NINA/ASCOM: Connect your ZWO AM5 Wirelessly

Tonight's test with the ZWO AM5 mount: run a virtual USB server from a Raspberry Pi and connect wirelessly to the AM5 from my Windows machine running NINA/ASCOM. The VirtualHere server is running on the Raspberry Pi, with the ZWO AM5 mount connected via USB The VirtualHere Client, running on my Windows astro controller, creates a standard COM port for the connected device (AM5). The ZWO AM5 ASCOM driver connects normally, and everything functions as if the AM5 is plugged directly into the Windows computer.

See my older post on this--connecting the Sky-Watcher EQ6R-Pro: Connecting your astro devices without cables

I'm using a VirtualHere server  (https://www.virtualhere.com)

Don at Novaspirit Tech has a great video, walking through the complete setup on the Pi, using Linux on both ends, but it works basically the same with Windows on the client side. (https://youtu.be/I5zA1lU5Tw0). VirtualHere has servers for just about every OS and hardware combination imaginable, and clients for MacOS, Linux, and Windows. Whatever you're running, it's probably supported. 

UPDATE: I ran an entire night with this setup and ran into an issue about midway through. The virtual USB port inexplicably closed at about the five-hour mark. I have a licensed version installed, so I don't think this is a trial version limitation. I haven't updated the client or server side since I used this setup with the EQ6R-Pro. I reconnected, and everything ran fine after that, but the last thing any of us wants to introduce into the system is unpredictability, so I will have to dig into the cause before trying again.

Posted August 31, 2022

A Long Night of Single-target Hydrogen-alpha Imaging

Five hours of narrowband data right there. This is what 61 x 5-minute exposures will get you through a 3 nanometer Hydrogen-alpha filter--when you algorithmically stack them all together. NGC 7822 is a star forming region in Cepheus, including the emission nebula Cederblad 214, Sharpless 171 and the star cluster Berkeley 59. Apparently this outrageously cool nebula doesn't have a common name, which just doesn't make sense. This should totally be called the Laughing Skull Nebula—or something even better. Missed opportunity right there. Unfortunately, I don't have the authority to make these names... or do I? Okay, while we're at it, see that small squarish cloud structure near the bottom (with two dark eyes and a nose), left of that bright star, which is labeled HR 9094 by the way? That little nebula that looks like it's peeking out of a pocket, is now called the Meerkat of Eternity.

Posted August 30, 2022

After a week of clouds, the skies are clear enough for imaging

Right now, I'm in the middle of a 70 x 240 second Ha imaging run of sh2-157, the Lobster Claw Nebula in Cassiopeia and crossing the border into Cepheus. (I shot this with a Sony A7s, Zeiss Batis 40mm f/2 CF, 15 sec exposure, ISO 1600). That bright star in the center (out of focus—bokeh) is actually Jupiter.

Another one of the astro setup, this time with an Air Force tanker cruising in for a landing at Pease, just outside Portsmouth, in the background. (I think it was a tanker, going by the sound because I couldn't actually see anything but the lights. Pease is home to the 157th Air Refueling Wing).

I finished up the Lobster Claw Sunday night with some 3 nanometer Oxygen3 data. The Lobster Claw (Sh2-157), the Bubble Nebula, and so much more, extending over the border from Cassiopeia into Cepheus. The squarish bright region, Sh2-157a, at the joint of the top bluish arc of the Claw is a denser emission structure surrounding the Wolf Rayet star WR-157. The Bubble Nebula is middle top (NGC 7635, Sharpless 162, Caldwell 11), and the bright emission region below and to the right is NGC 7538. That cluster of stars above the Bubble Nebula is Messier 52 (M52). The Lobster Claw Sh2-157 is about 8000 lightyears away.

Posted August 28, 2022

Power & Control for the ZWO AM5

I am using a fanless Windows 10 machine and a Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox to run my ZWO AM5 mount. Both of these are mounted to a SmallRig cheese plate with 3M Command Strips (I like these better than Velcro).

MeLE Quieter2Q Fanless Windows 10 PC with J4125 CPU, 8GB RSM 128GB Storage
https://amzn.com/dp/B08ZXXJL6N 

Pegasus Pocket Powerbox
https://pegasusastro.com/products/pocket-powerbox 

SmallRig Multi-Functional Cheese Plate
https://amzn.com/dp/B019C2ZM8Q 

Sprig Cable Management Device
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1632736-REG 

SVBONY Dovetail Base 32mm wide
https://amzn.com/dp/B07MR35HML 

Posted August 23, 2022

Bad-weather Build: thin film dew heating strips

I have been thinking about a low-profile method for warming up the main scope and guide scope, and Polyimide film heaters seem like the perfect candidate. They're very thin, adhesive backed, and come in voltages (12v dc) and max output wattage that seem perfect for dew control. These aren't new in astrophotography. I know ZWO uses a Polyimide heating ring dew heater for the front of their cooled cameras, and I am pretty sure Deep Sky Dad uses similar film heating for the built in dew control on the motorized telescope cover and controllable flat panel available for some William Optics, Takahashi, and Askar scopes.

The build for this is relatively simple. I cut up an old stereo + video RCA cord, using the red and white male end audio jacks. I soldered the two leads from the jacks to the two leads from the heater film, covered the splice with shrink tubing, and that's it. I plugged both into the Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox to get a sense of where to set the PWM dial for best dew control results. It turned out to be quite a bit lower than expected.

CAUTION: The dew heating range in the Pocket Powerbox is 0 to 255, and I normally run my dew strips somewhere near maximum. You have to be careful with the Polyimide film though, because these generate a lot more heat, maybe enough to damage some scopes. After a couple tests, it seems like a range of 30 to 75 works. The next step is more testing--soon as the night skies clear up!

Posted August 21, 2022

Just doing a little weekend astrophotography

Actually, I'm just taking pictures of my gear because the evening weather is foul. But if it was clear, this is what I would be using to capture the night sky.

 

Posted August 20, 2022

Still Testing the AM5

Here's the Tulip Nebula (Sh2-101), top center, and some of the surrounding cloud structure in Cygnus. This is 23 x 240 second (4 minute) exposures in Hydrogen-alpha (6nm Astronomik narrowband filter), no calibration frames. I'm still testing out the new ZWO AM5 mount, and the Tulip is a nice deep sky target for Ha. Gear notes: William Optics SpaceCat 51 Apo refractor, ZWO ASI1600MM-Pro cooled monochrome camera.

Posted August 20, 2022

ZWO AM5 Tips

1. The ASI Mount mobile app is a tool you should explore - I installed the ASI Mount app on my iPhone a week before the mount arrived (yeah, I was a bit excited). ZWO provides the application tools you need to configure your AM5 and keep its internal software (firmware) up to date. Use the ASI Mount app on your iPhone, iPad, Android phone, or tablet to set or adjust the AM5's home position and other settings. The app is built around a beautiful night sky observation view with full search functions, using your location to show what’s above you at the moment. Seriously, take a few minutes to check out the sky in the ASI Mount app, zoom in, find your favorite deep sky targets. A really impressive amount of design and engineering went into this. To use the app, plug in the hand controller, connect to the AM5’s wifi hotspot, named AMH_xxxx where xxxx will be an ID or random number for your mount. Links: Android (Google Play: https://bit.ly/3T29A5l), iPhone, iPad (https://apple.co/3dFhn8W) 

2. Two words: cable management - watch your loose cables on the AM5. This is a very compact and powerful mount—always keep the power of this mount in mind. There are no clutches to slip. The gearing is always engaged, and if you snag your camera’s USB and power cables on the altitude adjustment knob, the mount can easily pull those out. If you don’t have fancy cable clips, I always recommend picking up a roll of 1 inch wide gaffer tape—I mean the more expensive cloth stuff that will hold things down but won't leave any residue. Get the real thing, not the cheap stuff. I use gaffer tape to hold cables together, to tape cables to the mount or the side of a camera. It's as permanent as you want it to be, holding whatever you need to hold until it's time to tear down your gear. Then it just peels away, and you can reuse it. There are many sources for this, but here’s what I have purchased from Amazon: https://amzn.com/dp/B00DVCFFI6 

3. Start with a clean slate for guiding - In PHD2, in the ASIAir app, or whatever app you’re using for guiding in your astrophotography system, begin your first session by clearing the calibration. Slew to a nice star near the meridian and about halfway toward the zenith. The ideal point is where the meridian meets the Celestial Equator. (If you are in the northern hemisphere slew to the southern meridian; in the southern hemisphere slew to the north). Run calibration in your autoguiding application or application module—let it run and build up the data to tune your system for better guiding. It takes a few minutes away from imaging, but in my experience, it’s always worth it. 

4. The ZWO AM5 community and ZWO product information - There is already a lot of information out there, and the experiences with the AM5 grow every day. If you use Facebook, I highly recommend joining the ZWO AM5 Mount Users Group (https://bit.ly/3QCem7S). There are new posts of set ups, AM5 questions, with a lot of participation from the community. Or go to the source: ZWO has produced a full AM5 manual as well as quick guides for general operations and other products, which you may also have. Take some time to review the AM5 page on the ZWO site (https://bit.ly/3NVBufW). As of this writing, there are 131 items on the AM5 Q&A page, and the product page itself is long, with mount specifications, information on strain-wave gearing, periodic error measurements, mount features, mechanical diagrams, and more. For those who want to dig into their AM5’s periodic error report, “10 Things to Know About the PE Test Report” (https://bit.ly/3NmOzPk). And here's the ZWO Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAmDsyAh8Y0BeCN2Gs5pxrg  

Posted August 18, 2022

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