Asiair Pro and SkyWatcher HEQ5 Pro Setup

My setup is similar: SkyWatcher HEQ5 Pro mod. + Canon M5 mod. + AsiAirPro + ZWO ASI120mm.

- Connect the guide cam by USB (cables are included in the AAP box) to the AsiAirPro
- Most people including myself buy a portal Wifi extender
- If you have a Facebook account, i'd recommend to join the "ASIAIR PRO USERS GROUP". Lots of information and help

Just to echo the others inputs.  I have a Nikon D5300 connected via USB to the ASI Air into one of the USB 3.0 ports (it didn't work when plugged into either of the USB 2.0 ports). The thumb drive supplied with the ASI Air is plugged into the other USB 3.0 port on the ASI Air.  The guide scope camera (ASI 120mm) is plugged into one of the ASI Air USB 2.0 ports.  The Atlas mount has a Serial to Usb cable and is plugged into the ASI Air into the remaining USB 2.0 port.  And lastly the guide camera is connected to the mount with an ST4 cable.
The ASI Air is powered by a homebuilt battery box (orange thing supporting my beer).  I also power the mount using one of the ASI Air's power distribution ports.

When it works - it's great.  But there are times when I have to restart the ASI because it locks up (usually during Focusing or Polar Alignment) - only causes a minor delay in setup.  The WiFi range is very short in the 5GHZ mode, so since I usually setup near my garage, I have a WiFI extender in the garage with an ethernet port.  I therefore connect an ethernet cable from the ASI Air Pro to that WiFi extender device (not in picture).  This way I can manage everything from anywhere inside my house...which is nice in the winter.

I recommend getting a power adaptor for the Nikon so you don't have to swap batteries during your shooting sessions.  They are relatively inexpensive (aftermarket brand of course) - In addition to powering the dew heaters, I also power the camera with the battery box (it's a homemade 12-volt LiFEPO4 battery, with a 12volt to 9 volt converter to power the camera).   The camera power cable does add yet another cable into the mix to manage, but worth it in my opinion not to have to worry about losing battery power...

There is some chatter on the ZWO forums about Nikon D5300 compatibility problems, so I hope your D5600 doesn't suffer from the same problem.  For me it took going through 4 different USB cables for the camera to be recognized by the ASi Air reliably (the stock Nikon cable was actually the worst) - that being said I also have a Nikon D500 and it worked fine on the ASI Air using the stock Nikon USB cable...go figure. Anyway, again I hope yours is trouble free.  Best of luck.

Good morning,
Sounds like your setup is ready for use!  The Camera's USB cable is connected to the port for downloading pictures as you mentioned, it's directly above the HDMI port on the left side of the camera (left when looking at the back of it).  No need for a camera release cable or to use that port.  Once everything is set up and running on autopilot, beer is required to help keep clouds away.

Thanks for the words and the image. All very helpful. Looking forward to enjoying it, just waiting for the ASIAir to arrive so I can try it out.

Hey! I went along a similar way as a beginner some while ago. When you have and use a Sky-Watcher mount and meanwhile have ASIAIR, you DEFINITELY do not want to use the Hand Controller and an ST4 connection! The only thing you need is so-called EQdir (also EQdirect, EQmod) cable. It is a kind of converter from the hand-controller socket on the mount to USB on ASIAIR or on a computer. You connect you guiding camera (a ZWO camera is needed here) via USB directly to ASIAIR and DO NOT use the ST4 connection anymore. With this, you are ready to go! No stupid star alignment, no time setting, no location setting, less cables, less hassle, more time for astro! ;-)

Has anyone had luck with a long ethernet connection cable to the ASI Air plus? Is there a secret to configuring this successfully

Daryl Wilson:
Has anyone had luck with a long ethernet connection cable to the ASI Air plus? Is there a secret to configuring this successfully

I run 4 ASIAir Pros and a Mini-PC. I have a bridged Router in the garage which is hardwired to the main. I then run 100' Ethernet cables from that router. Ethernet max is 320' (my understanding) but I've only gone 200' but never a problem.

Daryl Wilson:
Thanks - which mini PC did you select?  I am historically a macbook IOS guy that may be causing my issues on ethernet

I had picked up a Daystar 60mm DS Solar Scout so set it up with a Mele Q3 (MeLE Fanless Mini PC Quieter3Q 11th Gen N5105 8GB 256GB Windows 11 Pro) which works great. Loaded with Ascom Platform, SharpCap, EQMod. I also recently picked up a GEEKOM IT11 with 32gb memory and 1tb SSD Drive and it is actually quite fast but twice the price. The Mele Q3 was $209usd.