malc-c

I took the cheap option -- as described - Both do the same job of allowing the OTA to be rotated in the rings, just that yours looks like it came form the factory with the ring fitted 🙂

A strip of trunking capping and clamp banding overcomes this by allowing the OTA to be rotated in the rings.... making observation a lot more comfortable..

Personally, having struggled with trying to collimate my 200p using just a cheshire or DIY pin hole method I purchased a second hand Hotech laser collimator and that made things a hole lot easier. Since then there have been other brands of laser collimator even own branded for less then £50 (link to suggestions) Where some fail in the process is getting the collimation sorted is setting up the focuser and optical axis all square to each other, and a laser helps with that no end.

No worries.... just wondered why there were two threads running for the same question...

I should have also added that if you feel that you may be tempted to do imaging, then look at getting the PDS version of the scopes. If you drop a little in aperture you could get the Skywatcher 150 PDS and place that on the Goto equipped EQ5, and still have a little change from your £1000 budget. Link You will always get people suggesting a dobsonian as you get more aperture for your money, no issues with being 7' tall to see the eyepiece (which can be resolved using a simple tube ring to allow rotation of the tube) etc. But they are impractical for doing imaging of faint DSOs that require long exposures. If you are looking for a scope that should end up being something that will cover both visual and imaging without the need to sell it and replace it with something larger (unless you really get bitten by the aperture bug) then the 150PDS on and EQ5. If you did want a 200P then it needs to be on an HEQ5 (or EQ6 if your have some more cash in reserve). One other thing to remember though, is there is no one scope fits all option. Whilst the 150PDS (or even the 200P for that matter) is excellent for imaging faint nebula and galaxies, you won't get detailed and large images of planets. Both the 150P and 200P (and there DS variants) are f5, meaning quite fast low magnification, where as planets require high magnification and ideally large aperture to get a bright and detailed image.

I covered this in your other thread earlier.... I'll elaborate Basically the handset when used communicates with the synscan unit using TTL serial (ie 5volts) at 9600 baud rate. On synscan units (external such as the EQ3 or EQ5, or mounts such as the HEQ5 and EQ6) that lack a USB port the handset port is connected directly to the microcontrollers (PIC16F886's) serial port pins. These micro controllers have built in TTL serial ports the speed of which is set in the firmware to 9600. So when using an EQDIR cable that replaces the handset and thus connects via the handset port it needs to be set to 9600 baud rate in order to communicate. On synscan units and newer mounts that have the USB-B type socket the USB to TTL serial conversion is done by a Prolific 2303 type chip on the same synscan board, which then connects to the RS232 TTL port pins of the ARM processor. The firmware running on these new processors uses 115200 baud rate. Therefore when connecting a new mount via USB you need to change the ports speed via the com port properties. This may also be required when setting up EQMOD via the EQASCOM toolbox, and possibly in NINA too when pointing its settings to use EQMOD as the driver... You want all application, driver and device properties singing from the same hymn sheet.

To be honest I doubt it. The traffic between the PC and mount is not really demanding to make use of the faster transfer rate. Also using the USB option still converts the USB data into normal RS232 signals at TTL (5volts) which then get passed on to the ARM processor, just that the convertor chip is built into the synscan unit rather then in the cable. One drawback is that the chipset they use is the Prolific 2303 which isn't supported natively by Windows due to licencing issues dating back to Windows 7 days. If your EQDir cable is FTDI based then there should be no issues as the drivers for FTDI are already built into windows so its more or less plug and play.

The stock image shows how the synscan connections are daisy chained... so yes the cable from the synscan goes to the RA IN port with the other lead from DEC out to DEC in. And note which side the DEC motor is. I also note that your synscan unit is one of the newer ones with built in USB, so there was no real need for the EQDir cable. But provided you connect the USB hub to your laptop / computer then yes everything would seem to be plugged into the right ports. Personally I prefer to have the EQDir cable on its own direct connection to the PC rather than via a hub. Also, when it comes to doing any alignments, this must be done using the computer and software. You can't use the handset to do the alignment and then swap the leads over and start driving the mount via NINA / EQMOD or GSS etc.

If you use the search function you will see peoples opinions on this combo, and like all things you'll get differing opinions - Mine is based on personal experience as I started with this combo and soon realised its limitations In a nutshell - if you are in a sheltered area the combo makes for a very nice visual scope. The scope is susceptible to wind given the size of the tube, hence the need for a sheltered area. Imaging is a different story as the options are so wide, for using the camera on a mobile phone through to a dedicated mono camera with filter wheels. But basically even with a dSLR and using the finder scope as a guide scope you'll be pushing the load capacity of the EQ5 beyond it's recommended limit. If you want to do imaging then considering increasing your budget to get an HEQ5, or look for one second hand. An HEQ5 also provides a very sturdy visual mount that performs better in breezy conditions.

That would be "ideal".... not much you can do about the house.... unless you move 🤔

Provided you have an EQDIR cable, you remove the handset cable from the synscan box and plug the EQDIR cable in its place. The other end plugs into a USB port on the computer. Depending on the OS you may or may not need to install a driver. Under all operating systems the device is registered as a COM port. By default the speed of the sysnscan serial port is 9600 baud, so it's worth checking in the properties that the speed of the com port has been set to the same. You may also have to specify that in NINA (i don't sue NINA so have no idea). If your synscan is one of the new versions with a USB type B socket then you don't need an EQDIR cable. Use a standard USB A- B cable between the mount and PC. However the comport it registers runs at 115200 baud so you will need to set the ports properties to match this speed (and possibly in NINA too ?) Do NOT use a standard USB to SERIAL adaptor as a means to connect the PC to the synscan unit, you will end up damaging the unit. However these days standard 9 pin serial ports are far and few between on modern PC's

Stu, PHD2 states that you should calibrate within 30 degrees of Dec 0. The ideal spot is the intersection of the meridian and the Celestial Equator, where you will have the most movement of a target star. With regards to the belts. Ideally you don't want any stretching or slack in the tension, otherwise you are not going to have any of the benefits a belt conversion offers over the geared system. When I was developing a belt conversion 12 years ago (my doesn't time fly !) I didn't use an idler wheel like the Rowan kit, but went direct between motor and worm pulleys, using the adjustment slots built into the mount for the motor fixings. You'll never get perfection as you'll still have backlash in the worm gear, which, given the pricing point of the mount is going to me manufactured to a certain level of tolerance.

Normally if a repair hasn't been done right it either goes open or closed circuit. In this case I would have suspected that the motor for RA wouldn't work as having a short across the coils or if the coils are open circuit would prevent it from running. On the new board it's clear to see the four tracks from the driver chip to the connector, so it would be very easy to repair any damaged tracks. If you could post up a picture of the repair we could then comment further. Did you also get my PM ?

Skywatcher state on their website that the power requirements are 11-15v DC @2 amps, so providing 13.5 or even 13.8v as many use bench top supplies at this voltage should be well within the voltage range. Unless this is more applicable to the older PIC mico based boards and the new MC020 ARM based boards are more voltage intolerant

Bresser will have provided an application that runs on a PC and with the lead connected between PC and handset and powered up should detect the "com port" that the USB/Serial adapter uses and then you select the firmware file and upload it through the application, much the same way as Skywatcher and Celestron handsets and motorboards are updated / flashed. It seems that all the parts and software is provided in the package from Bresser

Once this thread is updated to confirm the replacement MOSFET resolved the issue and no other issues occurs then I might request the mods to split this thread from FabInSpace's post in February last year and merge it with the large thread on blown motorboards

Provided the specs match or exceed the original then there is no reason why it shouldn't work, but unless you can find what may of caused the original fault you may find other things blow. It's like having a faulty appliance that keeps blowing fuses, replacing the fuse with a higher amperage may stop the fuse blowing, but hasn't resolved the cause. It would be worth keeping us posted on how the repair goes as it also provided future reference.

Sorry, but on that budget what you want isn't practical. To see fine detail of Jupiter you are going to be looking at a scope costing 5x to 10x your budget. You'll also need a clear and dark observing site if you want to see detail in DSO's rather than faint greenish smudge. The links no longer work (get a code 500 error) so can't comment on the individual scope, but some of the other comments would suggest you are going to be disappointed irrespective which model you opted for.

Struth... this takes me back. I bought my first scope, a Vixen 4" fluorite coated refractor from Phil in the mid 80's. One of my friends had a large reflector on a large EQ mount that Phil installed in his roll off observatory. I believe my friend is still a member of the forum so may provide more details on the scope and its installation. Yes Bedfordshire was a hub of astronomical businesses at the time, and a lot of the scopes and mounts were very well engineered. Nice to hear Phil is still around and involved in astronomy. He always had time for people and you never got the feeling you were imposing on his time even though he was no doubt busy at the time.

It could be a bad batch of components from the manufacture at the time of production, poor choice of component at the design stage meaning that there is no head room in the event of an over current, or something occurred in the session causing too high a current draw or over voltage to blow the chip. 13.8v was often the preferred voltage to run the older versions of the HEQ5 that used the RevB pic micro based boards. The MC020 boards seem to use a different power supply configuration, which may be more voltage intolerant and needs 12v +/- 0.5v. If your mount is still under warranty then I would contact the retailer from where it was purchased from and send them pictures and a link to this thread to prove that its not an isolated case. If the board is out of warranty then simply obtain a replacement MOSFET and replaced the damaged one. It's easy enough to do even with a basic soldering iron and a little bit of care.

Doug has stated that he resolved the issue and is using GSS, but doesn't comment if that involved removing EQMod. I think that given the infinite permutations you can have between all the computers used in the world it's always a problem to say why one application works on one persons machine and not another. I've used EQMod for the past 10 years to control my HEQ5 mount without issues. I tried GSS but at the time it didn't support custom gear ratios which EQMod did (I developed the HEQ5 belt drive back in 2011 which used a standard 4:1 ratio), and all attempts to get it to function with GSS became frustrating. You also have to take into account that EQMod was written to give basic control of the originators mount via a PC, and he originally done it for his own use. At the time Visual basic was the language of choice for hobbyists, which these days is now obsolete, which is why GSS was developed as C+ is more stable on modern OS's. I run windows 10 pro on the observatory PC and have had no issues with EQmod, but then the PC hardware is a few generation old, and maybe everything for me just gels and works fine.

If you don't want to go down the route of using a PC to run the guiding software and control of he mount then google "Autogider" (without the quotes) - They are not cheap, but provide a self contained system to keep the scope tracking the guidestar Synguider for example is one suitable for skywatcher mounts. You would need to obtain the specs of your mount to ensure it uses the same gearing ratios as the EQ5 otherwise it would be a waste of money. The mount looks like an EQ5 but the specs state it uses servo motors with encoders, the EQ5 goto uses stepper motors, however the worm gear ratio is the same 144 as an EQ5 so assuming the firmware uses the same communications protocol then it should work. Personally using a standard guide camera with a guidescope and a PC gives you more options. The manufacture offers a PC cable and adapter along with ASCOM compliant driver so it should be possible to use applications such as PHD2 to handle the guiding

Taking photographs through a telescope requires a sturdy mount. For the mass of the 6" OTA used in your dobsonian you would be looking at an EQ5 and a minimum which will also benefit from a dual axis drive with better precision and an option to be computer controlled which would be needed to use guiding in order to track targets during the long exposures required for DSO's. If all you wanted to do was to take images of the Moon then your Dob is capable of doing that using a webcam, cheap astro camera or even a mobile phone camera (supported by a bracket). Record the Moon using drifting through the field of view and then stack the individual frames of the video in software.

I've never used the app but reading the manual it makes reference to the Skywatcher wi-fi (built in or dongle) when using the app via an android or Apple device. If running on a windows based machine the installation folder needs full access and as it runs a server service may need a change to your firewall settings as it needs to tether to a 3rd party application. I would suggest you have a read of the manual and follow the information from page 22 onwards. Whilst it mentions Ascom compliant 3rd party applications it doesn't go into a lot of information on configuration, and as far as I know EQMOD, due to its age, looks for a com port rather than a network device, so could be reliant on another link in the chain. synscan app manual Info on advance configuring EQMOD and additional scripts can be found on the EQMOD Sourceforge page here which has a page on satellite tracking, but understand these mounts, the firmware in the motorboards and to an extent the software communicating with it have not been designed to fast track a mount to follow something like the ISS which due to its orbit is probably the fastest moving satellite. To be perfectly honest I think its a lot of bother just to get the mount to track the ISS....

I see.. I think that there comes a point in life where we all have to step back and let others work for us. I'm only 61 next month, but with disk problems and trapped nerves can no longer do the things it used to do. I just took delivery of a new washing machine and paid the extra to have the delivery team unpack the new one, install it and take away the old machine for recycling. It cost me £50 to do so but saved me putting my back out and causing more damage. I built my observatory in 2011 and was fitter and more able than I am now.... wouldn't be able to do it now !