mount's handcontroller port may look like familiar 9-Way D RS232 or RJ45 Ethernet they are entirely proprietary in nature and standard "off the shelf" cables will not work and can 
damage the mount and/or the PC.

To interface the moun to the PC a specialist piece of hardware (EQDirect) is required to convert the output of the serial port to TTL levels on the appropriate connector pins
.

  

  • V3 SynScan "PC Direct" 
This handset feature was introduced with SynScan firmware release V3.21 and became stable by V3.25. It provides a communication path such that PC messages recieved by the synscan handcontroller are forwarded to the mount. Despite its inclusion PC-Direct mode remains 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 an ideal method for users to evaluate EQMOD control we would advise that for extended and/or unattended use one of the options below is adopted.
Mount interface units can be built yourself if you have basic soldering experience.
For those not confident in building their own, or who prefer the peace of mind of purhasing a ready made tested unit, RS232, USB and Bluetooth EQDIRECT units (often named EQDIRs) are offered by several vendors worldwide. Please double check with your vendors that the cable you are purhasing is specifically for astronomical use only and is suitable for your mount type.


Interface TypeProsCons
EQDirect-USBStandard Interface for PC/Laptops
Easy to Self Build
Shortest comms latency (16ms transaction time - may increase if using ethernet extenders)
5m max cable lenght without USB repeater/hub/active cable/ethernet extender.
Potential for USB power/bandwidth issues if sharing with other USB devices  - Powered USB hub recomended.

EQDirect-232Long Cable Run
shortest comms latency (16mS transaction time)
Robust
PCs/Laptops may not provide inbuilt RS-232 port and so an additional USB/Serial adapter may be required. The EQMOD Yahoo group contains a list of USB to Serial convertors that are suitable for interfacing to RS232 type EQDIRECT interfaces.
EQDirect-BTNo wires!Longer comms latency (50mS transaction time)
Can be difficult to get windows drivers installed and working
Can be un-reliable in electrically noisy environments
PC-DirectEQDirect device not required - uses standard synscan handcontroller PE interface cable (firmware update cable).Longer comms latency (32mS transaction time); Undocumented handset feature - EQASCOM has not been specifically designed to us this interface.
Synscan firmware updates may affect operation.



Controller:
If you want to control the mount whilst at the eypiece, or when away from the PC a mount controller will be required. EQMOD allows numeric keypads, mice and game controllers to be used for this function. Also, by using third party software it can be possible to configure other devices, such as Wii controllers for this purpose (consult the EQMOD@groups.io for details on this). Generally most people find a wireless/wired gamepad an ideal mount controller.



Optional Extras:
Depending on your setup and individual requirements you may wish to consider:
  • GPS device with serial/USB interface. The EQMOD@groups.io contains a list of compatible devices.
  • Planetarium Software that supports the ASCOM telescope interface. Cartes du Ciel is highly recomended as a starting point.