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ajohnson

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Posts posted by ajohnson

  1. Harrumph! It now seems the USB3 port is being twitchy and only recognising the camera as USB2 then disconnecting. I'm dropping using the CMS hub on the CEM120 and putting in a Pegasus power box, which I can transfer to my other mount. Not a good result overall. It' may be that iOptron have sorted this out with the newer USB3 Saddle hub but that's £310 and 4-6 weeks lead time + Vs £260 delivered tomorrow. So were down to only using the built in wiring for power distribution where needed. Still the mount itself (all the metal bits) is still a solid performer in terms of stability and tracking. In the end an external box that I can control all of my devices with (including dew heaters) via software and upgrade would always eventually win out over an essentially 'dumb' USB hub.

  2. Thanks for the tip, it's sounds like it's worth another look. I don't just use SharpCap for Polar alignment, it works well with the mount and camera when running Planetary or Solar Imaging, certainly as well as Firecapture if not better in some aspects.  The camera / exposure analysis is also handy. But it's a moving target I have had a look at NINA and did like what I saw but having been a long time APT user and having renewed my licence for a year I wasn't looking to change just yet. Ask me again in a few months APT and NINA are always adding new features I may have have a different answer by then.

     

  3. OK Late to the party but I found the thread while looking for some technical data. I have a base model CEM120, no encoders and the older USB2 hub. I bought RVO's ex display model early in 2020 and have it mounted on the Tri-Pier 360 as I tend to move it around because my garden can be nightmare for a good observing spot LED street light one side and two neighbours who are competing on who can grow the tallest tree or install the brightest and most sensitive flood lights. I installed the iOptron iPolar as this seemed the best way to get it polar aligned.

      In terms of metal / build quality it's an excellent mount, very accurate and not phased even when I put my 12" Newt on the saddle for an imaging session. The through mount cable system is neat, you can plug power and USB cable into the unmoving centre section and this is all fed to the saddle where (on my version) I have 4 x USB2 1 x USB 3 and a load of power outlets on the saddle, the theory being no matter where you point it you are not dragging any cables.

    On the down side the electronic connectors are not the best, heavy USB cables drop out of the connection hub (USB2, iPolar are particularly weak but the USB3 is a good fit), easily fixed with some cable clips but quality control on the cable management system was poor on my version. The USB 2 connector between the connect points to the iPolar had a bent connection pin on arrival and the multi-voltage 5A power supply to the let side of the saddle wasn't even plugged at the saddle end, no chance of powering your DSLR or high power camera. All that fixed I settled down to some imaging.

    All has been well until about 2 months ago, first the iPolar stopped working then one, followed by another of the USB hub ports has failed, as of last weekend none work. I am ordering a replacement hub from FLO, but the iPolar is heading for the scrap bin. Dead after 3 years is not good, for the price of a replacement I can get 20 years subscription to SharpCap Pro and use the Polar align feature (which seems more accurate). I did consider upgrading the saddle to the new USB3 spec but I'm having a crisis of confidence in iOptron at the moment so I am just going to replace the board with the USB2 Hub. Sorely tempted to invest in a Pegasus Astro Advance Power box but the car had a full set of tyres, pads and a service this month so it will wait.

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  4. Sorry I'm late to this, but the link came up while searching to see if anyone had modded an EOS R as the Ra is either impossible to find or just ridiculously expensive.

    I have an EOS60Da and also the EOS R (unmodded) each has it's advantages. Overall I do like the EOS R as some have commented the EVF takes some getting used too (about a day) but now I wouldn't be without one.

    On sensitivity the EOS R is on par with the EOS 5D MkIV it certainly is streets ahead of my old EOS 60Da in terms of noise and general sensitivity to low light, the EOS 60Da still edges out the R at the Ha end of the spectrum. I use the EOS R mainly with lenses as none of my scopes can deliver a FF imaging circle without serious vignetting and distortion at the edges so I end up cropping back to APS-C sizes anyway.

     

  5. 6 hours ago, inFINNity Deck said:

    Hi ajohnson,

    I recognise these kind of uneven illuminated images from my LS80THA with pressure tuner. Although I am not sure what exactly causes it, the way the illumination appears can be influenced by shifting the imaged Sun to a different location on the imaging chip. I check this by slightly overexposing the sun, which nicely reveals how concentric the illumination is. Then I move it around until it looks pretty concentric, adjust the exposure to 90% and take the image.

    Nicolàs

     

    Thanks I will give this a try. I have seen some YouTube videos on making flats which may make a difference, still experimenting with the scope's capabilities here.

     

    After reading the various threads on the milky blue glass I did try giving it a soak in lens cleaner and have ordered a new one. The clean up seems to have helped, I can now make out some details and some nice proms

  6. I dropped my filter out and gave it a polish with some lens cleaner, it's cleaner but there is some obvious degradation in the coating.  Just checked Bresser's site in stock €15.00 ready to ship anywhere that scored more than nil points in Eurovision..... Now contacting Lunt in the US to see if they can ship here or have a UK dealer.

    Plan B will be to ship it to myself in Jarvenpaa or Helsinki when I can travel to Finland again.

  7. 3 hours ago, AdeKing said:

    As Dave says, check the blue filter which is on the scope side of the diagonal containing the blocking filter rather than the objective.

    These have a tendency to go milky and can affect the view.

    With regards to the tilt tuning knob, I have a pressure tuned scope but the dial on the external double stack filter seems to dial quite a long way on mine before I see much change in the view.

    Same for my pressure tuner, it comes on-band near the end of travel.

    Hopefully someone with a tilt tuned Lunt will be along shortly and can give a bit more of an insight.

    OK the blocking filter does seem a tad milky, seems OK with the camera though. I had put this down to being a difference between the B1200 (mine) and the B600, I understand the B1200 is not so hot visually anyway. It sounds like your DS unit works the same way as my tilt tuner, lots of movement before it seems to do anything. I assume there have to be some tolerances to allow for heat expansion.

    Reading the replacement guide for the blue filter, it looks like a relatively easy job. It also explains why mine may have degraded, from the state of the case I think my scope has been stored somewhere damp.

     

  8. Sorry if this has been asked before but I didn't find any thing close on a search.

    I've just taken ownership of my first Ha scope, a Lunt LS60Tha with a tilt tuner with B1200 blocking filter. I'm probably the 3rd owner and so far I'm reasonably impressed.

    I'm still learning it's little quirks and don't seem to have the hang of visual observing with it yet but with an ASI 178MM camera attached I'm seeing some nice details. But I have a question about the tilt tuner, in terms of travel it seems that will make about 2 full turns with zero resistance and TBH no real change to the view that I can see so far. Looking down the tube the elaton does not seem to move visibly. The final 1/2 turn of the tuning wheel gets some resistance, equivalent to maybe the fine focus knob on most scopes and I can see the elaton move visibly looking down the tube. I'm not entirely convinced this is right so to either set my mind at rest or confirm a possible issue what should 'normal' feel and look like when turning the tuning knob.

     

    Images seem fine, although the Sun looks like something else is illuminating it, (as attached) I'm currently assuming this is due to the dodgy focuser as it definitely deflects downward with the camera attached, some tweaking or fine adjustment needed there or maybe a Moonlight replacement.

     

     

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    • Like 1
  9. Same Frac, new mount. trying out a new (to me) CEM120 mount, it was a nice day so popped the Evostar 150 that I usually use for visual onto the mount for a bit of white light solar imaging, the heavy iOptron mount is overkill for this OTA, it will back on it's usual EQ5 shortly.

     

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    • Like 12
  10. On 21/07/2017 at 10:58, johninderby said:

    Not a problem in the UK at least with my 5" refractor. Does seem to handle heat better than the Baader Cool Wedge I used to have. Did use the Badder with a 6" refractor and that did get very hot after a while. The Baader was fully enclosed and so didn't get rid of heat very well with the 6". The Lacerta with it's open bottom design has much better cooling so should handle the 6" OK.

                John

    Great John, thanks for the update

  11. I'm very interest in one of these especially at the price difference between the Lacerta and Lunt / Baader 2" version I realise the 1.25 Lunt is a decent price but I have  a 6" scope and the recommendation is for the 2".  

     

    How does the Lacerta handle heat over long observing periods ? (I know it's unlikely in the UK). Does anyone know if it would handle a few hours of outreach solar observing with a big (150 x 1200mm Evostar) refractor.

  12. My Esprit 80ED purchased about a year ago, my recently acquired Evostar 150 and ST80. The 80ED usually sits on my EQ6 with cameras, guiders other kit. The Evostar was being sold at a silly price and just had to join the family, the ST80, seen here on one of my Newts recently had a crayford focuser added, I would not have bothered but for a tenner (BNIB) from a car boot I couldn't just leave it there.

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    • Like 4
  13. I'm looking to buy a MAK or SCT so have found this informative I know from day one I'm going to have a dew problem so this is being factored into the purchase price.

    Someone asked about a 200P, I'm assuming this is Newtonian. I have a 300PDS and like most newts the secondary is vulnerable to dew (not as bad as a MAK/SCT etc) I have built a dew heater for my Secondary, it's basically a zigzag coil of resistance wire stuck to the pack of the mirror, on low power I usually stay dew free all night. The Primary also has a heater pad, used once so far on a particularly humid night. As noted above they have to be used proactively, I put my scope out before setting up at home, if it's a bit damp when I drop it onto the mount cradle I connect up the heaters.

    These Items seem expensive, but bear in mind that even if you buy one you are looking at maybe £100 tops (less than half that to make one). On smaller scopes this is a big proportion of the price but bear in mind that it could be the difference between spending hours outside looking at the stars or packing up 20 - 30 minutes after getting set-up. We all buy the best scope we can afford be it £100 or many thousands (eek!) for me sorting out dew was a higher priority than buying eyepieces. OK I don't have a big or good collection of eyepieces, but those I have I can use all night!

    Just an addition here, a few weeks ago I partially flocked the 12" Newt. It's flocked around the primary and secondary the centre section is blackboard painted (topic for another thread).

    However, in the process I dropped out the secondary, what a mess! The constantan wire on the back was OK but the insulation materials made of dense PE foam and silver backed polystyrene had suffered. Bearing in mind these are usually used with under floor heating I was bit shocked to see they'd melted and burned right through (explains the odd smell). I have replaced them with 5mm HD card (same as the primary heater). Card is almost as flammable but with a significantly higher melt / ignition point. Basically if have the heater up enough to burn the insulator I will also be cooking the mirror foil off the secondary anyway! 

    The new insulation works well so my lesson is this - select your insulation material carefully when building your own heaters.

    I did not buy an SCT or Mak in the end I decided wide field was better for the objects that I go hunting, maybe I will review this later.

  14. I'm looking to buy a MAK or SCT so have found this informative I know from day one I'm going to have a dew problem so this is being factored into the purchase price.

    Someone asked about a 200P, I'm assuming this is Newtonian. I have a 300PDS and like most newts the secondary is vulnerable to dew (not as bad as a MAK/SCT etc) I have built a dew heater for my Secondary, it's basically a zigzag coil of resistance wire stuck to the pack of the mirror, on low power I usually stay dew free all night. The Primary also has a heater pad, used once so far on a particularly humid night. As noted above they have to be used proactively, I put my scope out before setting up at home, if it's a bit damp when I drop it onto the mount cradle I connect up the heaters.

    These Items seem expensive, but bear in mind that even if you buy one you are looking at maybe £100 tops (less than half that to make one). On smaller scopes this is a big proportion of the price but bear in mind that it could be the difference between spending hours outside looking at the stars or packing up 20 - 30 minutes after getting set-up. We all buy the best scope we can afford be it £100 or many thousands (eek!) for me sorting out dew was a higher priority than buying eyepieces. OK I don't have a big or good collection of eyepieces, but those I have I can use all night!

    • Like 1
  15. I have seen several posts on this scope, some indicate it would struggle with a DSLR especially on DSOs and others claim it's brilliant, as it's sold by most dealers as an Astrograph this is confusing. I don't guide as my current scope maxes out my EQ6 but I am considering one of these as a general purpose scope / astrograph and will go for a guider eventually. Some seem to think it's good visually and it looks like a reasonable planet hunter has anybody used one both visually and / or for photographing DSOs?

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