TheSkySearchers

Hello everyone first time poster here. I have an exploradome that is automated, Foster System, dome pro 2. I would like to know how I can get my dome synced to my mount. The wrench in this setup is that I also use the Asiair. I use Maestro on my pc hardwired to the dome (I usually don’t even use it I just go outside every 15 minutes and use the buttons to turn the dome). I cannot control it from inside my house.
I hear the term encoders get tossed around. I know the problem is that the Asiair controls the mount. The Asiair can’t control the dome. What part am I missing to then get the mount to tell the dome where it should be?

I believe it can be done, Dylan O’Donnel uses the Asiair and is synced to his observatory, If only I could talk to him

I apologize in advance for the fact that when you give an answer to this question I will have some follow up questions. I am trying to learn without having any mechanical skills, technical skills, electrical skills, mainly any skills. Learn as you go is my motto.

Meanwhile I am waiting for new parts for my dome we had another electrical storm pass over and it fried my dome AGAIN

Thanks for reading and I look forward to a solution

hi and welcome to tss ,some users here should have a dome and some diy domes , theres a variety of software different software people use here , alot of us here use sequence generator pro which should do dome controll via ascom .

might be helpfull for others to list your mount and dome

also i don't think asair uses ascom, you might have problems doing this, i think it uses INDI drivers

a read from another forum on this topic, apparently you might be able to do this if you have a mount that uses eqmod you can do dome controll with the asair, i know dylan has a eq8 , if you post a comment on a video when he uploads asap or on his instagram you might be able to talk to him, he's pretty bussy these day though. asair isn't realy supported for dome controll or in the market to do it .

i don't understand the market for an asiair , a mini pc that runs of 12v can be purchased cheaper and has more flexiblity ..

edit: also dylan o'donnell is using a pc with sq pro since last month , he got a dome upgrade from sidereal

To make sure I understand.

You DO have a PC located in the dome?

Do you also have a PC located in your house?

If so you can use widows remote to run the PC in the dome.

ASI AIR doesn't have a function to control the dome at this point. But at least you could control the dome PC to control the dome.

Ekos will control your dome and your scope, I think, reading their summary. I don't have an observatory but I use Ekos, and I get the impression that everything is there. No PC needed, it's a small Linux box on a Pi3/4 that you can connect to for a desktop.

I could be wrong but I think you are going to need to ditch the ASI air if you want complete control of everything. Sounds like a PERFECT time to switch to NINA. Get yourself a small i3 NUC and be done with it.

There are a handful of folks around here like Henk that could help you out if you decided to go the Ekos/Pi route, but there are probably a lot more of us running on windows systems that can lend a hand if you decided to go with NINA. Either way you decided, good luck.

If you were running ASCOM on Windows, I could help you. I have software that will synchronize the dome to the mount, but it requires ASCOM. I know nothing about the AsiAir.