Pierro Astro USB-EQ6 Direct Interface for Skywatcher EQ6 Mount

USB-EQ6 Direkt Interface EM0001

This interface cable (1,8 m long) was designed to use the EQ6 GoTo or SynTrek mounts to the best of their ability, combined with the free project EQMOD.

This interface allows you to connect a PC with USB port (under Windows XP and later) with an equatorial mount EQ6 (HEQ5) instead of the hand controller. In this way, Frame motors are under direct control of the computer, allowing access to previously impossible functions with these frames: Scores "GoTo" ultra precise, direct homing (by ASCOM) followed by satellites, N stars alignment, synchronization, GPS support, etc ...

Note: Sky-Watcher and Orion now marketing EQ6 mounts / EQ-G "compatible GoTo" which do not have the GoTo control box. These mounts are perfectly compatible with USB Direct-EQ6, for the electronics and mechanics are exactly those that incorporate the "GoTo Kit", only the box is different. If your mount EQ6 / Atlas EQ-G has a DB9 serial port, it is compatible in direct mode. The presence of a GoTo hand box is absolutely not necessary!

System requirements:

Computer: 256 MB RAM - CDROM - 1 USB Port

System: Windows XP and later - 32 and 64 Bit

Compatible software: all ASCOM compatible ones, Cartes du Ciel, Astrosnap, ...

Compatible mounts: SkyWatcher® EQ6-Pro, Orion Atlas EQ-G, Goto or SynTrek

Attention: not compatible with the EQ6-R and AZ-EQ6! Here the USB-HEQ5 is needed.

Links for installation and driver download:

Page of the manufacturer with hints and links for installation

Page of the manufacturer with links to download various drivers, especially for FTDI

Page of the manufacturer of the FTDI chips to download the drivers for the virtual COM port

Direct link of the manufacturer of the FTDI chips to download a ZIP file for the driver installation from Windows 7 and higher

Installation Pierro Astro USB direct interface for Skywatcher mounts

1. Connect the EQ Direct interface to your PC. The FTDI drivers are installed automatically.

Check the Device Manager (System settings -> "Device Manager")

If the drivers are not installed automatically, follow this link to download them manually: FTDI drivers

2. Microsoft .NET Framework:

ASCOM drivers require the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.5 or higher (already present in current versions of Windows).

If necessary, you can download and install the latest version here: Microsoft .NET Framework

3. Installing the ASCOM 6.4 platform

If the ASCOM platform is already installed, please check if it is the correct version (6.4 or higher)

If you have not yet installed ASCOM, you can download it here: ASCOM Download

4. Installing the ASCOM EQMod driver

Download link to the EQ-Mod driver: via Sourceforge

More information about EQMod on the official website: http://eq-mod.sourceforge.net/

5. Installing a planetarium software

There is a wide variety of planetarium software on the net - both paid and free - for example:

Cartes du ciel / Sky Chart

C2A - Computer Aided Astronomy