Raspberry Pi and TheSkyX: Part 2!

Well I thought Part 2 was going to be way more complicated, but hold on to your hat, because the folks at Software Bisque just made it easier!

The latest release for TheSkyX for Raspberry Pi has finally put it all together…automagically! The new release sets up everything, including a hotspot…headless from the get go. All you have to do is join the network it creates and you are off and running. You have several options of control: VNC, web page, or via TheSkyHD for iPad. My preference is connecting my iPad to the hotspot, then VNC…voila.

Example of the web page access. Just connect to the same network as broadcasted from the RPi, and login.

I reconfigured the default password, and gave a unique name for the SSID. I also set the startup to the desktop, vice TheSkyLTI, which is default.

Changed default to start up in desktop mode. Once you have configured in TheSkyX Pro, changing back to the TheSkyLTI would be a good idea.

From here, I followed my steps from part 1, configuring GPS. You will need to be connected to the internet. Just connect your RPi to your router via ethernet during the setup process. Once all this is done, you won’t need internet connection anymore. The GPS will now keep your RPi on time!

From part 1, I have now installed a stand off so the GPS module can be secured inside the case. I soldered the connections, and modified the case to be able to attach an external active antenna.

Now for the fun part! Launch TheSkyX professional version. Configure all of your settings and equipment as normal, and set your location. You’ll know exactly where you are at from that GPS…and what time it is! Time to get…imaging!

Showing TheSkyX Pro running on the RPi 3. I’m also running gpsmon in the foreground so I can cut and paste my location. LAT and LONG obscured for privacy.

Everything connected and good to go from LTI…green light!

I would now recommend a dry run with all your equipment attached in TheSkyX Pro. Make sure you can connect to your mount and control it. Test out connecting to your imager and adjust temperature settings or filters. Test out your focuser, and make sure you can control via the software. Once your are happy that everything is connecting and communicating, I would try out TheSkyLTI. This version is very good at making things easy to get imaging. Once you have verified everything is “in the green”, get ready to image.

When outside and setting things up for a night of imaging, LTI is very useful for setting you up for success! Once you have connected to everything, run the wizards, which are laid out in the order you need to get things going. From getting a good polar alignment, to getting focused, to building a T-point model, you will be imaging from what I truly believe is the ultimate portable imaging platform!

Below are examples that were taken during live imaging runs…you are seeing raw CCD frames and LTI in action!