malc-c

But that's about par for most things us Brits seem to do. We develop things, often pioneering technology in whatever field and then for some reason seem to give up and be overtaken by other countries. I mean India is not a country that comes to mind when looking at the subject, but they've managed to launch a probe to the moon, even though the ends result didn't manage to land. But maybe the whole process of developing a launch platform in todays commercial world is just not viable, especially give SpaceX's reusable Falcon rockets which are now launching one or two time a week (or so it seems). Their goal of providing a cheap and sustainable rocket to reduce the cost of getting a payload into space and thus make it more viable and in reach of smaller companies is now well established. I wonder where the UK would be if they hadn't cancelled the development of their rocket program? I doubt that we would have developed another Saturn 5, but I'm sure we would have managed something along the lines of Falcon / Dragon combo and providing an alternative to the current methods of resupplying the ISS both with supplies and crew.

Be a short program then as things relied on a now liquidated company to get any British rocket into space !! I don't think the UK has done more since Blue Streak back in the late 50's early 60's https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/films/1951to1964/filmpage_rocket.htm

Personally, if you have the mount controlled via the PC using EQMOD or GSS and either an EQDIR cable or USB A-B cable (if the synscan unit has a USB port) I would connect the guide camera via USB to the computer and use pulse guiding rather than the "on camera" mode and ST4 cables. If you have EQMOD then set the RA and DEC rates in the ASCOM pulse Guide setting panel to x0.90 and in the equipment connection option in PHD2 select the EQMOD HEQ5/6 from the options available. If using GSS then select ASCOM GS Sky telescope as the mount connection. You may need to run the guiding assistant a few times to tweak the PHD2 settings before doing some guiding. By default PHD2 saves the guide logs to C:\Users\[username]\Documents\PHD2, so if you run into any issues these can be uploaded and viewed by others using a log viewer. Good luck and let us know how you get on

Looking at the log it states the motor control board is an MC019, which I believe has a USB-B type port fitted. If you have issues with your EQDIR cable, you could always try using a standard USB A-B cable instead. You will need to download the Prolific drivers as the mounts fitted with USB ports use the 2303 chipset in them. The baud speed for the resulting port in Device manager needs to be set to 115200 when using the USB cable. But it seems you are having progress

What's the spec of the computer are you using? - If you power up the computer with the mount powered on and the EQDIR cable connected, then run the attacked application it will confirm if the communications between PC and mount is fine. No need to install, just run the exe. Select the com port and click connect. The software interrogates the mount by sending raw commands in the Synta protocol, eg :e1 to obtain the firmware version from the processors. Once run you can click the convert log button and save the file as a text file if needed. If you get errors then the issue could be the PC, the EQDIR cable or the mount. The only way to narrow it down is to use a different windows PC, purchase a new EQDIR cable from a different retailer (such as First Light Optics or Rother Valley Optics) and if they proves the case then return the original back to the retailer for a refund. If after trying different computers and EQDIR cables the problem still occurs then it could point toward the mount being faulty. When you get these errors is the com port still listed under device manager ? One other thing, are you connecting anything else like large format imaging cameras to the same machine - if so try removing them so that only the EQDIR cable is connected. Connecting through hubs can also lead to similar issues. SyntaTester.zip

Hi Patrick, How are you powering the mount. These mounts require 12-14v DC with a rated current draw of at least 3 amps. Although you checked the connections, a faulty power connection, or dry joints on the PCB can lead to poor communications. One way of confirming that the handset is the culprit would be to purchase an EQDIR cable from a reputable retailer and test using a windows PC running EQMOD. If the handset reports "No response" and then either or both axis then that means the handset is not receiving a "hello" back form the mount motor board, which again, can be cable, connector, power related, or it could mean there is a fault on the main motor control board in the mount. If you are unsure and the mount is new (even if its just outside the normal warranty period) then the retailer is duty bound under UK consumer law to inspect and test the package for you. If the mount used to perform well, and the issue you now have is down to a mistake such as using the wrong power supply which damaged the electronics then that would be outside the scope of any warranty, and could result in an expensive repair.

If you can open EQMOD, and manually slew the mount using the NSWE buttons on the EQMOD GUI then physical connection and communications are fine and there is nothing wrong with the hardware. In order for EQMOD to communicate the port has to be set to 9600 baud in the properties tab, which is default and confirmed as you can make the mount move as mentioned above. The reference to Prolific is the chipset used to convert USB to TTL serial. Your cable uses FTDI which is natively supported in windows. Device manage will allocate a port number for that cable, and it won't matter what USB port you use it will always give the device the same com port. I presume you have installed ASCOM 6.x on the PC. https://ascom-standards.org/Downloads/Index.htm This is needed to allow astro applications to talk to each other including EQMOD and whatever planetary application you use to select the targets

Right I follow what you were doing. EQMOD has the ability to enter offsets etc which was useful when I was messing about doing the original HEQ5 belt mod, as I had to use off the shelf parts which resulted in a 4:1 ratio.

£3,000 for the mount alone brings you into the reach of some very nice, what I would call serious armature astronomy mounts such as those made by iOptron. It also widens the choice, making recommendations harder

What electronics are you using to drive the system? - I presume if its still using the Synscan box then you have set custom ratios up in EQMOD to compensate for the ratios hard coded into the mounts motorboard firmware?

With such a wide diversity of members on the forum you won't get a decisive answer. It would help if you provided more details on what you envisage being the ideal scope and camera, and if portability is a prime requirement, and what budget you have. IMO other than bright nebula, galaxies and clusters you need a fast f5 or lower scope with a decent aperture. You also need something that will be motor driven, and have a decent load carrying capacity, yet is (at a push) mobile. That puts the HEQ5 or AZ-EQ5-GT firmly in the frame.

I was going to post similar comments as Alan, especially looking at the battery wires and terminals, but there is nothing to help scale the item. The earthing issue is also worth noting, and if the product turns out to be a cheap Chinese product (I did try a google search but nothing came back) then if any tingling is felt the PSU should not be used. If I was using the scope outside then I would look at something more suited such as this which is designed to maintain voltage in damp and cold conditions. Granted at £55 it's not cheap, but may well be a better investment.

You can only try it. If it works than problem solved

Lovely image...

Driver for the Player One Camera should be available from the manufactures website here

I guess we'll never know as the OP hasn't responded since posting a week ago

The other thing to consider is that by the time you have paid for the mount and to have it hypertuned, you could get the HEQ5 pro goto for an additional £86... which will give you 11kg imaging load

The mount is rated at 10kg for visual, and 7kg for imaging. There is no way you'll get 11kg imaging load on that mount just by replacing the bearings.

Same here... I bought mine second hand around a decade ago so no idea how old it is, but it does the job so have no need to change it.

As mentioned above you don't need to mess with any INI file or other settings in EQMOD for your mount. Once connection has been made the handset or EQMOD interrogates the mainboard in the mount for details of the mounts firmware and the gearing ratios etc. The handset or EQMOD (or GSServer) then uses that info to identify the mount and thus ensure the motors step the required number to ensure the target is within the field of view at the end of the slew.

I think Alan has really covered things with regards to voltage drop and the headroom 5A has to offer. Once moving, the steppers will draw around 1.8A, but its the initial current that they draw in order to start moving the mass of the mount and scope attached. Having a well balanced set up will help reduce that surge, but it can still cause the voltage to drop slightly under the load, and these mounts are quite finicky about voltage drop.

From my experience HEQ5's perform well on 13.8v regulated supply, but wouldn't recommend anything higher. They will function at 12v provided the supply can maintain 12v under load. The supply should be capable of supplying 12v at a constant current draw of 2A, but ideally with a 3-5A rating so that it has the headroom to cope with the initial inrush current as the motors begin to start slewing the mount. Other possible things to look at are communications. We often see posts where a mount performs fine from the handset, but when connected to a computer (even a dedicate astro PC) issue occur. This can be due to USB hubs, EQDIR cables, or even a bandwidth issue due to an imaging camera sending so much data that the PC software times out the mount as it can't respond in a timely way.

I'm shocked, I would have expected better. @Gasman yes Youtube has some decent channels on it, and if those videos have inspired confidence then give it a go.

Thanks for uploading the images. The star image is not the same as when I was having similar issues. Yours is even, and both sides. I'm no expert, and hopefully someone with more knowledge of these thins will chime in, but my thought was that the focus tube is protruding a fair bit into the light path. If I can use a clock to explain my logic, your 3d spider has vanes at 2, 4, 8 and 10 which looking at the image results in spikes at the same 2, 4, 8 and 10 O'clock positions. The focus tube axis is a line through 9, and 3 which again the rouge spike appears in the same position. As I said, I'm no expert in optics, so my logic could be way off.

Probably worth giving the guys at RVO a call and ask exactly what they do for the money. Parts such as motors and mainboard won't be replaced for the money, and to be fair with such things they either work or don't.. My guess is that they clean and re-lubricate the bearings, and generally "service" the mount so that it performs as good as it did (or better) than the day it left the factory. They do mention an opportunity to purchase and fit higher precision bearings as an optional upgrade, but that could add a further £100 (or so) on top of the price. I guess it's like modern cars. Other then changing spark plugs, oil and filters there is little more you can do yourself when servicing it, and chances are most garages will do the same, but they will also check lots of other components which takes time, hence why servicing via a main dealer is so costly. The same goes for your mount. You could purchase the Rowan kit and fit the upgrade yourself, and if you have the confidence, possibly remove, clean and re-grease the bearings. It may all go back perfectly and the mount could function as good or better than before your dismantled it. But it may also be a case that things don't go so sweetly and you need to send it to RVO for them to re-build it. Certainly the HEQ5 is a LOT simpler to upgrade as the gearing is fully exposed and accessible, but the EQ6, as mentioned is more fiddly.