dnl

To show a correlation could you just use the info from here.

https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/moon/distance.html?year=2024&n=1332

Although Milton Keynes may not be the hotbed of earthquake activity.

And divide the difference by 14 to give a daily value .

Or am I just simplyfing to much

57 minutes ago, Vallantho said:

A 3D printer is probably the single most useful thing I ever bought. Need a new Bahtinov mask? Just print one. Need a thing to mount my raspberry pi? Just print one. And having access to fusion 360 free for personal use is just the icing on an already delicious cake. I’ve tried other software but I’ve not found anything as intuitive as fusion 360. 

The biggest project I used my printer for was building a cnc router. Also an incredibly useful device. But I don’t use it anywhere near as much as my little Ender 3.

Lately I’ve been toying with the idea of building a Voron. Looks like such a fun project to work on. Bit of a financial commitment though especially when there are commercially available printers that are just as capable for less than the cost of building your own. But damn it would be a fun project, with all the hassles and problems to overcome that a project like that entails.

I have to agree its the most useful thing I ever bought .

Just had a look through my folder that I keep 3d designs in wether from thingy or ones ive made 782 files😱.

Recently got a SV 3-8 zoom and I needed a spacer so the long barrel didnt hit the diagonal ,Just print off in tpu  ,dew shields for bino's print some off ,missing caps ,brackets for lasers or view finders.

I dont think theres a week goes by I dont print something

I just use tinkercad for design and cura to slice 

I've still not had chance to test on a clear dry sky but had a quick look at the local chimney pots and it looks promising apart from how long that barrel is 😕.

I've not found it to be to stiff and my  caps are loose but stay on without me thinking I need to replace them.

I do love having a 3d printer to solve these little problems 😃

Ordered mine 8 days ago from AliExpress for £71.

Arrived already now where's those clear skies

4 hours ago, Stefan73 said:

Is there no hope of getting the OAG between the camera and the reducer?  You may end up too far away from the camera to be successful if you're the telescope side of the reducer.

I had success with the 9mm TS optics OAG sitting between a canon DSLR and a coma corrector in the 55mm of back focus.

Hi Stefan73

Ive had another fiddle and dismanteled the reducer still further to try fitting the reducer after the OAG (telescope Side) which means now im just looking for an adaptor m48male to 42 female which actually exist😄  ,just about to ring rvo to see if they have one in.

Im not sure if I can get it close enough with my OAG but im trying to avoid buying another OAG .

Then I just need a clear night to do some testing

Hi

Looking for some wisdom /advice

I'm trying to setup  an oag with a Altair 0.8 reducer and a canon camera.

The reducer will go Infront of the camera to give 55mm bf then the oag.

To keep the oag as close as possible I want to remove the nose piece on the reducer and find an adaptor that connects the reducer to oag.

Trouble is the thread on the reducer appears to be m54 1.5mm pitch and I can't find anything to fit.

Can anyone suggest an adaptor that will work going from m54 1.5 male on one side to 42 0.75. female on the other .

Or do I need a rethink?

Cheers Dave

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Heater-Temperature-Regulator-Astronomy-Telescope/dp/B08LG4B41T/ref=asc_df_B08LG4B41T/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=463264511915&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11443379532803764471&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007064&hvtargid=pla-1149315429486&psc=1

Just got one of these from Amazon there a couple of quid more but the heated part is perfect on a 120 ed frac then the stretchy velcro goes well beyond .

Thought it was faulty at first as it only worked on low and medium but looked like this was down to the power supply used as when plugged into a higher amp power supply all good.

N-1 

N = number of eyepieces I need

All done now £30 for the dovetail holes lined up without any jiggery pokery and printed radius blocks.

Just need a clear night now🙏

Yes it's going on an EQ. 

Looks like I'll be doing some careful measurements and a bit of 3d printing. 

Thank You 

Hi

Looking for advice please. 

I'm going to defork my lx90 and have a quick question regarding the fitting of the dovetail bar. 

The bottom and top circumference of the ota is slightly different. 

Do i need to shim one end to make the light path parallel to the bar or will any mount allignment I do mean it doesn't matter. 

This will mostly be for visual but might attempt AP in future. 

Cheers Dave 

I'm the same since I got the printer every couple of days I print something. 

Latest was for some solar film I bought. 

Printed cap in soft filament and a rigid retaining ring for the inside. 

Now have filters for 120 frac. 

Helios 20x80 binos. 

And Aculon 10x25 binos. 

18 minutes ago, vlaiv said:

I'm a bit confused with terminology.

What does the strength mean as mechanical property?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycGDR752fT0

PLA is strongest, stiffest but also the most brittle compared to ASA and PETG

 

Maybe durability may of been a better choice of words. 

But I've found abs to be best for usable parts.

When printing any part you wouldn't rely on the bond between layers.

Taking the parts tested In the video you would print them on there side then they would probably all take my weight.

1 hour ago, Alien 13 said:

Regarding Astro project or indeed any semi mechanical part whats the best filament to use? bear in mind I am using a magnetic bed so stuck with PLA..

Alan

For anything needing strength Abs is your best bet but can be a pain. 

I need to get the bed UpTo 110 and big parts have a habit of warping. 

Its also easier to finish if you need to sand a bit off after to get a snug fit. 

Dave

I'm constantly printing bits and bobs. 

On an astro theme some dec knobs to replace the ones you can't adjust without removing  the polar scope cover. 

A set of mounts to fit guide scope directly to the top of rings. 

Various lens adaptors including the ring to convert finder scope to guide scope. 

Various box's for buck transformers. 

And loads more 

Dave

My start into astrophotography was a £36 Canon dslr from ebay, £60 on skywatcher 120mm frac and a tracking eq5 and I couldn't believe how much I could achieve for less than £200. 

I'll admit nowhere near the same league as others but I'm happy with me efforts. 

It can be done on a budget 

All though I have just acquired a Heq5 Pro and looking for an ed80 🥴

On my mini pc it logs in on start and runs the win 10 hotspot on boot so I just remote desktop straight to the mini pc with no requirement for any additional kit or network.

Only issue is I had to make a loop back plug for the ethernet port just so win 10 will start the hotspot on boot this can be taken out after boot but I leave it in without issue.

Dave

My attempt on what seemed like the only clear night all year 5th jan

Modded cannon 450 

80 mm meade scope I picked up for 40 quid on an EQ5 tracking ra. 

About 100x 30sec subs

Dave

39 minutes ago, StarryEyed said:

Its OK to repeat yourself. As long as people understand they dont have to fabricate a cable to have a HOTSPOT just a compatible wifi device that supports a hostednetwork. 

 

Problem I had when I checked in command line for HOSTED NETWORK SUPPORT : YES  mine was HOSTED NETWORK SUPPORT : NO  so plugging in a patch lead became the easiest solution to remote desktop to my mini pc when I turned it on without the need for any additional kit or mobile hotspot etc..

Dave

Hi 

Sorry if I'm repeating something all ready covered but Iv just resolved the same issue with my mini pc where the hotspot wouldn't start without a network connection. 

I found that it doesn't need a network just needs to think its a network. 

So if you make a cat5 plug as a loop back and plug it in the Ethernet port your pc starts up and starts the  hotspot. 

To make a loop back you can either crimp your own or take a patch lead 

And short pin 1 to 3 and pin 2 to 6 which should be orange to green. 

For my canons I use dummy batteries and a buck converter to step down from the the 12v of my power pack. 

Dave

Hi 

I have skipped through the post so may have missed something. 

But I've just setup a mini pc using win 10 which I remote desktop to. 

I found a piece of software that turns the mini pc into the access point and gives an IP to your controlling laptop so no need for additional kit. 

Seems to work OK if you want to try it I'll fire up mini pc and find name of software for you. 

Dave

I don't know if my lx90 diy  wifi is relevant to anyone but I found this on ebay. 

HF Elfin-EW10 WIFI Serial Server to Ethernet Modbus TPC RJ45 RS232 to WIFI. 

I chose this as its cased and can take a 12v feed from the aux port on the mount . 

They are a little over budget at about £10

Works great with sky safari plus on my android phone. 

After spending 10's pounds on my astro imaging I get out done by a smart phone😃 .

Had a lovely  week with some great sky here are some of my best pics (ive a lot to learn and spend I suspect)

https://youtu.be/jrmY5M1SDEU

🐴🐴