Spaced Out

I have the autofocuser fitted to my 130PDS. It was a bit of a faff to get it working properly tbh but I followed this youtube vid, different model but similar duel speed focuser.

OK, I’ve spoken to a mate who reckons the helical focuser could make things worse for getting focus with the lodestar, he suggested I will probably need a spacer between the OAG and filter wheel to get both ZWO camera and Lodestar to achieve focus together. Anyone using the ZWO OAG and ZWO Camera with a lodestar ? Does this sound about right ? Thanks

Hi All Just a quick one I hope. Is anyone using a ZWO ASI 1600, ZWO filter wheel and ZWO OAG with a Lodestar X2 guide cam ? Any problems ? Would you need this to achieve focus with the lodestar ? https://www.firstlightoptics.com/zwo-accessories/zwo-125-helical-focuser.html Thanks.

The 6D is a bit newer and has better low light performance than the 5D mk2. https://www.lonelyspeck.com/canon-eos-6d-review/ Maybe ebay is your best bet ? I just did a quick search of sold 6Ds on there in the UK and they seem to be ranging from £200 - £400, not sure what that is in US dollars ? Plenty sold on there in the £300 - £400 range tho. Also check out the Rokinon/Samyang 24mm F1.4 if you want to do wide angle stuff. I started with the 14mm for my landscapey stuff but as soon as I got the 24mm the 14mm was parked in the camera bag and only came out for wide WIDE angle shots (mainly star trails and the like). https://www.lonelyspeck.com/rokinon-24mm-f1-4-ed-as-umc-review/

Agree FF the way to go for wide Milky Way shots........ and definitely if you are doing single exposure stuff. FF are generally better than crop sensors in terms of high ISO noise control. I'm not sure you'll get better than the old 6D MK1 for the money. A few years ago it was THE Canon camera to have for nightscapes/landscapey astro stuff and you can get 2nd hand 6Ds relatively cheap now on ebay etc. I have used a 6D MK1 for a long time now with both the wide Rokinon/Samyang lenses (24mm & 14mm) and it works well. The 6D and the 24mm is still my goto for Milky way shots today, that 24mm lens is just great for capturing the MW. I've recently got a 5D Mk4 but haven't had time to compare it with the trusty old 6D for milky way stuff yet. The wide angle night sky shots in my Flickr albums are nearly all using the 6d and rokinon/samyang lenses. https://www.flickr.com/photos/132427272@N04/albums I also have the 600D and it's fine, I use it for astrophotography with telescopes but always stack lots of long exposure subs to reduce noise. I tried using it for landscapey astro stuff once, I had to stack high ISO images but I wasn't all that impressed with the final image quality when compared to the 6D. I wasn't using a tracker and needed short exposures at high ISO to get detail, it may well hold up better using a tracker and lower ISOs ? Here it is.... https://www.flickr.com/photos/132427272@N04/45684772515/in/album-72157654649850948/

OK Update ! I cleared my sync data tonight and started again using Dialog Based setting but I have exactly the same problem. I started at 90 degrees home position but when I come to park after syncing it is saying 89 degrees something. I've synced on 10 stars tonight and the GOTO gets the target in the field of view but it is never centred, am I expecting too much ?

Thanks for this too. I'll try changing that setting and re syncing things to see if it helps. In terms of home position reporting I've gone from 90 degrees to 89 degrees on my first night ! So if I delete my syncs should that go back to 90 degrees ?

Thanks for this reply. Yep, on the night I synced everything was dead centre and I was dead chuffed. The following night I noticed that the home position had slightly changed and all goto's, whilst still in the FOV, were out on the edge. I don't think I've knocked anything and I've not touched the clutches. I'm left scratching my head a bit ! Maybe I just need to clear the syncs and set it up again from scratch.

Hi All I am just setting up my newly built pier with EQMOD and Cartes du Ciel for the first time. Never done this before and I’m loving using EQMOD over the hand controller, however, I have a small problem. As I have synced my first few stars in CDC my EQMOD home position has changed slightly. I’m hoping this is just a settings issue somewhere ? Perhaps as I have synced stuff I have slightly moved things so the EQMOD home position has also changed a little ? I could live with this if the GOTO pointing was more accurate after the syncing but it isn’t, it seems worse ! Here’s how things look at the moment. Any suggestions please ?

Hi All I have this auto focuser to fit but no screws ! Just wondering if anyone can tell me the correct screw size for the 4 screws that normally come with this auto focuser kit please ? I mean the small screws that bolt the bracket to the focuser and telescope body. There are 4 of them and they are longer than the standard screws to accommodate the bracket. Thinking I’ll to try to source some from ebay if possible. Thanks.

That's great, thank you.

Thanks for this, interesting ! Will this also turn on and off remotely via a mains switch without the need to actually touch the hub itself ?

Thanks for this info, really helpful👍. It's a bit more expensive than my current USB hub but I've heard StarTech are supposed to be pretty solid in terms of performance. If it does the job I need with regard to powering up and down remotely then it seems like a wise investment !

Hi All SO...... Finally..... I’ve almost completed my ‘mini obs’, which is basically just an outdoor pier and a warm spot in our little old shed. Gearing up and testing equipment yesterday I have come across a small issue with my pier mounted powered USB hub. I now have all of my electrics (including the USB hub) in sealed weather proof boxes mounted on the pier column. I have these boxes wired back to two main swiches in the little shed to turn stuff on and off remotely. I thought this was a good idea but I’ve just discovered that my existing hub needs its on/off button pressing to turn it back on each time the power is disconnected. The weather proof boxes are currently mounted on the pier using long velcro straps and its a bit of a faff to open them up every time I need to turn on this USB hub. Just wondering if anyone uses a powered USB hub that can be switched on and off directly from the mains switch without having to touch the hub itself ? Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer !

Thanks both for your thoughts on this. I've just ordered one of these..... https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007ZUFBGQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1WIPE1EAZ1XDH&psc=1 I'm hoping it's a little better than the cheaper ebay adaptors. Says it has overload and short circuit protection and has 1 yr warranty.

Hi all I’ve just ordered a HitecAstro DC Focus Controller. It hasn’t arrived yet but I notice that it only comes with one of those cigarette lighter plugs. I want to use mine with mains power so I have been looking for an adaptor to use. I’m a bit of duffer when it comes to electrics and I was wondering if someone could please advise whether this cheap ebay offering might be suitable for my needs ? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5A-Cigarette-Lighter-Socket-240V-Mains-Plug-to-12V-DC-Car-Charger-Power-Adapter/264236000000?epid=1189921185&hash=item3d85b16300:g:~RgAAOSw1Fdch5hi If it’s not suitable could someone please point me in the right direction. Thanks Gary

Cool, puts my mind at rest, thanks. Cable is ordered !

That's great, thank you 👍.

Hi All This might sound like a dumb question but I’m not great with tech and I have never used EQMOD before so I have no experience of this. So...... I am planning on setting up EQMOD to control my telescope. I have a powered USB hub at the telescope and was going to purchase a short (2m ?) EQDIR USB adapter to link the mount to the USB hub. The USB hub then has a 5M cable connecting to my PC. Would this work OK or do I need a dedicated EQDIR USB adapter cable running direct to the PC from the mount (5m+) ? Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

That's great, thank you 👍

Hi All I was thinking of buying a skywatcher auto focuser with the HitecAstro DC controller. Can anyone tell me if this gear will work with APT software ? Thanks.

Thanks for clarifying. I've got the tube in position and supported ready for filling, it's pretty solid now so I'm going to give the solar noon method a go and check it with a compass. I might even double check it by placing the mount on top and aligning with polaris too (I think it's supported well enough). Probably not filling for a week or so (I'm waiting to borrow a cement mixer) so got a little time to fiddle with this.

Ah, OK, thanks. ? I guess the line has to be dead centre of the tube then ?

Thanks everyone. I know nothing about this solar noon method, I’m guessing it’s probably a bit of a faff ? Is there a link describing the method anywhere I’m still tempted to take the easy approach with a compass !........ or is that just proper sloppy ?! ?

Thanks, I hope that between my magnetic compass and the compass on my phone I should get close enough then ! ?