adyj1
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Posts posted by adyj1
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10 minutes ago, wookie1965 said:
Nobody on here knows very strange.
Perhaps add Vixen 102 to the title?
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1 hour ago, vlaiv said:
Having started with Ender 3, which was at the time sensible offer, I'm reluctant to recommend it at this time. I've heavily modded mine to get it to print the way I want it. Overall cost of all modifications is higher then much more serious printer.
Vlaiv, how old was your ender 3? I don't know if you've seen the newer V3 version, but a very experienced 3d printing chum of mine got an ender v3 and it 'just works'. Out of the box it was doing in-place articulated print jobs that I was very envious of. (I have a heavily modded original Ender 5).
If it falls in your budget I think the ender v3 is a great choice.
Ady
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(Patriot Astro YouTube channel is another great resource for NINA tutorials.
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On 24/02/2024 at 19:11, Mognet said:
I've 3D printed some ground spikes
What infill percentage did you use? I must admit, I've printed a few astro bits at 100% for peace of mind - even though it shouldn't strictly be necessary.
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6 hours ago, Cosmic Geoff said:
but would point out that the 'cigarette lighter' and the 5.5/2.1 connectors are both rubbish.
Can I ask why the DC 5521 barrel connectors aren't considered to be adequate?
I got rid of any cigarette lighter connectors on my cables and toyed with using two-pin GX12 aviation connecters - but decided to stick with the 5521's as the centre-positive wiring is a common standard and I'd never had any problems with them.
Ady
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4 hours ago, Celerondon said:
Did British Airways change their battery capacity specifications? This page states a 2 X 160Wh limitation.
Apologies, I should not have relied on memory - you are correct.
I haven't bothered with a power meter as my simple understanding of lifepo4 is that it maintains the steady voltage then drops off quickly. I probably should add one.
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I can confirm that Virgin Atlantic only allow 2 x 100Wh batteries, and I purchased similar batteries to @Adam Jwhen I travelled in September 2023. (British Airways allowed 2 x150Wh).
The VA website said to ring the help desk if you were carrying these batteries, which I dutifully did a couple of weeks before the flight. Having taken all my flight details, I expected some extra checks at check-in, but nothing happened - at no time did anyone ask anything about batteries...
I don't have anything as fancy as Adam for connecting the batteries in the field - a diy barrel power connector wired to two pairs of spade connectors so they are both connected at the same time. My diy 1-to-4 3d-printed power box has five 5.5/2.1 barrel sockets, with one fused for input. This worked a treat with an AP rig of AZ-Gti, NUC PC, and ASI533MC Pro. (I didn't need dew straps on account of being in the mojave desert 😁)
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12 minutes ago, Adam J said:
I just use this type of battery:
cheep and it works really well. Sized for airline travel with a battery management system included. All you need to do is make sure the terminals are covered for air travel and also buy a suitable charger. Why pay more.
Adam
£39! - that's an excellent price. I have similar 12v 8AH LiFePO4 batteries that I bought last August and paid £48. I was allowed to take two on a Virgin flight to the US - they had to carried in hand luggage, so just as well they are very light.
I also got a dedicated LiFePO4 charger from Amazon for £30.
I'll be using it to power my HEM27 in the field (bought after the US trip). [ weak attempt to get things back on topic 😉 ]
Ady
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There's a horizon creator plugin in NINA - you slew your telescope along your visible horizon and click a button at each point you move up or down. The file it creates is the list of numbers you need.
Worked well for me
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I had one of these with an astroeq... 3d printing is your friend - there are bases that can be printed which fill in that gap, in fact they are designed to house the whole stepper motor.
Found this on thingiverse as an example
Ady
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I had one of these with an astroeq... 3d printing is your friend - there are bases that can be printed which fill in that gap, in fact they are designed to house the whole stepper motor.
Ill try to dig out pictures...
Ady
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6 hours ago, Carbon Brush said:
If you have the skill set to evaluate alternatives, fine.
You have the jump on me with that, for sure 😉. For one thing, I forgot the BMS was in the battery not the charger...
I will always bow to real-world proven experience, and you have clearly explained the reasons for your advice. Thank you 👍
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11 hours ago, fireballxl5 said:
Tracer 7Ah LiFePO4
Whilst I'm normally in the same way of thinking as @Carbon Brush in trying to find 'good enough' alternatives, there's a lot written about charging LifePo4 correctly or at the very least you will reduce battery life. For something as expensive as this, I'd be looking at using a charger specifically for LifePo4, and take a hit on the extra bulk.
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49 minutes ago, Ags said:
Power consumption is 0.8A, but power requirement is 5A, which is an unbelievable lotta Amps and more than the ASIAIR Mini can deliver
Don't forget that the HEM mounts have an internal 12v pass-through and a power outlet on the top of the mount. That's where the extra amps come in useful powering the rest of your rig...
Just checked the docs and they rate the top socket for "4A when using the included AC adapter".
(thankfully the 12v socket on the saddle is 5.5/2.1mm barrel rather than the slightly awkward 5.5/2.5mm on the mount body)
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8 hours ago, aramitsharma said:
disappeared after two subs. must be internal reflections when my neighbour's arc lights switched on when i went to my garden
By coincidence I got something very similar last night, when setting up my new 8" F4 Newtonian with a nearby overhead light switched on (small black smudges across each exposure).
I got quite worried until it went away when I switched the light off #phew
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34 minutes ago, Ags said:
The charger you suggested works perfectly!
I wish more manufacturers did this...
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54 minutes ago, Ags said:
I was thinking of buying another to have two packs and one charger.
Don't let me stop you buying another one, but there's nothing special about a talentcell charger - 12v/3A DC 5.5/2.1mm barrel plug... (switch the battery on to charge)
Ady
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3 hours ago, Elp said:
I use my hem15 with 3/8 tripods.
I have the HEM27, and the centre hole on that is not threaded and just used for a locator pin - it's the bolts on the east/west sides of the mount that clamp it to the base. From the FLO pictures the HEM15 looks similar, but if you can screw it to a photo tripod in that would be handy.
Mind you, without a counterweight, I imagine the centre of balance could move quite a bit away from centre, so I would assume you would have to make sure you use a pretty stable tripod...
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9 hours ago, Ags said:
Does the HEM15 come with a handset and counterweight rod?
Yes, it comes with a 'proper' handset (star database and all the gubbins), but no counterweight bar. The payload is 8kg without a counterweight, and 12kg with (it takes the same counterweight bar as the Skyguider Pro).
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On 13/12/2023 at 10:31, Mr Spock said:
2.5 Kg counterweight held on with industrial 2" Velcro.
@Mr SpockHow easy is it to get hold of that velcro? Sounds like what I need...
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I'm impressed with what these pi cameras are able to achieve...
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5 hours ago, Varavall said:
However, on start up when the telescope is unparked NINA assumes the telescope is at the home position so all goto slews go wrong. So what I do when I start up is to unpark and then park to home position, telescope goes pointing north and then everything works as it should. Guess that's a "bug" in NINA
This is also my experience. It isn't NINA causing this, but EQMOD and your mount. If you power off everything between sessions, then when you start EQMOD it will revert to its default start position - and assumes the scope is weights-down, pointing North. As far as I know there isn't a setting to get EQMOD to change this power-on default (although I have no experience of encoder-equipped mounts).
I am lucky enough to have an observatory, and as long as I maintain power EQMOD 'remembers' the custom park position. However, just to be on the safe side when I start a new session after any kit has been powered off, I run my planetarium software (CdC) and sync position with the mount before carrying out any slews. I can then see on the screen where my mount 'thinks' it is pointing, and if it is North rather than 'sideways-parked' I open the roof and manually point the scope north before then carrying on with my session...
HTH Ady
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On 30/10/2023 at 13:54, Albir phil said:
I have a zwo 533 colour camera
Are you connecting it to a Field Flattener or a Coma Corrector? If so, which type and model do you have?
Are my filters too small?
in Discussions - Cameras
Posted
When I committed to 1.25" filters I noted from an online resource that the maximum sensor size (across the diagonal) for 1.25" filters is just over 22mm.
Your APS-C sensor is 28.3mm diagonal...
Ady