f300v10

1 minute ago, Bibabutzemann said:

Awesome, that reducer sounds like a good investment. How strong is the vignetting? 

Not as bad as I had feared it might be, and easily corrected with flats.

I recently obtained a 130P-DS from FLO as SW doesn't sell these state side.  I paired it with the new Starizona Nexus 0.75 reducing coma corrector and shot this first light last night.  Camera was a ASI2600MM with 2" filters.  Two hours total LRGB:

9 hours ago, knobby said:

Hi all, excellent thread ... Just wondering if the EQ6R will handle a C8 EDGE / ASI 1600mm / filter wheel etc, £1200 is a lot of money if it still can't guide my gear ? imaging scale is 0.56 so a big ask 🙂

 

Knobby,

I run a C11 XLT/ 0.64 Starizona Reducer-Corrector / Celestron OAG + ASI 290mm / ASI filter wheel / ASI 1600 mm as my primary imaging system riding on my EQ6-R.  Typical guiding is 0.6 to 0.65 arc seconds RMS.  Under good seeing I have gone over an hour at 0.39 arc sec RMS, including dithers.  The net focal length of my setup is 1840 or so, so slightly less than the C8 Edge, but also much heavier.  I think you would be fine.

Scott

1 hour ago, lowry_pt said:

hello all.  read through the pages of WONDERFUL info.

 

cant seem to find Or missed it.~~. any concerns with the 6R not tracking at the zenith?  i did a flip last night on M101 and ( this happened while in texas as well). It would not track.  using EQMOD. with much success on my EQ-G's. and on this mount EXCEPT at the zenith.  the frame and focus platesolv even show trailing.  I did make sure sideral was checked on of course.  

 

then i can also hear it go back and forth and back and forth adjusting slightly after a plate solv. like it corrects. and then Uncorrects persay and fails at 1600 pixels. or 332 pixels etc...  my guiing is awesome at .6-.8 arc seconds.  I LOVE this mount the target is perfect in the middle

 

using a 127mm fract at 952mm with OAG using a 290mini.  LOVE everything but it almost like the clutches cant hold it.  etc.  FINALLY i was able to get it to go at 300 pixel error and it was fine the rest of the night.  IDEAS?

 

dont want to return this if I dont have too

 

Dawn

Dawn,

Do you have limits turned on in EQMOD by chance?  If they are on and default to stop the mount at the zenith that may explain your issue.  If this is the case you can either turn them off (could be dangerous), or set them to allow the mount to go a safe time/distance past the meridian before the limit stops the mount.

Sorry, just noticed you had this issue post flip, not before flip right?  I would still double check your limits aren't set right at zenith. For the plate-solving, make sure you have the EQMOD sync set to 'Dialog mode', not append.

Scott

Just to reiterate, using units of arc-seconds RMS is preferable when quoting guiding accuracy as it is the same for all users and hardware configurations.  Pixels on the other hand are hardware configuration dependent, and explain why you would see numerically larger error on a system where the guide system used a higher image scale (arc seconds per pixel). 

Are you quoting your guide error RMS in arcseconds, or pixels, as PHD displays both.  I always use arcseconds as it is the same unit in all cases, while pixels depend on individual setups.  I have also found my guiding accuracy actually improved when using my C11/OAG when compared to my ED80 with guide scope.  My typical guiding with the guide-scope (300/60 mm, asi290mm) is around 0.8 arcsec RMS.  When using my C11 + reducer /OAG (1850mm focal length) I get 0.6 rms typical, and as low as 0.4 with good seeing. 

57 minutes ago, AKB said:

...with a keyboard command from within Stellarium??

If, how, please?

Tony

CTRL-SHIFT-1 all at the same time syncs for me using the 0.19.3 with direct ASCOM.  CTRL-3 was the stellarium scope equivalent.

I've had good luck with the C11 on the EQ6-R.  I use it with a focal reducer, so the effective focal length is 1850.  My typical guiding error is between 0.6 and 0.7 arcsec RMS, which I view as very good for a mount in the price range of the EQ6-R.

As far as buying recommendations for a used C11 I'm afraid I don't have any tips for you.  I bought mine new and am happy with it.

18 hours ago, OJ87 said:

Hehe , I should go harder with them 

Also check that the screw tip is not caught behind the black plastic insert inside the counter weight.  That happened to me once, and I kept tightening the screw but the weight just kept on slipping.  The plastic ring had shifted and the screw tip was pushing on the plastic rather than making contact with the counterweight shaft.

My C11 imaging rig is at the high end of the weight capacity of the EQ6-R, so I use the maximum amount of weight I can at the top of the shaft, and a small weight further down for fine adjustments.  My guide error with typical seeing in this configuration is around 0.65 arsec RMS, and 0.4-0.5 under good seeing.

8 hours ago, Miguel1983 said:

"Must say i was surprised to see 3 weights on your mount, i have the Esprit 120 on mine (minus the guider) and i have perfect balance with 2 weights but mine are at the end of the bar."

To minimize the load on the mount drive motors and maximize your guiding performance, it is best to use a higher amount of counterweight at the top of the shaft, rather than a lower amount at the bottom.  The reason for this is that while he righting moment (the force that balances the scope) goes up linearly with distance from the point of rotation,  the polar/rotational moment of inertia goes up by the square of the distance.  It is the polar moment that the mount must overcome when making guiding adjustments, so a lower moment reduces the load on the motor, and allows for quicker more accurate guiding adjustments.

13 hours ago, AZAFATO said:

Hello again EQ6-R users,

I will be using my new SW EQ6-R Pro mount with a SW Esprit 100ED for astrophotography using a Canon 600D as a main camera (in the near future with an ASI1600MM-Pro.) and a QHY5III-178M as a guiding camera on a 60mm F/3.6 guidescope (see picture attached)

For now. I would appreciate if you guys could share with me typical setting used in EQMOD (ASCOM options, ASCOM Pulse guiding, etc) and/or PHD2 (MnMo, guiding algorithms, etc) so I can use them as starting point. Guiding will be done via ASCOM (Not ST-4). Capture software SGP.

Thanks in advance & clear skies,

Diego

Make sure the pulse guide rate is 0.5 or above in your EQMOD settings.  It often defaults to 0.1, which is not high enough and will cause issues when PHD2 attempts to calibrate due to lack of star movement.

On 02/04/2019 at 20:05, Cancington42 said:

I just got pempro in hopes to tack periodic error. It’s asking me for the worm period based on how many teeth there are on the gear. Does anyone happen to know this value?

 

thanks

Not sure if you still need this answer, but I believe the EQ6-R worm has 180 teeth.  That value comes from the below page in the EQMOD docs.  From what I can tell the EQ6-R and the AZ/EQ-6 GT share the same drive components.

http://eq-mod.sourceforge.net/prerequisites.html

One other thing I forgot to say, it is best to tune your PHD2 settings on a target fairly close to the celestial equator, something with a DEC between +/-20.

Droogie,

I sounds like the mount was not responding enough per PHD2 command as my calibration step is set to 600.  Check your ASCOM PulseGuide settings in EQMOD by clicking the icon of the wrench with three red >>> symbols.  My RA and DEC rates are x0.50, min pulse width of 20 and a DEC backlash of 0.   

If you change any of these values you will need to force a PHD2 re-calibration.  Another thing to try is running the PHD2 'Guiding Assistant'.  It will evaluate your setup and suggest setting changes to improve it.

Hope this helps.

Scott

On 27/01/2019 at 11:17, Droogie 2001 said:

Hi Scott,

Thanks for your post. that's given me great reassurance.

Last night I ran some tests to simulate my current routine and the mount appeared to behave exactly as I wanted it to. Obviously I cannot perform a plate solve inside but it gave confidence that I am on the right path. 

A couple of questions though.

I will be buying the EQ Direct cable soon but even with the handset /cable how do you tell the mount the date and time? I guess this is what I have entered into EQ Mod already? 
The handset knows my latitude /longitude is that also passed to the mount itself?

Secondly the handset keeps asking me about Polar co-ordinates which I have just entered through, is that okay as I will be Polar aligning with my Polemaster?

Lastly the manual keeps referring to Alignment points. But I see no alignment points in the Alignment Point List Editor window. Is this simply because I have not added any and I wont need to add any as I will be using Plate Solving?

That RMS figure sounds great. My current setup is way below half the weight of yours so hopefully I will be able to achieve the same sort of values. Hopefully will post results when I get some clear skies.

Thanks

Droogie,

I believe EQMOD gets the date/time from the laptop and uses that.  I don't use the handset at all, so I can't say what if any data it can pass to EQMOD when connected through the handset.  I can say that when using the EQDirect cable you must enter the lat/long of your observing site into EQMOD.  It will persist the location you enter so you only need to do that once unless you change your observing site location. 

As for the Alignment points I believe those would populate if you did a normal star alignment and synced the location with EQMOD.  As you say you will not need to do that as long as you are plate solving to the target via SGP.  You have several options in terms of what plate solver SGP uses, which one have you chosen?  I use the locally installed ansvr since I don't have internet at my observing site.  It has worked very well for me:

https://adgsoftware.com/ansvr/

Clear skies and let us know how it goes.

Thanks,

Scott

Droogie,

Your setup sounds very similar to mine as I use EQMOD and SGP with my EQ6-R.  With the mount connected to the laptop via the EQ direct cable I don't bother with any star alignment.  After polar aligning with SharpcapPro and returning the mount to the 'home/park' position, I simply start SGP, connect to the mount and run the sequence. It slews fairly close to the target, plate solves to within my pre-defined error limit and done.  SGP will then automatically sync the final position back to EQMOD and any subsequent slews are usually spot on.

If your EQ6-R is anything like mine you will love the results.  Last Friday I was able to use the mount under near perfect conditions, with no wind and better than our usual poor seeing conditions.  With my 32lbs of scope + cameras the mount averaged 0.53 arcsec RMS over a 4 hour period according to PHD2.  Can't really ask for more than that.

Scott

javaruba, I just looked at the photo you uploaded of the voltage reading with the power tank attached, and as you know its already below 12 volts. It will only drop once higher load is placed on the battery.  Thats the issue here, the EQ6-R really needs a higher voltage than a lithium Ion 12volt can supply.  If you pull the voltage meter back up on the hand control and slew the mount with the arrow keys at max rate, you will see the voltage drop.  Once it hits 11.0 or less the mount will stall.  The higher starting voltage of a lead acid battery avoids this problem.  I'm using an 18 amp hour sealed lead acid and have powered the mount for over 6 hours in below freezing temps without issue.

15 hours ago, javaruba said:

Hi all. I've just received past Saturday a new EQ6-R Pro mount. I've also purchased a Celestron Powertank Lithium Pro which was recommended to use with this mount. Unfortunately, while slewing to a star for alignment it will "stall/stop" halfway. Could it be suffering a power related issue. The led stays constant without blinking. I was wondering what is the right power supply to use with the mount? And is there any reliable battery pack for the mount?

javaruba, I had the exact same problem as you describe when I first used my EQ6-R and I to was powering it from a large Lithium Ion battery.  Mine stalled exactly as you describe, as documented on page 4 of this thread.  I replaced the lithium battery with a sealed lead acid model and have had zero issues with the mount ever since. I used the sysnscan hand controller voltage meter function  to monitor the voltage while slewing the mount.  With the lithium ion battery the voltage would start at 12, but when slewing would drop, and once it got to 11.0 volts or less, the mount would stall.  The LED light on the mount would often stay on solid and not indicate an issue by flashing.  The sealed lead acid battery has a higher voltage at over 13 volts and is a better match to the requirements of the EQ6-R. 

Took the new MN190 out for a spin near the house to see how it worked with the EQ6-R.  The mount handled it with apparent ease.  It was a bit gusty at times and the wind did have more impact than with the refractor due to the shear size of the MN190.  Guiding was around 1 arcsec RMS or below when the wind was down.  I'm not a big fan of globular clusters but M15 was near the meridian so that's what I used as a target.  I think the collimation was just a little off but not to bad.

5 hours ago, Marc2B said:

EQ6-R is rated 20Kgs for viewing and 17Kgs for astro-photo by SW. I use it with a 16Kgs payload (more or less) for photography and it's all fine. On the other hand, be sure to have a good quality power source, that's an important condition for things to run smoothly

Thanks for the info Marc2B, I should be at least a couple Kg under 17.  As for the power source I found that out the hard way when I first got the mount as documented earlier in this thread.  No issues since I upgraded to a higher capacity battery.

18 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

From an engineering perspective the payloads of mounts are questionable without actually knowing what the limiting factors are.

It's very difficult to believe that the mounts are actually modelled or tested to define a limit in a strictly scientific manner. I would imagine they are just tested by piling on dead weight until they cease to operate properly, then benchmark load that is rather lower is assumed and a lower one again taken for imaging. The 50% rule for imaging can be no more than a rule of thumb, a very long visual scope puts more demands on a mount's accuracy and mechanical robustness than a short focal length imaging scope of similar weight.

Also, the manufactuer's specifications will probably be grounded in assuming the average user will not be setting up with great skill. Their concern will be that it happily handles the scopes they sell if for even if the user hasn't balanced them properly, for example. Also they need to show that each mount can handle more then the next smallest - without making the smallest ones seem totally inadequate.

The bearings used are capable of supporting heavier weights by a factor of at least ten.

A properly balance load is unlikely to be difficult to drive, but balancing in all tree dimensions is impractical; we have to accept some out of balance (indeed some is useful as it counteracts backlash) but this needs to be kept low enough not to overload the drive. This means the net out of balance of a large scope needs to be kept as low as with a small scope.

The heavier load will have greater inertia/momentum and this may make it slower to respond to guiding and more liable to overshoot.

A heavier load will probably have a lower resonant frequency and this may make it steadier.

With an overweight but balanced load, I feel greatest risk of damage would be stripping gears by trying to accelerate or decelerate an overweight load too fast.

My intuitive feeling is that if fast slewing of long, heavy scopes is avoided and care taken with balancing the mount is unlikely to be damaged. In terms of performance, overweight may degrade the absolute performance, but I am sure this would be a gentle falling away rather than a sudden 'cliff edge' (as would happen if the mount was unbalanced and stalled a motor).

 

My experience is that an EQ3 will quite happily handle a 150PL (quite a big scope, 1200mm newtonian) for astrophotography, and that to do this successfully what was needed was an EQ5-style tripod. In other words, the wobbly standard tripod was the limiting factor, not the mount.

 

That said, I now use an HEQ5, my main conclusion is that teh bigger mount makes setting things up a bit easier, but not as much as I expected.

 

 

 

 

Neil, 

Luckily I won't be approaching the stated payload limit of the EQ6-R as I expect an MN190 + my imaging gear would top out at 16kg, short of the rated 20kg.  My primary concern is maintaining the excellent guiding results I'm currently achieving with a much heavier scope.  The moment of inertia will certainly be higher on the MN190 as the heavy bits (lens, focuser, camera and mirror) are concentrated at the far ends of the scope.  As you point out this could be both beneficial in resisting high frequency movements, but slower to respond to guide inputs.  I guess I won't know for sure until I try it myself.  Thanks

34 minutes ago, Merlin66 said:

[name?],

Not the NEQ-R version, but the older NEQ6pro...

I have around 17-18Kg telescope loading on mine - C11, spectrograph, five camera etc. with five (!!!?) counterweights.

Been using the configuration for almost eight years - no issues no drama.

 

Wow that's an impressive amount of weight for an EQ6.  An MN190 should be easy compared to that rig.

Thanks mikey, I figured with the extension bar two weights would be enough.  The 'conventional wisdom' for photographic payload on a mount is 1/2 the stated max payload value, which would be 10kg.   I have seen the EQ6-R rated as 20kg for astro at several sites, but would like to hear from an owner with actual experience above 15kg.

I'm considering the purchase of a SW MN190 Mak/Newt as my second imaging scope.  It is much heavier than my ED80, at close to 30 lbs with camera.  I'm wondering if I would be able to balance that heavy a load on the EQ6-R using only the two 11 lb counterweights that came with the mount, or if I would need to add a third?  Does anyone in the owners club have experience with a 30+ lb payload on their EQ6-R?  Thanks