SkyBound

Can I ask if this PA alignment feature will work with a wedge mounted SCT... or does it have to be an actual equatorial moun..?

I had the same issue and built a switch box like you describe, it worked well, so don't see any issues there...obviously a more complicated way would be to have it switch via software.... ? Not something I could do...

So you went with the 6p6c cable I suggested above then...good choice.. will make it much lighter

Here are the plugs: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-PACK-RJ11-RJ-11-Plugs-6-Core-6P6C-for-Telecom-and-ADSL-VDSL-Cable-/272399061897?hash=item3f6c3fd389:g:dYoAAOSwPCVX8WKg and here is the cable: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ADJUSTAMATIC-BED-6P6C-RJ12-CABLE-6-WIRE-RJ-1m-2m-3m-4m-5m-/232192412553?var=&hash=item360fbf0b89:m:mwRYDfiwbkUpmCLVG9xGEoA and the board mounted sockets http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RJJ66NFRA-Mbs-Connect-Rjj-Socket-6P6C-Unshielded-Ra-/132062128153?hash=item1ebf842819:g:-UQAAOxyOalTa35X

I would use a 6p6c modem type cable, which has 6 cores, (flat telephone cable) with the 6pin rj11 plugs on either end, it will make it much lighter, than using serial type sockets and cables. thats what my Feathertouch motor focuser uses....

Me too.

I can assure you it is not...!!

Yes I think if you have the know how it will be far cheaper to build one, no doubt about that, but I have yet to see an arduino version that will control both stepper and DC motor from the same port down the same cable with the flick of a switch, but I may be wrong, also the software with the Pegasus is very good, you can run two at a time from within the same instance of software, there is an Ascom driver, the step modes are superb, and I had one made with the encoder focus knob, on a length of cable rather than on the top of the controller, for very little extra cost, there stepper motors are also superb and give around 6000 steps per Rev of the coarse focus on my little WO scope. I know they are not cheap, BUT they are the cheapest you can buy....! Especially with the included functions. the connector is a standard robofocus Pinout connector....and the same cable can be used to connect to stepper motors with that pinout and a DC motor.... the encoder control knob on the controller is superb and it moves the focuser as if you are turning the actual focuser, and by pushing it down it alters to a 10:1 speed, just like using the fine focus....really is a superb design, and not seen anything like it with the arduino projects......but at a higher cost I know...

This company www.pegasusastro.com build and sell a focus motor controller that at the flick of a switch will control both a high res stepper and a DC focus motor, and its superb as I have one, but it also shows that it can be done, I was going to build the one you are talking about, but then came across this company, and so I got in touch, and they were and are so helpful and built one bespoke for my needs, I can't recommend them highly enough..... but there off the shelf one will do exactly as you require if you decide not to build...

Are you allowing the scope to track in all directions, as you mention "EQ track mode north"....not sure what that means..?

Hi with such a long focal length scope the PA would have to be very very good Indeed, even at f6.3 it would still need to be pretty close, lining up with Polaris is not good enough, as Polaris is not the true pole, you should be polar aligning on the NCP, which is the true pole, this will then help quite a bit., especially at your focal length. secondly the GPS will pick up UTC (coordinated universal time) time which is correct, the fact that your handset was an hour out does not matter, that is just a setting in the handset, you can ignore that, all it means is that the handset will display either BST or not, I don't bother altering mine which means the handset is always correct for 6 months of the year......and an hour out the other 6 months. thirdly when balancing, do it in the Alt AZ position, first slide weights back or fourth to counter whatever you have on the back of the scope, (camera etc) then point the tube straight up and make sure it stays there, and does not fall one way or the other, you may need to add weight to the top of the tube to get balance, when you have this is fine for wedge mode (equatorial) use. i have used an 8" Meade SCT and got subs of around 3 mins with round stars using the above method of balancing at f6.3 and about 1.5-2 mins at f10, also without the f6.3 reducer the stars will be out of shape at the edges due to field curvature, this is normal, it will be a lot better with the reducer but still not perfect. balance is the key with fork mounted SCT scopes used on an equatorial wedge.

So won't the filter that is left in the camera which has the IR cut, stop the star bloat, that was my logic...and then that means the CCD version of the clip is not needed

Absolutely you will get about 60% more Ha light, and Absolutely again it is very very worthwhile mod...

Yes the clip filter is perfect for the canon cameras, the only difference between the CCD and normal CLS is that the CCD one has got IR cut to, so as long as you are doing the normal astro mod and leaving the second filter in the camera, then you only need the cheaper non IR cut version, as you already have IR cut in the filter you leave in the camera..... so no point I spending the extra, the clip filter comes in both IR and non IR versions, the IR version has CCD in the name, so go for this one, as it is non IR and £20 cheaper http://www.365astronomy.com/Astronomik-CLS-Visual-Clip-Filter-for-Canon-EOS-Cameras.html?gclid=CLfqseWlns8CFUw8GwodtjkBoQ They call it a visual version, but it is for imaging too, if you read down the description you will see, for some reason filters that do not have IR cut they seem to label as visual.....!

Excellent advice exactly what I have done, got the CLS CCD filter