rofus

Adding something to this post even if very old. I found weirdly similar information around, for some reason when people ask about using a LPS instead of L, talks start revolving around using a LPS in front of the filters wheel, that doesn't make much sense (and is not really what OP asked). Using LPS in front of filter wheel not only creates problems with narrow and it's not practical, but is also not recommended as you would have differential filtering depending on the coloured filters. And as long as you have a good L you don't need any LPS in front of coloured filters. Instead what I found making a big difference, even from my Bortle 4/5 sky, is using a LPS filter in place of L. That doesn't affect colours, and also if there are bands cut in galaxies, it doesn't matter as long as you expose longer (and that's what you want/need). Result will be you actually get MORE of everything, less SNR, dramatically dropped sky glow that will compensate for any data loss for the notches. You also gain in stars roundness. Personally speaking I use a D1 in place of L, ASI1600, and it makes a massive difference. I can expose two or three times longer in L, and I still get darker sky background than original L, and much more data and vastly superior SNR. If this is the case from a Bortle 4/5, I think it would make an even bigger difference in more light polluted skies. So IMHO don't put anything in front of filter wheel, just exchange L with a LPS filter of good quality and not cutting too much, and you'll get vastly superior L, and that's going to be 80% of the final quality of your image.

That was a long post! 🙂 I suppose you were disappointed by the Sesto Senso, and I understand. Actually I have also an EAF that I use on another scope, so I could easily swap them and use the EAF (very similar to Pegasus Cube) on the Esprit. And I do love Pegasus stuff as I have as well their rotator and dc hub! Personally, if I had to choose, I'd say it makes more sense to use the reduction gears in the scope without reinventing the wheel, but it seems is not so easy. My one works meaning that even at zenith it doesn't move, it actually holds (not sure why in your case it resets). I've done curves in Voyager and I get reliable focus like I get with the EAF on the other scope, but surely is annoying to know it might loose some step here and there and so it might work even better. I mounted a few autofocusers with plate, I really don't like it, is not a stable connection for me. And not all of them give clear instructions. Speaking with Skywatcher directly, some of the screws that Pegasus says to use, SW says to not use them (by that I mean not the way Pegasus says). With EAF is even worse, as ZWO says they don't have a specific adapter for Esprits and you need to be 'creative' 🙂 Anyway, I'd still like to have the microfocuser to work properly, even without using it for autofocusing. The design of Senso (no mounting plate) is definitely more advanced for me, but it probably works at 95% precision instead of 100%, and I'm ok with it at the moment, even if I want to try and do more to make it better if I can...or maybe change to the EAF or Pegasus who knows...but I don't want to give up yet. Hopefully @inFINNity Deck solution can help. Problem here is not the Sesto Senso, but the Esprits focuser, so let's see if I can make it better. Sesto Senso will work as precisely as the microfocuser is, so is still something I want to explore.

Hi Nicolas very nice and informative indeed! That confirms my suspects and what everyone said. Problem is that I don’t have the knowledge or manual ability or confidence to do anything near what you did.. BUT I’ll keep it in mind in case I find someone in East Anglia able to do that :D

Indeed that was the solution! Now it works as I thought...thanks! I can see in the meantime though, during the 60 seconds delay, even if I disabled Preview, the camera keeps taking all the continuous short shots (but only saves the one every 60 seconds). I can see it because the led activity keeps blinking as if it's shooting. Is there a way to keep the camera at rest for real during the 60 seconds delay I've set in Autorun?

@JamesF I actually found this topic while looking for a similar problem on OACAPTURE 1.8.0 on Astroberry that I'm trying to setup. I have a Starshoot from Orion that is correctly loaded as QHY5, and I can see the captures in the preview and I can set gain etc. so is all working. I need to use this camera to take automatic short shots every few minutes, and what I mean is a shot, wait X minutes, then another shot, wait another X minutes etc., so OACAPTURE Autorun seems what I need? I've set a short exposure time, then in settings enabled Autorun (for example a sequence of 10 shots every 60 seconds), I see Autorun button Green nearby the Capture button, then I click Capture and it actually Autorun counter starts at 1, but OACAPTURE is taking (and saving) continuous shots without the 60 seconds pause and well beyond the 10 I set (please see attached screenshots). Am I missing something about how Autorun works? Is it a bug? Any help would be very much appreciated.

Thanks, yes actually that is ok in my case. Sorry I forgot to update situation. I spoke with Skywatcher, and also to Primaluce about using my Sesto Senso. From Skywatcher they say I can correct the focus slip (falling under gravity) tightening the four side screws (as already reported here) or the ones at the bottom, but that would not fix microfocuser. They say there's indeed a screw for that, as already suggested here, but the basic message was that with a load of 3/3.5kg the microfocuser is NOT ideal. To confirm that, Primaluce as well said that actually their other focuser Esatto (obviously much more expensive) is the one to use with standard focuser. Basically the message was that the standard focuser is only good up to a point. FLO as well said that solution might be to use the coarse knob, so using a different autofocuser. That said, I installed the sesto senso and is working, although if I do a full run inward and outward of the focuser, it doesn't return precisely to 0, so along the line the position shifts a very little bit, but in normal use (movements are much smaller) it works. But is a warning..

Hi John do you know if the locking lever at the bottom does basically the same thing?

Yes that helps, is the one I tried. It wasn't loose, but I tried tighten it and it was still slipping, till it was too tight and was locked. Then I tried loosening it a bit, and surely then it was too much. I've put it back in a middle way, as it was I think. So yes that is for the fine focus, but wasn't solving the problem in my case. As said this morning without changing anyyhing it was actually all working, that means somehow there's some component that is temperature sensible and was not working properly. So I also added an elastic to make it easier if vertical, now it works but obviously I need to check at different temperatures...

Interesting...I was thinking the same, seems more ideal for light loads, but indeed working on fine knob seems a way to not have to work on a higher torch/higher precision motor but just using the fine knob...that indeed is less robust than the coarse (I might think about mounting the EAF on this and having Sesto Senso on the smaller scope). This morning without changing anything, it doesn't slip. That means one thing: temperature. But from an expensive scope like this and an expensive autofocuser like Sesto Senso I expect something better than that. Scope arrived yesterday very cold, so cold that in the house when I opened the lens cap it was all misty for 1h or so. The question remain: do I have to adjust some tension? And with whicj screws? I applied the elastic band now to help it a bit as well..still, it cannot be the solution for a loadweight that at 3.5kg is far from 'heavy' for such big/expensive system.

Hi Dave, what tension screw do you mean? On other posts mentioned, they talk about the four small tension screws on the top, someone else says say the tension screw visible in my photo (the one protruding out). Which one(s) you adjusted? I already tried the one visible in my picture, but with no luck...it keeps slipping, and if I tight it even a bit then it doesn’t move anymore...if I losen it a bit and retight a bit, it works for a few rounds then it slips again. But maybe is not the one you mean?

On that link in the end they say that they adjust the tension screws..that is all fine in theory, but those adjust the whole focuser tension, and I would not want to touch it as it works perfectly fine in reality with the coarse knobs?

Well light in terms of what it should hold...even if each element was 1kg, and is not being some less than half and some just over half kilo, it would be 1kg less than the max load for focusing. Is probably around 3/3.5kg, and it was behaving better on a cheap William Optics Zenithstar 61... I tried looking for knickers around :-) I find often used for flats, as I do, but not for counteracting focuser force of gravity. If you could find the post would be useful. In the meantime will try finding this friction screw...

Actually I found a video showing exactly the problem:

Read the review, same problem (slipping between fine and coarse knob), but he didn't solve. Tried to connect Sesto Senso to main shaft but that cannot work because sesto senso is made for the fine knob, so less torch and faster steps (the reduction in theory happens on the fine knob). The real problem is: why an expensive telescope like this has this problem with the fine knob slipping?

Yeah I read about that screw, if you see attached picture is the first grub screw (the last one before the knob, it's the one slightly out). I tried adjusting it, indeed it makes 'sort of' difference, tight too much and it does worse, if I loose it seems to work, I leave it but then it happens again. In the attached picture, when the fine knob seems to not move the focus, the ball bearings actually seem to move, even if just a bit. I don't know how that thing works. As I said tightening that small grub scs ew (the first one that is slightly out) changes things a bit, but doesn't solve. If too tight is worst, if I loose it at some point turning the fine knob makes the ball bearings move BUT the outer silver ring/shaft moves and rotates the other way. I'm shocked that this is not properly setup, I just got it from FLO and checked by Es Reid. I even tried the other grub screw, the second one, but I don't know what it does so I don't want to vary it too much.