dyfiastro

1 hour ago, catburglar said:

Depends somewhat on the camera that you’re planning to use- but assuming the optics on the SCT are decent I think that’s likely to be better suited to planetary imaging- larger aperture than the mak and longer focal length than the newt, and easier to use with the adc…

1 hour ago, Peter Drew said:

+1    🙂

Thanks Both

At present I need to get a new planetary camera as well as this was also sold.
I am looking to use my DSLR (Canon EOS R) for full face solar / lunar images and then getting some like the ASI178MM/MC for more close up imaging and planetary imaging.

If I go with the SCT route then I will need to get a dovetail adapter for it but those I can get from FLO.
My understanding is that the LX10 uses the same optics as the LX200 but the mount was different.

Hi everyone

I am currently in the process of a major gear re-shuffle and trying to figure out a few things.

Until recently I have been using a Skywatcher 200pds for summer plantary / solar / lunar imaging, which i have been overall really happy with (Apart from trying to use and ADC with one). During the winter I would typically then switch over to a 130PDS.
Over the last 18 Months I have had somewhat of a break and ended up selling my 200PDS. Trying to get back into summer imaging I am now at a loss as to what to use.

I have an old De-forked Meade 8" LX10 that I can get a dovetail adapter for but never really done anything with. I also have the opportunity to get a skywatcher 150 Mak for a good price.
The other alternative is to buy another 200pds.

Cooldown time is not so much an issue as it will be stored in the obsy when in use over the summer season.

Out of these which would you all choose? 

This is going to be used just for imaging purposes and no visual work. I also have an ADC which I know from past experience will be a lot easier to use on either the MAK or SCT.

The obsy is very restrictive of space as well so this is the other consideration.

Any help / input would be great

Thanks in advance

Mark

1 hour ago, StevieDvd said:

Does this page help

http://eq-mod.sourceforge.net/tutindex.html

 

 

My main issue was with the colour coding on the cables in relation to the pinout.

I have since found the solution. Looks like they are using the same pinout if not the same cables that can be found here.
I Used that document to find the RX,TX and GND which then enabled me to replace the connector. Test and seems to work fine.

Hi everyone
Ive only gone and stripped the cable from the RJ45 connector that goes into the mount.
I have spare RJ45 connectors and crimp tool but not sure on the colour codes / pinout for this cable.

Does anyone have one of these cables that could tell me the pinout or provide a photo that I can work with.

Thanks in advance

Mark

Thanks everyone for the comments and suggestions.

I have pulled trigger on a number of lenses that should be here over the next week.
Amongst them are the following that I feel will get a fair amount of dark sky time

Samyang 14mm f/2.8
Samyang 20mm f/1.8
Canon 70-200 f/4

I also have a 17-40 and 24-105 f/4 coming which is mainly for daytime shooting but may well see how they perform piggybacked on my mount at some point.
The unknown at present is the tamron 90mm macro, time will tell.

Will try and get some images up once I get chance.

Thanks everyone

I already have my main obsy setup so at present trying to look at lenses that will do double duty if possible.
I have always been a fan of samyang lenses. the new sigma ART range do look great and seem to be getting raving reviews for traditional photography.

I did look at the Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 but is a crop body only lens, not designed for full frame which is a real shame.

I have the body and a tamron 90mm macro coming tomorrow and making a list of possible glass going forward.

35 minutes ago, MarkAR said:

Samyang 135mm is very popular on here, even cheaper are some of the old M42 thread lenses. Soligor I think is one that comes to mind.

I had forgot about the samyang 135mm. that is another to add to the possible list, thanks.

hi everyone
I am in the process of switching camera systems so looking to buy a number of lenses (switch from fuji back to canon).
What lenses are you using / can recommend for astrophotography?

I intend getting something like the 14mm samyang for widefield astrolandscapes but looking at other options instead of using a small scope for when out for a few nights in the van.
Currenty looking to find a few lenses that can do double duty to save spending extra on a small scope as well. I am currently thinking along the lines of a 70-200L, 135 f/2 etc...
The camera will be an EOS R so only EF mount lenses (or possibly adapted)

Any thoughts and input would be great.

On 02/04/2020 at 16:41, mAnKiNd said:

For anyone interested in fixing their star shapes (subject is Vega) from this to this:

I designed a 3D print on tinkercad (.sti file attached)Skywatcher 130PDS Newtonian Primary Mirror Aperture Mask.stl, found a local 3D print shop to make it for me and applied to the mirror clips as such:

Inner diameter is 125mm, which is sufficient to cover the mirror edge and mirror clips. The idea is that the mask blocks the stray light from the edges, which causes the flares you see on bright stars and the ghost flares from the mirror clips blocking the edge flare.

Hope this helps

Minos 

I did the same a few weeks back with mine, and can also confirm just what a difference this makes.
In regards to re-aligned the primary, I used the barlow'd laser method.

http://www.astronomerstelegram.org/?read=13620&fbclid=IwAR3Gp8FP9e2Nu3-UHPBMEXWP8CttQpJH2p8YMNIGQzXzdSj3ZwjoYxfUNQU

1 minute ago, Atreta said:

Haven't been imaging for some time due to lack of clear skies, but got two good days in a row.

This is my latest image of the good old carina nebula  with about 5 hours of data processed with startools. I have a few more hours of previous data, but i'm getting some overlapping problems.

Forgive me for the huge coma around the corners, I gave up trying to use the gso coma corrector because the stars were looking better without it.

 

very nice

I can recommend the Baader MPCC if you are looking for a replacement. I have had very little issue getting it to work with both my 130PDS and my 200p

Hi everyone

Here are two more from last nights session.
Lowers nebula, one I have had on my list for a while but not seen imaged much (now I know why, its very faint). really nedd to get a lot more data on this.
The second is the Iris Nebula.

Both had 20x300s using the QHY8L Colour CCD

Thanks in advance

6 minutes ago, Nova2000 said:

Nice shots . How good are your skies ? 

Thank you.

Est SQ around 20-21, Class 3 Bortle. I do however have a few caravan parks and villige not too far away so can get some pollution from there until late at night when most of the lights go out.

Hi everyone

First night out this year so took the oppotunity to have pretty late night and bag a few targets.
Had to sort a few minor issues but pretty happy with the nights session.

All taken with the 130PDS, HEQ5 and QHY8L
Maximum intergration time for any image was 1 hour and 300s exposures

Thanks in advance

Mark

Hi all

After finally getting some nicer weather I finally got my first light and first comet of the year.

7x120s exposures, QHY8L OSC CCD
Skywatcher 130PDS
HEQ5

Thanks in advance

Mark

On 19/11/2019 at 19:25, Thalestris24 said:

Yes, fusion 360 creates an image of a standard thread from the McMaster-Carr database but it makes it into a real thread if you check 'Model'. Unfortunately, McMaster-Carr don't include a M42 x 0.75 thread . The only alternative I've found is to use the coil tool to create a T2 thread from scratch. If anyone knows an another way, I'd be interested to hear. I used the coil tool to create a T2 lock ring. The challenge is really to print threads precisely enough so that they mate properly and work as expected!

Thanks

Louise

I have only been playing around with tinkercad so far but I have found that it has a metric thread generator built in.
I am currently in the process of designing an adapter for my 130PDS so I can mount the MPCC inside the focuser tube.
For this I needed T2 and M54 Threads, the generator only goes upto 50mm but the T2 threads have so far worked after a few trial and errors to get the correct internal thread sizing correct.
Nothing stopping you using tinkercad for the threads and then importing them into fusion for the rest of the design.

As a side not regarding print beds, my ender pro came with a magnetic bad which has been a godsend. the fact that you can just peel the bed of and then peel the print away makes life a lot easier.
I have cut a number of mirrors for when I want to have a glossy surface as the magnetic bed leaves a matt one. I have found that a small amount of IPA applied to the bed and print make the print pop right off (you can almost hear it cracking and releasing as the IPA is evaporating)

1 hour ago, JamesF said:

Small typo, but made me laugh

James

Ha the lack of coffee, I must have had my crystal ball out.
I have just had 3 powercuts in the space of an hour and short of slicing the gcode to try and restart the print I am going to have to-do the entire thing.

With that said, I am going to take into account what you have all said and go back to the drawing board in regards the design and try and simplify it a little whilst making it a little more modular.

3 hours ago, Chriske said:

Why not print these two overhanging parts separately and bolt it together with the main body.
As you're doing it now there's lots of support needed. Wonder if you're be able to remove it easily.

I had thought about printing them as desperate section however figured it would be stronger and easier integrated into the main body, this I may be wrong about and  as this is a prototype it can be changed in the final print if needed. The supports should come away with little issue.

2 hours ago, tekkydave said:

I agree. It would make the overall assembly stronger and give you more flexibility. When printing the main part you could add several sets of holes to allow the other 2 parts to be moved along the axis of the dovetail.

Also If you need to alter the 2 smaller parts in the future you wont have to print the whole lot again.

I may do this in the final design but I am still wondering if bolting it has any real extra strength, I would thought printing it as a single section would be more right, by all means tell me if I am wrong as still new to this. I do like the idea of it being able to slide. Once this is all printed and I have everything set for the final design things may change.

3 hours ago, Chriske said:

How are you going to print this one, I mean what is the contact surface with the bed..?

Sorry, Yes there is contact with the bed.
In fact when printing I have rotated it 90 degrees so that it stands on its end. I worked this allowed for the least amount of supports needed and saved around 3 hours compared to having it on the bed as it is.
The image above was taken whilst I was rotating it around to be able to the underside and made life easier as I was not looking through the base mesh.

Depending on the slicing software, it will automatically place the object in contact with the bed when imported.

Thought I would share a design I am in the process of printing.
I wanted something that I could mount usb hubs, electronic project boxes as well as my guide scope and second scope / dslr on the back of my 130PDS
The current setup has a set of home made scope rings for the converted 9x50 guide scope attached via a seperate spare scope ring and everything else under the mount on the pier.

This I am hoping will allow me to say a little extra weight as well as use shorter cables and keep everything a little more tidy.
Its setup so I can use it along with another dovetail piggybacked to the scope (which is the current setup) or indeed use it without one if rigid enough.
As you can see there are holes on the side sections for putting through cables but the main mounting holes I will drill in afterwards

I am in the process of printing this out in black PLA using 24% infill for the main of the print but 70% for the centre section where it will be drilled and attached to the rings or dovetail

Thanks in advance, will get a photo of the finished item once it finishes (19h print)

Edit:

If anyone is interested in using this, here is a link for the required STL files.

Mark

 

Hi everyone

After a fair amount of cloud early on I managed to get out for a session this evening.
I was fighting a combination of haze and moon light however I did manage to get this which I am pretty happy with.

8x120s 
Skywatcher 130PDS, HEQ5, QHY8L
Stacked in DSS and processed using Pixinsight and Photoshop

Thanks in advance

Mark

Hi everyone

Managed to get out for the first time in what seems like a lifetime this evening 

A combination of cloud early on and haze towards the end cut down on imaging time. My electronic focuser decided to go on the blink aswell which did not help matters, that will get sorted tomorrow but did mean some images are not as sharp as I would like.

I focused on getting multiple targets to dial in a few things and trying to keep integration times to below 1 hour per image.

Getting Comet C2017 T2 Panstarrs for the first time this year was also a welcome bonus considering the moon was out in full glory by this time.

I had 3D printed a rear cap to prevent stray light from getting behind the primary which seems to have worked and I also printed a light baffle that goes at the front, will be interesting to see if this actually does anything positive. I need to take the primary out at some point as well to get the dimensions to create a small baffle around the edge of the primary mirror.
 

5 minutes ago, Thalestris24 said:

Hmm... that seems out of date? There's no mention of version numbers that I could see though I'm not too well up on these things! 

Anyway, for the amount I'm likely to use it I won't worry about it. I wouldn't leave it running unattended.

Louise

Thats fine but I just wanted to let you know from my findings. I intended to run mine overnight so was a major issue for me.
Have you setup Octoprint? If not I can highly recommend it if you have a spare Pi3 around.
You can print over the network, remotely monitor it via webcam,create timelapses and allsorts

Another nice feature is that you can cancel parts of a print. If you have two or three different bits printing on the best at once and one fails, instead of having to stop the entire print you can just cancel that particular part.

3 minutes ago, Thalestris24 said:

It's a bit confusing as they only mention 1.1.61 on their web page:
https://creality.com/info/ender-3-ender-3-pro-ender-5-firmware-source-code-upgraded-i00025i1.html

Where on GitHub is the firmware code?

Thanks

Louise

https://github.com/Creality3DPrinting/Ender-3

8 minutes ago, Thalestris24 said:

It says 1.1.6.2 on the About menu...

That as far as I can tell is the latest version. Unless they have created an updated firmware but not updated their github then there is no way of telling unless you run the test.
I updated the firmware anyway just in case and have since changed the board anyway so a non-issue now