szymon

Try NINA: https://nighttime-imaging.eu/ Go to the ‘framing’ tab, choose “file” as the framing source, NINA will platesolve the image and set it as the target. You can then click on “slew” and you should be perfectly lined up. NINA rocks 🙂

I bought the old v1 from Ian King -- but I paid half of the price of the v2 🙂

Oh! I didn't realise that there was actually a v2. Mine has a cigarette lighter (well, had, I own a soldering iron). Nontheless the point remains -- the focus controller works very well for me both with SharpCap and with NINA in 32 bit mode (x86 as opposed to x64). My only problem is with the x64 version -- I need an updated driver from Hitec. Your problems sound more serious, possibly hardware related?

That's interesting. I can use it with SharpCap no problem, and also with 32 bit NINA. The ASCOM driver works perfectly for me -- it just doesn't work in a 64bit app. Perhaps you have the DCFocuser2 rather than the DCFocuser? There are two drivers and two devices -- the second one only exists so that people can run two at the same time (say they have two scopes), but the hardware is identical apart from the ID's it reports to the OS. I've heard reports of people having serious issues if they install the wrong driver for the wrong device...

So, I've been trying to get it working with 64 bit NINA by following this: https://techtalk.gfi.com/32bit-object-64bit-environment/ but no joy yet. I really hope that we can get this working 🙂

Please keep us up to date -- I'm very keen on getting this working 🙂

Hi there, Did you ever get an updated driver from Hitec Astro? I am trying to use my HitecAstro DC Focus Controller with NINA, and I can only get it working with the 32 bit version -- the 64 bit one tells me that it's only a 32 bit ascom driver. Thanks, -simon

I've had a couple of experiences with First Light Optics so far, and I wanted to document them here. I know that there is already a whole host of reports on how good their customer service is, and that I'm just adding to it...but I wanted to write it nonetheless. The first time I reached out to FLO was to ask questions about a mount I was planning on buying. There was a "slight" sales angle to it, in that I was asking about options for upgrading the mount, but what I got back far exceeded expectations. I got reams of advice, with instant response time, and it was clearly good honest advice -- I could tell, because the strongest recommendation was *not* to buy anything from them! A retailer could have easily taken my inexperience as an excuse to sell me something, and it says a lot for FLO integrity that they did not. When I complimented them on their approach, the response was "I think it helps that we are all active in the hobby, so have some enthusisam for helping others who have the same interest". I went back to FLO when I was trying to buy a replacement rubber eyecup for a second hand Baader Hyperion MkIII Zoom that I was buying from someone on SGL. I actually reached out to a couple of shops; everything was sorted by FLO before I even got a response from any of the others! Best of all was this: "Good news, the Supplier has one and will send FOC if in with another order from us, we order on a regular basis so it wont be long. I will send it for just the postage cost if thats Ok". Frankly, I was over the moon. I didn't even have to pay the separate postage cost, as I was just about to order a Light Pollution filter and they just put it into that package. Bear in mind, I was fully expecting to pay some £20-30 for the eyecup and they could have easily charged me for it, but since Baader themselves didn't charge them they didn't charge me! My third interaction with FLO was when I wanted to buy a Skywatcher Synscan handset holder for my HEQ5. The mount was second hand and came without the holder as the original had managed to lose it (I believe he used to control the mount with an EQMod cable). Again, the response was instantaneous and surpassed expectations: "I have a holder here and you can have it. I can pop it in with any future order if you want to avoid more postage costs Simon :-) just let me know when you have a live order so I can pop it in for you ( or let me know if you want to pay for postage to have it sent on its own)". I ordered an Eyepiece projection adapter for my Hyperion zoom which I had been planning to buy anyway, and today a package arrived with both in it. I'm very new to the hobby, and am honestly amazed to have received such good service, the best I have ever received from any retailer anywhere. Frankly superb. FLO are absolutely my first stop for anything astronomy-related now, and they've earned a customer for life. -simon

Just...awesome. And now I have the entire Flash Gordon theme tune running through my head, and I don't care about the clouds any more. You guys rock! I'll be calling tomorrow about the Hubble Space Telescope you have for sale btw...

Please could you disable the clearoutside service? First off, all it ever seems to show is clouds. That's terrible. I know it's not your fault, we live on an island, you can't control the weather, etc. But really, do you need to constantly remind us how bad the universe is? Second, it's addictive. I find myself constantly switching to the clearoutside tab and hitting refresh, in the hope that the weather might change and the clouds might go away. Disabling the service for everyone will fix these two problems. Well, it won't actually fix the first one, but it might fix the symptom. Not the symptom, erm the visualisation of the horrid cloud situation. And I guess it won't actually fix the second problem either, I'll just keep going out to look up at the sky. But it'll fix something, right? Maybe? Ok, forget disabling the service, could you please just fix the weather instead? I'm sure you're capable of that, you guys seem pretty good with miracles... -simon

Have read this whole thread, and I just wanted to say that this is so cool :-) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Arrrrgh! Am now including larger refractors in my scope search :-( Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It seems that you can charge the battery in-situ. If the 10 hours viewing time isn't enough (say you pull an all-nighter and then want to view the sun for some hours too, while away from mains electricity?), you could always run it while charging from an external power-pack...

What a wonderful dome, and done while you were going through such a difficult time. All the best :-) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi, I joined this forum just to say thank you for this wonderful post. The images of what you are really likely to see are absolutely superb -- exactly what is needed to set expectations. Thanks! -simon Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk