Clarkey

For 1 hour that's a pretty good result. Filters won't really help with the colour, that's more of a processing issue.

12 hours ago, Robculm said:

Regarding the mount, I hadn't really considered the EQ6-R as although it's belt drive (and I've already belt modded my HEQ5 pro) & higher load capacity, I assumed it would still have the poor worm gear issues of the HEQ5 pro? Is it really a significant upgrade, in comparisson to something like the iOptron GEM45 (which for sure is somewhat more expensive).

I have an AZ-EQ6 and as well as the weight capacity, the quality is all round better. The guiding is typically twice as good as the heq5 and it is more forgiving of slight imbalances. I can't comment on iOptron as I have no experience.

With regards the scope I would have to agree with Alacant. Get your 200PDS fully optimised and you won't see the difference to the other scopes. Get a good focuser (personally I rate the Baader Steeltrack very highly) and carry out the other suggestions as above and you won't be disappointed.

I do keep thinking of cloud storage in case the NAS even gives up the ghost. Amazon photos claim unlimited storage - would this count for hundreds of subs I wonder?

47 minutes ago, alacant said:

we're more dependent upon the state of the atmosphere than on the quality of the optics

Definitely. I was imaging last night - my first galaxy of the year. The seeing was pretty awful, but I don't have enough clear nights to miss out. With hindsight something more wide field would have worked better. Results this morning were disappointing at best.🙁

Having said this, quality optics and excellent seeing cannot be beaten. However, I think I get excellent seeing about once per year so I would never be able to justify the cost. Start saving for my spot on a Chilean mountain......

10 hours ago, dazzystar said:

Are the pots on the motor controllers varying the voltage to the heater?

They don't vary the voltage but pulse power to them for more or less of time. For low power dew heaters you can just have on or off, but this gives a bit more control

8 hours ago, AKB said:

I’ll get there in the end, but I do think that nearly 100kg of kit swinging around is something of which to be at least a little wary

Ok. Fair point. Not quite as simple as a single scope.

6 hours ago, AKB said:

from early evening to meridian flip, which I bottled.

I find this really interesting. You are not alone in being wary of meridian flips but I never understand why. I leave my rig overnight in the garden (secure and with rain alarms) and allow it to auto flip. Never really give it a second thought. I need my sleep😀.

Nice image though. A bit more integration time would really give it some depth.

On 24/01/2022 at 14:38, martinclayden said:

explains the poor fit

I think the Canon cameras do vary from model to model slightly.

The Stellamira and Redcat have quite different FL's so you need to consider how widefield you want to go. I have the StellaMira and it is an excellent scope but I think both are pretty good choices (as is the GT81 above). You will need the FF for the Stella, but it would still squeeze into your budget.

1 hour ago, geeklee said:

shining nice and bright earlier in processing

Yes. I probably did the star reduction a bit late in the processing. I was debating whether or not to reduce them at all as they were not too intrusive originally. This way does highlight the nebula quite well, but potentially loosing the 'natural' look.

1 hour ago, geeklee said:

There's some coloured edges

Agreed. I think this was a combination of the late removal and some tilt in the camera. Also, the ZWO filters giving a bit of blue bloat. I should go back and process it out when time permits.

The PWM are variable power for dew heaters.

17 minutes ago, dazzystar said:

Where and what model number are the PWM dew heater modules

The are the ones I used this time but there are plenty to choose from:

Gebildet 3pcs DC 5V-35V 5A Mini DC Motor PWM Speed Controller, 6V 12V 24V Variable Voltage Regulator Dimmer Governor Switching Build with LED Indicator : Amazon.co.uk: Business, Industry & Science

On 04/02/2022 at 08:52, Adam1234 said:

I've now got pane 2 of what is to be a 4 pane mosaic of the Heart Nebula IC 1805.

That's a cracking image. Great detail and 3D effect. Can't wait to see the finished mosaic (whenever that might be - next weather window due in April I think!!)

Circuit diagram!!??🤣 Sorry - I wouldn't have a clue! Here are some pictures - as I said no award for neatness. Basically all the bits are from ebay / amazon. Standard RCA sockets for the dew heaters, 12V usb sockets, 5A PWM circuit boards and 5.5mm x 2.1mm. They are all fed directly from a 12V DC cigarette plug via the quick connector boxes as it is a bit easier than soldering them all. The box is an external junction box. (I can send you the amazon links if you want)

I have not tried the 5A PWM yet - previously I used 10A units, so I don't know about reliability of these yet. The 10A have built in heat sinks which are missing from these. However, as I am rarely drawing more than 1 amp they should be OK.

There probably should be some more fusing built in other than the 10A fuse on the feed, but that is a personal think. Any short on the 12V outputs will instantly blow the main fuse and the PWM will blow above 5A (or a short) so I am willing to take the risk.

As I am running on a 13.8V regulated supply the voltage drop on the 0.75mm2 cable is not an issue. If running from a battery supply you probably want to use a 1.5mm core on the main supply cable so the voltage drop is not too much.

Hope this helps.

I'm sure there will be more expert electricians on a bit pointing out all the defects! But I have made a couple of these and not had any problems (yet).

I decided to have a crack at the Crab Nebula in narrowband using an RC8 with and ASI1600mm pro. The conditions were pretty awful (windy) and trying to guide near the zenith did not help. Probably the worst guiding graph I have seen - looked like the Himalaya's!

In total about 5 hours SHO binned 2x2 out of a total of something like 8 hours of subs. I would like to get some more (better) data to add to this as the detail is still missing.

Processed in APP and Affinity. Critical comment welcome as always.

As stated above. Given you are not guiding this is a pretty good result. At this sort of FL you are bound to get some drift even at the pixel scale you are using.

Clearly you do not understand DIY. Wrong tools and materials used to botch something together that is vaguely fit for purpose🤣

What you have made is a work of art to be proud of. I am suitably impressed and jealous of your skills.

I don't have plans but I have just built my owner 'powerbox'. Nothing too fancy, 4 12v outputs, 4 USB 5v outputs an two variable dew heater outputs, all from a 12v supply 10A total. In theory it could be customized to suit. Probably cost about £50. Yes, its slightly bigger and less elegant than a Pegasus, but I'm tight😄

Happy to share photos. (Sparkys look away)

I can only agree with the above. Tracker mount is the way to go.

Glad to see your scope is still serviceable after your mishap. Image has come out well.

Great image with some really nice detail. Puts my recent attempt to shame!🙁

I'm not going to argue with Vlaiv on any technical aspects - with my brains it would be foolish at best😁

However, in defence of the astronomy tools website, as a non-expert I have found it a useful source of information. Yes, I take the guidance with some scepticism, but it is still useful for me. Not least the field of view is useful for comparing scopes and cameras.

In terms of CCD suitability, work out the pixel scale and make your own judgement. After all, it is only a guide.

Just to add  comment regarding the HEQ5. Mine is fine for awhile then suddenly developed excessive backlash. Never really worked out why. Every so often I need to tweak the worm meshing slightly and it resolves until next time. Last time it happened I was imaging near the zenith and the guiding was appalling. Fortunately the cloud came and spoiled the session anyway!

I would also point out that a 200p on an heq5 for imaging is pushing the weight limits a bit.

1 hour ago, ollypenrice said:

I also try not to post outside my competence.

Might as well remove my profile now.....

If it is similar to the straight through finders you should be able to move the crosshair. If you unscrew the "eyepiece" end of the finder you will see there is a small ring holding the X. If you carefully loosen this you should be able to move the crosshair to where you want it.

Here is a link to repair, but it shows how to remove the X.