DeepSkyMan

Hi everyone, not sure if this is the correct forum for this thread but thought it was close enough to topic 🙂 In prep for my Pulsar Obsy build a couple of months from now I’m looking to get ahead of software requirements for the dome. Can anybody provide advice on a decent ‘Skinny’ software stack for mount and dome control. Observing has been simple for me thus far, only need to worry about mount control. However, I got to thinking about how clumsy and inefficient things would be if goto commands were two separate unrelated actions one for mount control from my chosen planetarium software SkySafari, and then having to reach over and key in the Azimuth setting for dome position. As far as I know there is no dome control interface from SkySafari, so it looks like this will be achieved via an RDP session into my Intel NUC and thence to the dome controller. No big deal I guess this will just join my Atik Horizon control Software. What is my best solution for joint mount and dome control? Kind Regards Paul.

A nice new jacket for my Naglers 😀

Guys just wondering what options are available for me to upgrade the standard SXW Vixen clamp to enable it to accept Losmandy style dovetails. I recently acquired a CGE dovetail that I would like to use with my 8” Edge. Kind Regards Paul

Hi there everybody, hope you are all keeping sane during COVID. As already revealed in an earlier thread I will be building an observatory this year. Whilst it’s a bit early for the exterior elements of the build, I’m keeping busy putting together all the accessories I will need from an interior perspective. In doing so I’ve discovered a couple of thorny issues. 1/. I will need a 2.1mm power lead from Vixen to connect up to my new Pegasus UPB2; oh and just saying, what a fantastic piece of kit it is too. If needs be I can always buy in the whoppingly over-priced AC/DC adapter from Vixen, however I really would like to power everything from a central core, rather than adding to the electrical spaghetti with independent power units. 2/. There is also an issue with my Atik Horizon. Due to the fact that my little SXW is already stressed to the max, I can’t go with the preferred format of mounting the UPB2 on the mount or OTA, instead I will have to locate it as high up the pier as I can, which means that the power cable needs to be longer. In addition, I will need to source a power lead from somewhere that will interface to the UPB2 and the Atik. Had a look on the Atik website and there don’t seem to be any options in this regard. So I’m hoping that someone has had to deal with similar issues in the past and will be able to offer some much needed advice.😀 Kind Regards Paul.

Hi there, I’m currently in the throws of planning an observatory build for this year. Now I hear you say, what has an observatory got to do with large aperture dobsonians... bear with me all will become clear. My intention is to eventually set up my EdgeHD in the observatory as an imaging platform in Hyperstar mode, but I feel I still need to see those photons in their raw form, so at some point I would like to add a good quality large aperture Dob to my growing Astro ‘stable’. Towards this end I have been reading up on products by a couple of vendors. Initial thoughts were more along the typical ‘mass market’ commercial solutions, in particular the 14” Skywatcher Flextube, however portability is going to be important to me as this will be my preferred dark skies instrument, so whilst the convenience of the Flextube is definitely attractive, the weight and awkward handling characteristics of the base and rocker box got me to thinking along different lines. Next up was Hubble Optics and their UL14, however the distance of the vendor from the U.K. and risk that that implies leaves me nervous to say the least, especially after reading some of the reviews available on the various forums. Whilst I am quite happy to tackle setup gremlins which are a natural hazard in this hobby we love, some of the reviews I’ve read on the HO products imply shall we say a little bit too much overhead in this respect:-) Ideally I would like a product that comes out of the box and functions according to specification once constructed and doesn’t require DIY alterations just to get it to function as advertised so this got me thinking about higher end solutions. Being part of Europe (although Brexit seems to imply otherwise), that naturally got me thinking about Sumerian Optics. I really like the look of the Canopus and Alkaid, however, the web-site whilst very glossy is a bit short on detail, hence the reason for this post. Does anybody have the relevant break down weights for the Canopus and Alkaid components, both 12 and 16”? How portable are they? How easy to setup and use are they? Eyepiece position doesn’t really bother me, I am, shall we say, little ‘height challenged’ and I typically find myself on my portable steps anyway even working with my 8” Edge, so having to climb higher isn’t a deal breaker. As to my travel capabilities I drive a large SUV and I’m hoping that this will more than do the job for a Sumerian, be it the 12 or 16”. Kind Regards Paul.

Latest addition to my observatory accessories, I just can’t believe how small this unit is, and it still packs a real punch electrically. 5-15v Variable, 13.8v Fixed, 25A Continuous output, 30A Surge. Sadly, the kit won’t see ‘first light’ until later in the year on completion of my observatory build.

Ok, so having read up on data cabling, and considering that I will laying about 30m of data cable in-line with my power cable, I’m thinking that my best option is outdoor rated CAT6/6A solid F/FTP to minimise the possibility of EM interference. A minor wrinkle in the decision making concerns the bending radius of solid CAT6 in the context of the observatory build. My intention is to run the data cable up through the centre of the observatory and into the pier, which means that it will need to go through a 90 degree change from horizontal to vertical, my concern is that the solid construction might not cope with this and that consequently stranded might be better. On the flip side, solid cable being less flexible should be easier to run through the conduit. Can anybody recommend a good cabling supplier? Kind Regards Paul.

That’s very useful Malc, seems my planned build conforms to all these requirements😃

Thanks for your feedback Malcolm. I’m not one for DIY, so absolutely I will be getting the electrics done by a qualified electrician. As for planning permission my understanding is that this really only becomes a requirement if the construction is adjoined to an existing structure or it exceeds certain height restrictions, and the impression given on the Pulsar web-site is that permission is generally not required for their product, however I take your point, probably best to have all the Ts crossed and the Is dotted 🙂

Ok... so some great feedback so far guys, much appreciated. However as so often happens, more knowledge has the habit of raising yet more questions. What started of as a relatively simple ‘let’s build an observatory’ approach is rapidly growing arms and legs🙂 1/. I have a thorny little issue with regards to multiple voltage requirements. My remote control computer is an Intel NUC, that runs off 19VDC, all my other gear, dew control, camera and mount run off 12VDC. I would like to run a single cable from a wall unit which will hold the mini consumer unit, and perhaps UPS (similar to Old_eyes approach), to the pier and from there have a distribution unit to service all the different gear. The Intel NUC will be situated on the pier. Any suggestions folks as to how best to tackle this? 2/. There is also the fact that all my cabling and interfaces are currently geared up for standard field operations: —. Dew control has the std cigar lighter type power plug (Kendrick dual channel controller) —. Camera has both a cigar lighter and an Anderson PowerPole connection option —. Mount (Vixen Sphinx) has a cigar lighter connection I would like to standardise on a single interface connector, preferably something like the Anderson Powerpoles, the cigar lighter connectors have never filled me with much confidence. As I am not really one for electrical DIY, this implies that I will need to look for an off the shelf solution as a distribution box, is there such a beast out there? What alternatives have you guys used foryour power connections? Kind Regards Paul.

JayStar, how did you mount the sockets and lights inside the SkyPod? Meant to include this in the original post, but slipped my mind. Have you some photos of your obsy interior? I’m trying to get a feel for how best to lay things out in the Pulsar unit. Since the walls are just fibreglass, I can’t see how they could be mounted on the walls, which means I suppose rigging some sort of frame on the flower for all the electrical units. I intend to have a single accessory bay, so perhaps this space might be used in some way, or alternatively mount the sockets on the floor around the periphery of the obsy walls.

Hey guys, hoping to launch my Observatory build this year (2.7m Pulsar), and looking for some advice on electrical requirements. Apologies for the brain dump, but when I started typing this up, I just seemed to keep coming up with other questions:-) My observatory site will require a 20m cable run from the house, which I am hoping will be as a spur off existing circuitry, although still to get my tame electrician to give me the low-down on the best solution. Normal approach is to run a sub-surface conduit for both data and electricity supply, however it occurred to me that an alternative approach might be to have above surface conduits running from a supply point at the house to a receiving point at the observatory, somewhat along the lines of caravan hookups at camping sites. Would be interested to hear from folks on this approach, especially if anyone has gone down this route. Assuming we go down the sub-surface route: 1/. What would be an appropriate depth to lay the power and data conduits? 2/. Has anybody had data quality issues when running Ethernet in close proximity to a power conduit? Data medium will be over CAT6, so I’m hoping that the more stringent specifications will be sufficient to remove this as a possible problem. I’m aware of general protocols, which advise against laying data cables parallel to power cables for extended lengths. In the event that this is still an issue what approaches have people taken to providing similar data solutions for their own observatories? 3/. I’m also interested in future proofing the obsy with regards to power sockets. Straight up, the following supply requirements spring to mind: — Mount — Computer — Camera — Dew control (transformed to 12V DC). Possible I may continue to use my existing batteries for this purpose. How have you guys tackled this? — Dehumidifier So I’m thinking 4 double sockets should cater for these and provide me with sufficient expansion for unforeseen circumstance. Is this sufficient? Am I missing something? What is the maximum advisable current draw? Intention is to have all supplies run through a fuse box local to the observatory and of course all plugs will utilise standard domestic fuses as well. With regards to lighting what solutions have you guys gone with? I was thinking about just using a single standard red outdoor light, but it occurred to me that shadows might be an issue and so got to thinking about a surround lighting approach, perhaps using something similar to this: https://hartingtonheath.com/product/i-lumos-10-x-20mm-rgb-led-flexible-waterproof-neon-strip-light/ On the possibility of an entirely WIFI based approach to data. Is this realistic? This would likely require booster units for the existing house WIFI, however I’m thinking that even then, data transfer rates for imaging might be an issue if I graduate to remote operation. Kind Regards Paul.

Postie brought the Altair Astro adapter plate for my Starbase tri-pier. Followed a couple of weeks later by the required spacer to allow the footing of the SXW to sit securely in the adapter plate. Spacer was very kindly produced by an Astro friend with a 3D printer, works a treat.

Starbase makes landfall in Slamannan Scotland Been after one of these for a while now. Sometimes you can get taken in by marketing hype, especially in the Astro market place, but this baby lives up to all the hype and then some. Just need to sort out an adapter plate for the Sphinx now😀 PS: Special thanks to Mark for ending my search.

Pete, that would be much appreciated. Just PMd you. Paul.

Pete, am I right in my understanding that the mount attachment rod for the SXG tripod uses an M8 thread? Looks like after speaking to Altair Astro that I may have sourced an adapter plate that even though not designed for Vixen products may be fit for purpose https://www.altairastro.com/skywatcher-celestron--ioptron-pier-adapter-cnc-442-p.asp I still need to source an attachment rod/knob from somewhere though, any ideas? Kind Regards Paul.

Thanks Pete, much appreciated:-)

Oops, just remembered Opticron are no longer Vixen distributers... 🙂

I remember you provided an expanded design diagram for the declination clamp when I had issues with it a couple of years ago. Something similar for the base of the mount would be ideal. Kind Regards Paul.

Pete, you wouldn’t happen to have the exact measurements for the base of the SXW handy would you.

Pete, what year did Vixen standardise on the 45mm central aperture. Can’t remember whether my tripod was an SXG or the older HAL130. My kit was purchased in 2012 I think, if my memory serves my right 🙂 Paul.

Hey there folks, hoping somebody in this thread will have some advice for me. I have the opportunity to acquire an Altair Astro Starbase Tripod, which I intend to use with my SXW, Thre is a slight problem with this plan, in that the Starbase was never ever equipped with an adpater plate for Vixen mounts. The Starbase is however compatible with Skywatch mounts (HEQ5 etc...) Just wondering if anybody here has had to get an adapter plate manufactured for their Vixen mount? Would appreciate any feedback in this proposition, positive or negative . For those not acquainted with the Starbase heres a link to a review on Cloudy Nights. https://www.cloudyni...od-review-r2946 Kind Regards Paul.

Finally took the plunge into the world of EAA. Postman delivered my Atik Horizon. Now just need some decent skies to inspire me to get around to climbing the ‘skill mountain’ 😃

My second 22ah Golf Cart power unit. These are awesome mobile power units and at only £139, a real bargain compared to the Tracer units I’ve previously bought.

Not before time I have eventually sourced a protective carrier for my Oberwerk Tall Tripod. The Geoptik carrier for Eq6 and tripod. It has a bit more capacity than I envisaged, wondering if I might fit my Vixen HAL 130 alongside it, need to get the Vixen in from the garden to check it out. No more dings and scrapes😀