nikonshooter Loc: Spartanburg, South Carolina

I have recently installed "TEAM VIEWER" on both my Imac (located inside) and my windows 10 laptop which will be with the scope outside.

My laptop has one USB 3 port so I bought a 5 slot hub (strapped to my tripod leg) and all of my USB cables run to that - then I have one cable to my USB 3 port on the laptop.

Both communicate through my home WIFI. Each computer has it's own ID and Password so setting up communication is a snap.

With the exception of having to go back outside to cover the scope for Darks and Bias frames - you can do everything from inside.

The use of TEAM VIEWER for personal use is free.

This is the link https://www.teamviewer.com/en-us/download/windows/

For my Atlas Pro, I use SKI FI (that sets up it's own wireless connection) and for my AVX I have SKY SYNC..... I can use both Starry Night and SKY Safari from my Ipad as well.

I feel like in am in the NASA control center.

Oknoder Loc: Western North Dakota

I love Team viewer, it took a bit to work out the kinks of it wanting to be connected to the internet through the network, but all and powerful google helped out learning how to bypass this feature. Best thing about T.V. is it is operational an all the differing OS options, as you noted.

As for not going out to take your flats, I have to shamelessly plug a company in my hometown which makes Alnitak flip flats, which is a El panel flat field and a motorized dust cover. I don't have one but they do look nice and an almost necessity for complete remote setups.

Matthew

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

Thank you for posting this Ed it's worth knowing about when I decide to setup inside.
The weather here is not that cold. Right now I enjoy being outside to do my Scope work.
Craig

nikonshooter Loc: Spartanburg, South Carolina

This is the first night I have been able to set up in a good while - over a week. Although the temps will only drop to the upper 20's...I will be glad I am not going to be spending a lot of time outside. Everything is remotely set up except focuser. I will polar align with polar scope, 2 star alignment, polar align with alignmaster two or three times, then a 3 star alignment and headed inside. I will have to take darks and bias after I am finished imaging.....then cover and take flats tomorrow morning. Excited! Like a kid when I get nights to do this!

Remote kit waiting for dark and clouds to move on.

(Download)

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

Sounds like a real plan Ed can't wait to see the results.
Craig

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

I have both TeamViewer 11 and TightVNC on both computers.
I prefer the Vnc.
I have had troubles with TV shutting down periodically to ask me if I wanted to buy it. :? Hell no I don't want to buy it.
When I caught wind of TightVNC, I tried it and don't often look back.
TeamViewer does transfer files much better. But I hate the nag business.

I think I ironed out an anomaly last night. I was getting drop out between the computers, I tried both programs.
Finally, I found by turning my outside laptop 90 degrees (So the screen faced the house) it was rock solid and fast.
Almost like the screen was a directional antenna for the WiFi inside the house.
After the turn, there was zero problems. And I saved my images remotely with no hitches.

I was wondering about putting my hub on the mount, and running a single USB cable to the laptop.
I'd still need my two power cables, or relocate my battery.

How long of a total USB do you use, Ed?
I've read 16' was the limit.

I think a single cable, and the hub at the mount makes more sense to me.

nikonshooter Loc: Spartanburg, South Carolina

I think it is 6 foot. My laptop is still pretty close to my kit. But my laptop didn't have enough USB 3 ports. Plus this really helps me manage the cables better. Glad you pointed me to TIGHT VNC. I will check that out too. Yep, Team Viewer does drop you and send the message, "play fair" implying that I'm not. Not a big deal...I just re-connect. I have to use two WIFI's. I use Team Viewer through my standard cable Wifi connection and SkyFi creates it's own wifi ...and I dial in using my laptop. I would like to figure out how to do everything using one or the other but not both.

I have been imaging M101 since 8 pm EST.....400 second F/10, ISO 400 .....I really stumbled into a "spot on" polar alignment for a change. I am getting less than .30 arc min peak to peak. I started out taking 90 second images at ISO 3200 but with that kind of tracking I decided to see if I could clean up my data with a lower ISO. I am going to image 5 hours tonight and hopefully tomorrow night will be clear (suppose to be) and I can add another 5 hours. We shall see!

Ain't it fun!

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

It certainly is fun!
When it isn't raining... :lol: :roll:
We've had a lot of rain (for us) since mid-day yesterday. But I'll take it, we need it bad. The universe will still be there when the rains stop. And boy are the skies clear afterwords. ;)

I have a harness I made for my mount to laptop. When I got all the cabling, I hadn't thought out the hub part, that is beyond having one plugged into my laptop. So I got 3 cables, 16' long for my USB needs (3 cameras).
I brought them off the mount bundled and to my site table, along with two power cables (one extended).
If I had had my brain in gear, a USB hub and a single cable, would have been much cleaner. (Doing it the way you have)
So that was my interest with how you managed your wiring. I'm always interested in a cleaner way to wire up.
I did find this write up, and they have what's called 'Active Cables'. So if you might decide to stretch things out a smidgen, here's some FYI. ;)
http://www.yourcablestore.com/USB-Cable-Length-Limitations-And-How-To-Break-Them_ep_42-1.html
So I am at 16' from the cameras to the hub, then the hub has a 2' cable to the laptop. (Which gives flexibility to that end.)

I have to have my laptop on a swivel base for my work station-to-mount visability. That way I can turn the computer towards the mount for focusing. (And why a tailed hub works better for my conglomeration)
Which still isn't my ideal, because it is still hard to see the image on screen from the telescope focuser most of the time.

Anyway, Rain, and Ramble both start with an R.
And it is Raining, and I'm Rambling... :lol:
(The rain is unusual; my rambling is not.) :lol: