Viktiste

I'm not familiar with DSLR settings in NINA, but maybe you need something entered for Gain?

What is your camera Exposure Time etc. under Options - plate solving?

I have had many nights like this. But eventually I got the hang of it and my setup is usually pretty smooth now. What helped me was realizing I won't remember everything between sessions - so I made myself a checklist in excel. Make sure you use the L filter when you are platesolving. Which software do you use? USB issues - If you are on Windows - try installing USBview as explained here: https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/354148-howto-set-up-win10-from-scratch-to-control-mount-with-stellarium/?do=findComment&comment=3855306

AP or visual or both? I bought the HEQ5 pro 2 years ago, and belt modded it. I am very happy with it and it works perfectly for my 80mm refractor for Imaging and for my SW 200P for visual. However I must admit I am already looking for a bigger payload mount. So if I had to make that decision today I would have chosen the higher capacity mount. But I would have spent a few more hunded £'s and chosen the EQ6-R PRO.

Amazing and beautiful!!

Old thread I know, but Kudos to the OP for this! I just made a spare EQDIR cable for my HEQ5pro. I bought a "FT232RL 3.3V 5.5V FTDI USB to TTL Serial Adapter Module for Arduino Mini Port" on e-bay for next to nothing. Made sure the jumper was set to 5V. Crimped a RJ45 connector to a piece of CAT5 cable and wired them together. Here is the finished cable. I 3D printed a case for the Serial adapter board: Inside the box: Wiring:

I might be totally mistaking, but it seems to me prices are cartel driven, rather than driven by the covid pandemic.. This (and the linked legal paper's) are interesting reading: https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/745844-synta-celestron-ningbo-sunny-meade-et-al-latest/

I just bought Affinity photo. They have 50% discount at the moment!

Hmmm! There is a 2nd hand Losmandy HGM Titan mount, about 5 years old for sale near me, priced around £4K. This got me thinking... Say I sometime in the distant future want to image with a large FL scope, for example Celestron 11 Edge HD. Would a Losmandy HGM Titan be as much mount as I would ever need? Or is that amount of money better spent in the distant future on something like a Sky-Watcher EQ8-R or a Celestron CGX-L? I cant really find much user reviews/experiences online with Losmandy mounts. Talk me out of this please...

I have been playing around with these IKO datasets, thanks for sharing them. It is nice to see how others process them Here is my effort. Processed in Pixinsight with some masks edited in Gimp. I am too unorganized to be able list my workflow.

I had a box, perfectly designed to fit my PC inside it but that PC got stolen. The el cheapo replacement PC I bought does not fit in the box, which is why it now stays on top of the box, exposed to the elements.

A few degrees above 0 is probably a lot worse than really cold temperatures as the air is really dry when it is this cold. This night is was -21c in the morning I could not understand why the camera cooling set at -20 did not draw any power! I have left the PC out unprotected in a few degrees plus and humid air too, that has been ok so far but it is maybe a bit risky. A box with vent holes would be good for that.

I just leave the laptop out, unprotected but with the lid closed. So I tell Windows to do nothing when I close the lid:

I left it out last night imaging the Heart nebula at -18°C, no issues. I guess the thing is to let it gently warm to room temperature with the lid open before powering it up inside.

Ehhr...Ehhh, Photography?