Dark Raven

ASI2600MC DUO – ZWO ASI (astronomy-imaging-camera.com) I do like this:

It´s available for order on ZWO site: ZWO AM3 Harmonic Equatorial Mount – ZWO ASI (astronomy-imaging-camera.com)

That may be down to Sony and not ZWO as the current sensor line-up is set below: Security Camera Image Sensor [Product] | Image Sensor for Security Cameras | Image Sensor | Products & Solutions | Sony Semiconductor Solutions Group (sony-semicon.com) Chip shortage is affecting automotive industry mainly and that is by their own choice for not wanting to keep up the pace with chip development. Old lithography systems were depreciated and chip manufacturers can´t satisfy demand on remaining machines. Example would be me insisting on buying Intel Pentium II because it is enough for my needs. Other way to read it is insisting on old depreciated tech to have bargain input prices and still charge the premium for final product. I can understand the fiduciary duty to keep costs low but at some point you have to keep up with the world. Same reason why OEM car sat nav is having at least one year old maps. Not that I am a Tesla fanboy but interesting enough you did not hear Tesla having chip shortage.

It´s more of a whole setup similar to Vanois Stellina. As posted elsewhere:

Check the power supply/battery output and stability. RPi4 alone needs 3A. Insufficient Amperage often leads to RPi freeze. If you have a camera, guider, focuser, and filter wheel connected and driven by RPi it can easily become underpowered. 5-6 A should be available at all times. For cooled camera setups even more as they require 3A alone.

That MSRP is (ex-factory) so do not forget to include FX and VAT. I agree

Is it possible that ZWO finally made camera rotator? Screen grab from:

The rumor has it that the suggested retail price appears to be $1499 (ex-factory) with availability in June.

Someone used online translator to figure out what the “knob” on top of the 2600MC Duo is. “Guide Star Sensor Focus Knob”.

I went with Pi Zero W as I had few to spare, HQ lens, dummy camera enclosure and batteries for portability. Pi Zero does the job but struggles. I assume Pi Zero 2 W would do much better.

Looking at the designs it appears they have omitted the hot shoe. I am aware it not recommended to put ASIAIR there and can cause cable snags, but hot shoe was nice...

As a backpacking mobile imager with AM5 and WO RedCat 51, I was hoping for something closer to 3kg... That would knock it out of the ball park for me instantly. This way, I´ll wait till I upgrade the OTA first.

That AM5 slewing sound never gets old 😀 Congrats, I believe you will be happy. That mount carrying capacity will allow for long-time growth. Do swap those ZWO flat USB cables with proper ones. Be sure to separate data and power cables when cable managing. AM5 harmonic drive has tremendous torque and it will rip out cables with ease. Should you need to reduce weight (airplane, long hike) you can shave off 0.5 kg by replacing the dovetail and saddle. I've added a linchpin just in case. Wishing you some clear skies and do not forget to dither and drizzle due to the scope focal length and camera pixel pitch to mitigate under-sampling and blocky stars. Br,

It is Lowepro Pro Trekker BP 550 AW II backpack. I got it from local photo store, but it is fairly common and widely online available. Google for best price. I like it especially as it is designed to fit as carry on luggage and I can confirm that it fits nicely in the overhead compartment of Boing and Airbus. Took it on planes, trains and car, kept all my gear safe. There are things I would like to see improved mainly regarding strap management that I got used to with my other backpacks. It would be much better if it was back-loader backpack so your straps do not get dirty or wet when you lay it down. Biggest issue I have with it is that it does not have strap zip-up cover to store them away. Super handy feature when traveling or setting on airport security conveyer belts. Minor things, but other than that quite satisfied.

A "bit" more expensive option could be ZWO AM5. Brings the sturdiness of a big mount but remains fairly lightweight. My setup is to some extent similar to yours. The core of the setup ZWO AA+, AM5 with WO RC51 and ASI585MC Packs up nicely into a single backpack It did cost a lot but coming from the light mount and all the frustration of throwing away a third to half of the subs, I did not ever regret it. Buy once, cry once. Happy ever after.

Everything is stored in Lowepro Pro Trekker BP 550 AW II backpack and is ready to go at a moment's notice. ZWO AM5 with TC40 CF tripod, WO RedCat 51, AA+, EAF, ASI585MC, ASI120MM, IDAS NBZ, L-Pro, 12V 18Ah LiFePO4 raw battery, spare Li-Ion 12V 12Ah raw battery, dew heaters, multimeter, spare set of cables, miscellaneous small tools... The core of the setup A small portable but capable wide-field setup that brings a lot of joy.

You can use one power supply with ASIAir and AM5, however official recommendation is that you power the AM5 first and than from AM5, power ASIAir. AM5 has passthrough 5521 DC power socket. That is how I run my setup and it works great.

Hi , Welcome to the SGL forum. If you have not already, I would suggest to do two basic mods first: putting a shroud and stiffening the focuser. See below on how to: I have the same telescope as you and I have done exactly what you are asking. For visual observing almost any go to mount would do. Make sure that it has at least 5 kg payload capacity. Good options would be: Star Adventurer GTi Wi-Fi GoTo (with tripod!) Sky-Watcher EQ3 PRO Go-To Celestron Advanced VX Mount (a bit pricey) In a pinch you could get away with these: Sky-Watcher AZ GTi WiFi iOptron SkyHunter AZ/EQ Goto I would not recommend: iOptron Cube Pro Go-To (all the reasons why you can see in my personal experience here on this SGL thread, lots of pics of 150p in action as well) iOptron SmartEQ Pro (outdated, a lots of hassle...) For astrophotography you need a good mount with sufficient payload capacity. This telescope is designed for visual use and it shows. Attaching a camera to SW Heritage 150p can be done (I did it, full blown DSLR at that), but it is a hassle... Your biggest problems are achieving focus and terrible helical focuser. Given that SW H150p is a truss tube Dobsonian, you can achieve primary focus (without Barlow lens) by simply not extending it all the way out. How much do you need to extend will depend on your particular camera and only trial and error will show you exactly how much is needed. I would not recommend DSLR as the focuser is not sturdy enough to hold it steady and you will end up throwing away 2/3 of your sub-exposures. Light dedicated planetary cameras would probably do best, but for that you need small computer or ASIAir / Stellarmate and it is a rabbit hole... Perhaps the simplest option would be to start with: Celestron NeXGO DX Smartphone Adapter and see how it goes. I have upgraded the eyepieces and use it primarily for a visual observing while my other dedicated Astrophotography rig is taking sub-exposures. See below for my example Do let us know how you advance, and do not be shy to ask questions, we all started at one time...

Do you think the RGB option is suitable for Astro?

Here you go: Hope it helps.

Not sure if still relevant, but might help someone else in the future. Expanding Foam Bags for Shipping work wonders as they conform to any shape. Watch instruction videos and definitely move fast!! https://www.amazon.de/-/en/gp/aw/d/B09T3D7J4J?psc=1

I changed the saddle and dovetail to reduce the weight of my backpacking setup. Shaved off half of a kilo. I know it's not relevant for many, but my back feels every bit of it, just need to add a linchpin to ensure the scope can't slide out. IMHO, looks a bit bold but I'm OK with the result.

Maybe not cost-effective, but certainly doable. Especially with short focal lengths where you have a large field of view and rich starfield. With a long focal length and Off-Axis Guiding that sensitivity difference might play a crucial difference. There is a "new" train of thought that guiding is becoming redundant altogether.

Although certainly possible, the PH2 author recommends that mono camera be used for guiding. You can find his presentations on YT by searching for "bruce waddington phd2"