adyj1

I guess you've worked out that 'conversion' is not a thing. If someone with a bullseye focuser decides to use Windows instead of Linux, and has the necessary dev skills, then maybe an ASCOM drive could be written. The thing about diy focuses is you will need to be prepared to roll your sleeves up, as it were, and learn some new skills - even for a simple design like the Bullseye. Have you looked at arduFocuser, I see it has an ASCOM driver? (although it looks like you can't use your TMC driver) I agree with your description of the Myfocuserpro2 - it is extremely configurable, including things like an IR remote control, but takes a *lot* of working out (that's the one I built).

I'd rather be stargazing 😂

Unfortunately not. Essentially, INDI is the way that Linux capture programs talk to your astro hardware, and ASCOM is the way that Windows programs do it. You don't mix and match at the program level.

Merry Xmas Auntie ☺

Follow something like this and get the blink sketch working... https://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/ArduinoNano

... and I have a spare circuit board for the esp32/DRV8825 version.

It's annoying, some of the parcel services that offer next-day delivery don't actually have a tracking system capable of actually registering new packages for at least 24hrs! Anyway, have you seen the Clear Outside forecast!

#offtopic In my life I've got to make sure I buy at least one thing from a guy called Zoltan.

Perfectly sensible approach 👍 - I just thought the general flow of the comments, mixing guiding and goto terms, might be confusing to a beginner reading this thread.

I have experienced this - not every time, though

Sorry, been away from this thread... Just to be clear, the dual axis motor kit - whether it is the standard or enhanced - does not give you goto... As commented previously, you need 'brains' in the handset to map the sky and know where you are pointing, and these don't have it (and the motors would not be practical for goto either) St-4 guiding should be possible (your guide scope is connected to the pc and handset, and your camera is connected to the pc and between them all they work out the tracking correction instructions to give the 'dumb' handset.) Granted you can never rule out an amazing technical breakthrough while you weren't watching, but when I wanted guiding I sold my enhanced dual axis kit and went for the 'diy synscan' option.

I would use the term 'slewing' to refer to the 'goto' movement between targets a reasonable distance apart, and you only get that with a stepper motor, so the £350+ synscan upgrade (or diy alternatives). The DC motors of the dual axis kit are not able to move the mount at anything remotely close to the same speed, and are just used for 'adjustmemts' once you've manually rotated the telescope to approximately the right location... No wonder they are quieter 😉 (a 15 second slew on the SynScan would literally take minutes if you were to try it with the dual axis kit) I've probably read far more into your use of the term slewing (and applied my own personal definition), but as you were comparing stepper and DC motors thought it worth pointing out just in case it helps.

I had an eq5 with the enhanced controller motor drive upgrade. Decided on the DIY route of an AstroEQ with stepper motors. Hardest thing was finding someone to 3d-print the eq5 stepper brackets. Paid for most of it by selling the dual motor upgrade kit.II 've had that for a few years now and been very happy with it. You do need to want to do diy thing though - don't expect it to be as easy as the pro upgrade kit... (there has to be some payback for saving all that cash, right 😉) If I was doing it today, the onstep diy got upgrade would be my first choice.

Mighty impressive collection, @AdeKing, definitely not compensating 😂

I think the dev/s of ASTAP need extra credit for making it work with the same parameters as PS2 to allow this to happen. ASTAP is the best platesolver I have used - by far - and the ability to use it in any program that supports PS2 is a stroke of genius.

I think when recommending the asiair to beginners we should really point out early in the conversation that it only supports ZWO cameras if you switch to a dedicated astro camera (for dslrs it is fine). I have a ZWO camera myself so don't think this is the worst limitation in the world, but it is quite a unique 'feature' compared to the alternatives that needs to be highlighted. (only posting this as there's been two different recommendations without this rider)

The most effective filter of all will cost about a fiver from ebay - search for "8mm A/F Security Hex Key". As I understand it, behind the cover is often just a normal single-fuse MCB, like you might have in a garage. However, I've only seen this used effectively when the light in question is less obviously located - and I imagine you would have to have sympathetic neighbours who know not to report it as broken when it stops working every cloudless night...

For the minimal 'semi-auto' PA addition to your current setup, you connect the laptop to your mount by EQMOD and laptop to camera by USB. You do a 3-point polar align with, and then you disconnect your laptop and run your intervalometer-based session and tracking-with-no-guiding. I'm not sure if you were actually considering this minimal approach, but wanted to make it clear what was needed. The benefits are the small-ish learning curve and not having to work out how to get all-session computer control.. But there are massive advantages to jumping completely to software-controlled guided imaging sessions... Plate-solving is a huge game-changer, (way more than guiding imo...) Once you've experienced it, computer-controlled imaging sessions is almost certainly where you will want to be. Personally, I ended up putting one of those smallish waterproof keter boxes next to my mount and putting a wifi-connected mid-size i5 office pc from ebay (£100) inside - cables run out from under the lid to the mount (USB3 hub and home-made 12v power distribution block reduces number of cables) , and mains power via long extension lead from the garage. I then remotely log in from a laptop in the house. (I have also tried a Raspberry-Pi-based Ekos/Kstars setup with some success - and done successful semi-auto PA.) All of these components can be upgraded with 'proper' astro gear, but that's not my style (waaaay more astro things to buy than budget allows! ) Good luck! Ady

Yes, but with an extra level of complexity. You'd want to configure it in 'Station mode' ideally, so it was just another device on your home network, rather than being a private WiFi access point for its own network. I won't give you advice about saving £20 or so by making a DIY cable, as anyone considering a polemaster deserves only the best 😉

... but you wouldn't be using the guidecam for your polar alignment in NINA - it uses your primary camera. By all means get the guiding setup, as you'll progress to that quickly, but you already have just about all you need for PA using NINA (apart from possibly the EQMOD cable which should *definitely* be your next purchase if you haven't got one). For the guidescope I have both the astro essentials and ZWO 32mm guidescopes, and they are fine. I prefer the AE one for usability and accessories. I'll let someone else comment on which of the colour or mono is the best choice - I have mono because all I want to use it for is to guide (and that was the first one to come up on the for sale forum 😉). Both will work.

You say tomarto and I say tomayto 😉 I was indeed referring to just pressing 'go' and letting the software control the camera and the mount to do its stuff, after which it tells you which knobs to twist, in which direction, and by how much... To me, that's not *fully* auto - it's auto apart from the manual bits. 😁

I was a sharpcap pro user for a couple of years, but had serious problems with my travel setup (az-gti) - which has no polar scope at all. Unless I was already within 5 deg of PA by eye, then sharpcap couldn't platesolve and I was left randomly moving Dec and Ra until it could. (I would not have had this problem if I had a polar scope and could have roughly polar aligned) . No such problem with NINA, which can PA even if you can't see polaris at all.

You do realise that a polemaster likely costs MORE than a guide scope and guide camera? ... and to get guiding working you're going to be pretty far down the road of connecting camera to laptop to mount and running NINA. I reckon you could get NINA working *just* to use the three-point polar alignment fairly easily - at least as easily as getting APT up and running, IMO - and then when you're ready it will be a small step to full-blown automated image acquisition ☺ . Just my 2p worth

(By the way, Linux has a very capable alternative in ekos/Kstars, and it has a similar semi-auto PA routine to NINA)

APT is probably easier to get your head around as a beginner (I used it for 3+ years) and but it doesn't have a PA routine, unfortunately. Watch this and tell me you don't want it 😉 Ady