Padraic M

@Jonny_H I use a set-up similar to @scotty38 - MeLE Quieter2Q fanless PC, PPBA and Nevada Radio 13.8V/30A PSU. Just not as nicely mounted as his! It works really well, including NINA. All USB and power goes through the PPBA. 8GB RAM and 1TB SSD. I like the fanless idea as there's no possibility of vibrations on the OTA, but I haven't heard anyone else complaining about this with cooled mini PCs. The only issue I have to resolve is that my house wifi is a little delicate. The nearest AP is a powerline adapter that causes issues with all connected devices. With the PC mounted on the OTA I can lose my connection as the mount slews. In fact, anywhere close to metal can cause drop-outs. The best position for me so far is dangling by a cable below the mount.... not ideal. Am considering using Cat6 wired ethernet which would definitely be more reliable. @Skipper Billy what is the data cable that goes from your mini PC to the ground? Is it Cat6 or is it USB to the mount?

@AbsolutelyN I'm enjoying the scope generally. Using it for HA RGB. Gathered some luminance for the first time over the weekend and that's when I noticed - such a bad effect it would have been impossible not to notice. I didn't keep any of the subs unfortunately, but there was a strong curved line across the middle (probably a reflection from a glass edge) and an embossed pattern in the middle - more detailed than a standard vignette. Initially I was worried that the Lum filter was cracked but when I looked closely I could see it on the colour filters too. Most of it was removed when I covered the mirror end with a black sack but not all. Took fresh flats last night and they looked and worked fine. I agree - if it lets a lot of light in during the day, it's bound to let a little in at night so might have a contrast/definition impact. I'll look into flocking and a mirror mask to cover the clips and block the back-lighting. I also like your 'shower cap' idea! When I get more time, I'll experiment to see if there is light leaking from anywhere else.

Interesting - just found that out yesterday while trying to take flats/darkflats in daylight. Had to wait until after dark and cover with a bin liner. In your view does this also impact lights?

Very nice!

I have a narrow window of sky from the meridian to 120 degrees which means multiple subjects per clear night. This one is the Fly - I had it framed up to be one panel of a two-panel Spider & Fly mosaic but the Spider will have to wait for another night. HaRGB in APP, with HA applied again as luminance in Gimp as there is some nice Ha nebulosity in the area (just about coming through). Patchy clouds all night meant that most of the Blue subs had to be discarded. 7.5mins Blue 20mins Green 20mins Red 70mins Ha Almost 2 hours. Skywatcher 150PDS with Skywatcher Maxfield 095x coma corrector ZWO ASI1600mm Pro, gain 139, offset 21, temp -20c, software binned x2 NEQ6 Pro mount. Captured with NINA and Phd2 on a MeLE Quieter2 mini PC. Processed in APP and Gimp.

Finally got a few hours of only moderately cloudy sky last night so I took a chance. Had to discard about 30% of Lum and blue subs, but still had 2hrs 25mins left made up of: 7x150s Blue 12x150s Green 12x150s Red 1x600s Ha 19x30s Luminance Skywatcher 150PDS with Skywatcher Maxfield 095x coma corrector ZWO ASI1600mm Pro, gain 139, offset 21, temp -20c, software binned x2 NEQ6 Pro mount. Captured with NINA and Phd2 on a MeLE Quieter2 mini PC. Processed in APP and Gimp.

Not great the last few weeks! Tonight doesn't look great but I might give it a go anyway.

Beautiful, Richard. Love the detail in the dust lanes.

How about the Big Zoom Telescope for £299???? 🙂

Great thread! In many areas I'm in the category of "shouldn't give advice because doesn't really know what he's talking about..." but as a relative new comer I do know what it's like to be a beginner with poor kit, who now has a HEQ5 and I consider getting the HEQ5 the start of my astrophotography. Something that I think works against a lot of beginners is that they have a pre-conceived notion of what they want without really knowing why, and which usually includes a telescope of some sort. That means that suggesting that they use camera lenses that they already have may not be considered 'good advice' - just as someone who asks about a good beginner scope for visual doesn't always appreciate being told to get a pair of binoculars. If someone really wants to do AP, and they obviously don't have ~€3,000 to spend on it over time, I usually hesitate to encourage them. There's no point recommending kit under €1,000 if they'll be underwhelmed with the results, if their mindset is "I want a tripod and a telescope and I'll use my (unmodified) DSLR". Could we even agree on (say) three 'bundles' depending on the seriousness and budget of the user? 1. Entry-level DSO: Light-weight AZ mount, a light achromatic scope (e.g. ST80) and a DSLR T-ring. I know AZ is not ideal, but I would guess that nothing turns beginners off astronomy quicker than an EQ mount (I know more than 1). This allows short untracked DSLR exposures which can be stacked and could produce passable images. 2. Entry-level Milky Way: Star Tracker/Star Adventurer; use your own DSLR and camera lens. Allows to upgrade to a light wide-field scope at a later stage. Costs much less than €1,000. 3. Sustainable DSO - the 'keeper': HEQ5 or similar, ED frac or an AP-capable reflector (f/5 or slower) I know that you can produce decent images with budget and diy equipment, but AP has so many learning curves, that as a beginner having equipment that does what it says (and you can trust) means that you can focus on addressing the priority learning curves without being completely confused by spurious equipment collywobbles or being distracted wondering if it's collimation or focal distance or bad focus or dew or mount shake or backlash or periodic error or software config or ... (and so on) ... that's causing your blurry pictures. In this respect, money DOES help you take better pictures. Of course, this doesn't help if the beginner 'also' would like to image Jupiter and Saturn.

I like to keep it simple, and only have 2.1mm maile-to-male leads. I have a couple of 2.1-2.5mm female-to-male converters that can be attached when needed. That means I'm not trying to always find the one cable for the Sesto Senso in a box of black spaghetti in the dark! These are the converters: https://www.kenable.co.uk/en/home-cctv/cctv/cctv-plugs-accessories/5013-cctv-55mm-x-21mm-female-socket-to-25mm-male-plug-dc-power-adapter-converter-005013-5055383450138.html

There's logic in getting the 8-position EFW. Certain DSOs respond better in broadband than narrowband, and for $100 extra you get the space to fit a set of RGB filters if you want. You will need a Lum/UVIR filter anyway, even with a narrowband filter set so it will be at a minimum LHaSiiOiii. Use the Lum filter for platesolving as trying to do that through a Ha filter is a PITA with longer exposure times. Lum is also faster for initial focusing (or with parfocal filters, or if you use filter offsets). I would also recommend the 3.5nm filter set from day one. If you want to spread the spend, just get Ha to start with and save for the others! Re camera - I'm interested in what people would recommend as an alternative to the 294mm. I use the 1600mm which I know is a real favourite and a workhorse but seems to be considered a little dated these days. I love the Prima Luce Lab Sesto Senso focuser. I can't compare with the ZWO but have heard about issues with backlash etc. and the PLL doesn't need any bracket to mount to the scope - it just clamps onto the fine focus shaft. Of course, the ASIAir is a walled garden so probably doesn't support the PLL focuser. For me, that's a good reason not to get an ASIAir (I hate walled gardens!). I use the MeLE Quieter2 mini PC with all the usual Windows capture software loaded and it works very well. For USB and Power distribution I use a Pocket Powerbox Advance. Will the ASIAir control your Sony DSLR? Finally, don't under-spec your PSU as under-volting causes all kinds of weird issues. Many 12V supplies can't regulate the voltage at 12V when under even moderate load. I'd look at a 13.8V 6-8A PSU.

I think we can say with some certainty that the PPBA itself is fine and will have no problem managing the power required to run all kit, as long as the upstream PSU can support the load. The reason I like powering everything through the PPBA is that I'm moving towards remote operation (even if remote just means in the back garden) and can integrate power-up and power-down into the NINA sequencer, using the PPBA power switches. It's a neat solution, and gives me great satisfaction! The 30A PSU sounds like overkill, but it provides plenty of headroom and has taken away a whole load of hard-to-debug issues.

I can't comment either on the Pegasus PSU but use the Nevada Radio 30A PSU and it's rock solid. It provides 10A through the cigarette socket output, but my rig rarely draws above 2-3A total, including mount, mini PC, dew shields, cameras/cooler, focuser and filter wheel. Only time I have an issue is if I accidentally flick the switch from 13.8V to Adjustable on the back panel - unfortunately quite easy to do when setting up. I did use an unbranded 12V 10A power block previously and had all sorts of strange behaviour as different devices complained about under volts - the mount in particular would drop its connection. Strange that it didn't just stop slewing. From measurements, it looked like once voltage dropped to <11.5V, trouble started. I have an almost identical set of connections to @scotty38 including the MeLE mini PC on the variable voltage output. @Realtimedoctor what ports are you using - especially for the Pi 4 which needs some juice.

@O2B3 I wouldn't think so - reticule eyepieces are normally used in finder scopes to make more accurate positioning possible, or for accurate star alignment. I'm not aware of any use for them in the main scope when observing or imaging.

Well explained by the others above. I understand perfectly how you feel as it's a real head-wrecker to get started! I think about it rather than up-down-left-right (which it isn't) but more like an X in the sky - one slow-mo knob moves on one line of the X, and the other knob moves on the other line. One thing that can annoy is that while you can crank the RA slow-mo knob a full 360 degrees, the Dec knob will only go +-90 degrees, so you will regularly be ALMOST at your target but you can't adjust any more in Dec. My trick to avoid this is to centre the Dec slow-mo knob before I start (or maybe even when I move to a new target) by winding it fully clockwise, then 10 winds counter-clockwise; loosen the Dec clutch, manually rotate the OTA close to the target and tighten up again. Practice will make perfect. As others have said, no need to try for perfection in polar alignment - you won't get it.

The usual stupid questions - Is the new router in the same place as the old one? Does it have external antennae? etc. wifi is sensitive to stone walls and metal obstructions. Does your new router support 5GHz and is that what you're attempting to connect to? 5GHz has higher bandwidth but a shorter range than 2.4GHz. I use an Android app called Wifi Analyzer to check out signal strengths and obstructions (I'm sure there are others too). It will also help you check if your neighbours' networks are on the same channel as yours. I've had to take my mini PC off the OTA and place it on the mount, because at ~4m from the router it would lose signal as soon as the OTA slewed the wrong way! Probably not your issue as you say it's been working fine for years.

With the full moon up in the city centre lights, I took the opportunity to test out some changes to the rig. This 10-minute single Ha sub surprised me!

Yes, 1.11 is now 2.0. I've been using it for a while now and have had no issues.

Congrats Goran!

@scotty38 I'd completely overlooked the DSLR power port to drive the PC - excellent! Agree that the other 4x12V power outlets can be switched as one, unless there's an equipment fault. Like you, I have the mount, imaging cam and focuser powered from the 12V ports. EQDIR to the mount, focuser and main cam are all in the PPBA USB hub and working fine, but is there a benefit in putting those directly into the PC? I'm just getting to grips with the NINA advanced sequencer so will take a look at the Connector plugin and sequencing the PPBA switches. This is fun!

I can vouch for the Pegasus Pocket Powerbox Advance, it's fantastic and works really well. 2 dew straps, 4 12v outputs, one variable DC output, 4 USB3. Probably enough to manage your entire setup. I can also support what's been said about long USB runs, and stock USB cables and hubs - nothing but trouble. The Startech hubs are very good as are their cables. I've replaced all my cables with Startech cables of short lengths, and where I used to have constant camera and mount disconnects, they are now a thing of the past. I'm also in the process of adding a fanless mini PC (MeLE Quieter2) which is so small and light it can fit on the scope and keep all power and USB runs local. RDP from indoors can control everything. Three options for remote connection - wifi for now; Ethernet Cat 5 in the longer term; and local wifi hotspot if there's no network available. Yes David, the Advance can switch all of the 12V DC outputs together, but the Ultimate can do them individually. I may consider upgrading at some stage - didn't really think this was a required feature but as I get more automated I can see the benefit.

Hi @fireballxl5 the SSD I bought is a Western Digital Blue SN570 NVMe 1TB. The standard WD cloning/utilities tool is Acronis True Image which you can download for free from the WD website. It will only run on a PC that has a WD SSD installed so may not work for you, but there are other packages that do the same thing. One caveat though - having successfully booted from the SSD after migration, I then spent the usual couple of hours trying to get the PC to boot from that drive consistently. PC went into a loop of prompting for keyboard layout and restarting. Note that you can still enter BIOS and change the boot drive back to the original 128GB eMMC. The sequence that finally worked for me (although this may not happen to you) was: - Initialise the new drive as a GPT (GUID Partition Table) in Disk Management - Clone the OS in Acronis. Acronis asks you to remove the old boot drive, which of course can't be done. If there's any uncertainty over which drive is being used for boot, check the BIOS boot settings. To enter BIOS, restart to the Intel logo, then press Del repeatedly until the BIOS interface comes up. - Reboot to the new OS on the WD SSD. If you have the same issues as I did then do the following: - Create a USB recovery drive in Acronis (32GB USB flash drive used - needs to be 8+GB I think) - With the USB recovery drive inserted into the Quieter2, change the BIOS boot option 1 to the USB drive and reboot. It will recover the factory-installed OS. - Reboot again, it should now boot from the new SSD. Check this in Windows either through Windows Explorer (C: drive is ~1TB) and through Disk Management (C: drive is ~1TB, Healthy (Boot, Page File, Crash Dump, Basic Data Partition) ) @Ibbo! The NVMe drive is ~10 times faster than the eMMC so boot and execution times should be a lot better. Also, NVMe is reportedly more reliable/durable than eMMC so putting the frequent read/write activity on the SSD and less frequent access (storage of installation images, static files etc.) on the eMMC may extend the life of the PC.

It's all a bit ambiguous as MeLE also have instructions in their FAQ for installing NVMe SSDs in the Quieter2! So, the machine arrived by courier today from amazon.de complete with WD 1TB NVMe SSD, and the great news is that it works! I've just cloned the original Win 10 installation from the 128GB eMMC drive to the new NVMe drive and made it the primary boot device. Tomorrow's job is to install all the astro drivers and applications.

Hmmm. Oh well, will probably exchange for SATA, or hold on to it and use it as an external drive. It's a pity MeLE don't provide specs on their website.