skybadger

My key comment is to go for one with as many buttons as you can, if you also want to use it for focusing ...

My, that's fab. Love it. If anything I'd add the third rotational axis and just play. Add encoders if necessary and through axis wiring for camera control. I'll ask the mesu owners about friction drives. Don't know that they are happy enough. I'd have that on my coffee table just to look at.

I used a drill press to do this, with a large hole boring bit. I ran out of energy eventually as the iron work hardened with just 2mm to go..

I sealed it off too, fixing the board into place using araldite at the back of the lens. But the araldite turned out to be translucent and the leds (one on the power converter, one on the esp and one on the sensor board itself) are all rather bright when I am reaching for that 0.002 Lux of starlight. I will be removing the leds after a bit of practice. My latitude is 52N and I haven't seen the sun in weeks!

Hi, Would you mind providing a measure of your Lux measurement range from night to day. ? I'd like something to compare with. Currently, in This overcast weather, I'm getting log(Lux) between 3.0 down to -2.5. I'm concerned whether the on board leds of the ESP are limiting the darkness measurements. Cheers Mike

If it's not aligning, check out the mounting foot first. That's where the coarse errors lives. Adjust the shoe. The moulding of an rdf from a die is at least as precise as the other components if not more so. HTh

I'd persevere. as long as you can align the dot location to the scope view, you'll soon get used to looking at the dot and ignoring the rest of the finder.

Isn't that the answer then? It's shorter until solstice and then longer.

I used one of these https://www.ebay.co.uk/c/7020203413?iid=264465139929 Now I've got 9 left... Attached via araldite.

I can post some details. I'll get some photos.

I built one for my 6" Cass. Never quite finished it. Uses a servo to drive a geared flap. Worked well with a servo tester, just needs the smarts to drive it remotely. It's last on the list as part of the dome automation project. The smarts I have now though. Mike

Me too. I used the esp-01 and 2591. http://hms.sternhell.at/lightwiki/index.php/Conversion_of_light_measurements#Zu_mag.2FQuadratbogensekunden_nach_Lux provides a calibration reference that I need to investigate further. I just provide the data back via rest calls and publish to Mqtt for node red consumption.

Cyanogen's Maxim and the free download from Moravian also do the whole story.

PS I am an existing maxim user too, but it's expensive and I can buy the sum of the parts for cheaper at an integration cost to me of time . Might be more stable though. Current contenders are Nina, voyager , ccdciel and another from Moravian. M

Hi Marvin. I have the same problem. To avoid setup, teardown and freezing attendance to equipment, I bought an observatory. But I still needed to attend the kit , move the dome etc and it uses mostly the same software and hardware you've already got: laptop, power, USB, imagers. So the step is to automate - either just enough to keep imaging, or enough to close up when rain comes or do the entire startup and shutdown shebang under its own steam because you are really only interested in the data... There are always issues of stability, which is why some people won't move off windows7, there are issues of interoperability and complexity of configuration. When you come down to it, if you don't enjoy addressing all that and building the glue bits you need, it's going to either get too expensive or too hard. On the other hand, I enjoy motorising hardware, writing software and maybe, just maybe, the frustrations of only eventually getting it working. Gives me something to do on cloudy nights that will make my clear nights more productive. "Alexa, open the dome!" "Sorry, Mike, I cannot comply, metcheck says it's going to rain later" M

I believe sgpro does that too, using the observing conditions and safety monitor. Would that be an alternative ?

Thanks for that update. Had it the wrong way around !

I used rod ball ends which screw in from Ross . I made my own sockets from ally block and recesses drilled using a ball end mill. An angled hole and a screw to press on the ball would suffice here.

On the one hand I agree about the step up a cooled camera presents. The DSLR allows the processing chain to be tested and learnt at low cost. I'm pursuing the cam86 angle cos I like building stuff and I need a large sensor and large pixels and the price of a Moravian is just eye watering. Look on eBay for DIY ccd camera

I believe the consumer rights act has been trumped in this regard by the distance selling act, can't tell you what that says though....

Amazon do heated gilets for £80

I have definite intention to fit a solar vent at the top of the dome for condensation reasons. One of those yachting ones.

Surplus shed ?

I found that the patchy transparency of the fibre gel colouring causes my internal security camera to issue motion alerts when the sun changes internal illumination. So I'm painting mine. It may also help with condensation, but then so will a thin liner of neoprene on the roof.

I see. Thanks for the response