mickstanger

Hi all, I recently had an Orion Dynamo Pro that failed about 4 months into use, and was duly returned and refunded. It seems like I had a rogue one, as other people have good reports about them. I'm looking for a recommendation to power a Nectar 6SE and an astrozap dew heater for probably 3-4 hours max. I'm guessing it won't pull more than a few amps at full tilt. Sadly Orion don't seem to be available in Europe any more, and most of the things I'm looking at in the sub-£150 range only seem to have a 12V output and all the rest are USB (and presumably 5V) My questions are therefore: 1. what would you recommend? 2. I did look at the Celestron 7.2Ah LiFePO4 PowerBank, but they only have one output - has anyone any experience of using a splitter to power scope and dew heater at the same time? thanks, Mick

ok thanks - that's really helpful. I'm tempted to get another one in that case as it sounds like I had a duff one. Unfortunately Orion seem to have stopped distributing in Europe now though, so no one seems to have them in stock anymore...

I got one of these last October, but it's gone kaput after about half a dozen sessions, and just won't hold any charge anymore. To be fair, FLO have refunded me with no quibbles. I'm tempted to get another one, as I want something to run a Nextar 6SE plus a heated dewshield and the equivalent priced Celestron one will only power one thing at at a time - but I'm wondering whether I got a duff one or whether anyone else has had any problems?

Many thanks for the responses. On further investigation it won't appear to do anything - it won't operate the motors on the mount, so I think it might be totally kaput. I'll hang on for BarkingSteve's kind offer (PM sent) and see if that works. I think my (well meaning) friend left the whole thing in a damp shed for a couple of years, and I suspect there's more to it than just the display...

Hi, hopefully this is in the right place... I recently got a Meade ETX105 back that had been on a long loan to a friend. Sadly, the display on the Autostar has gone, and I'm wondering what my options are for what is probably a 25yo scope. I haven't seen many controllers on the S/H market (presumably they tend to get bought and sold with the scopes). I have got a MacBook, so could possibly connect and control from that? Or does someone have words of wisdom regarding replacing the display? Or maybe someone knows where all the S/H controllers are? Or does someone have a better idea? I do have an EQ5 pro with a synscan mount, but other than having the same connector, they appear to be quite different. The ETX certainly didn't really get excited about having a Synscan plugged into it momentarily. Although I could maybe defork the ETX and put it on the EQ5, the point of the ETX is that it's relatively portable and I can take it out in a rucksack. thanks in advance. Mick

that's pretty much my plan too - made a filter for the 200P tonight, and am working at home tomorrow, so will pop out if it's sunny enough.

many thanks for the responses. In terms of imaging, I wasn't particularly planning to image with the 200P, and was probably going to get something a bit smaller (or, lighter - although I get a reasonable view from my garden, Salisbury Plain isn't that far away, so am hoping to get out and about a bit). Good to know what the differences are though. I think the message is clearly one of "no, really - get the best mount you can afford" 🙂

that is the dilemma really - get a goto upgrade for the EQ5 or save up for a HEQ5. What is the difference between a EQ5 with synscan/goto upgrade and a HEQ5 w/ synscan?

thanks, to be fair the EQ5 has got the polar mount already, and with a Synscan upgrade ought to be capable (I think) of doing most of the HEQ5 does, but I take the point of investing for the long term in the mount so I'm not having to upgrade again in a few years time. It is the sensible route, although it might mean an imaging scope has to wait a bit longer. Cheers, Mick

Hi everyone, in something of a dilemma. been observing for a few years, but only started to get into AP probably last winter. My initial setup was a Skywatcher 130P with a Samsung Galaxy S7, which inevitably led on to more expense... Earlier this year I was lucky enough to get a Skywatcher 200P and an EQ5 mount from a scrap metal dealer for 30 quid (honest!). He'd weighed in the counterweight, but it was all basically there, albeit a bit battered, and I did have to clean the primary mirror, as I think it had been sat outside for a little bit. Still, it works brilliantly for viewing now. I also managed to get a Canon 450D before realising about issues with primary focus on newtonians... Anyway, I digress. Where I am now is that I'd like to get into some DSO imaging this winter in the UK and I've found myself with about £600 to play with and am wondering what the best bang for my buck would be? I'm tempted to get a synscan upgrade for the mount and a s/h 130 or 150 PDS, but would appreciate members thoughts. would I be better off trying to flog the EQ5 and go for a s/h HEQ5? I appreciate that I'm taking baby steps into AP here, and am not looking for the all singing, all dancing solution (at the moment!) cheers, Mick