GTom

Looks interesting, thank you! I was wondering if it goes in place of the 85mm diam. mounting pan or just screws on top of it: former would be of course the proper solution.

Just realized how anti-transport the HEQ5's original tripod is, I was wondering if there is a ready-made adapter that is compatible with the ZWO tc40?

Great job, time allowing I'll copy this one! For the time being picked up a more realistically priced EQdir variant from Amazon.

Actually as far as I know, the HEQ5 loves 14V. The actual plan is to power everything with 4s LiFEPO4 banks without voltage conversion.

I am experimenting with a custom TEC cooling and a bit worried about my mount electronics. The Peltiers will operate at ~14V, so far the plan is just to hook them up on the same splitter where the HEQ5 is connected. Can I go wrong with that?

The Ugreen USB to serial cable might be a good, though a bit pricier solution: https://www.amazon.co.uk/UGREEN-20210-Converter-Connecting-Controller-grey/product-reviews/B00QUZY4UG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_viewopt_kywd?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews&pageNumber=1&filterByKeyword=guiding

Will definitely do my research regarding the wifi adapter Meantime I found the USB to serial cable I used to update my hand controller: https://www.amazon.co.uk/UGREEN-20210-Converter-Connecting-Controller-grey/dp/B00QUZY4UG , one user apparently used it as a two-cable guiding solution.

Phew, was definitely worth to ask😅, thank you. I have updated the firmware of my old EQ3-2 in the past using a usb to serial cable connected to Skywatcher's RJ45 cable, obviously that one didn't push all the 24V on the handset :D. But I'll check thoroughly if I use that cable again. Besides the EQdir, I'll take a look how reliable the wireless solutions are. One cable is better than two, but no cables should be the best - IF...

I recently treated myself with a Panasonic toughbook (chill out, not the newest £3000 wonder, just an old one for 1/10th of that 🤪). And it has a D sub 9 pin connector. I was wondering can I just grab ANY decent RJ45 to RS232 modem cable to operate and guide the mount from the laptop? Saving a usb to serial converter from the equation I suspect that a direct serial connection could be faster and more reliable. The EQMod site speaks quite positively in the RS232 connection: https://eq-mod.sourceforge.net/reqindex.html

The mount can carry an 8" f/4 Newtonian if well balanced, but that scope is not an easy start, it's right at the working limit of the mount. Can be cheap though if bought second hand! Just like the nice folks above I'd recommend a small APO, whatever the second hand market brings up, to get photography started and for the time being use the Newtonian for visuals. The mount was a very good choice for a growing scope collection😅!

Shopping for additional batteries, I want to make sure that they can travel with me anywhere during their lifespan and that lifespan doesn't end up in an airport bin... Just checked Namibia/KLM (def bucket list item): you need to ask permission to bring anything between 100 and 160Wh on board. How does that work? They decide on the spot that the $$$ battery I brought to the aircraft goes to the bin just because they have a bad day? https://www.klm.com.na/information/baggage/restricted-items-hand-baggage Airlink, South Africa relives you from that worry, anything above 100Wh definitely goes in the bin: https://www.flyairlink.com/en/za/baggage-portable-electronic-devices Europe/Canaries: 160Wh usually fine.

When assessing a new mount purely based on specifications what do these values mean for practical usability: R.A. Worm Gear 73.4mm Diameter, 144 Teeth vs: R.A. worm gear 180 teeth, 92.5mm diameter. R.A. Worm Drive 11mm Diameter vs: R.A. wheel gear 15.8mm diameter Rookie thinks the more teeth, the bigger diameter the better. Is that so? This case the manufacturer is the same, mounts: SA GTi and AL55i.

Piece of art! Reminds me to check it out next time when in the Canaries

Welcome to the community! I started my journey among the stars with just naked eyes when I was around 6 later with a friend's borrowed 10x50 binoculars. Enjoy the ride, you have one of the best skies in the world! Time and budget allowing I might visit your wonderful country one day🙂.

Absolutely worth the effort!