Robindonne

Although this is the relax-section where probably nobody wears their technicians hats, i havent noticed strange behaviour after the latest updates. Can you give a short description of the steps you took? Did you polaralign with asiair, using eqmod etc?

I think you need to start with a bahtinov mask or a build in software tool to get as perfect in focus as possible.

I think you’re starting good by attaching the cameras nosepiece in the 1,25 eyepiece adapter. Do you spend enough time on focusing through a live view on the pc or with another app?

Of course. And delivery times as i want to keep using are 5-8 days. So no long waiting for customers. But when they call at day 5 midweeks they already have the product before the weekend. Im not trying to justify the long periods of not returning calls. Definitely not. But i can understand a bit how a small company works. And i also faced now and then a customers mind when they start to worry. I hope the home obsys are delivered in the end, but i just wanted to share an insight of a production worker who is responsible for multiple tasks. Sometimes you have to choose to spend your hours in the core job. Produce as quick as possible. And one great but difficult solution is to halt new orders for a short time. It feels like losing orders but in the end every day in the company will still be filled and the delivery time is not getting dangerous extended. But again, its hard to say no to orders. anyway. I hope it all sorts out with the observatory delivery before the last stars vanish.

I must admit, we woodworkers hate hanging in the phone all day. I have to admit when machining my stairparts, the doors are locked, radio at 10 and phone far away from me. It happened too much that while being in a conversation, a piece of wood moved during machining and ruined in 3 seconds the work of 3 hours. We are a bit strange but dedicated to our products😅. I feel sorry for those that have ordered and still waiting but I recognized so much behaviour in the reviews here, that i needed to explain a woodworkers mind.

Try to make a small slot in it with a dremel or fine hacksaw. Looks like you have just enough left sticking out. And then yes, a straight screwdriver. indeed like one of the TomatoBrothers adviced!

If this hobby continue to attract me for the next couple of years (dont know why it won’t😅) i would love to build one my own some day. So yes, very nice to see the progress of yours. I love working with (hard)wood but im not sure if its my preferred material for the construction. Maybe im wrong but i always have the feeling a long “sliding roof” construction will always be a bit wobbly because the walls will never be hard connected to each other. My future astro-shed will likely be build around metal poles attached to a concrete foundation/floor. The uk probably has very much the same sort of construction materials as we have in NL, and if so, maybe take a look at screwpoles? If you dont have a solid concrete foundation. Ill add an image. Whatever method you use, im looking forward to follow the progress😍

Maybe ask a more experienced stargazer about the possibilities of barlowing a barlow. The setup is getting longer but i dont think as heavy as a 2” barlow. If you already have a 2x barlow, maybe a 3x is a good addition to barlow 2x, 3x and 6x. I know its possible but im not sure what quality the view will be with (non tele-extender) barlows

Im not sure what you’ve offered before that didn’t sell in the end, but an etx 125 can easily be sold for +- 500,-? Depends on the offered accessories and the country you finally sell it. The UK is a bit cheaper in second hand sales. Here in NL a Meade etx125 in working condition is sold in 2 days for €500,-

Now order a new beam and find out even wood is going to have an estimated time of delivery around 2022🙄. This week the first construction projects here in The Netherlands are stalled due to woodshortage.

Yes. Definitely sad that a scope is sold like this. Hope you didnt pay much for it in this state. Im not sure but when you’re a bit comfortable with working with a caliper, you can try to find out what thread is needed for this part. You dont really have to buy the original part. Plenty of third party accessories that will probably even be a better quality. This scope is a bit an expensive starter scope. Family of mine had this and stopped the interest in stargazing, just because the scope and mount combination was very hard to work with. So try to complete the set as cheap as you can and sell/swap/trade the set as soon as your joy disappears because the mount keep working against you

Next to a 2.5x powermate (1.25”) i bought a 4xpowermate (2”). I thought it would be a good addition to the collection. Sure it will be some day but the times my complete set, powermate, eyepiece and the diagonal, were facing the floor due to the weight made me use it less and less.

Although it sounds a bit difficult, and maybe a big step, but i would try to make him comfortable with a cheap Dslr to start simple imaging. Something triggered my daughter (after losing interest of just looking through the eyepiece) when she start to “see” things that weren’t immediately visible through an eyepiece. I remember her looking at images of the Orion nebula made by a camera to start appreciating the dim views of that same object through the eyepiece afterwards. It doesn’t have to cost the world. A simple canon eos dslr (€80,-)and an adapter ring to connect it to the scope (€20,-). When he likes it you can build or buy a wedge for the scope you mentioned to make longer exposures. 😬Or are these steps to big? Take a look at what this man does with his Celestron SE series.

You have to take all of the list+1 extra item

Do you realize how many galaxies still are visible in a clear spot in the sky with the size of a grain of sand held at arms length?

Move to mars by that same company…..ah I finally get his revenue model

Wie het kleine niet eert is het grote niet weerd. Old dutch saying. Translated its something like: who doesn’t appreciate the small doesn’t deserve the big

Maybe I’ve had an old version of heq5 but it only accepted vixen style. Im not sure if nowadays heq5’s accept also losmandy (wider) bars. A losmandy bar is more solid and for larger scopes a better option. If a mount doesn’t have the option to clamp losmandy bars, you can upgrade the mount head to accept losmandy style. Or even a combination of losmandy/vixen style the red one in this photo

My cousin had one. If i remember it had a small steel plate with a scale on it.

Perhaps search for a radius block to attach the motor to that “non” compatible crayford. And use a belt to control the focusknob

Google a bit. Google motor focuser skymax180 will show you all sorts of belt driven focusers. Even this one from this forum. Not sure who is the owner from the picture but its from a member. Using a dc and pulley/nelt combo attached to the finderscope bracket.

They are designed to almost completely burn up when they return to earth. Except for 1 part. Not sure which part. The energy providing part? i thought SpaceX is still experimenting with various coatings to make them less visible and although im not an extreme Astrophotgrapher, for those who suffer lets hope the big AP software companies come up with a solution to detect moving objects and pause the exposures.

Btw, i ended up buying this focuser used for about €160,- incl their motor solution: https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p7106_TS-Optics-2--UNC-V-Power-Crayford-Focuser-for-2--and-3--SC-Thread.html The focuser is new around €260,- They sell the motor option for an additional €180,-, but when you look at that motorset you’ll recognize that its just that simple dc motor again, only with an extra toothed belt+pulley and 2 aluminium (riser) blocks. I remember buying some extra belts and various sizes pulleys on aliexpress for some euro’s. 5? For spare but also to try different transmission speeds. All worked okay but ending up selling the focuser. I want to have the options for automated focusing so looking around for a nice other solution. Also the dc motors aren't that accurate.

I think these simple dc motors work on (almost) every screwed on crayford or r&p focuser where the focusknob can be detached and show a spindle ánd when there is a sort of flat surface between the 2 knob sides. I remember having owned such a crayford focuser once where the spindle wasnt that solid for some reason. It was a single speed gso and also didnt have that flat surface between the knobs. A bit like the left side on this picture: As far as I remember the motor couldn’t be attached to this one. I have seen some solution where they connect a autofocuser via a belt to the standard focusknob. All options using the standard focusknob will show some mirror movement. If thats no problem for you than go for that option.

Dont forget Amazon in some time btw. We will get a new Kuiperbelt of satellites. They will orbit on another level what makes it even more disturbing to see through. We’re up for some heavy movements up there😑 The good thing is astrogear will become a bit cheaper again, because its getting useless