Phillips6549

Ben the Ignorant created a good thread on beefing up the other standard SkyWatcher tripod. The first tip is definitely applicable to yours.

How did you update the firmware if you can't power the mount? I know you can get away with a lower current supply just for an update but if you can do this then at least the controller is still working.

Been there, done that!!

Swings & roundabouts!

Both options will balance the scope but 2 weights weigh more and so will load the mount more.

This forum is great. Such an obvious way of making things easier but I would never of thought of it without prompting. Thanks Happy-kat.

Pankaj Great photos. You should post those in the Imaging with the 130PDS thread.

Padraic Indeed! Focus is a challenge even with livewiew, not helped by the fact that I still have collimation issues. I have been considering just using a telephoto lens on the camera but, stupidly, hadn't considered piggybacking the camera on the scope - I was looking to mount the camera directly on the mount. I may give that a try next time the clouds part. Happy-kat That's a thought. I'll look for the relevant threads and see if its feasible with my scope. Thanks both for the suggestions. Mark

Alex That version opens directly Regards Mark

At last a clear night! The ultra-short T-Ring didn't provide enough travel to achieve focus at infinity, but FLO were great in taking it back; thanks guys. I finally managed to get out again tonight after fettling the scope and the difference is marked - a long way from perfect (or even good) but certainly much better. I think there is still room for collimation improvement and focus accuracy, the stars are still not round and are too large but at least they're recognisable as stars now. All further suggestions gratefully received. Mark

Hi Alex Doesn't run straight out of the box but it's OK if I allow it in System Preferences Mark

I presently can't achieve focus at infinity without the Barlow but I agree its likely to be responsible for some of the aberrations. I may order one of these to see if the additional 9mm back focus is sufficient to reach infinity. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/baader-ultra-short-canon-eos-t-ring.html I disassembled the focuser. No wonder it moves, the entire mount is plastic surrounding a pretty flimsy metal draw tube. There are 3 plastic guides set at 120degree intervals around the mount, one of which is lined with PTFE tape. I have added PTFE tape to the other 2 guides which has reduced the flexing of the tube within the mount quite a bit. I knew this was a budget scope but I can now see where the money has been saved - everywhere! Also, as Vlaiv suggested, the secondary appeared to be misaligned with the draw tube, I've tweaked this back into line. All I need now is a clear night to check the effect of these changes (and to start saving for a new, decent, OTA.)

I checked the focusser and drawtube. The drawtube definitely flexes in its mount so that is the first issue to address, either by reassembly or perhaps by careful placement of the camera next time to minimise droop. Something to look at while the cloud lingers. Any other suggestions gratefully received. Mark

Billy Thank you, unprocessed sub is attached. Vlaiv I'll have to check the alignment of the focusser and collimation. IMG_0231.CR2

Andrew, Vlaiv Thanks for the suggestions. I have checked all of the subs I took and every one has the same star shape and size, regardless of exposure time (10s to 30s),only the brightness varies. When I was checking focus visually, the airy disk looked reasonable but not perfect. If we get another clear night any time soon I'll take an afocal image of the inside and outside focus rings. I attach a full frame for reference. It looks to me that the effect is less at the top. Thanks Mark

Gentle bump. I inspected my scope and found that one of the bolts securing the focuser tube to the OTA was loose (almost falling out). Although I couldn't discern any movement of the tube, could this have contributed to my boomerang stars?

I made my first attempt at Imaging on Monday evening. I thought I'd try for M42 as an easy and visible target Equipment was Celestron AM130 mounted on an EQ3-Pro mount. Canon 650D DSLR (2x Barlow on the T Ring to achieve focus). My initial impressions of the images (viewed on the camera screen) was that they looked reasonable. Over the course of about 50 minutes the image remained in the centre of the viewfinder so tracking was OK. When I tried to stack the images in DSS, it could not find any stars and, on inspection, neither can I. What I can see is a sky full of boomerangs! I've attached a cropped section of a single sub to show what I mean (20s exposure). All subs were taken with the mirror locked up and using a remote shutter release (infrared) so I was not introducing an manual vibration to the setup. The focus is probably off but, visually, defocusing produces only the classic airy disc, not boomerangs. Any Ideas what's going on? Looking forward to your replies Mark

Robin Glover gives an excellent summary of the factors involved in determining exposure times in this talk. Well worth investing an hour to watch it all. Mark,

Hi and welcome to the forum As others have said, use the equipment you have first before spending more money on stuff you may not need or use. To understand what you may be able to see, this thread is really useful: Clear Skies Mark

I've had great success using this to power my SW Alt-Az mount with Skymax 102 Mak on board. 12v not 5v (but with a 5v USB output too.) Docooler GM322 Mini UPS Power Protection Charger 7800MAH https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07BF4SR6S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Runs for 6+ hours with lots of slewing & tracking. Only complaint is that the green light is a bit bright.

It's to allow you to mount a camera 'piggy-back' on your scope. Mark

I have this motor on an EQ2 mount. Polar alignment by eye (& compass) is adequate for visual observing. The motor just has a little knob to twiddle to set a continuously variable speed. I find that, with a new battery, you get about the correct tracking rate for stars and planets with the speed dialed back to almost the minimum possible. As the battery voltage drops you'll need to wind the speed up a bit - just play with it until your target stays in the field of view. There is one very important thing to know however. There is a switch on the motor to select the hemisphere you're observing from to make the motor turn in the correct direction. If you're in the Northern hemisphere move the switch to ... S ! Yes! South. The motor is mounted on the wrong side of the mount (at the factory) and needs to run backwards with respect to its labeling. Clear skies Mark

Santa brought me lots of goodies but, given the weather we've been having, this is what I'll probably use most. Mark.

I asked a similar question here: As others have said, it's convenient and reassuring to have zero at the top but ultimately it makes no difference where the numbers are provided you assume that the top of what you can see is zero and align accordingly. Mark

Also in the same area of the sky, Occultation of Cirrus by Nimbostratus. 🌧️