malc-c

One of the things I found out back in 2011 when I started using my 200P for imaging was that stars had unusual diffraction spikes because the 200P is primary designed for visual use.  In addition to mirror clips, unsilvered flats on the secondary mirror's minor axis where it had been clamped in the process also introduced a large fifth spike.  I ended up purchasing an over sized mirror from Orion Optics that matched the dimensions of the secondary on the 200PDS, which was fully silvered and resolved the problem.  This resulted in a hybrid as it still had the same distance between main and secondary mirrors (the PDS is shorter) but a larger secondary than the stock 200P.

I tried to find pictures from the time, but as they have been removed from the hosting websites they are no longer available.  Your images don't seem to show this artefact (it's slightly noticeable in the left hand image in Onikkinen's post, just after the bottom spike), but for me it was very prominent   

15 hours ago, MG01 said:

@malc-c I'm more than happy to contribute a board to your project...ping me your address and I can get it in the post in the week.

I've had an awful lot of help from fellow astronomers over the years so if this helps someone who's maybe having a rough time of it that's amazing.  Kudos on helping Foster such a wonderful community spirit!

That's great, many thanks - you have an incoming PM

A few years back it was quite easy to suggest a mount and scope combo as there were really just four or five models to choose from, with significant gains at each step.  These days there are far more options to choose from, which makes suggesting something harder.  Also the phrase "astro photography" is to general, as it one end of the spectrum is using a mobile phone's camera to snap what the eyepiece is displaying, right up to dedicated cameras costing more than a second hand Volvo !  With a budget of $750 you are going to be limited towards the entry level for equipment.

Also when it comes to imaging the mount is more important than the scope that sits on it is.  You really want stability for fainter galaxies and other deep sky targets.  Therefore you would normally go for a mount that is the next size up than you would when visually observing, so rather than put a 6" reflector on an EQ3, you would stick it on an EQ5.  Rather than stick an 8" reflector on an EQ5 you would use an HEQ5, or even an EQ6.  Regardless of mount, it has to be driven if you want to image deep space targets, so that means a goto option.  So new you are looking at £600+ for an EQ5 goto, which won't leave much for all the other equipment.

As others have said, for planetary work a large aperture and a long focal length is required.  Most of the large detailed images of Jupiter's clouds structure you often see here and in magazines is often taken through a 12" or larger SCT.  Whilst the same scope could be used for DSO's it requires adaptors to reduce the focal length, because to gather the data of faint targets you need a fast scope which has a short focal length.   You see where this is going... no one scope fits all...

Have a read through other posts like yours - you'll soon see that imaging is an expensive aspect of astronomy.  To get the clear shots of galaxies and planets you may need to increase your budget three fold.

An alternative is to look at using a tracking mount and a DSLR camera with a standard 50mm lense and a 200mm zoom lens.  You would be able to produce some stunning wide field views of the night sky, and possibly very acceptable moon and larger planetary images, although again, like scopes, camera lenses can be budget or high end with a wide price range.

Read through the forum... this sort of question comes up very frequently, so you may find useful info that can help you.

I see you asked the same question on Cloudy Nights forum.  Other suggestions when googling the topic seem to result when the filter wheel has been over tightened, or as suggested on the other forum, used an different USB lead to the filter wheel, or confirming the option has been selected.  I can't really assist as I don't have / use an Asiair box

I have a dinosaur of a PC in the observatory (Pentium core duo, 8gb of DDR3 ram and two mechanical HDD, one for operating system and the other for data.)   It still runs windows 10 and contains ASCOM, EQMod, CdC, PHD2 and APT for handling the Canon 400D.  Once the scope is powered and the PC booted to desktop I use this PC  directly to target a start and check for focus using a mask.  When I'm happy its all running I then go down to the house and remote into the observatory PC using a remote desktop connection.  Once I've connected I then select the target, frame the shot, establish guiding and then use APT to run the imaging plan.

When it's time to close up the observatory I park the scope, and then walk up to the observatory and cover the scope to take the darks.  The roof is closed and after locking the observatory up and returned to the lounge I set off the darks plan in APT which also has the option to shut the PC down once it's completed. When I'm happy it running the plan I close the RDC and power off the PC in the lounge.

The following day I copy the folder containing all the RAW images on the observatory PC to my lounge PC for processing (the lounge PC being a Ryzen based machine with 16GB of DDR4, an Nvme drive, and SSD drives for storage).  This process helps in two ways.  First the lounge PC is far more capable of processing the images, stacking them and then stretching them etc, and secondly means that I am not working on originals, so should I screw up whilst processing the images I haven't lost the originals.

It may not be the best way of working, but it suits me.

3 hours ago, MG01 said:

I'll be honest...I didn't get to the end of page 5 before I realised I needed to be making notes!

I do love that we have such a bredth of knowledge on this forum.  I'd love to learn a little more about electronics and programing so I'll pop the board in an ESD bag and maybe in the new year I can add to that thread.

Granted that the thread can get a little complicated and geeky at times, but basically it covers converting the downloadable firmware into a HEX file that can then be loaded into a PIC micro to replace the damaged ones on the main board.  Even though a few members have sent me their kit for repair, a few members have a programmer and have successfully done the procedure to give their scope a new lease of life.  It's well worth trying and even if you have to buy a programmer it could still work out cheaper than the cost of a new replacement board.

I'm also on the scrounge for any damaged boards that would otherwise end up in the bin, with a view of attempting a repair which, if successful can then be sold on to other SGL members for a small amount to cover parts, time and PPH.  Operating on an exchange bases to keep the momentum going, this could help people in the current situation where money is tight. 

28 minutes ago, MG01 said:

@malc-c Sadly it was one of the PICs so could only be replaced if you also know what was programmed onto it. 

You must have missed This thread 😉

Page 4 onwards becomes interesting 

On 03/11/2022 at 17:48, MG01 said:

As I return to the hobby I've had a few stumbling blocks.  Most recent the need to replace my NEQ6 control board because a bit of an IC decided it didn't like the rest of the IC and flew off into the ether! 

What chip blew its top ? - can you upload a picture of the main board - it may be repairable rather than shelling out £150+ for a new one

54 minutes ago, Carbon Brush said:

Do let us know how you get on with the shed company. When I looked on their web site, I thought that I recognised the company.
The Worksop postcode is very near to where a company used to supply (decent quality) sheds and fencing. Now it is housing 🤔.
A Google maps pin shows the company are on a residential street.🥴
Hopefully (probably) they are so busy making sheds that they haven't updated the web site.

Hope it works out OK.

If you use street view it's easy enough to find  They are in Retford Road, although the pin placed them in the housing estate in Forest Rise.  Google map pins are often out by a few yards !

My mount was second hand when I purchased it in 2011, so the bolts were the old soft metal.  I can't vouch for new mounts.  My mount is also permanently set up in an observatory so (in theory) doesn't need PA on such a regular bases compared to someone who sets up each session.

You can obtain the ratcheted bolts a lot cheaper if you shop around, buying from a hardware supplier rather than a "dedicated" astro supplier or e-bay.  it does make fine adjustments a lot easier.  

Most of us with HEQ5's remove the soft adjustment bolts and fit aftermarket ones 

The one with the red button uses a ratchet mechanism so it doesn't foul the rest of the mount. 

12 hours ago, George Sinanis said:

I was even looking into the sheds that shedshedshed provide : http://www.shedshedsheds.co.uk/

I spoke today with David and I will try to go and see his sheds at some point over the next 1-2 weeks.

They have some experience of custom builds looking at the images on their website.  Fingers crossed that they can offer you something that fits yours and the landlords requirements within your extended budget.  At least it will include the erection of the building leaving you to just install the scope and start using it straight away.

Just stumbled across this video released yesterday - amazing !

The modified plastic shed sitting on the plastic base would be an option.  However  Argos currently list Keter Factor Apex Garden Storage Shed 6 x 6ft for £770.00.  The interlocking base used in the video (same supplier) is £75.  The track (again from the same supplier) is sold as two 1.5m lengths for £41.15  as you need to buy two packs., adding a further £82.30.  This leaves around £73 of the OP's budget to purchase the wheels, additional timber for the ROR, gravel and other misc items.  

Granted the observatory would fit a lot of the requirements and keep his landlord happy.  It would also make observing / imaging sessions a lot easier as the complete kit can be left secured in the shed, but I feel the OP would need a budget of around £1500 to replicate the observatory in that video.  It also requires a little bit of DIY to build the ROR support, and to strengthen the structure, something that the OP has said is not his strong point (even though I've encouraged him to do).  If he / she is confident enough to do that framework etc then this could be the ideal solution to a semi permanent observatory that won't have too devastating impact on the garden

2 hours ago, DaveL59 said:

So its on the pad and was aiming for 14-Nov but seems even mama natura isn't convinced it should be allowed to try to fly, now delayed to 16-Nov for a tropical storm

NASA Prepares Rocket, Spacecraft Ahead of Tropical Storm Nicole, Re-targets Launch – Artemis

 

That crawler has done more miles in the past couple of months than it did in  whole decade of  the 1970's  !! - especially if they wheel it back to the assembly building once more due to yet another storm !

Personally I would correct the coma first, should improve the star shape, especially round the edges

22 hours ago, CroftWeatherman said:

That sounds excellent. I have been speaking with the tech team at Celestron UK and USA and they have had my handset for a couple of weeks now and managed to reproduce the error.

They told me they would release a firmware update and it sounds as if they have.

Celestron UK will do the update and if it passes tests send me back my HC, which will be nice.

Maybe I have managed to help a number of people beyond just myself, so that's excellent 🙂 

Pleased to hear you guys have had a positive outcome.  Brownie point to Celestron as well for them to recognise a bug in the firmware and hopefully an update will be made available for others to download.

"Maybe I have managed to help a number of people beyond just myself" - by documenting your experience here and the result you most certainly have done as both you and the rest of the community can link to this thread or instruct those affected to update their handset firmware.

Simple way to rule out the motor is to swap the motors over and connect the RA motor to the DEC output.  If the RA motor sounds the same when connected to the DEC output then it would rule out the DEC motor being faulty.  This could be confirmed by connecting the DEC motor to the RA connection and seeing if the motor sounds normal.  If this proves to be the case then the problem could either be a lose wire in the DIN plug / socket or, if the wiring checks out OK,  the synscan controller, most probably one of the  L293 drivers has failed.  

If you have ruled out all the connection points and the leads prove to be Ok (the use of a DVM can help here, or simply swap the cables over to see if the fault follows) and the fault looks to be the Synscan box then if your synscan box is of the older version without a USB port then it's quite easy to remove and replace the L293 using a dremel to cut the legs from the package, and a soldering iron and some decent flux to remove the rest of each leg from the board.

Personally given the current cost of building materials and the time for a builder to construct something that you will be pushed to have a working ROR observatory for under a grand. A quick google of a standard 7' x 5' shed is around half your budget and that excludes any base that would be required to sit it on.  The average hourly rate for a self employed builder is around £35-£40, so it would only take a day, day and a half to use up the balance of your budget.

If you are looking for a company that specialises in construction custom observatories avoid Home Observatories UK (HOUK) - there is a thread running where several customers have resorted to court action in order to recover their deposits and waiting over a year with no communications.   A dome from Pulsar is outside your budget unless you can find one secondhand on e-bay or Astro buy and sel.

One alternative is to buy a tool storage shed for around £300 and modify the floor so that it can fit around a pier base and place the shed on wheels and use some angle profile aluminium as tracks so the whole thing rolls back to leave the scope ready for use. 

Whatever option you end up going with there will be an impact on the garden.  Any shed will need a level base.  Any tracks need a firm foundation, and even paving slabs placed on the grass will soon kill the grass underneath.  I would get any agreement with the landlord in writing so you have a safety net,  and any remedial work needed to restore the garden should you leave is also agreed.   This will prevent any upset when what they visualise happening is totally different to what you are explaining.

Lastly, DIY is not that difficult.  You are only screwing bits of wood together to make frames and then cladding them with shiplap or similar.  Doing things yourself will save a lot of money and you'll get exactly what you are looking for.

Not sure if this is similar to the issue I had as detailed in this thread mainly as you have a different focuser which could be intruding into the optical path where I used the stock focuser

7 minutes ago, Geoffw said:

I thought about that but I thinks a zip tie would also slip as my insulation tape obviously did.

 

If you push the outer sleeve of the cable back through the grommet and then use a small cable tie pulled tight to prevent the sleeve and cable from pulling back.  If the tie is pulled tight enough it won't came off or work lose

1 minute ago, scotty38 said:

Thanks Malc, but no time to read it, just found a bucket of sand so off to melt it down into glass. Now if only I could remember where I left my notes on how to make Aluminium...... 🤣

😂  🤔

In that case then I can see the logic in wanting to automate the parking of the scope prior to closing the roof.  Googling "observatory automation" threw up this site   They also list a lot of PDFs that might help you plan the wiring etc.  They also seem to use Arduinos and offer ASCOM software that might help integrate with NINA or other software ?

Can we get this thread back on track.  The OP asked for opinions on two scopes which they wanted to use for  viewing both planetary and deep sky objects.  They have since opted for the SW Explorer 150P, which I'm sure will suit their needs until such a time where they may want to invest more time, energy or money and upgrade to something else.  At that time they may have the inclination to try the DIY route and build their own scope (bearing in mind that DIY is not just about grinding a mirror).

We are spoilt for choice these days, with several manufactures offering a multitude of telescopes at various price points to cater for both the casual beginner, through to serious amateur.  Often this can make choosing a suitable model difficult as there is so much to choose from.  Regardless of the model chosen, modern manufacturing techniques mean that the optics are finished to a degree that enables the scope to perform within its expectations.   I think that most of us lack the ability to visually detect if a mirror is finished to 1/10th wave or 1/4th wave, and will be happy with a commercial scope so long as the scope produces a decent crisp image. 

1 hour ago, A320Flyer said:

Nina has a safety toggle to prevent the roof closing if the scope is not parked.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t have one to prevent the scope slewing if the roof is closed. I have approached the Nina developers but they are not keen on adding that feature. Hence my post here. 

I'm struggling a little to understand the need for this feature unless the roof is motorised and you want to have a system that monitors the sky and if it rains or becomes overcast can park the scope into the custom park position and then close the roof

If the roof isn't powered and has to be manually closed then it means you will be in the observatory anyway to close the roof, so it's a simple click of the mouse to have EQMOD (or NINA  or GreenSwamp Server) to park the scope to its custom position and then manually close the  roof is all that is required.  It's just a case of being careful and getting into the habit of  opening the observatory before unparking the scope