Trippelforge

I am not sure actually, I can shoot the seller over a message. It was done by life pixel, so I don't know if that's standard for them or not. He did share some images and they look good, but of course I can crop it out so who knows. I am going to be shooting tonight, is there anything special I should do to try and check that?

Sorry this popped up as I was typing. I only swabbed a few times and did not use a dry one after so maybe that is part of the problem. I will try it again tonight, thanks for the suggestion!

I had purchased a kit and did what you mentioned. I noticed some hairs on it, and a few spots that looked like the original owner tried to blow it off (via mouth). The hairs also looked like the ones on those brushes. I was able to clean it up and don't notice anything when shooting flats now. I was SUPER careful, so I don't think I did anything bad too it. However I am curious if filters can ever just be defective? It is Ha modified and this spot seems like it could be related to acquisition (no idea though). Visually it looks perfect. I carefully cleaned the sensor and was able to remove many of the spots and seemingly some hairs. I guess the original owner "brushed" the sensor with one of those brushes. It looks perfectly clean now and when I do shoot flats now nothing shows up. When I shoot images I do notice a few spots that I have to crop out though. That's why I assumed it was the lenses. I will for sure snap some, and also share a photo with the problem areas. I am going to be out shooting tonight. Thanks for the help, oh and the f-ratio is 7.

Thank you very much for breaking it down for me! The one thing I did notice on there was in relation to the pull bolts. I didn't tighten anything down that much and was fairly careful. But I didn't really think that I went into full on precision mode to make sure the housing was perfectly squared. I did alternate between each, but still didn't pay much attention to it. If I did not have it squared up perfectly I assume that might be why it was tightening up during usage, which also is why turning the knob back and forth with a bit of irritation had fixed it... as I suppose it reseated it? Ya this is for sure a PITA, but I am glad to hear I am not the only one who has gotten frustrated by it. I appreciate your (and everyones) help! It looks like clear skies will be here Saturday, although... the damn temperature is going to drop to -6C which means the cold will probably lock it up again on it's own... /sigh

I will go through it again with patience and a beer! I really am determined to get this damn thing figured out. The mount hasn't been too bad overall, so it's worth it to me to deal with the frustrations! Thanks for the help!

Ya my mounts worm gear is the same, I noticed in a break down guide that the nut needed a special tool. Would I be able to feel it by wiggling it back and forth? It doesn't seem to have any play in it when I do.

I did loosen the bottom ones as well, and I also didn't put much torque on them at all when tightening as suggested. I have had two fairly long rounds of adjusting now. After awhile it kind of clicked how it was working, I wasn't sure about the set screw at first. I did not check the stepper motor connection, that is not something I even considered. I didn't know it could tilt it, at least enough to make any difference. I will check that out tonight, although my belt isn't very tight and slightly squeezes inward when I pinch it. I am for sure going to do the up and right trick during my next session. That really makes sense! Thanks for the help!

I did not read the manual of course... lol That makes sense on how to keep everything engaged while centering! I guess manuals are sometimes good for something! Ya I can get the worm gear better engaged, and cut down the delay to only a few seconds but then it seems to be overly tight. I have been adjusting the set screw a tiny bit, then lightly tightening the other bolts. I keep doing this bit by bit until things feel OK.

It was out about 1/2 a turn of the knob and I was getting frustrated with so much lag with my motor engagement. I wasn't sure how much backlash was normal, but when I slew with syncscan I end up no longer tracking correctly for a bit until and I guess the gear finally engaged. I have had to mess with the RA axis SO MUCH over the past month that it's been driving me crazy, as I keep having binding issues when the temps drop. And now for some random reason it did it again last weekend with warmer temps... I had to turn off the motor and manually move the knob around a bit, then re-engage to unbind it... it's been so annoying. Ya I think it's happing due to slewing back and forth a bit in order to center an object. And when I stop, it's drifting away, then it finally stops after 10 seconds or, but now I am off center again (during star alignment). I need to check it, I actually just bought what people told me around here, Superlube.

That's a very good suggestion and something I should have thought about... I have a tendency to put the DSLR in the exact same position each time. If it shows up in the same area I will have to share some images... I really hope it's not a defect in the sensor or filter.. I bought this camera used.

I have been struggling for awhile with my mounts RA axis binding up. It seems to always due it as temperatures drop, so I have taken it apart and checked various suggested things a few times. As well as spending a lot of time tweaking the RA worm gears tension. However I ran into ANOTHER binding episode last week, only this time it wasn't very cold (10'C). I was able to shut off the motor and manually spin the crap out of it and once turned back on it worked. I got to wondering this morning due to re-greasing it (superLube) in the beginning. Then cleaning some off after a second tear down on how much should actually be on the worm gear itself? This has been so frustrating, I wish I could afford a new mount.. =(

Where ever it is coming from is causing me to crop more than I would like. I wonder if there is something wrong with the sensor itself in one area? Could that cause the aberration / smudge, whatever it is? It sensor looks spotless, and nothing shows up when taking flats. Would any sensor damage show up on those? Although a secondary question would be if could the filter have an issue (defect) that wouldn't pick up anything on flats, but might only be in the Ha band? I mean it is what it is... I did assume objective wise there was nothing really I SHOULD be doing. But it's good to hear that the scope itself wouldn't be contributing to the problem. Side question; is buildup of random stuff over time in doublets / triplets normal? I wasn't sure if they were supposed to be vac sealed between them. Or if it's inevitable that things like dew form.. Thanks for the help, I appreciate it!

Title kind of says it all but I have been trying to eliminate some dust spots in my chain, and an "odd" area showing up in my photos. So I went ahead and bought a kit and cleaned the sensor, then took some test shots. They were gone from my DSLR, but then when I hooked it up to my scope and took some shots I still had specks. So carefully cleaned the main lens following some directions online and those went away. However I still had a few left and on my images notice a consistent "smudge" in one area. So I shined a light through the scope and inspected things closer. Turns out the second lens also has some spots on it and an actual smudge..... Ugh. I am going to assume this happens due to moisture build up over time? It's a newer thing I have noticed and had the scope out in some very large swings in temperatures. Is this something that just "happens" or is something broke, like a seal or something? Anyhow is there anyway to fix it, or do I just ignore and and try to clear things up in post-processing?

That is a very good point!

I will never forget the excitement the first image gave me. Seeing it show up on the view finders a rush. And ya the rabbit hole is real, luckily my son is perhaps even more obsessed than I am. So we are talking this journey together!

Thank you! A lot of help from you guys for sure.

I was looking through some photos today and came across my very first image of M42. It wasn't stacked and I had no idea what I was doing with processing. But I was extremely hooked after seeing what was produced. After a few months of learning (and help) I think the difference is pretty noticeable. I just wanted to share so that any aspiring AP people who might be frustrated with the process, can see what's possible with some determination. What's even more amazing is that both photo's were taken with the same equipment! I still have a long way to go, but this has been an amazing journey so far.

Thanks for the tips. I was just randomly picking up anything easy to see regardless of where it was.

I still haven't grasped that. So far I have aligned via the polar scope, then multi star alignment with the software. I hit the target I want and it moves to it, I just don't understand what parking does.

Thank you guys for clearing everything up! And thanks Jim for the guide, that might be what I do since looking at a phone screen just seems a bit small. I am not sure how to make it work with my particular drive system, but supposedly it does. My camera was on the compatibility list as well, glad that's something I could check. I need to get one ordered!

Just a quick report. I finally got it working and somehow with some mount tweaking got a tracking issue sorted. I tried to use it last week and the tracking was off... I was worried it was the system. Once I got it aligned and picked an object I was blown away, it gave my son and I a rush of excitement seeing it zip onto the target. All this time having to star hop, and constantly adjust only now to sit in a chair with our feet up is awesome. I will say one thing, going through so many years of manually targeting DSO's gave me a huge appreciation for these systems. I actually kind of feel bad for those who never got to struggle. LOL Anyhow so far I love this system, hats off to Alex.

OK so, you connect your laptop and take care of the focus and alignment process prior. Then switch over to the ASIAIR and go inside and control it via the app. I think I get it now, although it kind of sucks that it doesn't have PC support (I don't own a tablet). If I understand it right all images are stored on a USB drive, but you can download one here and there to your phone to check on things. How well does the software actually work, are there features comparable to PC AP software in regards to viewing / analyzing? I am getting tired having to go outside constantly to check on everything as I don't exactly have a premier setup. I am actually REALLY excited over the idea of avoiding mosquitoes over the summer!

Hi guys! I have been looking at the ASIAIR Mini for awhile, and finally got my new motor drive system setup (which is compatible), and already questioning life due to the elements. I read through the product page and a bit confused on how exactly certain things work. First of all my assumption was that you connected your rig to the ASIAIR and it transmitted to your PC, Interfacing with your AP software. So using it pretty much kept everything the same, only allowing you to do your sessions remotely. But then I started noticing things on the product page which started to make me completely confused. For one there is a DSLR shutter release port. But up until this point I connected my camera via USB, and allowed NINA to snap the images. Furthermore the unit has a memory card slot, so I am going to assume it controls the camera via a shutter cable, then saves the image first to the memory card (which is fine), then transmits it to your PC. However it also mentions nothing about PC support, only Android and ios... So that kind of caused a head scratch. So does that mean that image acquisition is handled by the ASIAIR itself via an app? SO does that mean you can't control anything via NINA or APT? Lastly, how good of Wifi distance are you guys getting? It claims 20m, but real world is sometimes different. If I want to be inside (which that's the point) I am going to be near the limit, although my router is pretty powerful so maybe that will help. ALTHOUGH now I am wondering if it connects into your network, or only via your phone. I really confused at this point. If anyone can give me some insight on how the system works, I really would appreciate it. The concept of it seems amazing, but there is no way I would want to run it via an app.

That is what I was talking about, I don't think there is any lateral movement luckily. Now that everyone has helped I can dig into it and start trying to fix it up.

It helps, I believe the locking nut needs a special tool to loosen or tighten. At least from what diagrams I found, it has like 2 holes in it, it's weird. But I am going to assume if that needs adjustment the worm gear itself will wiggle back and forth. I did test after I tightened the bolts, I noticed that they had some effect on the movement. I backed off a bit and just made sure they were snug and not overly tight. That seemed to relieve a bit of pressure. It helps! Thank you! How can you tell when it's properly adjusted when tightening everything? Good to know that everything should only be snugged up, I wasn't sure how much torque was supposed to be used. I will look up some videos prior to tearing anything apart again. I should have then but was determined to quickly get it working again so I could drag it back outside. My son was pretty disappointed at that point. Thanks for helping me out! So how tight should the clutch lever be when everything is working properly? That kind of makes sense why I got the slipping to be a bit less as I guess the binding was keeping it more in place.