Jonny_H

Hi Ande,

The only way (to my knowledge) to 'manually' focus with the EAF attached is via the hand controller. You cannot manually focus by hand with the EAF attached. I will let others chime in to correct me here! But as far as I am concerned you haven't done anything wrong in that regard.

I recently added an EAF to my scope too. I knew roughly where my focus point was so before I initiated the autofocus protocol in the ASIAir Pro, I used the 'go to' command within the ASIAir EAF screen to set my 'rough' focus position. I then switched to focus mode in the ASIAir and played around with the fine focus setting until I could see reasonably focused stars. I then initiated autofocus.

The EQ6-R was certainly one of the contenders - but in the end the dual-capability won me over.

7 hours ago, Alan White said:

Amazing the powers of Weetabix!

If left in a bowl for not a particularly long period of time (before anyone judges  I have demanding twin 5 Yr olds so Weetabix on occasions does get left in a bowl for 20/25 mins) 😆 it also forms a concrete-like consistency.....so I imagine it could be used in the building industry too!

I will do Chaxastro,

It does look reasonably straight forward although the RA locking nut can be a bit of a nuisance so I've heard!

Also with the roller bearings - it sounds like it is best to just leave them in place and just clean them up and regrease them. All others can be easily replaced/upgraded etc... we'll see though.

Thanks,

Jonny

Hi David,

That is exactly what I am gearing myself up to do. I'm not ready to do it yet as the mount is still within the warranty period.  I am just doing a bit of homework to begin with and wondered if there is any info out there. Or to word it another way - I am just being lazy! ☺️

As you say though, the safest option is to just measure-up yourself upon dismantling. That way you cannot go wrong......much

Thanks,

Jon

Hi all,

Does anyone happen to know the sizes of the needle thrust bearings used in the AZ EQ6 GT? E.g. the inner and outer diameters, width etc....?

There are a few strip-down guides out there but cannot seem to find anh details of the bearings within them.

Thanks,

Jon

Does the EAF not have a 'safety circuit' which prevents over travel of the focuser? E.g. it shuts down if it detects that it cannot move the focuser in or out?

Not that I am willing to try it but I thought I had read it somewhere!?

10 hours ago, Budgie1 said:

Yep, I've just fired up the ASIAir to check and it extends when I tell it move to 0.

Thinking about it, it should work as described in the manual because fully retracted is a definite zero point. But for this to work you would need the reverse setting active all the time. 

Still, it works fine the way it is so that'll do for me!

I just had another play with the EAF and you are correct. In order to achieve what the manual states, you need to set the position to zero when the focuser is fully retracted, and ensure that the reverse setting is enabled. The latter point seems to be missing from the manual.

Not sure if it really matters if reverse is enabled or not but it seems that this is needed to meet ZWO's recommendation!

10 minutes ago, Budgie1 said:

IIRC, when I set mine up with the ASIAir Plus I found the same thing.

I ignored the manual and set 0 when fully extended and max limit when fully retracted. Used it on two evenings so far and it works very well.

Ah ok, so in essence you did the opposite to what the manual states and that works?

Perhaps a translation issue or something within the manual? 🤔

I shall give it a go and see where I end up

Hi all,

This is quite possibly just me being daft, however I have just installed a ZWO EAF to my Esprit 100ED and whilst the weather is bad i thought i would have a play inside - setting it up etc.... The EAF will be/is controlled by my ASIAir Pro.

According to the ZWO EAF manual - it states "The 0 position is recommended to be set to the position when the focuser is fully retracted. The maximum number of steps is recommended to be set to a limit position less than or equal to the full focuser stroke".

All well and good, however when i retract my focuser and set the current position to 0, the EAF doesnt seem to like any movement at all, i.e. if i set a go-to position of say 20-30, and i press the direction button within the focuser screen of the ASIAir (under the fine setting) it goes to say 12-15, double bleeps and then stops.  I have checked the reverse option isnt selected and I am definitely pushing the correct direction arrow in ASIAir. (see below).

Now, if i set the current position to something random, like 10000, 32000 etc.... when the focuser is fully retracted - it seems to like this and will move to pretty much any parameter i set + I can move to said parameter by pushing the respective arrow within the focuser screen on the ASIAir.

So.........am i being dim and missing something in the ZWO manual?  Probably the former but i wondered if anybody can help

Thanks,

Jonny

Both of these 👆

I had the same issue when observing Jupiter last month whilst it was low in the sky.

As @Ricochet has pointed out you have to look through a lot of atmosphere at this angle hence why you are probably getting a 'wobbly/shimering' image.

To @johninderby point - have you collimated the scope? Just to rule that out as being an issue also!

Thanks both for your comments.

So probably best to go with a 5" then as opposed to a 4"?

As for my Evoguide 50ed - I am thinking probably a 2" is sufficient. The 3" seems to be a tad excessive!?

Hi all,

I Hope you are well.

I am looking to buy a dew heater strap for my SW Esprit 100ED - especially now those cold nights are creeping in.  However I have read conflicting reviews as to which size to get amongst other things.

I wondered if I could get your views on the following:

- which size would you get? The 4" makes sense but I have read that some have said it is slightly small for the Esprit 100ED. Is a strap for a 5" a better option in this case?

- which make would you recommend? I have a number of Lynx Astro things but wondered if there are other 'preferred' straps out there.

- where do you place your strap on the Esprit 100ED? I have seen/read that some put it around the dew shield itself whereas others put it around the OTA just before the dew shield. The latter would surely be more effective!?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Regards,

Jonny

Hi all,

I hope you are well.

I haven't posted on here for a while, nor have I imaged/observed for a few months (i think - losing track of time).  This mainly down to being extremely busy at work, but also because the weather has been absolutely garbage!

Anyhow - I finished work at a reasonable hour earlier in the week and given that the night sky was crystal clear, I though it would be criminal not to set-up my imaging gear.

I didn't really think it through or plan anything, I just set-up and went about seeking a target which took my fancy. I finally settled on IC 5146 aka Cocoon Nebula.

This is only about my 7th target I've ever imaged so you have to excuse the quality. I am also trying to learn PI so I have experimented with a few new things.

Imaging info:

20 x 300s lights, 20 x 300s darks, 100 x bias and flats. Stacked in APP and processed (badly) in PI.

Equipment:

SW Esprit 100ED, SW evoguide 50ed, 120MM guide camera, 533MC Pro main camera, all controlled by an ASIAIR Pro On a SW AZ EQ6 GT.

Any hints and tips on how to use PI properly will be very welcomed 

Thanks,

Jonny

1 hour ago, Nigella Bryant said:

Will people stop buying stuff, the weather is awful, ☔🌧️☔🌧️

I will see if I can reverse this by buying some expensive waterproof clothing and a posh umbrella! 😊

Not that long ago, I knelt down to move my two counterweights out of the way (they were underneath my mount). When I got back up i smacked my head on the counterweight bar..... I'm afraid to say this was all in broad daylight and inside my house!

It goes without saying - I no longer store the counterweights underneath the mount any more! 😊

Well.....I thought about it and decided to post my photo.

This is my first ever planetary image in which I chose Jupiter. 

The others here are in a different league but I was pleased with it for a first attempt! 😊

Captured with my StellaLyra 8" Classical Cassegrain and ZWO224MC. Video captured using the ASI Suite. Stacked and tinkered with in Autostakkert and Registax.

Thanks,

Jonny

Thanks Wornish.

Hi all,

I have attached my first ever go at planetary imaging.  I decided on Jupiter 😊

I have to say - I have been imaging for just over a year now (mainly DSO) however i found this to be far more difficult and fiddly. Definitely a different skill required.

Anyhow, I thought I would share my first pop. I won't win any awards but was fairy pleased with it for a first attempt.

Taken with my StellaLyra 8" Cassegrain and ZWO224MC. I just used the ASI suite to capture the video but for my next session I will trial different applications.

Regards,

Jonny

11 hours ago, Shimrod said:

My suggestion would be to use the ASI224 and guidescope mounted to your OTA to perform the polar alignment, and then transfer the camera to the main tube afterwards. Given most planetary imaging seems to be done via video, you can probably get away with a less than accurate PA as long as you can keep the planet in frame for a reasonable period of time. Alignment can be fixed when you stack.

I'm sure someone will be along with a much better suggestion shortly!

Thanks Shimrod,

Possibly a stupid question, but once PA'd - would you then platesolve to said planet and then switch the 224 to the OTA? I assume it would then be a case of manually tracking the planet?

Or do folk usually guide?

7 hours ago, michael8554 said:

I would use SharpCap to capture the video.

Focus on a star.

For the short duration of the video I don't think you need more than a rough PA.

Pointing the scope to get the planet onto a tiny sensor at high FL is the hardest part.

Michael

Yes that is what I really struggled with - I just couldn't get either Jupiter or Saturn into the FOV. I even tried switching to an EP, locating and quickly changing to the 224 but just kept missing them 😆

Hi all,

I hope you can give me some pointers regarding imaging planets.

A bit of background - I have been imaging nebula and galaxies for about 1 year now (I'm still not very good at it 😆) and thought I would try to capture Jupiter and Saturn last night.

My current equipment and what i tried to use last night are as follows:

StellaLyra  8" f/12 Classic Cassegrain, ZWO224MC & ASIAir Pro, all on a SW AZ EQ6 Pro mount.

I quickly realised that imaging planets are a different skill entirely to galaxies and the likes..... Firstly I couldn't PA using the Airpro (to be honest I was expecting this given the scopes FL along with the 224). So I tried to locate the planets manually but just couldn't keep them in the FOV whilst faffing around to get focus etc...

As a last resort I tried to use video mode on the AirPro but just got a black empty screen. I was naively expecting to see a 'live view' but this didn't seem to be the case.  After about 1.5 hours I have up and just enjoyed a visual session.

Soooo.....what do I do? I have access to a laptop so I can setup using a different software if that would help. But are you supposed to PA to track the planets or do you manually locate and skew, shoot and hope for the best? ☺️

Regards,

Jonny

Thank you,

I thought so but wanted to check

On 26/08/2021 at 08:30, doublevodka said:

What about something like this? https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-mount-accessories/skywatcher-pillar-mount-support-for-heq5-eq6-series-mounts.html

Has the wheels and stability and maybe you could put a small shed in the corner of the patio to store it in? Something around this size so you could just wheel the setup to the middle of the patio?

https://www.diy.com/departments/shire-shiplap-wooden-3x2-tool-storage/5060490130323_BQ.prd?storeId=&ds_rl=1272379&ds_rl=1272409&ds_rl=1272379&gclid=CjwKCAjw95yJBhAgEiwAmRrutB13DgX5cnGHeAMkhFQcRPG6CvivskNwiPvbq6wSZH6gtdgM-7x2CBoCLQIQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

This looks to be a good contender. I shall further investigate.

Thanks all for your comments so far.

8 minutes ago, symmetal said:

I agree that on their own they do very little in adding friction. I put some leather washers between the bolt washer and the mount face which do add some significant extra friction. I got them from ebay for very little for a pack of 10 so have 8 left over. They are a bit oversize in overall diameter but were what came needing a 12mm centre hole. They've been on there for about 5 years so far and as it's permanently on a pier they don't get turned much, as the spider testifies. 😁

Alan

Hi Alan,

That's interesting. Did you add those due to a near miss or was it purely on the basis of adding a bit of extra friction due to there being none.....as per this thread? 

32 minutes ago, chaxastro said:

I agree with Ouroborus. There is a risk of the mount moving in altitude, especially if your equipment set-up is nearing the mounts payload capacity.

And if you were to try adjusting the latitude, without slackening the locking knobs, you'll likely strip the threads off the adjusting bolt...

And which point, you will find yourself in 'the brown stuff!' 😞

Chaxastro

"Humour is reason gone mad" Grouch Marx

 

Thanks Chaxastro,

When you say adjusting bolt I assume you mean the latitude jackscrew? Or do you mean the adjustment bolts for the fork tightening knobs?