Astrofriend's homepage

www.astrofriend.eu
Share: Twitter Reddit Facebook Gmail Gmail Email
Search Astrofriend's homepage:

Valid CSS!

All pages shall now have been validated

Info Cookies (Kakor) / GDPR

Navigation

Advertisement /
Annons:

Twitter @AstrofriendLars

Follow Astrofriend

Photography News

Advertisement / Annons:

My astronomy project:
Building an astroserver with a Raspberry Pi4


Content:

  1. Introduction
  2. The passive cooler
  3. Formatting the microSD card and transfer of the mirror file
  4. Setup KStars and Ekos
  5. Setup INDI Control Panel 'Telescope simulator'
  6. Setup INDI Control Panel 'Canon DSLR'
  7. Battery test
  8. Indoor test of focus control
  9. Adding a GPS receiver
  10. First Light
  11. Setup as Hotspot controlled from a pad
  12. Setup drivers peripheral
  13. Serial ports handling
  14. Good to know commands
  15. To be continued

Related projects:

  1. HEQ5 as portable mount
  2. Pentax 645 300 mm ED IF f/4 lens
  3. KStars / EKOS and Raspberry Pi4

Note:
I take no responsibility or liability for what are written here, you use the information on your own risk!


11, Setup as a Hotspot and controlled from a pad:

Until now I have controlled the Raspberry through the LAN network, I always had my equipment on the balcony when I learn how to use this Raspberry and its Linux technique. My bigger APO refractor will be connect that way, but my smaller setup with my HEQ5 mount and a Pentax 645 300 mm lens is thought to be portable. Then I setup the Raspberry as a hotspot and control it from a LapTop or a Pad or even from the Smartphone.

You can follow these projects at these pages:


Setup the Raspberry as a Hotspot:

Raspberry Pi4 and Canon First Light

This isn't difficult because Astroberry is by default setup to work as a Hotspot. The SSID of it's Astroberry and by default the password is also Astroberry. In your web browser or even better VNC you set the IP address as astroberry.local. For me it doesn't always work, I have to set the IP address direct, by default in Hotspot mode the IP address is: 10.42.0.1.

The image above show how it looks when connected with a LAN cable, wired connection. The WIFI icon only appear when connected wireless.


Raspberry Pi4 and Canon First Light

I want to change the name and password for my Raspberry Hotspot. It could be that we are many people on a star meeting with the same kind of equipment. It will be chaotic, need to be different SSID and passwords. Sorry, image text partly in Swedish. Go to Setup>Advanced Network Configuration.


Raspberry Pi4 and Canon First Light

Highlight the Astroberry Hotspot, click on Setting icon below.


Raspberry Pi4 and Canon First Light

Type in a new name at the SSID row.


Raspberry Pi4 and Canon First Light

I gave the name astrofriend1.


Raspberry Pi4 and Canon First Light

I also change the default password to my own.


Raspberry Pi4 and Canon First Light

Save your new setting, before it take action I had to do a reboot of the Raspberry.

Note:
This new password is only used when log in to the WIFI Hotspot, all other are still the default Astroberry. Sometimes there could be a need to change the channel WIFI communicate through. That could also be setup here, now it use the standard channel.


Raspberry Pi4 and Canon First Light

From my smartphone and the app WIFI Analyzer I check that the new WIFI channel astrofriend1 is there.


Log in with a LapTop, Pad or Smartphone:

Raspberry Pi4 and Canon First Light

I plan to use my Pad to control the Raspberry out in the field. Very small but still a high resolution screen and the battery last for many hours and if needed I can charge it from my USB backup battery.


Connect/Change WIFI network:

Whatever device you use you must first connect it to the Hotspot, go to the setting and WIFI. Look after your Raspberry, in my case the new name "Astrofriend1". Connect to it and use your new password you created above. Now you are ready to connect to the Raspberry.


Connect to Hotspot Raspberry:

In your web browser or even better VNC you set the IP address as astroberry.local. For me it doesn't always work, I have to set the IP address direct, by default Raspberry in Hotspot mode have the IP address: 10.42.0.1. When you connect it will ask for the password. This isn't the new password, this is the default password Astroberry.

Raspberry Pi4 and Canon First Light

Setup VNC app for the default IP address of Raspberry or the the name of it: astroberry.local.

I have found that VNC Viewer is the app that works best for me on my Android Smartphone and Pad.


I have now tested the three devises I have and I made some comments here:

  1. Laptop:
    My LapTop is old, Windows 8 and 8GB RAM. The screen resolution is 1366x900. This LapTop is useless, the low resolution of the screen make it very difficult to see the KStars windows. But convenient to have a keyboard.

  2. Android Pad:
    This Pad has a high resolution screen, 1920x1200. Very easy to see details on the screen, even small text. But one big problem, there is no keyboard, of course. The overlay screen keyboard is difficult to get up on the screen. I think it's VNC that cause this problem, when I sweep to get it high lighted other things comes up. With another VNC app maybe it will be perfect.

  3. Smartphone:
    It has 128GB RAM and high resolution screen, 1920x1080 or maybe even more. I use this smartphone when I do some work on the telescope and camera. Mostly it's the focus of the guide camera, then it's very handy to see the stars i KStars window in the smartphone. Until I get the Pad to work better this is my best option. Who could believe that ?


Pad handle:

Raspberry Pi4 and Canon First Light

After some practice how to handle the Pad and KStars without a keyboard I got it to work very well. Most problem was it bring up the keyboard on the screen, the white list above. But once I for a glimpse get it up I can lock it on the screen with the pin, see arrow. I also tested to charge the Pad from my USB backup battery, it works that too.

Go Back to content

Go Back
To page XII

Advertisement / Annons: