bottletopburly

Deepskydad Af3 ,

Have you tried a different lead , are you connecting via a blue usb3 socket on your pc?

That’s really nice Pete 👍

Thanks looks the same 👍

Thanks John 👍

Can anyone confirm the spacing on my zwo Efw connection to zwo533mc is correct 11mm spacer 16.5 mm spacer 2mm t2-t2 connecting to Efw

What do peeps use to clean their filters with what solution and cloth do you use?.

I use a qhy mini guide scope on a qhy 290mm camera , guiding on a 350fl and a 1000fl and seems to work ok nice and light .

Try emailing Pavle at Deepskydad I’m sure his af3 units will have an adapter that will fit your scope if not I’m sure he will be able to print an adapter to fit https://deepskydad.com/autofocuser3

Found the correct one https://www.firstlightoptics.com/zwo-accessories/zwo-t2-male-to-male-adapter.html

I’m looking at connecting my zwo533mc to a zwo Efw 1.25 version, so I need a T2-T2 adapterto connect spacers to Efw which I don’t have (bought camera used ) and that spacer missing will this part from @FLO be ok to use is this the same size as the zwo supplied one ?

Heart nebula 6.25hrs , zwo533mc, tecnosky 70AG , L Enhance filter ,stacked in Astap processing in StarTools’s

In the first picture collimation looks off as the spike at 2oclock looks distorted not sharp , is the focuser 90degrees to the ota , I recently changed my focuser to a baader steeltack and found out the focuser wasn’t sitting true and shimmed to suit , I only realised because I couldn’t get the secondary centred properly using my concentre eyepiece , you could sit primary on a few blobs of low Modulous clear silicone so mirror not shifting , easy to remove .

Excellent image 👍

So my Xmas treat was to upgrade the stock focuser on my 200 PDS Newtonian to a Baader Steeltrack highly regarded as a solid focuser , so yesterday I stripped the old focuser out , now marking the new holes was a pain that could have been easily remedied if baader had supplied a paper template rather than taking the focus shaft off the base as instructed by baader , note once holes drilled in ota remember to refit shaft to base as some of the grub screws are inaccessible once verabase bolted to ota , ask me how I know 😆, now there is a bit of allowance the length of travel on the base so you can slide focuser up and down tube to centre on secondary , I also elongated holes the opposite direction so I could manipulate focuser up down and left to right once focuser bolted down , now this is the bit with baader I don’t understand, due to the base design this allows light leakage under the plate into the ota which was quickly remedied by cutting two strips of foam that housed the focuser in packaging box and glued to underside of base blocking light , now for collimation , I inserted my concentre eyepiece which is the best so I’m told instrument for centring secondary now I have had it a year and wasn’t impressed never could get it looking right then I stumbled on a thread here on SGL which showed a picture and I thought mine never looks like that all centred perfect also noted @johninderby put check your focuser is 90 degrees to tube hmmm 🤔 so I looked at the front of ota low and behold I could see the focuser was not sitting square , so I aligned a metal ruler with spider vanes and it was clear focuser was on the wonk , now badder supply 4 shims , so I put 2 shims on one side of base and 1 shim on the other side and that did the trick now I tightened the four bolts down on base whilst looking down concentre making sure bolts were evenly tightened , now looking down the concentre the secondary looked as it should and probably the old focuser was tilted too and why I wasn’t sure on the concentre eyepiece, primary aligned to secondary, primary clips all looking equal laser hitting polo whilst slowly turning laser , polo in centre of concentre eyepiece/ coli cap and Cheshire just to check my collimation OCD , now all I need is the bracket to fit my autofocuser to the Steeltrack which Pavle at Deepskydad is sending me then will do a star test and see how it turns out but I’m pretty optimistic that all will be good ,the only negatives with the steeltrack are to do with the base ,there are four holes which are supposed to fit your old focuser holes , they don’t not on a 200pds they would be better doing away with these and supply a paper template, I used flocking material to block these holes up and baader should supply a foam strip to block the underside of base other that a good focuser . note I did find a site with a 3D printed spacer that fits under the verabase which looks a neat soloution pity baader never thought of that https://en.rbfocus.net/product-page/adaptador-200pds-para-enfocador-baader-diamond-steeltrack

John you just made my day having spent quite a few hours fitting my steeltrack , I could never get on with the concentre it never looked right , low and behold I could clearly see focuser on the wonk hence probably why using old stock focuser the secondary never looked right through the concentre, so two shims Under one side of the verabase and one shim on the other focuser now sitting 90 degrees aligning a metal ruler along spider vanes and eyeing up the concentre barrel to edge of ruler all now parallel and secondary looking good through concentre 😁👏👏👏👏.

Thanks for doing that appreciated, mine too reads 92.4mm 👍 now just to fine tune collimation . regards Dave

Could someone with a 200pds do me a massive favour, I am in the middle of swapping the focuser for a steeltrack and I want to verify that the steeltrack is approximately centred to the same measurement as the old stock focuser for my own sanity , could some one measure from the white rim to the centre of the focuser as in photo please . regards Dave

Get Astap working in your software of choice for platesolving, deepskydad autofocus units are very good take a look at https://shop.deepskydad.com

StarTools’s +1

Baader Diamond steel track for Newtonian delivery 🚚 yay 😁

Went to De Monfort Hall to see him ,having read his book this is the talk to that ,obviously delayed to covid,very good indeed and if you havent read the book you can buy a signed copy at event .

Note Astroworld tv have an upcoming episode on V 3.90 update once details released

I have decided to upgrade my focuser on the 200pds to a baader Diamond steeltrack, now im currently using a 2" clicklock M54 adapter but the caveat with that is it pushes the focus tube into the ota due to its size, plus its the wrong thread for the ST ,so i think i will just opt for the M48 fitting ,now is anyone using a steeltrack with the m48 fitting ,can anyone tell me can the camera be rotated to be orientated to the desired position ?. Regards Dave

Saw this posted on astrobuy, school teacher looking for a dobsonian for school project they have a zero budget can anyone help . details here https://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=180749