oymd

I’ll watch this with internet... 🍿 🍿

With such a LARGE and heavy scope like the 250PDS, I think you need to consider the moment arm as well. It's not just that it's almost 15kgms, but due to it's diameter and length, it will act as a huge sail on a tiny boat. I think that the CEM120 is the least you should consider. And as the saying goes...there is no overkill mount...

Good morning everyone. I was wondering if you can educate me with regards to refractor design and the place where the glass sits in refractors? I want to dismantle my focuser to make it safer and easier to take with me on a plane? I want to remove, if possible, the black CNC part? My scope is the Altair 70 EDQ-R quadruplet Apo. Is there any glass in the BLACK focuser part? Is it safe to dismantle that part, and then easily put it back on? Or will I mess up the collimation etc? At the very least, I want to remove the actual focuser control knobs and bar from underneath the scope? Is that doable, and is it safe? Would that mess with the optics? Usually with apo scopes, there is a diagram that shows where the glass elements are, but I could not find one for this scope? Many thanks

Thanks Michael. Sorted!

I had been imaging without guiding or any connection to the mount for the past year, using a laptop beside the mount in the garden, and remotely connected to it from inside the house with TeamViewer. I would setup, do star alignment, bhatinov mask, choose the target, start the sequence, then go inside the house. I had never tried guiding yet. Last month I bought the ASI Air Pro and the 290MM Mini. I wanted first to setup and understand how guiding interacts with the imaging session, and also how to control the mount using EQMOD and Stellarium. I did not want to introduce a completely new and different platform like the Air Pro, just to avoid overwhelming myself. The plan is the ultimately I will use the Air Pro, but wanted first to be familiar with the traditional mount control and guiding.

Is there anyone on this forum who uses this scope? Have you tried attaching the ZWO EAF to it?

dear dear....this is SO SO complicated. but at least my dry run in my dark living room all worked today I was focused through the window on a very far scaffold with some lights. PHD was going crazy, understandably, as it could not see stars, and kept warning me it will shut down to avoid hardware damage. I'm pleased EQMOD and Stellarium played well together. I did a very rough PA in the living room, and the scope was pointing to various targets where it should go. APT while easy, has a clunky interface. I tried NINA, got lots of errors and red small boxes in the lower right part of the screen, but managed to get it going. Its nice that it has a DEDICATED guiding tab. Nice interface. Looks modern. Overall, satisfied. Thank you all so much for your help on this thread. Now, with the ASI Air Pro still in its box, I WONDER how will it integrate with all of this, but that will be for another night!! I deserve a small glass of wine after my efforts to night, and some tele... thanks again

Excellent. Sorted. I needed to press SHIFT + CONNECT Theen chose ASCOM camera in APT That then opens the ASCOM window. In the ASCOM window, it seems it does not matter if I choose ASCOM 1 or 2, as if I choose either, that then takes me to the ZWO properties box, and in that box, I choose the ASI 294MC Pro, and voila, it shows up now in APT. Now, with regards to PHD, after I open it and set it up, obviously it needs to run in the background? In APT, there is a big button on the right that says: GUIDE. I clicked that, and a few settings showed up. Should I ignore the GUIDE button inside APT?

I never connected the 290MM Mini before tonight. It was always the 294MC Pro that I used as main imaging camera, as I had never guided before? Yes, as you say, no matter what I do, APT only sees the 290MM Mini in live view etc, eventhough in the USB box below it shows that the 294MC Pro is plugged in? Should I just try NINA? Never used NINA before, and worried it might just bee too much for me to take in on my first setup? Also, when choosing cameras in PHD dropdown, should I choose ASCOM camera, or ZWO camera? The options I see are ASCOM camera 1, ASCOM camera 2, ZWO camera?

Thanks for that. Yes, I connected the guide camera to the main camera, which is then connected to the laptop. I am doing a dry run inside, as the weather outside is really bad. Now, when I open APT, it does not see my main camera any more, just the guide camera?

Thanks for that. Yes, I connected the guide camera to the main camera, which is then connected to the laptop. I am doing a dry run inside, as the weather outside is really bad. Now, when I open APT, it does not see my main camera any more, just the guide camera?

Have never tried guiding before. Sorry, might seem very obvious, but not sure how to setup? I have my mount connected to the laptop with EQMOD/Stellarium, and everything looks fine. Di I connect the 290MM Mini guide camera to the main camera AND the laptop? The main camera, 294MC Pro is connected to the laptop, and using APT. DO I just connect the 290MM Mini to the main camera only, or it needs to connect to the laptop as well? Thanks

I have the 290MM Mini in focus now in the guidescope. Can someone please advise on HOW TO CONNECT the primary and guide cameras to start guiding? I have never run my setup automated, and always did it manually using APT. I have an AZ-EQ6 Pro mount with USB port, ASI 294MC Pro as the main camera, ASI290MM Mini as guide camera. I have installed all the drivers, ASCOM platform 6.5SP1, all the ZWO ASCOM & camera drivers, Stellarium & PHD2. I do not want to use the ST4 cable. so, do I connect the guide camera to the 294MC pro, and then connect the mount to the laptop? How will the laptop communicate with the cameras? DO I connect a single cable from the laptop to the 294MC Pro, which is already connected to the guide camera, or do I need to connect BOTH cameras separately to the laptop? Many thanks

Finally got my hands on a wide field apo, as I was struggling to get the nebulae in my FOV with my ED80.. Super excited..!! weather has been, and will be, horrible here in London for the foreseeable future, so no chance to try it out, but astronomy tools and Stellarium suggest I will have a good chunk of the sky in my fov with the 294MC Pro. Ivreally like the focus rotator and the option of the tilt adaptor, but I wouldn’t dare touch the later. Feels very solid and well made. Super excited..

THANK YOU so much!!

Many thanks, that was helpful

so basically any pier plate that works for the EQ6 works for the AZEQ 6? They are identical? On FLO, there is a diagram for the EQ8 plate, and for the CEM120. How can I get a similar diagram for the AZEQ6? I will need to send the schematic to a shop to have it machined abroad?

Can you please recommend a pier plate for the SW AZEQ6 Pro? The newer ones? I have seen this on Altair's website, but it only mentions the EQ6? https://www.altairastro.com/skywatcher-celestron--ioptron-pier-adapter-rocc-442-p.asp Also, any chance of a CAD drawing of the actual dimensions of the plate needed for said mount, as I need to have this done abroad at a remote site? Would help to know dimensions and bolt types and sizes? Lastly, is it true that it is NOT IMPORTANT to have the top of the pier perfectly level and horizontal? Thanks

Apologies, I missed your post and just saw this! You're more than welcome! I'm happy the guide helped you!

I managed to install the Android APK on the Amazon Fire 8 HD, and it works OKish, but quite sluggish. Any idea what are the specs of the FIre 8 HD? Is the Huawei more powerful?

Hello everyone I have recently purchased an Air Pro, which will be used with a SW AZEQ 6 and ZWO cameras and focuser. I do not have any modern tablets at home, except for a very old 2nd generation iPad and a kindle fire. Lots of laptops tough, mac and windows. Which tablet do you suggest to buy that is powerful enough, has a good screen and plays well with the ZWO ecosystem? A cheap option please? Will be used ONLY for AP. Thanks Ossi

DO you mean the MEAN WELL ones, or the ones I linked to on Amazon?

Thanks Jonny The Lynx Astro you linked to is 5amp? I was under the impression the AIr Pro needs at least 6-8amps if I will be using all its ports?

Thank you for your advice. I can see that ships from the Netherlands. I was hoping to get something sooner. What do you think of this: 12V 8AMP 96WATT: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B015RKHEEM/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1Z6BZ50E78GIF&th=1 or the SAME brand, but 12 6AMP 72WATT: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00W3S8630/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1Z6BZ50E78GIF&th=1 Many thanks

I don’t use a battery pack anymore. I was powering the camera using an AC power supply that has a female cigarette connector, abd I connect that to the cigarette plug of the camera cable. I agree. I want to ditch this option. can you pony me towards a 6A or 8A power zippy I can buy? thanks