Seelive

Do they still produce large format paper maps these days? I still use my Norton's sky atlas (epoch 1950), Tirions Sky Atlas 2000 and Tirion et al Uranometria 2000, and although I still like flicking through the pages, I normally end up using one of the numerous free PC planetarium software packages.

Before you try to use it in anger, just make sure that when you unplug the converter and then plug it back in again the driver still works and Win10 doesn't put you back in the starting block.

So you can't use an ethernet cable with a NEQ6. If you get the version number displayed on the handset then at least it's getting power from the mount. Normally if the handset can't communicate with the mount it automatically comes up with an error message. Have you possibly got a 'sticky' ENTER key on the handset that's preventing you from progressing?

Ok, can you still control your mount from your PC? If yes, then it would suggest a handset or interconnecting cable fault. More than likely it will be a bad connection on the handset to mount cable. If it's an RJ45 to RJ45 cable try swapping it with a standard ethernet cable (if you have one) to see if that works.

Have you ever used the handset with the mount before? If you have then I don't see any use in updating the handset firmware unless you have possibly updated the motor contoller firmware since last using it. To connect the older non-USB handset to the PC you'll need a USB to RS232 converter to connect with the supplied handset cable. Go for a FTDI chip-set version - they are normally a lot less problematic than the Prolific chip-set versions. You'll probably also need to download the software update installer from the Skywatcher website here: http://skywatcher.com/download/software/

It's not flipped, it's just rotated.

It's all about manufacturing tolerances and touch-time thereby maximising profit and undercutting the competition.

If it shows up in 'other devices' rather than a COM port it suggests to me that it hasn't found a suitable driver for it, which then suggests that the latest Prolific driver won't work with it.

So when you plug it in, does windows issue the usual 'bleep' when new hardware is detected?

With a quick search I came up with this: https://www.totalcardiagnostics.com/support/Knowledgebase/Article/View/92/20/prolific-usb-to-serial-fix-official-solution-to-code-10-error I haven't scrutinised the article so take no responsibility for it's applicability or authenticity but it may give you a way forward?

I'm sure there's been other threads on here about problems with USB to serial converters using 'cloned' Prolific chips. I use FTDI versions, Win10 just installs them without the need to download a driver. However all should not be lost, if you don't get an answer on here then an internet search may provide a solution rather than resorting to buying a genuine device.

Agreed, just like an eq mount you have 2 (at least) unknowns so you need at least 2 measurements to solve the equations.

The important point their is that the mount must be exactly level for it to correctly succeed. Alignment would still need to be carried out if it isn't (not that different from an eq mount and polar alignment really, just that most spirit levels are designed to be used on horizontal or vertical surfaces).

That's a beautiful example of positive feedback - all OK until the first correction is made and then all hell breaks loose. Definitely a need for recalibration. (And I suppose it's a testimony to your belt drive mod that it's now a nearly perfect sinewave!)

I'm not sure if there are any equations that will automatically create the desired movements. To correct for a misaligned mount you would need to know the tracking error for an object at the field centre, then knowing that, the field rotation required can be calculated. But if the measured tracking error is not taken at the field centre then the tracking measurement error will also be affected by the field rotation. I'm sure it is possible to solve by iterative methods - but it's Boxing day and the bottle of wine has already been mostly consumed!

You don't say how dark your sky is. If you suffer from light pollution (bortle 5+ ?) then at non-tropical night time temperatures the background sky noise is more than likely to be higher that the noise introduced by most modern DSLRs so darks won't add any real value.

The Synscan software needs to know your geographical location, the time and the date so that it can calculate the position of Polaris relative to true celestial pole and provide the information necessary to allow you to correctly align the mount using the polar scope (providing that the graticule has been correctly aligned to the mount to start with).

I've been searching for my old Charles Frank 1-1/4" RAS threaded 1/2" Ramsden eyepiece that I bought to use with my first newt (4" f8) but I suspect it went in the bin years ago.

Just out of interest, where did you purchase yours? When I bought mine they seemed to be as rare as rocking horse s**t, I finally got them through Beacon Hill Telescopes in Cleethorpes. And are they sat on a copy of Tirion's Sky Atlas 2000? Looks like my 1982 edition

My Clave Plossl collection from the early 80's:

Depends upon what you're imaging and how big the target is relative to the overall image size, but it's best to orient the camera so as to get as much of the chosen target as possible. Although an image can always be rotated during post processing, you can loose a lot of the available imaging area when you subsequently crop.

Yes, for Burnley, West is correct (use the UP/DOWN buttons to select E or W), and the longitude is also required in degrees and minutes.

For the longitude you need select East or West, not + or -. For the latitude, it's in degrees and minutes not decimal degrees.

I remember the days when decent scopes were actually manufactured in the UK. If this goes on, could their be an opening in the market?

35 x 180 sec at F5.6, ISO1600 in a Bortle 5 to 6 sky, no filter.