masjstovel

I am new (1 year in, buying gear mostly) to astrophotography, but I have used PS alot over the last 3 years. 
Still alot for me to learn there, I'm definately no PS-pro:)
I reccommend Lumenzia plugin from Greg Benz. It's intended for masking based on luminosity (stars for example), but theres a wide spectre to mask from, like for example color too. I have seen AP-work done with Lumenzia with great results, and I have a feeling its sort of a "hidden treasure" regarding astro-photography. I bet AP wasn't in Greg Benz' mind when making the plugin.

Maybe its better to look at it further down the road if PS is all new, but he has made tons of instructional videos on lumenzia and luminosity masking in general. Worth a look! 

Agree it sounds like a shortcut issue since the indicator light was on. Can there have been water intrution somehow? Your power supply is that switchable between tip positive and tip negative? Should be tip positive i think.

If nothing works, you always have this option, cheaper than a new HEQ5:

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p9118_Skywatcher-mother-board-for-HEQ5-SkyScan---spare-part.html
 

On 19/12/2019 at 09:17, Robny said:

Just an update to this, I DID do the firmware update for my motors and they certainly sound different, not had opportunity yet to try it out, but as the noise goes......it sounds promising.

Does updating firmware help/is needed when driving through ASCOM too?

@Ishan Mair i did as @teoria_del_big_bang describes, by hand force. As i understand the construction it can be as loose as possible as long as it doesnt move in the 90degree angle. On my mount thats barely handtight. Meaning 25% of my strength perhaps. But i guess that differs from mount to mount. As @teoria_del_big_bang says, i experienced the grinding of the motors to be tight worm gear, not tight axies.

I'm in the process of doing the same, @Astrokev.  I knew absolutely nothing about electronics or what i needed for doing this, but with tremendeous help from @Xplode i bought some items.

I havent done anything with USB yet, but i will go for some kind of HUB i think.

For powering i went for:

1. Meanwell NDR 120-12: 12V 10A PSU

Power supply will go in a box i keep under the tripod. 

2. Chunzehui F-1005 40A 9-port fuse- powerpole.

Powerpole will be fastened with high end velcro underneath the scope rear end. Very neat with the anderson 12v connectors.

Makes the setup very modular and easy to set up/pick down.

3. HitecAstro 4 channel dew controller (max 2A per channel):

,

This i owned already, but will cut the 12v car plug and put it via the chunzehui Powerpole.

4. 10m Power cable (w/ground)

Cut of the female end and plugged it into the Power supply.

5. 1.8m 5A sertified cable with 2.1x5.5mm plug

These will power the mount, ASI1600MM camera, and the ZWO EAF Autofocuser (so far).

6. 2,5mm2 cable:

These are the link between power supply and Chunzehui F-1005, so all equipment power cables end up at the Chunzehui.

10m cable attached to PSU:

Planned position for the Chunzehui F-1005 Powerpole:

Power cables will go from equipment and through here between the dovetail and clamps to the Chunzehui on the rear lower end:

Coarse drawing of the planned setup. all cables except the power cable will have anderson connectors. I've ordered 1 more vixen dovetail so i will have the guider on top centre, and the scope will be rotated 180degrees so that the camera and focuser point downwards to scope for better balancing.

Heres before:

3 hours ago, newbie alert said:

 

That looks far better in this video from the last.. had you over tightened the taper bearing locking nut?

 On setting the worm a good way is to do it by sound.. make sure the gears are meshed nice and snug but not too tight and with your Allen keys tighten until you hear it slightly bind and then back it off.. make sure that the big Allen bolts in the worm housing are loose and once tightened the sound doesn't change.. 

Yes in both axis it was too tight to get proper balancing when i reassembled, so i loosened both the weight-shaft end (DEC) and polar scope end (RA) making sure no movement 90degrees, and its much better.

Interesting procedure. Is it an actual sound? Im not sure i understand how you mean

On 23/12/2019 at 16:57, Ishan Mair said:

Thanks @masjstovel. I will watch the video series again. I will clear the surface of housing and brass-wheel when I disassemble it. Could you please shoot a video that shows how easy and smooth is rotation of axis while balancing? I hope its not too much to ask for.

Here you go. I feel RA is very nice. In DEC it sort of "brakes up" ever so slightly from time to time, and i found out thats because the axis-rod losenes itself from the bearing nearest the polar scope top opening. I can see it through the opening, the axis-rod sort of slips alittle and rotates without the bearing. Maybe i didnt clean the inner bearing-ring enough. I havent tried guiding yet as the weather hasnt been right, but i imagine it wouldnt affect the guiding. If it does i will poor a couple of loc-tite drops on the axis where the bearing sits.

Hi,

Im doing some cable-mannagement re-arranging on my AP setup. Equipment listed in signature.

I've bought a chunzehui f-1005 "powerpole" for fusing each component (camera, af, mount, dew heater), and one external 12v 10A power supply (meanwell NDR 120-12).

I havent done much electronics before, and not so much cable management before so i am a bit unsure of where its safe to put the powerpole. 

will it effect the balancing alot/some by having it placed near the polarscope top opening like on the attached picture? Will the current going through powerpole make vibrations to the mount? I feel the placement on the picture was very good "cable-managing-wise".

Plan is to have the power supply in a plasticbox underneath the tripod. 

Thanx @Carbon Brush! 

On 25/01/2020 at 17:10, whipdry said:

This one offers plenty of fixing options... 

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p8517_TS-Optics-Losmandy-level-dovetail-barl-w--flat-surfaces--356-mm-long.html

Peter

Peter, alot of holes yes! i imagine i need to have an exact fit, but its normal to use 2 screws - 1 in center each way? That way those "long" holes are nice.  I mean, if not it has to fit the holes on the opposite vixen perfectly (?) 

25 minutes ago, Dinglem said:

You will need an imperial one not metric as I needed one recently and @FLO recomended this https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adm-losmandy-type-d-series/adm-losmandy-style-universal-dovetail-bars.html

it's not cheap but it fitted my Skywatcher tube rings perfectly. already had an altair astro bar and the holes didn't line up.

Thank you! Thats very useful information!
I have the SW medium vixen dovetail https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/language/en/info/p9965_SkyWatcher-Vixen-style-Dovetail-Bar---length-21-cm.html

If i keep the tube rings in the same distance as before, and mount the vixen on top - will it still fit the Losmandy holes on the bottom? 
I think the 15" (38,1cm) is the one i would go for.

No one got something on this?

Hi, I am unfamiliar with the Losmandy dove tail bars, but i want one. 
I have a SW 150PDS with the standard tuberings. I want a Losmandy between 30cm-40cm and I see there are hundreds around. 

They all fit to the standard Sky Watcher tube-rings or is there something i need to be aware of regarding this?
If thats the case - which fits?

Flip lock pin Used alot on scaffoldings

@Ishan Mair if you disassemble, please have 100% control of the white/blank teflon washers - which, where and how many etc.. Be aware that it can be 2  greased together that looks like 1 and so on:)

3 hours ago, Ishan Mair said:

Thanks @masjstovel. I will watch the video series again. I will clear the surface of housing and brass-wheel when I disassemble it. Could you please shoot a video that shows how easy and smooth is rotation of axis while balancing? I hope its not too much to ask for.

I think it is in part 4. I can post a video yes, but im away until 2.January. I slackened off the DEC axis to the point of satisfaction before i left, and it spins very freely now. Only thing is what I mentioned  that the axis loosen from the bearing in some positions. I will loosen the RA axis, and use some drops of loctight between the bearing and axis in DEC when i get home, and you will see the result. Sholdnt take more than an hour or so to fix.

2 hours ago, spillage said:

Would grease on the brass wheel also cause the mount be poor when rotating with the clutch released?

Good question. Out from what i could see on the construction when i took it apart, i would say no. I would guess that tightness to be either the bearings or that the axies are too tightened together. I am not qualified to say that though.

You could just try unscrewing the 3 set-screws on the weightshaft - loosen it a little bit but ensuring that its not loose 90degrees according to @teoria_del_big_bang 's drawing and try:) 

On 11/06/2018 at 13:29, chris-32 said:

Hi,

I still have some trouble of getting my new EQ6-R (first real mount) polar aligned. There are some pretty good videos on youtube, but they are all about the reticle of EQ5 or EQ6. In EQ6-R the reticle changed significantly as I see and the manual is not made for beginners like me, that's what I feel.

My main problem is how to set up the reticle clock to horizontal? If I had a clue how to make it horizontal, the rest should be easy. Just placing the polaris at the position/"time" the synscan tells me.

Any hints from you?

Thanks in advance!

Clear skies,

Chris

 

 

If you put polaris or some daylight object in center of your polarclock, Then use ONLY altitude bolts to send it down to the circle then this is your exact 6 o'clock position. Then calibrate or use a marker on your RA-setting circle and youre good to go:)

@Ishan Mair i am still not 100% satisfied with my problems yet, but i dont mind at if you're posting about your problem too:)

I might have a sollution for you.

In Martin Pyotts videos on youtube he mentions the exact problem you describe. Its a common mistake that the whole brass-wheel gets greased, when its just the teeth that need greasing. Symptoms when greasing the whole part, is as you describe: The clutch dont brake very well.

I too had the problem like you, just not as bad as you describe. When i did the supertuning there was alot of grease on that brasswheel where the clutch grips (factory grease - 2nd owner but saw no signs that the mount had been disassembled before), which i removed. Now the clutches grip very well. 

On 20/12/2019 at 09:54, teoria_del_big_bang said:

Yes those are the bearings I meant.

They only need to be tight enough that the rollers are always in contact with the race. So I would not say make them loose but it is very east to over tighten them when using tools to tighten them. But unless you are a body builder then I would say it is difficult to over tighten by hand, but do not leave them loose at all.

I do not know if you followed this guide but it is worth a look.

Astro Baby Guide to EQ6 Stripdown

This actually shows tighteneing with a tool but stresses not to overtighten. I did not have such a tool at home so I think used two allen keys in the grooves of the nut and then just tighened by my hands.

Essentially they need very little pre-load, if any, you just need to sure there is no movement at 90 degrees to the bearing (I hope that makes sense). See my very bad quick sketch below.

I guess temperature can make a difference as when very cold I guess the pre load will go up a bit due to the spindle contracting, so I would say if hand-tight at normal room temperature (20 C or so) then they may get a bit tighter when nearer to 0 C but not by much so would be fine they are unlikely to get looser.

I tried to look at the video but I am currently working in China and the internet is really slow despite my VPN so the video is really not easy to watch or download so difficult for me to comment. Just make sure the axis is not stiff at all and that there is no movement as shown above.

Steve

 

 

 

 

I get what you mean yes. I followed astro-babys and Martin Pyott youtube videos during the supertune. Really helpful with the videos in addition as they shows some nitty-gritty good details thats hard to do with text and pictures.

Yes i understand your sketch. I did it a couple of nights ago on the DEC axis. Its not movement in the 90degrees direction, but its also not very tight i would say. Tight is subjective:)

What i did discover was that the axis "breaks free" from the bearing from time to time. Its the bearing that its not coneshaped in the DECaxis in top of the picture below. Meaning the axis-shaft is spinning and the bearing does not over 10-15degrees aproximately. So i thing there is some grease on the inside-ring of thst bearing. Will try some drops of loctite and reassemble the axis.

Regarding the video: it has very much approved since then:)

@teoria_del_big_bang I think i understand now. Taper roller bearings - you mean those cone-shaped 1 per axis? How you mean handtight now? They must be fully in their slots yes? 
On DEC Axis it is the weight-shaft that determines the tightness i think. I tightened it as hard as i could with my hands, than slackened off like 1/4turn. DEC seems tight still, so i could try slacken it a bit.
On RA Axis its in the polarscope end. I tightened that as hard as i could with my hands, because it was VERY tight to get off when i stripped it down. Should i try loosening it a bit?

9 hours ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

I fitted new bearings and added the Rowan belt mod to my HEQ5 and assume yours is similar.

The aligning of the worm in Ra is very tricky. I too made it so thee was no backlash and all seemed fine for a while then when I mounted my scope the motor stalled every so often. It took me quite a while fidlling with the two grub screws to get the motor to work without stalling and have the least backlash. Basically I just kept adjusting then moving Ra through the full 360 degrees a few times at full speed to ensure no stalling, when I adjusted it too much so the motor first stalled I then just backed it off ever so slightly and it has been fine since.

I have only owned one Skywatcher mount and as an engineer they are great mounts for the money but are not perfect by any means. I would say all of these mounts to some extent will have some periodic backlash to these gears. They are not perfectly manufactured and there is some cyclic tight spots within this worm gearing so you can set it so at the tightest point there is little, or no, backlash but then as the worm turns it will get less tight and there will be some small amount of backlash.

Points I noted on my HEQ5 (so not sure if exactly the same) are:-

• Do not over-tighten the thrust bearings or the taper roller bearings, I found literally just hand tight was enough. Too tight and that also puts extra load on the motor.
• Take time over setting the worm backlash it is a lengthy job to do right and it will never be perfect.
• With the Rowan belt mod it is even more important to precisely balance your scope.

Regarding the periodic error you will have due to this worm I believe there is something you can do to at least make it better, although as a relative newbie to all this have not done it myself and it is called PEC (Periodic Error Correction).

There are quite a few threads about this (here's one I was looking at recently)

using-pec-with-heq5phd2

Like I say I am relatively new to all this only been imaging for around 14 months and I didn't get a lot of chance to do it anyway due to work and the UK weather 😞 so this is only my experience to date and hope I have not said anything misleading. I am sure some of the many experts on this forum will correct me if I have.

Good luck with it 🙂

Steve

Thanks for the reply, Steve. 
It seems like alot is simular to my NEQ6.

Regarding your learning points:
Sorry, my English is not the greatest, but which bearings is the thrust-bearings?

• The taper rolling bearings, i presume you mean the ones that keep in place the wormgear (Not the brass one, but the thinner rod)?

          I made these pretty slack - so i could spin them around with my hand, but so there was no slack in it - this is what you mean?

• Been re-adjusting it today. I am down in maybe 0.5mm backlash in the visual center. RA turns 360degrees fully loaded with gear. It sounds great, but I have a feeling the motor is crying for help as it was grinding just a couple of millimeters back on the aligning-setscrew. No grinding - happy astronomer? Or do i need more slack?
   
• About the balancing. I bought SKF bearings and regreased them with SuperLube. All except the 6 bearings keeping both RA and DEC axis in place. I felt i did more damage then good when trying to remove the rubber seal on those, and SKF says it can handle minus 40degrees Celsius so i thought i could just live with it. Anyways, the old bearings were little grease in them - so they span much quicker around than the new ones with grease. Thats normal, i know - but it also makes more resistance when spinning the RA and DEC axis. It is more even all the way around, but its more "slowness" sort of. I had an expectation that i could push the scope and it would spin around forever kind of. Do you understand what I mean, and do you have any thoughts on this - Video attached showing this?
  Lastly, the point im making here is that this "slowness" is making it harder to balance correctly, especially the RA-axis since it takes more force to get feedback kind of. 

Thanks for the PEC-thread, I will go through it!:) I got the first telescope gear in Mars this year so you have 50% more experience than me

5 hours ago, bottletopburly said:

There’s always the Rowan  zero backlash mod , https://www.firstlightoptics.com/belt-mod-kits/rowan-astronomy-zero-backlash-worm-mount-for-sky-watcher-neq6.html no reviews yet though but I’m sure top Quality.

 

I have seen that one yes. Plan is to see how guiding goes with this minor backlash, and if im not satisfied, this will be my next gear! 

Here's a video of the spinning: The RA-clutch is veery loose so could be some minor binding of that in the video. Sorry about the mess on the floor. My attict has turned into a workshop

Hi,

Been supertuning my NEQ-6 the last 2-3 days. stripped it down, cleaned it, and changed all the bearings, added belts to the motors and re-assembled it.

Problem occurs when aligning the wormgear in RA-axis. 
Been at it for hours now and i've found that if i tighten the setscrew to the point that there still is a tiny minor backlash, the motor cannot handle it and starts to grind and stops.
So i slacken it to maybe 1mm backlash (in visual center) and the motor can handle it.

So my question is: do i live with the backlash or is there any other things i could try in addition to the alignment? 

Ok, I dont know what your mount requires and all, but i had simular symptoms as you and that was that i had a 1.5A power supply and my mount needed 2.5A.

Is this still on?

edit: already mentioned by others, sorry.

How do you power the mount? You sure you feed it with sufficient amount of ampere?