Bukko

I had a 10" Meade SCT on an NEQ6 and imaging was always a challenge As has been said, it is not simply the weight of the scope, but the focal length too. You will get away with the 9.25 as Michael says, but anything bigger would make for a lot of messing around. (I expect the 9.25 would also be a learning curve). I changed out the 10" Meade for a 12" Newt on the same mount an dit was actually easier. Check the second hand market and get as good a mount as you can. Good luck. Gordon

Well done on the pier - you are right, everything seems to take longer than you expect, but there is a lot of satisfaction to be had once done. Looking forward to the next instalment where the mount and scope is fitted... Gordon.

OK, I get it now. The +24V supply does not connect the 0v line to the ammeter, but the common 0v shared with the 13.8v supply. I have never seen an ammeter with the 0v shared. They have always been isolated inputs. Sorry to have wasted your time. Gordon.

Sorry Gina, perhaps it's me misunderstanding... If all the ammeter 0v are connected together and the supply 0v is also connected to the shunt, effectively all the ammeter shunts will be shorted out through the 0v wires? If this is the case, then only the common will work. I drew the circuit including the 0v connections for the +24v supply and it looks to be shorting the shunts. Like I said earlier, I guess I am missing something... Gordon.

Hi James, just catching up on your thread, good to read you have made progress. Going back to the wifi, if you are worried about evesdropping onto your network, it is easy to have the router not transmit the SSID. Anyone looking for a network will need to know the SSID rather than select from a list. I am sure someone has a hack for this, but at least it adds a little extra security without making life too complicated. Luckily bad people are also generally lazy people... HTH. Gordon.

Hi Gina, looking at the diagram, I think I am missing something in the design. The ammeters are powered by a separate, single 24v supply with the 0v common to all ammeters. In this case, would not the common ammeter supply also short all the 13.8v outputs too? I am assuming the ammeter supply 0v is not also connetced to the 13.8v ground?? From memory of a VERY long time ago, I thought the current sense was isolated from the supply so any link should be removed and run the supplies separately... Gordon.

Hi Steve, At 13.5kg, they are reasonably heavy and the machining quality is excellent. The tightening screws so smooth as well but I also struggle with the cost. I went for the extension bar instead. But it's still over Eur200 for it. 20cm long and around 3.2kg in weight. I guess exchange rates and transporting steel from the USA adds a premium but still... I am pretty stuck without it so have little choice. Gordon.

Yes, I did think about drilling out an unused Skywatcher weight, but I am so far down the rabbit warren, it would be a shame to spoil the whole thing now...

My first thought was a fourth weight, but they are almost Eur500 each... The extension bar is half that price and its weight will probably be enough.. The dome was a big space - 3m diameter - which is now pretty full too... It didn't look that big at Astrofest.. (Should have gone to Specsavers) 😲 Gordon

It is monstrous... The wall of the dome is 0.8m high. And surprisingly heavy when lifting it in place !!! So relieved it's done now... Gordon.

A couple of days of progress. Got the mount installed, it's quite a lift into the dome and at around 50kg, don't want to drop it!! I took the mounting plate off and ran the extra cables through the mount ready for the scope. Flushed with success, today it was the turn of the scope to be installed. It took three of us to lift it in safely and fit it to the mount. I expected the scope to need quite a lot of counterweights and got three. So with all three weights fitted, I checked for balance... Only to learn it's not enough !! It's close, maybe a kg or so but I still need to fit the focuser and cameras, etc. For perspective, each weighs 30 lbs(13.5kg) so now I have another delay waiting for an extension bar... 🙄🙄🙄 Gordon

Almost big enough to justify a housewarming party !!

Hi Gina, Not sure exactly what adhesive you are trying to remove, but this stuff is pretty good... WOrks well on the sticky lables shops insist on using too. https://www.amazon.co.uk/STUK-Professional-ASSR200R-Remover-Aerosol/dp/B0071QNB70/ref=pd_day0_hl_60_1/260-5209561-1635909?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0071QNB70&pd_rd_r=0c46efa7-9186-4d7b-aaf5-3ec4f5f01e54&pd_rd_w=EffSr&pd_rd_wg=9KUWU&pf_rd_p=92d624bb-a334-423e-8722-8024dd09667f&pf_rd_r=V2VGN83SR3G2HRQH2WNE&psc=1&refRID=V2VGN83SR3G2HRQH2WNE (other suppliers are available !!) Gordon.

I currently have an NEQ6, but have a feeling there might be something wrong with the RA axis. It did not rotate cleanly when last used around January but I didn't have time to work it out. If it is damaged - it is quite a few years old and lived outdoors all its life - then I need to consider either repair or replace. Due to age and payload, I would favour the replacement route. I have been unhappy with the tightness of the SW axis and the effort required to balance the mount. Not just the NEQ6, but a couple of EQ3-2's a HEQ5 and I am now considering the new EQM-35. which I understand also has the tight axis problem. So if the price point of this new GEM is reasonable, it would be my first choice in a replacement. Now, looking at the photograph, am I the only one to see a lot of resemblance to the Paramount? Gordon.

Thanks for the reply, Shaun. I am happy to accept the failed motor is not too common and suppliers like FLO would deal with that pretty quickly. The tight axis seems to be a Skywatcher "feature" - I have been through a couple of EQ3-2's, I have a HEQ5 and NEQ6 and they all suffer from this. I tend to balance by testing the scope movement as a pendulum - similar overshoot when moved in both directions. The plan for this one would be an 80mm frac, lighter than the 6kg scope you are using. Do you still have the mount? If so, accepting the tight axis, does it track OK? Gordon.

Hi Nigella, Basically the same OO scope, but I use an OAG rather than a separate guidescope. Had the mount for quite a few years now and had it upgraded with the belt drive. I also fitted a larger secondary and a feathertouch focuser. I use three counterweights and it balances well. Personally I would not want to fit anything bigger, even though I expect it would work. Am impressed with how tidy your cabling is, I just run them down the mount with a couple of cable ties onto self adhesive bases. Gordon.

Before I retired, I was working on a project in Saudi. While there, I was asked to help with a peer review on a similar project in Singapore. So off I went for a week and when done, the engineering team who invited me took me out for a dinner to celebrate. As Saudi is basically dry, they though I would like a beer or two to "rehydrate" as we put it. The bar made their own beer and one used seaweed (or something like that) in the brew. It adds some nutrients and it ends up green. Couldn't resist it and we got a photo to remember the evening with. Gordon.

Haha it was only lunch!! Normal lunch break in France is 2 hours so they simply extended it to dinner time. We are lightweights now and ran out of steam by 5 but as it was our first proper doo, didn't want to let the side down too much The local Mayor held an annual review where the locals turned up including the small scattering of Brits to hear how they were managing our property tax. Again, quite a bit of food and drink was made available but having to drive home afterwards, I pushed back quite a lot. Nothing like council meetings in the UK for sure... Gordon.

Each year, the local village holds a bit of a get together and some of the "catch" is shared out. We arrived at 12:30 and were one of the first to leave at 5:30. Seven courses with booze to accompany each course. Including a glass of Eau de Vie to accompany a sorbet... And not a drop of green beer anywhere !! Gordon.

Still building up the wine collection, not quite got to the first 300 bottles yet... The wine stays locked up until the work is done... Or we get to the end of the day. Marvin is planning on bringing round his petrol auger to drill out for the posts and my neighbour is lending me his cement mixer. The great bit about living here is pretty much everything you need is available in exchange for a bottle. The fence is pretty important, as I am surrounded by arable farms and it attracts wild boar. My neighbour "caught" one earlier this year and it weighed in at 92kg.. They are also nocturnal and I don't want to meet one in the middle of the night... Oh and the insurance company suggested it might be a good idea too. Gordon

Almost finished the heavy lifting, just the mount and scope to fit, then cameras, etc. and they are light. Oh, then running a fence around the area and dropping a few tonnes of gravel to keep the grass under control. Gordon.

Hi Jeremy, you are welcome almost anytime. We have spare bedrooms. Just let me know your size so I make sure I have some working clothes that fit you !!😉

Thanks all for your supporting comments - I think it will take longer to get going than I thought - Software !!! There is a load of software from different vendors and the issue is working out what to put in first. The dome really needs the telescope so it can synchronise but I really wanted to test the dome first before fitting the mount and scope. Such a pain. I have run out of time today, as the clouds have rolled in and the wind picked up a lot, so it looks like I will be stuck for a few days more.... Oh well. Gordon

Thanks Dave, yes, it had crossed my mind. I expect it will take some time to get everything working well, then gathering enough subs to get the image depth. I did get to play with the NEQ6 last winter and the mount did not autoguide as good as I expected. It is quite a few years old but hoping there is not some mechanical issue. The big 12" will be less forgiving than the 770mm frac I tested it on, but it is now fully mounted on the pier with minimal wind affect... Gordon.

After a long hiatus, I have finally got the terrace finished and while I was at it, fitted a split system A/C unit to the lounge. It is south facing and during the hot and humiod spell, was not so nice. The A/C is reversible so in winter, I get around 2500w of heating for less than 500 in. As the house is heated by electricity, I will get some savings out of this. Anyway, I started on the second dome and wanted to get the automation running and tested. So far, only running on the little hand held remote; I still need to fit the pc and program the drivers, etc. Hopefully will get time to do this over the next few days, but it is up in the 30's again and humid with rain coming in... In the meantime, I got anothert video to share !! Gordon. two domes.mp4