DaveL59

worth asking when you're there, could be that the current or previous owner carbon wrapped it because they like the look or to cover damaged paint.

it's not epoxy or chemical metal by chance? Heat, the alternative when the FBH fails. Could well do the job with some assistance in turning the weights once you have the nice and hot - with care of course and using a suitable tool. Do you have anything like a metal band/chain clamp (oil filter removal type perhaps) that you could use to add leverage, maybe even with a tap from the FBH?

I wondered who got that one, I was watching but couldn't justify the spend. Enjoy 🙂

A penetrating oil would be better than WD40, at least more effective. Also if you are going to have the bits powder coated, make sure the innards/threads are covered off else you'd be needing to re-bore for the bearings etc. I was tempted to do this for the wee TAL-M when I refurb'd it but in the end I spray painted in white hammerite instead. Came out pretty well but perhaps not as durable. Not the same mount but astrobaby did a writeup when she overhauled a TAL some time back, which might help with ideas TAL-1 Telescope Restoration Project (astro-baby.com)

Just tried my new 100-400mm APO lens on the Sony A77ii, so effective 600mm. Handheld and at full range so max aperture f6.7 @400mm, shutter at 1/500 and EV set to -2 to darken the field a bit. This one half a stop further back No adjustments other than cropping to give a bigger image. Quite pleased considering it was a few mins to slip the lens on, step out and snap a few shots. Downside of the wide open aperture is of course less DoF tho not sure how much difference that might make, One day on a tripod I may mess about with smaller aperture and see what effect it has. I was more wanting to give the lens a quick go since it only arrived monday afternoon and weather's been pretty lousy since. Oh, a further thought on motion blur - are you disabling the OIS when its on the tripod? Shouldn't really need it but then ideally you want a remote release too so you aren't touching the camera.

I'd agree they look probably of JPY origin and were sold under a number of brand names. Similar to the Swift trilyte or Chinnon (dixons premium brand) did a similar model, 70s-80s quite likely. Close focus is likely the limiting factor (4m or so) but they should be sharp enough. Contrast can be improved (if it's not just dirty lenses) by flocking the front tubes behind the objective lenses but you'd need to be able to retain/realign to maintain collimation. On the pairs I have they use eccentric lens rings so don't just unscrew the rings else collimation would be lost.

My fav carry-abouts are these. Think they're still available tho pretty pricey but the MC lenses do give a nice clear view. with a natty little carry case that came with them I do have a number of other micro binos from 5x to 15x along with regular ones, way too many pairs (30+) in fact lol but these are great to slip into a pocket or camera bag to have handy when the need arises 🙂

Not so much for astro tho may try some pics against the moon with it. Been of half a mind to import one of these from Japan but the VAT and duty hit made me hold off for quite a while. Funny the other night one came up on the bay of e in the UK, OK maybe more than an import would've cost but what the heck. Hit buy and the bay offered a discount code, 10% off so probably came out same as importing 😄 The rubber could do with a clean which I'll use 303 on as that'll give a bit of protection too. Optically and the bodywork is nice and clean tho so hopefully will work well for bird/wildlife shots etc. At 400mm on my Sony A77ii that'd give a reach of 600mm. Only downside is no tripod mount so the camera would have to carry it when on a tri/monopod or a lot of practise to get good handheld shots with it. Apparently it should be as sharp as the 70-400 G lens tho smaller/lighter, also sharper than the 100-300APO that I already have 🙂

oh I so know the pain of that, better yet it was very recessed and 16 petals on a different lens (there's a thread in lounge -> photography on that IIRC) so took me quite a while to piece back together. You do develop a technique after several failed attempts tho, so hopefully next time I won't have too many troubles. For cleaning up lenses like that I tend to remove the glass elements and then pop them in a tub with suitable cleaning fluid - peroxide for example (to kill off any fungus) and then rinse gently with soapy water using fingertips to tease over the surface. Follow up with a good lens cleaning fluid and refit. Just be careful not to get grease from the lens body onto the glass as that can be a PITA to get properly clean again. While apart, not a bad idea to also strip all the old grease away (white spirits work) and then re-grease with fresh synthetic heliciod grease. Saves any future fungus issues from the old grease. You would need to be careful dismantling the mechanicals so you can realign the focus threads accurately to be sure you can hit focus (near & infinity). Mark and measure etc and take lots of pics during the process to aid reassembly. With luck and care you'd have a lens that's nice and clean and silky smooth like new 🙂

If all you need is power via a USB connector then they'd be fine. If you need to also use the data connection then you'd need a USB hub that can then also link to your PC or controlling device. Power uses only 2 pins on the USB plug, tho some USB power outlets may also connect the data cables too in order to spoof a device that it is connected so it would enable charging or fast charging.

I have one of these in the car, gives me 4xUSB and 3 or 4 (can't recall which now) ciggy outlets, the USB ones capable of 2A output. Means phone and other accessories (I have a few like HUD GPS etc) can all be easily hooked up. Had it a few years now and it works very well. Note that its USB power and not a data connection/hub tho. PS, similar to this one Eletrand 120W 3-Socket Cigarette Lighter Adapter, 12V/24V DC Outlet Splitter with 4 USB Ports Car Charger for Phone,Tablet, Android, Samsung,Galaxy, Note, HUAWEI,GPS, Dashcam, Radar Detector: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics I use right-angle USB adaptors so that it would ft into the space I wanted and make USB connections easier.

ahh hence my comment about being enough clearance. I either buy lenses that pass or block IR according to use case, in the past from Treeye on Ali for example, or if I need to add IRcut later to a spare lens I want to try I've glued one of these on the back end of the M12 lens if a switchable IRcut lens mount isn't usable. 5x 9.5mm Optical UV-IR Cut Blocking Filter for Camera astronomy Lens | eBay Of course for that the lens would need a recess in the body where the filter can be fitted so there's no extra protrusion if the lens to sensor gap is very tight. Like this one For the CCTV modules I've used there's usually 2-4mm so no issues. You can buy lenses that are for "action cams" that have an IR filter already added of course but you'd need to be selective as some will be like this one So you'd then also need to check the specs to verify the rear focus distance to see if it'd suit your camera.

wow! Great capture there @happy-kat, here it was all cloud and mist so not been a chance of seeing anything much at all for ages. Are you using an IRcut filter on the camera/lens at all? If needs be you can get a small glass one to fit on the camera side of the lens (assuming here that its an M12 one and there's enough clearance there) which will improve the colour when there's some natural light. Probably not possible to use a switchable one unless the camera would lend itself to swapping the lens mount and you'd then need to be able to send the switch pulse in order to flip the filter in/out. For the CCTV module and USB webcam ones I'm using they have IRcut on the lens or lens mount respectively, so daytime views look "normal". Likely I do lose a little at night as a result but not enough I think to drive me to arranging a means to switch, especially where I have IR illuminators that cause some big impact when the IRcut filters are not present.

I see Reolink do a Go that has SIM and also a solar option. No experience of them however so can't recommend on that basis. Annke and others like Hikvision and Dahua do outdoor dome type cameras that are LAN usually and some PoE. The better design are this type Less issues with webs etc than the ones where the IR lights are spread around the camera, tho totally separate are much better if placed a couple feet to the side, tho you can't do SmartIR that way unless you can also do some internal mods to achieve that.

would it have a mains to 12v PSU at all? A lot of the small CCTV units will draw 300-700mA especially if they have IR illumination, WiFi and any motion sensing/alerting. I have a few small cube type cameras attached to my CCTV but they are driven by 12v PSU and in some cases have separate IR floods. These are very good and can be flashed with Hikvision firmware if you need, smart IR so give good image and don't overexpose the face ANNKE I61DR HD IP Camera, White/Black: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools No SIM option however but does have WiFi and can accept a micro-SD to record locally. They are however not weatherproof.

you could use a passive splitter and then hang a 5v PSU at the local end, using the splitter to take the power off the LAN cable to a regular plug. HSeaMall 1 Pair Passive Power over Ethernet RJ45 PoE: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics I use this type for my CCTV cameras since I don't run PoE switches and on a couple I also have an IR illuminator doubled off the same link, there's a few suppliers and they work fine. A smidge of dielectric grease on the LAN connection helps it resist moisture issues. You would have to consider volt-drop if running a long LAN cable tho.

Ouch that's not good at all and easily done when rushing about. It's a shame they don't engineer in some sort of loading/feedback control so that it stops the motor to prevent damage, much as they've had to fit to electric car windows to prevent injury. It can't be beyond the ability of the designers, more down to cutting costs and profit margins I expect.

Hi and welcome Barry. This thread should help Spc900Nc Webcam In Windows 10? - Discussions - Cameras - Stargazers Lounge You will probably find that the w10 camera app will just show a black screen or not report it as a camera, but SharpCap will pick it up fine and show an image.

What are you planning to drive with those Mark, the rudder on a large-scale model of the titanic? 😉

That's a bargain price, I have a similar one that cost around double and was sold as a car jump start pack, works great for the EQ5-SynScan tho I added a 12v buck converter between it and the mount just in case. Mine gives a no-load output of 16-ish volts and I didn't want to risk blowing the mount up.

funnily enough I do have a few flat ethernet cables in use here and they're holding up just fine with CCTV cameras hanging off them and power running via passive splitters. There was a reason for doing that tho - its easier to pass the cable round a uPVC closing section where regular cable wouldn't work, saves the need to drill holes where I'm not allowed to 😉 I did pull up an installer where I used to work tho when they ran flat supposedly cat6 cable as well as poorer CCA round cable. Didn't make any difference tho as the buildings dept just told them to carry on. Get a cheap contractor in and you gets rubbish huh. There were intermittent issues on some of those cables from commissioning to the point where I left and I expect there still are...

I still have a can of freon tho there was not much left in that last time I looked which was several years ago. Was great for cleaning tape heads but of course you can't get that stuff at all anymore.

I'd agree regarding the mount, you'd probably find that it just about handles the 130 it came with, anything bigger/heavier and even if you could get it on there the tripod/mount would struggle. Regarding using the starsense app on another scope, this thread may help, there's a few of us who've done it 🙂 Starsense Explorer Stand Alone Conversion - Discussions - Mounts - Stargazers Lounge

I found those on the bay Dave but wasn't looking for that nut as it wouldn't be a lot of use in the TAL-M clutch assembly.

You could try Servisol contact cleaner and then once dried out apply some dielectric grease that will prevent moisture getting into the contact area and leading to corrosion. I use this for the LAN, UNC and power connections to my CCTV cameras to good effect and the outdoor ones have been running for a couple years with no issues.