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Little Foot Display Firmware

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Armando:
Hi Christian,

Rajiva sent me only part of code related to EPEC, nothing else. I really hope you'll receive the fw source code.

It would be great if a new fw development could start... Let us know. ;)

CS
Armando

Astroquattro:
Hi Armando,

did you try to run a disassembler/dis-c on the firmware? Since one knows that the code is written for AVR Mega128/162 there are not many option how the code will look like and there aren't many option on the compiler ether.

My interest in the source code doesn't concern any invention stealing, because I'm not in the need of using other peoples code to get to something. My interest is just academical. It helps me to better understand how this tracking control works and that in turn help by using it more efficiently. 
And secondly, moding the pcb to use, let's say, a mega 2560 entails modification of the code to built one's own subversion.

My own invention is based on openhardware like the Arduino, some available shields and breakout boards and is written in python, pyqt and pyduino. I wrote a astro-math library some years ago for a different project which comes in handy now, because it is usable with python3.3 without changing anything and it includes everything one needs to calculate oder convert for astronomical purposes.
So, you see, there is no point for me to re-engineer Arnand's stuff. I won't market my own stuff ether, nor someone else's. I don't see any benefit in that, because what keeps me going on is not the little money that could come out of marketing a universal tracking control.
If Arnand will pass me the source there won't be any point in publishing it, not even here. But we can talk about the used concepts and algorithms. I think we owe him this loyalty as one hacker to the other.

cheers,
Christian

Armando:
Hi Christian,


--- Quote from: Astroquattro on Sunday, 15.09.13 - 19:38:42 - CEST ---did you try to run a disassembler/dis-c on the firmware?
--- End quote ---
No, I didn't. And frankly If I was interested in FW development without the sources I would start from scratch to make my own FW.


--- Quote ---My interest in the source code doesn't concern any invention stealing, because I'm not in the need of using other peoples code to get to something. My interest is just academical. It helps me to better understand how this tracking control works and that in turn help by using it more efficiently. 
And secondly, moding the pcb to use, let's say, a mega 2560 entails modification of the code to built one's own subversion.
--- End quote ---
The following one is my point of view: simply LFEP is affected by some bugs, some interesting features were not developed/completed and new features will never be available without a new development. As a LFEP user I see many reasons to be disappointed. I would be happy if a new FW development could start to make LFEP compliant to its spec.


--- Quote ---So, you see, there is no point for me to re-engineer Arnand's stuff. I won't market my own stuff ether, nor someone else's. I don't see any benefit in that, because what keeps me going on is not the little money that could come out of marketing a universal tracking control.
--- End quote ---
Money is often the cause of many issues...


--- Quote ---If Arnand will pass me the source there won't be any point in publishing it, not even here.
--- End quote ---
I asked you nothing...
And I never asked Rajiva to send me the FW source. My only intent was to offer my free time to help Rajiva to solve some bugs, instead of limiting to tell him what didn't work... And I did not need the source to learn something but to solve the bugs...
Because of my time spent to contribute free to solve some bugs and my EPEC tests, Rajiva sent me the code related to EPEC (and I found also the bug). Since Rajiva didn't send me the full source code I'm not interested in having it.
So I started hoping someone else could receive the sources (by Rajiva) and start the development to solve all current issues.
You wrote:

--- Quote ---I will know when I get the firmware source code or you tell me your suggestion.
--- End quote ---
So I assumed you would have received the sources by Rajiva.
Please read the following thread: http://forum.lfep.de/index.php/topic,38.0.html
As already stated by myself I'm no more involved in LFEP FW development.

CS
Armando Beneduce

Astroquattro:

--- Quote from: Astroquattro on Sunday, 15.09.13 - 19:38:42 - CEST ---did you try to run a disassembler/dis-c on the firmware?
--- End quote ---

--- Quote ---No, I didn't. And frankly If I was interested in FW development without the sources I would start from scratch to make my own FW.
--- End quote ---
Of course one would start one's own invention, but one does not need to invent the wheel over and over again. As I see it now, there are pretty good reasons for both ways, re-engineering the LF and building something new based on open hardware.


--- Quote ---The following one is my point of view: simply LFEP is affected by some bugs, some interesting features were not developed/completed and new features will never be available without a new development. As a LFEP user I see many reasons to be disappointed. I would be happy if a new FW development could start to make LFEP compliant to its spec.

--- End quote ---
You're right, there are some disappointing things about the LFEP and it's more than only the missing features or the bugs. I started building the LFEP myself and took a deep look into the pcb and the description as well. What it should do and how that is meant do be done be the hardware is not worth the 600 to 800€ one has to pay at ebay and TS (yes, they have one left). So I stalled the building process to first get my LF the display.
I am tossed between going on with the LFED and stalling it for unknown time, because my own tracking control will solve the issues anyway. A close friend of mine said something some weeks ago. He said, "Sometime, you want to complete your series." He is right about that and that's what makes you feel disappointed with the state the LFEP is in.
I can't give any advise at the moment, but I do understand you with your feelings.


--- Quote ---
--- Quote ---If Arnand will pass me the source there won't be any point in publishing it, not even here.
--- End quote ---
I asked you nothing...

--- End quote ---
That was not the point. I just wanted to state that it's about trust and loyalty from one developer to the other.


--- Quote ---And I never asked Rajiva to send me the FW source. My only intent was to offer my free time to help Rajiva to solve some bugs, instead of limiting to tell him what didn't work... And I did not need the source to learn something but to solve the bugs...
Because of my time spent to contribute free to solve some bugs and my EPEC tests, Rajiva sent me the code related to EPEC (and I found also the bug). Since Rajiva didn't send me the full source code I'm not interested in having it.
So I started hoping someone else could receive the sources (by Rajiva) and start the development to solve all current issues.

You wrote:

--- Quote ---I will know when I get the firmware source code or you tell me your suggestion.
--- End quote ---
So I assumed you would have received the sources by Rajiva.
Please read the following thread: http://forum.lfep.de/index.php/topic,38.0.html
As already stated by myself I'm no more involved in LFEP FW development.

--- End quote ---

Ok let's talk about what has to be done and what should be done in the end.
As there isn't any universal tracking control on the market, I'm in the need of something to solve a problem at my home town observatory. We operate a 24" Cassegrain with f=7620mm, an orange C8 (one of the good ones) and a 130mm Fraunhofer refractor. All is mounted on a german mount, which was built by a colleague that died 2004. It has a wurm gear for each axis but they are a little bit to small for the precision of the main telescope. The actual tracking control is from the 70th and has a computer program from 1992, which was written by an other colleague in pascal. It is complete outdated. It does its job for visual observation but you can expose for more then 27 seconds without getting the stars eggy. An other colleague transfered the controlling software after a computer crash in my absence to a new computer with Windows XP ans dosbox, because the controlling software is dos-based. Since XP and what followed are no realtime os, one gets misplacements by 4 to 7 arminutes. Even if the system time is corrected before one starts the software. This is based on XP's bugs in the time routines. We do not have any internet connection at our observatory, so we can't correct the systemtime permanently by ntp. Our time signal receiver is to old for XP and there's no point in using such technology anymore.
So that's our situation. I needed a thesis for my master's degree in computer science and so I ask if I build a new tracking control. They agreed because the master's degree will be included in my Ph.D, too. So in the end I will have build a complete observation and analysis pipeline with a tracking system which is adaptable to any telescope to a certain size.

In our local club we do not have any member with skills in electronics, nor do we have more than two professional astronmers... ...and the other one has it's problems with technology. So there is just one guy to help. It's my friend Lothar. He's a welder, so he can't help me with the electronics either.
That hardens the situation, too. Our observatory hit the 20 years last year and we have to do something.

As I wrote these lines, I ran your words through the back of my mind again.
I'm in the need of a new tracking system and you're disappointed of the LFEP because it is unfinished.
I read in this forum, that people like to go on with having a nice universal tracking control.

Why don't we put our peaces together and build something new?
Open Hardware and using plattform independent programming languages, hosting the code on sourceforge makes it flexible from the start.
So if someone who takes part in the development process and has to leave for any reason, nothing is lost and he/she can be replaced by anyone who likes to join.

The point why I started with Arduino was, it's ease to talk to sensors and motors. At first I took nearly three quarters of a year searching what's on the web but Boxdörfer doesn't sell to Germany anymore, LF/LFEP is now discontinued and about FS2 we do not have to talk. It was obvious that I would have to build my own hardware. I started by doing resaryh on the web about motion controllers and found a robotic board which could do the trick. Is the FNB of the RoboterNetz. Having an Atmel mega on board and a 52 pin bus, it was a start. During my work on the board, I realized that I don't want to have the mount controlled by an MCU because autoguiding will be a pain and using encoders will be pain, too, because all in all it will get over the MCU's head. And second, I didn't want it to be stand alone, since one has to use a computer/laptop for the ccd camera anyway. Some days of searching the net for usb/firewire interfaces passed and I found the IOWarrior56 of CodeMercanaries. It has 35 I/O ports, not the 52 I wanted but that's ok I won't use the 10 servo bank anyway. An email from an old friend brought my attention to the WIZ8300, an ethernet breakout board with all the pin I needed. The minute I started writing some code I got a call with an invitation to a meeting. That meeting tooks place two weeks after and we discussed the FNB and my I/O boards. Attention then was drawn away by personal issues (like broke up with my girl friend, moving, and health...)
Much changed within a few weeks and the next time I could thing about carrying on, I found myself searching the web again and I stumbled about the Arduino. There it was, controlling motors with ease and reading from any sensor I would like.

I found some shields to do microstepping up to 1/128th.
Till now, I have the Adafruit MotorShield working a 0.9°-stepper and the steppers at the observatory by the Arduino itself. My next steps are to bypass the Arduino's Atmel Mega2560 with firmata and run it from the laptop I'm using.

Maybe that could be a start...
What do you think?

cheers,
Christian

Armando:
Hi Christian,


--- Quote from: Astroquattro on Monday, 16.09.13 - 13:01:09 - CEST ---What do you think?
--- End quote ---
You can see a really interesting project at http://www.astrohome.info/Teleskopsteuerung2.htm
I asked the author if development is still in progress or finished. I hope to receive an answer.

CS
Armando

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