Robindonne

Okay no question, just a small tip!

Bought today an old eq5pro mount for a small refractor.  First thing i noticed was the crosshair in the polarscope not being aligned when the mount is in home position.  Searched the internet and couldn’t find any tutorial.  
 

- First make sure the mount is in home position.

- Make sure the polarscope is thightened in the mount.

- With a small flat screwdriver loosen the screw in the outer black ring (with the white mark on it), and twist it till the white mark is exactly on top.  Then retighten the ring again
**red arrow**

- Remove the whole polarscope from the mount.

- Place it upsidedown with the eyepiece-side facing up.

- Remove the “eyepiece/lens”?? From the polarscope by twisting it.
**blue arrow**

- Loosen the 3 small calibration hex (allen key) screws just a little bit.
**pink arrow**
 

When you look in the polarscope, with the eyepiece removed, you see a small coin-shaped glass in a metal ring with two small slots in it. The glass has the crosshair printed on it. Use the small flat screwdriver to rotate the ring, with the glass and crosshair, and align it with the white mark on the black ring from the first step. Thighten the 3 hex screws just enough that the glass/metal ring stays in place.

Now after putting all back in place and in the mount, you do need to calibrate the polarscope again. Just bring the allen keys with you the first time you set up the mount. While its almost aligned with polaris, polaris is a good calibration-point for this last step.

Turn the Mount on the RA axis 90 degrees to the left(or right), and get polaris in the center of the crosshair. Now turn the mount 180 degrees on the RA axis back to the opposite side and check if polaris is still centered in the crosshairs. Probably not so adjust the 3 hex screws till its calibrated.

Dont know if i was going to be bothered with it a lot, but when setting op the mount and scope etc, dont think i prefer to rotate the RA axis every time i have to manually polar align.

Oh sorry didn’t know it was just for ios.   But the idea is that your phone is aligned with the saddle or scope in home position

Or buy “ps align pro”. €3 and has a smart polaralignment tool.  Just place your phone on your mount and it tells you how to align your mount

18 minutes ago, CraigT82 said:

For planetary imaging in the UK an ADC is almost essential at the minute.... pretty much every planetary imager I know of uses one.  

For visual observers they are perhaps less useful as can be a little tricky to set correctly visually (imaging software has handy ways of helping you set the levers). 

More info on how they work o and their benefits on Martin Lewis' website here... http://www.skyinspector.co.uk/atm-dispersion-corrector--adc

Hm useful website from the skyinspector. Does it mean that when shooting mono you dont use this adc? Or is the adc only bringing back the allignment of colors and is there no further relation between mono- vs colorshooting?

Yes that’s exactly what i thought.  It does work according to review or youtube(commercials).  But the question if its worth it cant really be answered with a yes.  Because most of the planets are very low from my location, and maybe stay low the near future, it might have helped.   Ill look into the filter you mentioned or maybe a combi of filter?   Thx for the advice

Is an ADC a must have tool when doing visual or ap? The benefits of a focalreducer and/or flattener are obvious and I think i understand what an adc does but its not that i’ve seen it being used or sold much. Or is it object and location related?   

11 minutes ago, RayD said:

the ASIAir is for ZWO cameras

They basically support the same brands and models

14 minutes ago, RayD said:

currently reviewing one

Im very interested of course.  But do you compare it to the asiair Or stellarmate or atik base (just found out its existence 😉).

Still dont know the whole stacking procedure, no experience because my first long session still have to start, but when thats also one of the features of the asiair pro then its a very attractive device.  Sad they dont (yet) opt to buy it in a longer and mountbar-replaceable housing.  

I jump in as a rookie, admitting at first i also didn’t know the whole theory about this mirrorcle phenomenon.   The rain falling in a cup of tea or pan is maybe a bit hard to understand and it actually doesnt describe it correct.   A bigger pan would catch more raindrops(stars).  

The way i started to understand is like a lightbulb.  It spreads light almost everywhere around it.  And that single source of light can be collected with various sizes “pans”.  (Edit** the collecting scope determines the amount of visible lightsources by its FL. The longer the FL the smaller the amount of objects.
Imagine yourself on the bottom of a 1 meter wide well, with a 1 meter depth vs 1 meter wide well on a depth of 20 m.. the 20 m shows an extreme smaller part of the sky)

Compared to the rain theory its more understandable because you describe a single source of light.  

Nice to test this is to put your hand in front of the telescope and block almost all light. You’ll find out the same amount of objects are visible only fainter or darker. Then you find out that from each lightsource you still collect the light, but a much smaller percentage.

Some newtonians have a dustcap with a small hole in it.  Its basically to view the moon in a tempered light.  Just put on that cap and open the small hole to see the phenomenon of “same amount but fainter or darker objects”

12 hours ago, wimvb said:

If you want to control other cameras than zwo and dslr, have a look at Stellarmate

Yes i actually forgot to mention that one.  I bought an used asiair v1 and when using such a device you start to appreciate the power of it.  But then the mounting-possibilities and extra features of the newer asiairpro start to make sense.  while searching for the asiair i saw the eagle and it looked as a competitive device.  You can easy spend € 50/150 for a good mounting bar for on top of your scope, or buy a € 300 eagle core.  So i think the eagle has some benefits because it will be build in the whole setup en doesnt end up being an “extra” attachment on your setup. 
I think ill wait for the moment more (good) reviews come online

Correct.  Is see it now.  Guidecams are wider options but that was not what i looking for.  Overall it looks like a system with lots of teething problems unfortunately. 

Oh sorry.  I found a review somewhere here. 
 

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/343579-primalucelab’s-eagle-core/

Feels like asking a lot but all the info here is welcome.  While searching for complete and good reviewed gear to build some setups for an interesting new hobby im interested in reviews of primaluce eagle core.  I bought an used asiair device and, while still learning the functions, it looks like an almost flawless smart device.  Only thing that might be a problem in the future is the compatibility with other brands equipment.  For now it has to be only zwo equipment, except for the dslr’s.  Does any of you have experience with the eagle core? And even better when you have compared it with asiair.  It looks good in the specs, the price is even better then the asiair and most important it works with almost all other brands.  But how is the simplicity of controlling the imaging?

thx in advance 

Yes.  Was waiting for tony ferguson but in the meantime said hello to these 2 round celebrities. You?

i had to go on to the balcony otherwise some 1000 years old oaks block the sight

1 hour ago, CraigT82 said:

There are motor focusers that are battery powered, with batteries in the focuser handset. Hence not needing a laptop or anything. I have two, a skywatcher and a moonlight. They just stay permanently attached to the scopes and I dont do any manual focusing at all, for visual or imaging. 

You’re right.  I checked the ones you described.  I believe It definitely works, but i have to buy all of these items for the first time and have to consider if also the battery powered ones are going to help me out when all these tools also have to be controlled by, in my case, an asiair v1, with probably some flaws but helping me get on the road fast and easy i hope.  

On 05/05/2020 at 14:58, newbie alert said:

do you have the ability to rotate the guidescope to be able to pick a brighter star?

Oh I misunderstood it then.  I skipped this part of your text because you mentioned guidescope and i was focused on the oag part in combination with an 80 mm refractor.   But i think most of the times you can rotate your whole setup, and if not then only the oag.  But you, and some sg-er before you mentioned the uselessness of an oag with small refractors.  And cant find the reason behind these comments.  Does it have to do something with the fov, fl or other criteria?

20 minutes ago, CraigT82 said:

Once you have used a motor focus you will never want to focus manually again!

No i guess so.  I just thought of the moments i have now, when starting with eyepieces to do a staralignment etc and maybe some other visual use.  Dont know if its bothering for these short moments but ill have to find out. 

Mm ok.  Then id better stop looking for this option.  When needing  the focuser i will probably always have power around the (powered) mount.  Although i cant understand why this small issue is so hard to solve, ill let it rest and focus on affordable focusers

40 minutes ago, DaveS said:

You can get focusers that allow complete manual control and autofocus, but be prepared to pay for them

Ai thats not cheap.  But the €300,- senso does it also.  And i think the picture shows why the finefocus side is used.  They engineered it with the need of a part of the focusunit to attach their motorunit to, and the longer axel used by the fine knob that slides into their motorconnector

On 05/05/2020 at 14:58, newbie alert said:

I know some do use oag on refractors but I don't think there's much to gain with a 80mm and oag unless you have flex between your guidescope and imaging scope.. do you have the ability to rotate the guidescope to be able to pick a brighter star?

What is the reason behind this?   The oag? has the same small fov?   If you can explain to an amateur. Pls

Lol just ordered one without asking if it really works.  But its aluminum and small. I think it will work well for some setups.  Rdf and a finderscope on a €4,5 piece is worth the try

Very cool

Zwo had 12v dc in - 5v usb out converters.  And I think it has 2,5 a on the usb.  A good usb cable is important 

Kind of stupid that the design that allows manual-use, deletes the finefocusser, and the ones that dont allow manual-use, spare the finefocuser.  The perfect solution is probably on its way. 
But is it possible to turn the focusknobs around?  So the sesto senso still works but finefocus will be available? Or just mount that senso on the otherside, or mount the whole focusunit upsidedown?

maybe the motor is so weak that it needs the finefocus

15 hours ago, Astrosharkey said:

Yep all correct

Thx for the help.  
ps. While searching for one i saw a sesto senso 2?  And im not aware of the advantage but while the motor being attached, handcontrol was still possible.