Losmandy Podcast Episode 14 with Jim Potts

SEE BELOW FOR CLICKABLE TABLE OF CONTENTS
Live from Burbank, California - the Losmandy Podcast Episode 14, with special guest Jim Potts, who talks with us about his portable imaging setup, Imaging Appliances, and the ASI Air Pro "pros and cons"
TABLE OF CONTENTS
0:00 Start
2:57 Tea Time with Tanya
12:30 Observatory Talk
21:35 Jim Potts and best practices on mobile rig
32:47 Imaging Appliances - what are they, evaluation criteria, the contenders
40:32 Imaging Appliances - DIY with Intel headless computer (NUC)
44:57 PrimaLuce Eagle (correct spelling here!)
52:29 Software Bisque Fusion
56:22 Raspberry Pi (rPi), Stellarmate
59:32 Imaging Appliances - ASIAir with Jim Potts, Tips & Tricks, Pros and Cons
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST
Jim Potts astrobin www.astrobin.com/users/ibskiing/
Intel Nuc (example) www.intel.com/content/www/us/...
PrimaLuce Eagle primalucelabusa.com/eagle.html
The Sky Fusion www.bisque.com/thesky-fusion/
Stellarmate (RPi) www.stellarmate.com/
ZWO ASI Air astronomy-imaging-camera.com/...

[@georgeshoup4046]

Another stellar podcast. I will be using all the tea time sun tips when it stops raining and I go fix the leak on top of my garage. No shade up there. And the global hyperbolic stretch is a winner.

[@davecurtis8833]

Great podcast. Im very happy with my Eagle as it just works. Yes, it is too expensive but it is Italian :-). I can use any software I like and control power via ASCOM through NINA. I didnt know about their Window version that they are using - thanks . I purchased their connectors and built my own cables.

[@brianvalente]

@Dave thanks for chiming in. Glad to hear you like it. The folks who own it generally seem pretty happy

[@jamieamendolagine205]

The asiair actually is a raspberry pi. And it does run indi. They've just disabled non ZWO cameras. They have added power distribution, and wrote mobile apps that allow you to access it, but it is using the same open source indi stack.

[@brianvalente]

Thanks for that info @jamie !

[@ronpepitone4242]

thanks for the reminder to avoid octinoxate, oxybenzone, avobenzone, octocrylene, nano particles, homosalate, octialate and parabens in suncreen products - barrier methods (hats, rashguard, hoods ,.. ) work better anyway

[@zapster326]

Very late to comment, but the whole raw-egg-standing-on-end thing is more typically associated with the vernal equinox (Springtime and Easter, doncha know). The (misguided) theory is that at (or very near) that time, since the sun is in the earth's equatorial plane, all the gravitational/centripetal forces are sufficiently aligned that you can balance a raw egg on end. (Never mind the nagging detail of the Moon!) And in indeed if you try it, YOU CAN! The trouble is, no one ever bothers to try at any other time of year (when you will be just as successful doing so). But hey: if it gets kids interested in astronomy, I say let the urban myth live. ;-)

[@EVS1956]

How do you connect the Air to Gemini 1? I have a serial cable I use on edge port 2 port USB to serial unit with SkyX. What USB to serial was found to work on Air? Thanks

[@LOSMANDY]

Serial-USB is the only way. FTDI serial adapters tend to work best with ASIAir. Check with the Gemini 1 user group for specific recommendations on a cable groups.io/g/Gemini_users/

[@StevenBarnes-MrRat]

For ASIAIR on Windows I use Google's free Android development environment which includes an Android emulator which works flawlessly.

[@StevenBarnes-MrRat]

For Chromebook I run in development mode and side load the ASIAIR client.

[@brianvalente]

interesting - I use bluestacks which seems to work fine as well, but i can't help but feel it's not how ZWO envisioned their product being used. It's like a workaround.

[@CheyenneWills]

Rasberry PI is a Linux based system

[@brianvalente]

Thanks for clarifying - i think Pi OS is a linux variant, right?

[@CheyenneWills]

@@brianvalente Pi OS is based on Debian (which is a Linux distribution)