SimM

When I first saw the 0.77x Reducer, I thought that's nice and had it been available previously, it would have brought the Esprit 120 a more interesting choice to consider. However, even with the Reducer, the FOV is some 17% smaller than an Esprit 100 for a comparable f/5.x "speed" and the image circle is also reduced 0.77x times. So, I see it as a perfect accessory for 120 owners, but not something that is going to be essential for 100 owners, as they already have a wide FOV without needing a Reducer. That said, there aren't too many Reducer options for the 100 especially as I'm not aware of anything in the region of 0.8x as perhaps the Apex is a bit too much with 0.65x ( easy to get in Europe?) It must be harder to make a good Reducer for a shorter FL than for one that is a bit longer, so f/7 down to f/5.4 (e.g. for the Esprit 120 or 150) seems much more "doable" but for the 100, not so easy to "pull off", so I have my doubts that it will be just around the corner for 100 owners. Perhaps that is why it is branded for make and model explicitly. SW presentation paired the Reducer with a FF camera, but they didn't say if the images had been cropped. Curiously, the whole SW presentation was reversed (left - right) so screwing on attachments looked to be LH threads (when they are not).

Good point, but it isn't the world's finest lawn. I'm even envious of the field behind my garden and it is more for imaging than visual astronomy, so a bit less footfall. 😀 For simplicity, I not a building DIYer so I avoided laying a small "slab". Another "rethink" and it's going to be 3x block paving (240mm x 160mm * 50mm), with MOT sub-base underneath and see how it goes. Simon

I have been moving my mount around the garden and think I have found a suitable location. Unfortunately it is towards the middle of the back lawn and so not ideally suitable for a permanent observatory. The two issues I wanted to resolve were to have a permanent location available: Having a fixed and stable location to stand my EQ6-R Pro mount (reliable and stable location for the tripod legs); Delivering 230V power safely to my scope power box (eliminating an extension lead and plug near the scope). I'm planning to have three paving blocks (160mm x 160mm x 50mm) flush with the top of the lawn, sitting on a circular concrete "pad" to a depth of about 200mm. I was planning to set the concrete about 100mm below the surface of the lawn and set the paving blocks in mortar so that their tops were level and flush with the lawn. The lawn can be reinstated and have a reasonable chance to recover. Alternatively, I could use pairs of hollow concrete blocks (on their sides) to build three unconnected separate bases (440mm x 440mm x 215mm deep) as an alternative to the single concrete "pad". Previously I had three 450mm round pavers on (and later sunk) into the ground, to stand the tripod on whilst I was evaluating the site and position of trees etc. I'm on sandy soil, should blocks or concrete be placed on either sand or gravel and not just on mortar in the ground? I was using an extension reel to an external RCD protected sockets on my patio. I now have a drybox (IP54) for my collection of 12V PSUs and plan to run a new extension lead back to the RCD sockets. I was uncomfortable having the extension reel out on the lawn in a plastic bag. So I'm using a new extension reel as an extension lead, but I will terminate the cable inside the drybox. I'm using the reel just for wind up storage (but no longer using the four unconnected sockets). To put the cable away, I only have to unplug the extension from the patio socket, plug it into one of the unused sockets on the reel, and wind up the cable on the reel, until I reach my power box. In this way, I avoid having an exposed 230V plug/socket near the mount. Simon

Thanks for the reply Steve. They are both Modern Astronomy 12V 6A regulated PSU. They are supplied with QHY cameras. My cameras are main ZWO ASI294MC and QHY5III178M for guiding. I read that you cannot put two PSU in parallel to get 12V 12A (but you can stack them for 24V and 6A). That's because the output varies slightly. Mine deliver 12.05V and 12.15V and unless they are designed for it, one will suppply the current and one will kill the other (apparently). I think the mount is the critical one. I have a SkyWatcher EQ6-R PRO and the mount requires a good PSU. My understanding is that the motor circuitry is not that clean. The spec is a bit vague but the mount needs 2.5A at 15V and 4.5A at 11V. So I figured about 4A at 12V. This is maximum, so the mount takes much less when not slewing. Sharing the PSU with an electric focuser makes sense because you don’t slew and focus at the same time! The other PSU can power the camera cooling and dew heaters. 17W and two 4W heaters is a maximum of 2.5A and the camera cooling is typically ably 1A and not the maximum of 3.5A from the spec. I’m not sure how well a PSU can cope with PWM (on/off) varying loads?

Images are good. If its the Altair 183c protec - then it has a UV/IR block filter on the camera (that can be removed). I have the ASI 294C that doesn't have a UV/IR filter, so I added one. The mono version of the Altair doesn't have the UV/IR filter. Of course the moon can look good with an IR image - removing the UV/IR block and using an IR pass filter. The problem with even good glass is that focusing visible light and IR doesn't work. The picture of the moon looks sharp and the stars are round. The moon at an early stage has light at an oblique angle and with IR can look even sharper as well as lucky imaging and stacking. My images look bloated compared to how the look visually - that's why I bought the UV/IR filter. But here it's not required.

In the video, the micro focus knob doesn't move the focuser rack and one factor may be the the screw under the 11:1 mini/micro focuser being loose.

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My dew controller (actually the dew heaters) is limited to 12V. A higher voltage also means higher wattage. It's one thing to heat the scope, but turn it up too much and it might be an issue too. The problem of being outside is that you really need a sealed "efficient" PSU e.g. a modern regulated PSU with over/under current and good regulation. If the unit is not terribly efficient then it gives off heat - so you can't really put it in a box to keep out moisture. Does it get hot in operation? A second issue might be the degree of regulation it offers. It might offer 13.8V but still be a "dirty" supply e.g. lots of ripple or poor regulation. Realising that PSU noise rejection is best managed by having more than one PSU e.g. for keeping motors and cameras on separate PSU, a one PSU might not be the best option. Of course if you have an observatory, and the unit is electrically OK then you can put it "inside" and moisture is not a concern. PS what works for a radio ham might not work for astronomy equipment. For some radio ham users, it doesn't work for them either e.g. read: https://www.eham.net/reviews/view-product?id=8380 NB if you are feeling brave, then you can open it up and adjust the voltage down to exactly 12V. One issue is with the operation and specs (see the link). If you do intend to try it out, get ring connectors and not spade connectors or banana plugs. Most equipment is not too forgiving of applying the opposite polarity and it would be easy in the dark to attach flying leads the wrong way around - permanently screwed on ring connectors avoid this.

I think you have to define "work". Yes, it travels up and down, but using it with presets doesn't work reliably. At anything close to pointing at the zenith, you won't get the exact number of steps (translated into movement "steps" of the focuser). I sent the SESTO SENSO back because it couldn’t limit slip of the OTA focuser (which is far from ideal with a camera attached).

If I look at the rings I can see that with the knobs closed, the top pinches together, but there is a gap at the bottom so not completely closed and the rings don’t sit exactly at right-angle to the OTA. FWIW, I cut a width of A4 paper (less 2cm) that is 2cm wide. It's placed under either of the rings and the scope. It's not that thick but it adds some "friction" and (for now) it works.

My micro focuser cover (black) was not attached to the aluminium block inside so it pulled off. An easy check for it slipping is to look through the grub screw hole. If it’s not aligned with the one in the block or it moves then it is loose.

I have 2 regulated PSU 6A at 12v. How should I split the power: Colour cooled camera 3A (typically <1 amp); Dew heaters 17W + 4W + (optional second 4W); Mount 4A; Focuser 1-2A. Is a dew heater “noisy”? Is 17W at 50% 2x the same as 17W - what does PSU see/need? the cooled camera - does it need to be a c”clean” PSU or is it regulated for camera and USB hub?

127 SLT has been “converted” to be an equatorial mount using a homemade wedge and the HC can be firmware updated to allow for this - if you are brave enough. 6SE and 8SE have the same mount and there is a smaller mount for 4SE and 5SE. If it bothers you, you can see the internals of the SE mount and Evolution mounts by looking at the forums. Settle time on SE is probably longer than the Evolution and the latter has clutches as well as obvious internals like battery and WiFi. If you are in the market for an SCT then the same OTA are sold as C6 SLT, SE or Evolution or as XLT with only the colour of the OTA being different and the position of the dovetail being on LHS, underneath or on RHS. This creates a market for Dealers who break up kits and sell OTA separately e.g. Grovers do this with 6 SLT for folks who want to put it on an equatorial mount - where the dovetail is makes no difference and the OTA will turn over as you pass thru’ the meridian anyway. The Sky At Night Magazine did a review of the C6 SLT commenting that it was a cheap way of getting the Celestron OTA. Even cheaper without the mount. One disadvantage of the Alt/Az SE and Evolution mounts is that they can’t be repurposed to carry a refractor or Newtonian. Shape of SLT does allow this? One comment was about the SLT tripod being too short to use without extending it but too flimsy with it extended, so one area where cost was clawed back perhaps? I wouldn’t write off the C6 as being inferior to C8 as they are simply different and each has followers. Some users would see the C6 as quite desirable. FL is a very reasonable 1500mm. So lots to think about? Simon

Agreed. I changed the wording to say EXACTLY 0 up. The PS Align Pro App has a tip for setting up the polar scope. They suggest using the side of a building to set the up/down EXACTLY vertical e.g. with the tripod levelled. Move the RA until the selected quadrant Is moving up/down a vertical “reference” e.g. a side/corner of a building. On my EQ6-R Pro there are two locks on the RA axis which allow the RA setting circle to be locked e.g. at 0 against the pointer on the LHS of the mount below the handle. Later on the mount can be setup and set EXACTLY back to zero. This works only because the RA setting circle is locked to the internals of the mount. If the RA is driven by the HC it doesn’t track RA movement. You might expect the RA setting circle to reflect changes in RA in all cases. On the HEQ5 PRO, the lock was on the mount so the setting circle could be locked, but it didn’t track RA movement either manually or when driven, so YMMV. Simon

As James correctly said, the counterweight isn't counted towards the load capacity of the mount. It isn't just about the weight. Two factors to consider are the total weight (excluding the counterweight) and also where it is located e.g. Mass * Radius * Radius. It is easier for the motor to guide/rotate if the weight is closer to the point of rotation. So given a choice of weights hanging off the end and more closer to the point of rotation the latter is preferable. Hanging a guide scope outside of a main scope is an example of adding weight in the wrong place - problem is that it's not easy to do something better. Simon

I had a reply from FLO. The cable is 5.5 x 2.1 jack plugs male to male but with a twist - the coupler holds them on e.g. to some mounts. So not what I wanted... I have noticed that most regulated PSU have typically: Mains cable that plugs into the PSU brick; PSU regulated to provide 12V - I have one that provides 12V @ 6A and is rated 80W; Lead to a plug e.g. a 5.5 x 2.1 male plug - suitable for a SkyWatcher or similar mount (+ve 12v) or a ZWO or QHY dedicated astro camera. My mount requires a GX12-2 connector which is a screwed on 2 pin connector. It's a reliable system connection and I can buy a FLO cable that provides 5.5 x 2.1 to GX12-2 (ordered). For my astro camera - a ZWO OSC camera I have the same PSU - the idea was to separate one PSU for the mount and one for the camera cooling and USB Hub. What I have noticed is that many of these PSU "bricks" have a long cable from the mains but have a limited length from the brick to the camera or mount. A length of 1m or 110cm seems quite long until you realise it's connected to a rotating equatorial mount. So an extension is required... FLO make a 1m cable but it's 5.5 x 2.1 male - male e.g. it's not suitable as an extension. Without an extension it's still possible to connect up a PSU, but the short cable rquires careful positioning of the PSU "brick". I found I couldn't put the PSU on the tripod spreader and also connect it to the camera on the back of my scope. In the end I ended up hanging in a bag (the handbag) from an Azimuth bolt - so far from ideal. A better solution is to keep the cables loose and free. A 1m extension will make all the difference. Of course, a cable will have to: Keep going in cold weather so needs to be flexible; Have a reliable connections; Not have too much resistance to drive a mount without too much voltage drop. At the moment FLO are evaluating creating such a product. The ideal location for a PSU is not on the rotating parts of a mount, and ideally also not on the mount. The cigarette to mount cables are usually much longer e.g. 1.8m long - so no problem to keep them safely on the floor - protected but with maximum access to a scope. Thoughts? Simon

Not sure there is a problem: Get the Polar Angle - I use PS Align Pro App e.g. a value of 03:01 on a clock; Align the Decl. Axis so that you can see through the polar scope; Rotate the RA Axis so that the clock is EXACTLY 0 up; Adjust position of Polaris to be (on "2020 ring") in the middle circle at 03:01 e.g. on the RHS in the Polar Scope. NB If you have set the location and time/date correctly set then the Hand Controller will also show the same clock setting e.g. 03:01. There is no requirement for the clock to be at 0 if 3, 6 or 9 happens to be more convenient e.g. 03:01 is still on the RHS. If it helps, you can ignore the 0, 3, 6, 9 - like many watches/clocks, you don't need the "numbers" to know the time. You can verify that it's correct by using an App like Sky Safari. For the same location and time/date and facing North, look at the NCP. Providing you have the view "reversed", you will see that Polaris is indeed at 03:01 on a clock. The image you see in the Polar Scope is also "reversed" as you would expect in a Refractor (no diagonal). Simon

I have EdgeHD 800 with BP Hyperion 17mm EP and love the edge to edge definition and sharpness. The AFOV is 68 degree. Baader Planetarium Morpheous 17.5mm EP has a slightly wider FOV - not much more. The AFOV is 76 degrees. Morpheous would only be an advantage for a short F/5 or less setup. At F/10 (or F/7 with the Reducer) both will work very well. Not everyone can accommodate very wide AFOV EP - it's like looking around (into) the corners e.g. can't take it all in. Simon

I too have a new EQ6-R PRO and I have read through all 17 pages of this topic with interest. I had a Sky-Watcher HEQ5 PRO and noticed that the RA Setting Circle does not behave as expected e.g. it's either locked at 0, or clamped but doesn't indicate RA. The dealer said it was mostly "cosmetic" e.g. not a fault. Now that I have the EQ6-R PRO I notice that the locking screw is moved from the mount to the Setting Circle and the manual does refer to it as a Setting Circle and not a Polar Alignment Aid (HEQ5). With both screws locked down, when I move the RA with the clutches "unlocked" it does move and does indicate RA. When I have the clutches "locked" and slew with the HC then it doesn't move with RA. Did I miss something? I'm guessing it depends what it is clamped to internally. So it's better but not perfect. Simon

I noticed that the pin out of the 12V connector has the cut-out on LHS on the panel drawing and on the RHS in the schematic. So the 12V is up for one and down for the other. I was making up a 5.5 x 2.1 connector cable to GX-12 to use an existing PSU - done successfully. But I'm sure many will have been tripped up by this apparent reversal. I used a GX-12 socket to expose the 12v and ground and a multimeter to confirm that both panel and schematic (in their own way) are as expected e.g. using the supplied car adapter I may be buying a conversion cable from FLO - I would still check the pinout before use - mistakes have been known to happen. One issue with electronics is grounding loops - two independent PSU will float and not cause problems with each other. This can be a problem when sharing PSU across several devices if they touch. It's also one of the reasons cars shouldn't touch when giving a jump start. Both PSU pins and the socket are not connected e.g. the chassis is not grounded on the (my) EQ6-r Pro. Simon

My experience of HEQ5 and EQ6-r Pro (two SW mounts only) is that a multimeter will show the output of a PSU open circuit to be regulated e.g. 12.1v. The HC utility -> information -> voltage will show a lower voltage 0.7v lower (drop across a silicon diode inside the mount?) e.g. 11.4v. If you used a car adapter you could also measure the voltage on the battery whilst the mount was in use. Again it will show 12.1v at the battery but only 11.4v in the hand controller. There was a skywatcher fix for the HC voltage readout. So check the firmware and sky watcher website. If a multimeter shows 20v when a PSU isn’t connected then it indicates the PSU isn’t regulated and should be avoided as a power source for the mount (12v RMS is about 20v max e.g. what the voltage is measured). Simon

The cable I need is to extend a PSU (so needs to be male to female) for a Sky Watcher Mount and also a ZWO camera. “Lynx Astro Silicone Power Cable 2.1mm DC Jack to 2.1mm DC Jack with Coupler” Is this a cable to go 5.5 x 2.1 to 5.5 x 2.1 male to female? With a male to male coupler? Simon

I have probably spent more time reading the manual than using the mount to collect images! NB the 2 star alignment requires minimal cone error but that's not a precondition for 3 star. A little cryptic, perhaps? Cone error is later in the manual. (two snippets from the manual). Simon