AngryDonkey

Hello! I operate my Linear at 22 degrees north. Removing the adjustment knob and replacing it with the screw is no issue at all. Yes, adjusting altitude gets a bit more fiddly but I find that I can always adjust the hex screw by hand without any tools even when fully loaded at 19kg (balanced). As it only needs to be done once per night it doesn't bother me at all. At my latitude I find that I can just about get away with the standard tripod (but its close), so depending on where your weights are you might struggle. In any case I would definitely recommend getting the Avalon tripod extension. This will not only give you more room to clear the weights but also allow you to image past the meridian. I love my linear, hasn't let me down yet... 🙂 Kind Regards, Mike

It called foveal vision memory recall. Or at least that's what I would call it if I had to make up a word 🤣

I know mate, it's silly to be spending money on such a product. It really depends on what you are after. This is a remote switchable USB 3.1 hub where each individual port can be physically switched as if you are unplugging the cable. In a portable setup this maybe doesn't make so much sense but in a remote setup this is great as you can't just grab the cable and unplug it. It's a bit of a niche product with low volume, which I'm sure also has a big influence on the price. One other thing I can add is that I have received outstanding support from Pegasus, something that it not a given nowadays. I agree it doesn't make sense if you only need a hub but I don't find the price so offensive when considering all the features, reliability (tbc but the ultimate powerbox is very reliable) and support.

Hello! As has been mentioned above, the ASI and Altair SDK's are completely different and I would be very surprised if the Thomas' Rpi software would work with Altair cameras. AllSkEye does work with both camera brands but needs a Windows computer which was ruled out by the OP in the first post. I don't think there are (or am not aware of) any dedicated all sky programs for the Rpi that would support Altair cameras. I've recently started to add INDIGO support to AllSkEye to allow the image capture to happen on an RPI (still needs a Windows computer though) but found the Altair driver for the RPi a bit hit and miss i.e. it would work for a while and then the camera would hang etc. Maybe it's related to the driver or maybe power supply, never got to the bottom of it. Mike

The QHY should work with AllSkEye if you use the Ascom driver. Mike

Hello, I have the same sensor and usually ensure that the flats are 2s or longer to avoid any issues with the shutter (and that seems to work fine for my camera which is a Moravian 8300). Mike

This depends on your setup but I can say from my own personal experience that one of the best moves I made over the last couple fo years (in astrophotography 🤣) is to setup a dedicated astro computer which is used for nothing else. I did consider a laptop but I've had many problems due to the fact that a Laptop will be moved around, might need a USB hub, needs longer cables, etc. I've decided to buy a small form factor PC which is attached to my mount. To use it I either do a remote connection (if I have WIFI) or I use a 3m HDMI cable, external screen and bluetooth mouse and keyboard (remote connection will not always work so this backup is a must). The cabling I leave the same (or if I need to remove a cable then I will always use the same USB port - everything is labelled). Once the computer is setup, I don't connect it to the internet and because I have the Pro version of Windows 10 I also disable updates. I don't use it for anything else apart from controlling my astro setup. I rarely update any software I use (Voyager, PHD2, drivers, etc.) unless I REALLY need a new feature. Since I've done the above - happy days, no software/computer related issues at all. Maybe it all sounds a bit complicated and might be too much for what you need but if your setup gets more involved I think this kind of approach is essential. The good news is that this is actually not that expensive! You can use a fairly low powered device, an Intel NUC or Compute Stick for example with an i3 or i5 processor. These come up second hand a fair bit for a reasonable price. An external HDMI screen is also not very expensive so all in you should stay below your target. PS: You will thank me later! 🤣 PPS: I've had lots of problems with USB devices and virtual machines. I would avoid this.

Hi Asim, Sorry I'm not sure, I did the test with my AllSkEye software in which I've implemented the white balance controls of the native driver. In SGP I'm sure you can just select ASCOM camera and then choose the ASI camera from the ASCOM camera chooser panel (provided you did install the ZWO ASCOM driver).

Sorry I've not read through the entire thread yet but have you tried 'not' using bias frames at all? I don't own such a camera so not 100% sure but I think some people prefer not using bias frames due to the amp glow in some CMOS cameras. Instead they do flat frames, flat darks (to calibrate the flat frames) and darks. Might be worth a shot.

Hello The native ZWO driver has two properties for white balance: red (default 52) and blue (default 95) and as you say they are fixed values. The ASCOM driver does not have them and DOES NOT use the values from the native driver. I've just done two test shots, one with the native driver and one with ASCOM and the ASCOM one comes out totally green and the native one fairly balanced. Mike

Or you could go on a nice holiday to Oman in June and see an annular eclipse... Not the same but still quite spectacular. Will be fairly hot though 😓

I'm using one of these which works very well: https://www.dewcontrol.com/Dew_Heater_Module_All_Sky_Camera/p3099125_19045496.aspx It does need a 12V supply but I think you would probably be better off with 12V in any case, the USB power might struggle to keep it clear. In case you are considering changing the dome at some point, a smaller dome would also help with keeping it dew free. Also make sure that the heat from the camera can rise into the dome (can't quite see from the picture).

No sure where 'facial recognition' comes into it.... 🤣

Thank you, glad it's working well for you!

Looks like you are going down the RPi route which is a good option. If for some reason you decide to go back to Windows 10 then AllSkEye is probably your best bet (I'm biased 🙂): https://www.allskeye.com/

Ok. Can you maybe send me your email via DM and I'll get in touch.

Hi Helen, I might be able to help but am a bit short on time just now. Is this something that you would need very soon? Kind Regards, Mike

The motor should run at the same speed as earth's rotation, so it should take 24h for the full 360 degrees. After one hour it should rotate 360/24=15 degrees.

Just been sifting through 3 weeks worth of meteor detections from my all sky camera at e-Eye in Spain. Found lots of interesting stuff but one really 'caught my eye' 🙂

Sorry for being thick but are you saying that what I said was true or not? 🤣

True you record more photons, but what I am saying is that if we only consider the signal (and this will stay the same) then I can just take my signal after one minute and multiply it by 10 and I will have the same result as recording it for 10 minutes.

My gut feeling is that the signal level will stay the same, regardless of how long we record it or how it is stacked (as long as the signal is recorded in the given exposure time). So just considering signal level (and ignoring any noise or other technicalities of recording it) then I could 'stretch or amplify' the signal of one minute and it would theoretically be the same as the signal of ten minutes... Yes/No? 😀 Would 'signal level' in this context be equivalent to photon flux?

You also need to download and install the Moravian ASCOM driver.

I only use short focal length refractors on my Avalon Linear but am happily running 40lbs payload without any issues.

Or Voyager, which also had a good and fast focus routine.