oymd

Hi John Not yet. You see, the purchase was of the 290MM, 294MC Pro and the ED 80mm focal reducer. And I am returning all three. I'm keen on buying the primary imaging camera, before considering the guide camera. And was hoping to buy used to be able to afford or even justify buying all three in one go.

I'm very open to the Altair options, but for some reason, I'm bomarded by ZWO options on various review sites, SGL forums, Cloudy Nights, and almost everywhere I research. It seems that the options are either really high end cameras (QSI, FLI etc..) or more budget friendly CMOS ones, and it seems ZWO are the most popular in that segment. Not sure why, but that is what I have noticed.

Hi John Its from a very popular UK website for Astro classifieds. It was not ebay or any site like that. To be fair to the seller, and I think he really did not know what he was selling, he refunded me 100% of the money and has offered to pay for return shipping, and has apologised for the confusion. He explained that he also just got into imaging but decided to sell. I believe it was unintentional and I think he is an honest chap.

I have been waiting since January and it’s out of stock everywhere. Any idea what kind of mod is that on the 290MM Mini? Has anyone seen that before?

Well, the cameras were advertised as "Pristine and virtually unused", so I assumed its all stock. Well, I will have to ask for a refund and return this. Any advice on how to check if the 294MC Pro has any issues? Is there a simple imaging software I can use that can have it checked? Many thanks

So the protective glass should be glued to the UNDERSIDE of that black ring, and NOT onto the sensor? It seems the 290MM Mini I received looks completely different? There is a black felt ring around the sensor stuck onto the PCB? Was this possibly a broken/fixed camera?

Good morning everyone... I have been very keen to get into trying to start imaging. With all the ZWO cameras I want on backorder, I bought the 2 ones I wanted used from a well know UK astro site. Namely a 290MM mini and 294MC Pro Can you please advise me what is wrong with this 290MM Mini? There seems to be a part missing from the camera? There is sticky tape around the protective glass of the sensor, and it seems to be missing its black cover ring? I emailed the seller, and he appears to be genuine, and offered a refund, as he did not notice it, and has been using it as is with an extender on his guidescope. Also, can you please advise how to quickly setup both cameras quickly for a quick test of the sensors, before I consider a return to the seller? Do I use Sharpcap for sensor analysis? Many thanks

Thanks, that’s good to know. Is the stock supplied 2” 28mm considered a good eyepiece, or just a very poor basic one? havent yet invested in high quality eyepieces, or even looked through any of the high end ones. all of my recent expenditure has been on the basics...OTAs mount etc...

Yes, once I manage to secure the dovetail, it’s all good. like you said, the main issue is to be able to fit the CGE dovetail in, I need to completely release the bolts to the point they almost fall off.

Are you using a vixen or a wide losmandy/CGE dovetail?

which is what I find quite surprising, as the HEQ5, NEQ6, EQ6 and AZ-EQ6 can take a C11 easily, and surely there are members out there with this similar setup. why am i the only one who brought this up? are my bolts short for some reason?

That looks like some serious kit attached there! Didn’t know that Geoptik do saddles. Thought just bags. I will look into it, as I would like to keep my existing CGE dovetail, as I’ve just bought it.

The saddle on the mount is not the greatest piece of engineering, but it works OK with the vixen dovetail on my ED80, which is helped by the OTA being very light My problems started when I replaced the vixen style dovetail on my C11 XLT with the CGE dovetail, to improve stability. Getting the wide CGE dovetail into the saddle is now very very tricky, and I almost dropped the OTA! I have to loosen both bolts on the saddle to accommodate the CGE dovetail, and still it would barely fit, to the point that I dropped both bolts when I was loosening them. Had to look for them in the dark in the garden. Luckily found both with the springs attached. To accommodate the width of the CGE dovetail, there is barely a quarter of a turn left before the knobs fall off completely! Are there any LONGER replacement knob options you recommend or know of, or should I just get a couple of similar thread and size longer bolts from a tool DIY shop? Or should I just get rid of the whole saddle and replace with ADM? And if so, which one? Also, sliding now the C11 on the CGE dovetail to balance in DEC is near impossible, and a disaster waiting to happen. It is extremely rough, and the OTA does not slide, and with the knobs even slightly undone, there is good contact with the dovetail Thanks

Actually, the focuser turned out OK, I think. It was my first refractor, so dint know what to expect. It focuses fine, and with the fine knob I can see pin point stars. A couple of questions though: 1- when locking the focuser with the focuser thumbscrew underneath, is it normal for the focuser knob to still turn freely? I think the actual tube does not move, but is it normal for the focus knob to move? Also, when packing the OTA in the box, I rotate the focus knob so that the focus tube is all the way in, then lock the focus. The knob still rotates freely? Is that all normal? 2-when viewing, the stars at the edge of the field, and I mean literally at the edge, look terribly out of focus, like double stars, and as I slew them into the central area of the eyepiece they become pinpoint stars? This is without touching the focus? Using the stock 2" diagonal and 2" 28mm eyepiece that come with the scope? Again, is this normal? thanks

I have went as far as completely undoing the 2 AZ bolts, to the point they might fall off. With the central bolt locked, trying to rotate the mount on its central axis is impossible. It is rock solid. Anyways, here's my experience tonight. I think I managed to PA. Finally. I laid out a big picnic blanket on the patio floor....and covered the central part with a large garbage bag. Then used 3 pillows from my living room layered on the floor to be able to kneel comfortably and look up the scope. I THINK the star I PA'ed to was Polaris, as it was the brightest. Not bright at all, but the most obvious. Just as I completed that, the clouds started to set in. Now, I forgot where I put the manual. The ED80 was in a transverse horizontal position in the DEC axis, so as to open the window of the polar scope. I then went through the handset menu, and chose 3 star align. The slewing was in the COMPLETE WRONG DIRECTION. So, I thought my starting position must have been wrong. Turned the mount off, and rotated the ED80 and DEC axis in a way so that the scope was pointing towards Polaris. Not sure if that is the correct position. Anyways, mount back on, and went through alignment. Now the SLEWING MADE MORE SENSE, and I was comparing against the sky app I have on my mobile, and it made sense. The issue is, being a newbie, the star alignment asks you to choose a star, and the mount slews to it, and you are asked to center it in the eyepiece? But other than VERY BRIGHT STARS like Capella or Sirius, how am I supposed to know which star is the correct one in the eyepiece? When the mount slews to the star I choose, I see at least 3-4 stars in the eyepiece, and non of them stand out. THe options I was given today were Algeiba, Dubhe etc...When the mount slews there, there isn't ONE PARTICULAR SUPER BRIGHT TARGET? I also have a Celestron 8SE, and alignment on that is MUCH MUCH simpler. I chose 3 bright stars ( I have no idea what those 3 stars are ), and the alignment would decipher which is which, and alignment is done. Why does Skywatcher give me a star's name, and do a rough slew to it, and then expect me to know which one in the eyepiece is the named star? Unfortunately in my garden I have no view of the WESTERN sky, so the super bright Sirius, Rigel etc are not available to me. Possibly the only star in the sky that I am confident of is CAPELLA, and I barely see it above the house.

lol That exactly happened 30 minutes ago when I setup..... As i was about to start PA, clouds kicked in, and its complete cloud cover now. CO suggests it will be clear again at 1am, so i left the righ setup, went in to get some work done, and hopefully will carry on later tonight!

Thank you all for your advice on this. since the weather has been terrible these past few days, I have setup the mount on the tripod inside the house and have went through the steps to familiarise myself with the PA. I just want to go over one specific point, as it has been advised in multiple posts above otherwise? With the mount on the tripod, and with the central locking bolt that screws into the bottom of the mount from underneath fixed to the mount, and accessory tray fitted, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO MOVE THE MOUNT using the 2 AZ knobs? The mount is completely FIXED? To move the mount in either direction using the 2 AZ knobs for getting Polaris into its correct position in the polar scope reticle , I HAVE TO UNDO THE CENTRAL LOCKING BOLT. The posts above advise that the central bolt need not be undone? what am I doing wrong?

You missed my first few posts above... This was the SECOND label.... Both have been removed...

by plate solving I assume there is a camera involved?

Good evening everyone Tonight was the first time I tried to setup my mount in EQ mode. since getting the mount a little over a month ago, I’ve been using it in Alt-Az and in push to mode. the sky was relatively clear tonight, but I really struggled with PA!! i set the altitude to 51, which is where I am in London. the manual advises to pint the mount north, which I did. I could barely see Polaris in the sky, as light pollution in Zone 3 where I live was terrible. for the life of me, I simply could not work with the included polar scope?! for starters, the angle is impossibly difficult to get a comfortable view. I literally sat on the ground in the garden to be able to look through the polar scope. the manual mentions to chance the altitude arm to get Polaris into view? But isn’t it already set at 51? If I change that, why did I have to set it to 51 in the first place? also, the two AZ knobs that rotate the mount in the horizontal axis cannot be moved, as the mount is fixed with the large bolt that screws in from underneath the tripod into the mount base. Should I release that when polar aligning? i released everything, but still could not get Polaris into view on the Pilar scope. Reason being, with the naked eye, I thought I saw ONE star which should have been POLARIS. But once I looked through the polar scope, there were at least 4-5 stars showing up, and I did not know which one I should adjust to? also, once I turn the mount on, all I see are the markings and the view is just RED. The sky and stars disappear? also, the 3,6 & 9 o’clock markings are offset, and not correctly positioned like a clocks face? I spent a good frustrating 2 hours tonight in freezing cold, and felt really really disappointed that I could not go beyond STEP ONE. I would sincerely appreciate some help!!

Well, I had a thorough look inside the mount, and its completely hollow, with the PCB taking up very little space. Routing all the cables you want would be possible IMHO.

Wanted to update this. I used an Olympus Endoscope, and found the second label inside the black housing barrel of the CW shaft. Had a nice look inside the mount as well, at the PCB!! There is almost NOTHING inside the body of the mount, except for the PCB! Removed quite easily....pretty happy... BTW, I saw on the PCB a socket labelled: HIGH RESOLUTION ENCODERS that was unpopulated? Would that be for the higher end EQ8-R mount and the encoders?

The one that comes stock it 21cm. Not sure a 24cm will make a big difference.

I have i moved the OTA all the way forward until the rings get caught on the screws of the focuser assembly. It’s still very back heavy. Also, because of the 2 safety screws on the bottom of the dovetail, I cannot move the dovetail completely forward to its very edge.

I prefer this option. By drilling, do you mean take it to a shop, or drill it myself? I have a power drill, and possibly can try widening the pre existing holes with a thick bit I have. but won’t that risk rust etc?