alan potts

I am noticing it rather quickly now, even a couple of days you can see a bit of a difference.

Ok I can play with the cooldown which as I start it way before dark don't really matter. What is a reasonable warm up form zero or whatever to how many below ambient, like say it's 23/4c tonight do you warm back to 24c or cut it at say 16c. Also if I were to want to change the gain as I no doubt will, how do you do it? All worked well this morning but couldn't see the moon as it was just too sunny on the screen but it was visible more or centre on a piggyback scope.. Alan

A mate of mine that has Camtech cameras always said a box is worth 10-20 quid, well that would be on a fairly pricey item like a Canon body. Personnally I would say a tenner however if it were a TeleVue I wanted I wouldn't care if it had a box or not, all of mine do have boxes but then that just luck. Oh and many were bought new, the boxes are in big box in the barn. Also looking at what you have offered so far I am sure they are in top condition. Alan

I will consult my mate his understanding of all things computer is legendary around here, he solved a problem I had that no one on site even thought of, understandable when it was to do with local power from the socket. He can also get me stuff like a hub cheaper which is always nice. It may well help tidy things up too, he has mention one before.. Alan

I full believe any Canon model can be modified but even though old now I would not want to start pulling mu 1DS mk 2 apart, you don't need full frame though that is nice, APS C like 40,50,60 D models etc would give very god results and is kinder on scopes and flateners, though you would still require one. As for buying, look for one on here. 1200D 1300 D etc

Done well to get that it is only reasonable from here with a scopes and I am 10 degrees better off than you are, not tried imaging though maybe a bit low for any worthy result. Alan

Thank you everyone that helped. It would appear that I have named the guide camera and the imaging camera to do the same job, I have redone this so things are correct and all programs are working together I think, though of course I can't actually guide but took a set of darks for the library, which was when the main camera was doing darks too. It's tracking but I don't know what it's pointing at, a bit later I will try the moon. I make a deal with you all. I will stand in the corner with the dunce cap on and not buy anything IT related for a while so you can all have a rest, you must be fed up with me. May well buy a WO 73mm scope next month, get ready. Alan

I use a light box from my photography days of film and neg viewing, don't see how they could with one of those. Alan

I dare say I could Daz but with my level of IT knowledge I may well re-direct air traffic. I am going to look at the issue a bit later, I feel sure this is the problem, caused by me and not a cable this time. Alan

I have 5 laptops 2 x Dell and 3 Lenovo Thinkpads, the Lenovo have worked fine with various Canon, cameras, PHD 2 and ASI guide camera , C-du-C, and EQdir. Whilst these are a few years old now and were got for me by an IT mate, these are were very expensive machines 6 years back, they are not normal tech market ones costing a few hundred quid . Or are they all rubbish? Alan

I have just recalled I got a black circle in the PHD2 that I could not work out, this must have been data from the imaging scope, this happened just before I had had enough for the night. Alan

Good of you to test that cable, manuals are often wrong, just like me. I feel after many chipped in with heads together, the two camera one ID number seems a very good place to start looking. I am also in touch with the APT writer so maybe he can help to. I was surprised how long cooling took in APT, as in Sharpcap this was fairly quick, APT was about 12-15mins, ridiculous, Sharpcap abot 3mins, this could of course be my settings in APT. The Gain and offset seems to be a stand setting at 90 and 65, I do not understand anything about this, so have left it alone. Lets see what today brings, it is bound to be me, odds dictate it can't be another cable surely. Alan

I think I may have 2x camera 1 APT showed ASI camera 1 and 2, I ticked 1, think I have made a mistake, me again, why am II so useless. Alan

Right thanks everyone for the time being, I am going to bed, dare not got outside there are hammers out there, I will try your ideas tomorrow. Alan

I wonder if both could have the same ID like ASI camera 1, it did this with the daks 4 times.

Yes I am not sure I believe that either. Alan

I am just wondering thinking aloud, have the two Zwo cameras got the same ID like ASI camera 1, is this possible.

No Hub but could get one. All connected to 3 of 4 USB ports on the laptop. Alan

The guide camera was acting rather odd, never unplugged from where it is on the laptop, same USB, and it is telling no darks library, I know it has. I think the hammer needs to come out. Alan

No all run from the laptop with DSLR and did tonight whilst testing, and it has never caused a problem once we got up and running, I don't have a USB hub

What do you think is required to run C-du C with EQmod, PHD2 with a guide camera, APT with an 071. I have a Lenovo Thinkpad i5 second gen with 4 gig of ram, I would have though it was enough. Cooling on the camera stops each time PHD takes a photo with the guide scope. Apt froze many times and just stopped at first then seemed to settle, this was the only thing running at the time 4 times the PHD 2 tells me No dark library for the guide camera, when I know full well it has. C-du C slews so far away from any target is is laughable, it was nearer Jupiter than Saturn, and it flashes up some really bizarre messages (Kepler 1000 something or the other) PA is about 1 arc minute error, so decent. and should offer reasonable slews like it did last night when I used a normal camera. APT would not take a live shot of anything until I disconnected it and put it on another laptop. Am I asking too much because I don't believe everyone is working with a massively powerful laptop with 32 gigs of ram and basically doing the exact same thing I am. Thats 3 clear night lost and I am sick of it. Can anyone offer any advice. Alan

A good question, just frustration I guess, am beginning to wonder what the next cable problem I could have may be, it is not as if I am buying anything cheap and nasty. I feel the power system out here has many flaws, worse time is when lightning is about, blew a motherboard on a very high spec computer a few years back, before I had UPS's on everything. Taken a set of 3 minute Darks but interestingly they failed after 10 of the 20 for some reason, thing the laptop nodded off. All well though awaiting tonight, clear at the moment. Alan

A very big white T shirt too. Alan

Good morning all that are trying to help me. Good news!! Taken everything inside connected up and APT now works as it should, I think a plug connection on the power side was far from good but above all I wonder if inside the observatory it was too hot for the timeouts on the cooling, it was over 30c maybe 34/5c inside. So all looks OK now lets see if I can replicate things tonight. Alan

Well I had a look at if the scope was pointing at Polaris and it was indeed a good way off, which was quickly put right. Even though I was able to centre the pole star east to west I was still a little off mark north to south which must indicate either PA isn't spot on or the telescope is not sitting parallel to the the polar axis, I tend to feel the latter is correct but in my view it was close enough. Even doing this it slewed close to Saturn but still not in view of a 1.5x10 degree field of view, after moving the scope and sync setting on Saturn and another star a few times it behaved. But even though I synced to an object it still slew a good way off after to a star that was only 4-5 dergees away, something is not right here for sure. After messing around and instead used the Dialogue Setting in EQmod, then it set itself on on objects with good accuracy, even on a slew to M15 which was a fair way from where the scope pointed. Another point for site friends helping me here, even when pointing is good after sync or other set-up methods and point s are saved, it it back to square one the next night. It doesn't remember anything even though sync points are loaded on Un-park. I do though have a feeling I had another box ticked in this EQ mod section beforehand when things were good. Bit of a stinker this one I feel. Alan