deanchapman2705

I think this is the case. If I put the DEC to the area that it will not track and then set it as home position, it will track fine. So there is no physical damage then as it's software, Phew! In fact, if I unlock the DEC clutch and rotate it so the middle of the working area lines up with the centre of the worm drive, the edges of the "Stops tracking" line up exactly with where it stops tracking (where it thinks the limit is for the meridian flip). So I must have forgotten to set the mount's home position on the hand controller before I started. Just that it was timed so perfectly with me potentially damaging the mount that I thought that was the cause haha. Sorry, I'm still new to this but why is there a limit for the DEC axis though? Surely it would need it for RA axis as that would have helped prevent what happened the other night where the mount hit itself? Is there a way to expand the limit area or even remove it?

Hi everyone, I have had my new setup for a little while now and managed to get my first image with it of the Rosette Nebula a couple of weeks ago! Recently, I was trying to image the Orion nebula but when I used the ASIAIR to slew the mount to M42, it then had a mind of it's own and kept slewing past Orion (which at the time, was right next to meridian position) and before I could find the power switch to the mount in time, the mount ended up hitting itself causing the gears inside to make a horrible grinding noise for at least 2-3 seconds. I'm guessing the syncing of the mount to the ASIAIR didn't quite work perhaps? I powered it back on and put the RA axis back to a safe angle and tried again. It then worked perfectly and even got a couple of exposures with decent guiding before the clouds came across (in fact, even better guiding than before). I tried getting some more exposure time the following night and came across a problem... When the DEC axis rotates to a certain angle, it will beep and turn off the tracking itself. I cannot then turn the tracking back on as it will repeat itself. At this point, I assumed I had damaged the main worm gear inside the RA head as that is what came to a stop and grinded. I took apart the RA section of the mount to see how the gears inside looked and they seemed fine. That's when I realised that the RA gears weren't the problem, it is actually the DEC axis that is damaged somehow (even though it could move freely when the RA axis got stuck). So I took apart the DEC cover instead and the gears looked fine again. Assuming it was the main worm gear, I got a sharpie and drew a line of the area that the tracking does not want to work in (which is shockingly ~220 degrees of the DEC axis). I would slew the DEC axis using the hand controller 360 degrees and it would still fail in the exact same area. So... it must be the main worm gear then right? If it was the small, brass coloured, worm drive below, then it would fail little and often, not throughout a huge angle of the DEC axis as marked. Well apparently not, if I undo the clutch and rotate the worm gear freely (separately to the small worm drive below) to the unmarked area of the main worm gear that would work before, it would then fail (so it would then not correspond with my markings). Then I took off the backplate below which revealed the DEC motor and again, I cannot see anything wrong. The belt feels like it has the right tension. I can't tell if this is the motor that is used for tracking and slewing. I left it tracking for an hour and the belt had not moved at all but I'm not sure if it was too small of a difference to have noticed or not. Are there separate motors? One for tracking, the other (in the picture) for slewing at faster rates? Just weird how only the tracking fails at curtain points but can slew the DEC 360 degrees perfectly fine with no change in noise to hint any straining. Any ideas? Thanks, Dean

I wish, so annoying how I many clear skies I've watched go by, trying to get this setup to work! And of course now it's working, it's forecast to rain for the next 10 days 😂 Thank you all for your help on this, oh and Happy New Year! 🥳🎉 Clear skies, Dean

I have found the problem!! Turns out, it was to do with the dew heater on the guide scope. It was plugged into the 533 and I think it was drawing too much to power. I had the (to be installed) EAF plugged into the AAP but have just swapped them so the EAF is now powered by the 533 and the dew heater is plugged into the AAP. Everything now connects fine, the 533, EAF, 120mm and mount. I am powering the mount with the iOptron brick which then passes through to the AAP which then powers the 533 (so all with one power brick) I do also have a Celestron portable power supply (12v 5a) which I can use to power the AAP separately (or even the entire setup like with the power brick) if I need to but it seems to be running fine now. I can power the entire setup off and on again and unplug and plug the USB cable from the 533 into the AAP and it all works so doesn't seem to be a one-off fix like before with the firmware update which is good just need to let FLO know now 😂

Just tried it and yes it does work fine. Can take exposures and preview them. I feel like it's a driver issue, the fact that the 533 works with my PC suggests it must be what's on the ASIAIR that's causing the problem. I'm going to email FLO tomorrow to return it as faulty.

That will probably be my post from before haha. It was on whether or not to get the ASIAIR and posted the problem in there but thought I'd make a separate topic now it's ongoing. I will try that today, I only had PHD2 on my PC at the time so will install asi studio. If the 533 works fine in asi studio, then I will go through the returning process for the ASIAIR with FLO today. Like I said, if the new one has the same problem, then it must be the 533.

Is there anything I could do when plugging the camera into my PC? Driver updates etc? Yeah I think it's ok. As in, I can plug it into my PC and device manager recognises it as a 533MC and I can connect to it with PHD2 (all I had on my PC) and loop exposures. If there's nothing anyone else can think of, then I'll try returning the ASIAIR as faulty as I thankfully bought it new from FLO. If a new one has the same problem, then it must be the camera which is a bit awkward as I got it second hand. Maybe ZWO would be able to help if that's the case then?

Yes, tried this as well as doing the firmware update with it in USB 2.0 but no difference

I have tried using a Celestron powertank like this - which is 12v although it doesn't help. I am currently plugged into mains like how I did before when it was working. I've just created a ZWO forum here - https://bbs.astronomy-imaging-camera.com/d/15544-asiair-not-showing-camera-in-drop-down Thanks

Hi all - hope you had a lovely Christmas! Tonight is my first clear night in 3 months and probably will be for another 3 months 😂 so I have yet to try out my new setup I bought ironically 3 months ago and will hopefully be able to tonight. It is currently set up outside right now but I have come across a problem with the ASIAIR where it is not picking up on the main camera (ASI533MC-Pro). I had this problem when I first set up the ASIAIR Plus and put it in another ongoing (slightly unrelated) topic so created a new one here. I did solve this before by resetting the firmware back to 9.97 (which is what it arrived with) and then re-installed the latest firmware (10.46) but I have tried this again and it doesn't fix it now... It only picks up on the 120 mini (guide). I can see the 533 powers on as the red light comes on and when I plug the USB cable in, the fan starts spinning. I have tried: - using different USB 3.0 cables from the ASIAIR to the 533 (including the one that it comes with) - unplugging the USB cable multiple times whilst all powered on - having the 533 USB unplugged from the ASIAIR when powering on the ASIAIR and then plugging it in - turned on the power output in the app that the 533 is plugged into and changed the dropdown from "other" to "camera" - only plugging the 533 in without the 120 mini (just shows no option) - plugging the 120 mini into the usb port that the 533 was in and it picks up on the 120 fine so not the port (the 120 is in the usb 2.0 port and the 533 is in the 3.0 port) - Connecting the 533 to a pc using a separate 12v power supply (camera works fine and did once before). - Connect to the asiair using a separate power supply (not through the mount) - the ASIAIR says 12v is going to the camera - plugged the 533 into a USB2 port as well as doing the firmware update but nothing seems to work. Any last minute help would be very appreciated! Thank you! Dean

I FIXED IT!! I reset the firmware back to 9.97 which is what it arrived with and then re-installed the latest firmware (10.46) and it now shows the 533 as an option. How weird... anyway, glad it's working now. Thanks for your help everyone, much appreciated!

The app said 12v was going to the camera Connected just the 533 to my PC and comes up in device manager. Also can loop exposures in PHD2. plugging the power directly from the wall to the 533 (not through the mount) doesn't work. Just tried using the power splitter. So power from the wall to the mount -> from the mount to the splitter -> then from the splitter to the 533 and asiair (separately) and still nothing... I have a feeling this might not be a simple fix then. Looks like the asiair might be at fault?

Yes I did try that as well, only the 533 and then it just detects nothing. Also tried plugging the 120 mini into the usb port that the 533 was in and it picks up on the 120 fine so not the port. The 120 is in the usb 2.0 port and the 533 is in the 3.0 port. The app did an update as soon as it first started so it is currently on the latest firmware - 2.0 (10.46).

Hi all, So something may have arrived... However, I have come across a problem... I should probably create another topic but I'm guessing that I'm being stupid and missing something very obvious as I can't see anyone else having this problem so thought I'd just put this here. Everything powers on fine, WIFI on the ASIAIR works fine and my phone connects perfectly. The mount is connected and I can control the mount fine and the ASI120mm mini connects and I can loop exposures, BUT... The ASIAIR Plus does not pick up on the main cam (ASI533MC-Pro). It did with the mini PC using NINA and used to be able to loop exposures but not the ASIAIR. It only picks up on the 120 mini. I can see the 533 powers on as the red light comes on and when I plug the USB cable in, the fan starts spinning. I have tried: - using different USB 3.0 cables from the ASIAIR to the 533 (including the one that it comes with) - unplugging the USB cable multiple times whilst all powered on - having the 533 USB unplugged from the ASIAIR when powering on the ASIAIR and then plugging it in - turned on the power output in the app that the 533 is plugged into and changed the dropdown from "other" to "camera" but nothing seems to work. I've drawn a diagram to show the wiring that I have done with both how it was with the mini PC and the ASIAIR Plus so hopefully someone can spot if I am doing something wrong (currently not using the EAF). The only real difference is that I am no longer using the "power splitter" (not sure of its actual name) as the ASIAIR has its own power outputs. PS. I can already hear those who said to stick with the mini PC laughing 😂

^ This is a great example, I'm an Apple guy. Yes Apple will make sure only their products will work with their own and will be overpriced (ZWO) but I just like the simplicity and reliability of them. My brother prefers Android as he finds IOS limiting because he is a techie. So I guess what I've found out is that this is more down to personal preference. Generally, those who are more techie and experienced will probably prefer using a PC whereas for beginners who just want to take pictures with ease and are not too bothered with its limitations (like me) are probably better off with the ASIAIR. That's how I see it although others may see it differently. To be honest, after trying to use NINA myself, I admire those who can use it and hopefully one day, I will get to use it to its full potential. That's currently how long it takes for the PC to start up let alone remote into it! It does have an Intel Celeron to be fair 😂 I think this answers my question really. I currently hate the thought of spending an hour stripping the setup apart to take outside, put back together and let it cool down only to then find another problem stopping me from imaging (especially if I've had a bad day at work). A hobby shouldn't be like that, it should be something I look forward to when I get home and feel like the ASIAIR would help with this.

Wow! This is all really helpful! I think everything @powerlord said above is exactly how I see this situation. The fact that I don't seem to be too bothered by the potential downsides you guys have been mentioning of moving to an ASIAIR, I think maybe because I'm not experienced enough to have faced them or understand them yet, I can buy one second hand and keep the PC as a backup for when those negatives do get to me I guess. Just an update on my recent experiences with the PC - long story short, I have been using the previous user's windows account that has NINA all setup and ready to use but I need his windows account password to be able to turn off the password and lock screen when logging in (which I think is a bit too personal to ask for). So I have to connect a monitor, keyboard and mouse to get past this initially to then remote in using TeamViewer on my laptop (after that it's fine). He used Windows 11 Pro on both PC's so they connected easily and didn't have this problem although I don't so only solution would be to log into my Windows account on the telescope PC and set up NINA from scratch... so another reason pushing me to get the ASIAIR. I did manage to get a single frame the other night although it did take nearly an hour and that's not including the EAF and guiding. Yes. it's just my first successful attempt and can only get quicker the more I do this but like I said before, I don't have enough time for this. I have maybe 2hrs a night to image (hence the OSC camera) and half of that was spent setting it up. I understand the ASIAR may not be absolutely perfect and there will be problems but surely nowhere near as many or as complicated compared to what NINA and the PC have been giving me recently. So I think that decides it. I will get the ASIAIR. Sorry to go against what the majority of you have said but like @powerlord said, I will be looking out for a second hand one which will probably be hard to find so in the meantime, please do keep posting your thoughts on this in case there is something we haven't discussed. Again, I wasn't expecting this much help and have learnt a lot from you guys so thank you! Clear skies, Dean

I know exactly what you mean although, to be fair, the only difference from this compared to my other setup is having an EAF and using NINA (and a goto mount I guess, although I've had experience with then in the past so got the hang of it pretty quickly). I think if I were to go for the ASIAIR, I would probably just keep the PC as well, as I don't think it would be worth selling. That way, in the future I could change back to NINA if the ASIAIR does become limiting or if I decide to get a QHY camera. As discussed, I would need to get the ZWO EAF as well so in total it would cost £438 with the cheaper ASIAIR Mini. Not great but I think it would be worth it. I saved a LOT of money buying this setup second hand and if I like the ASIAIR loads more than NINA, then I could even sell the PC to help pay for it. Like I said though, I'll give NINA a few more attempts without the EAF and guiding and will see how it goes.

Thanks all, this is very helpful! I agree with you guys that I should keep on going with NINA as it's already set up to use it. It does seem like a very powerful tool although like @raadoo said... and one of my annoying traits is I tend to give up very quickly when things start to go wrong so this is my worst nightmare. That's why the ASIAIR is very appealing to me with how straightforward and automated it is. That's a great idea. Like I said, I'll stick with NINA for a few more nights so will try this out. This is great, I do feel like ripping everything off and just doing it all manually like with my star tracker setup sometimes! 😂 But like you said, I'll ignore the EAF and maybe even guiding for now and gradually bring them back into the workflow. I know this would help a lot but I have a 2hr commute to London during the week meaning when I get back, I usually start around 9pm which I think is why there's always a time pressure to start imaging ASAP. Funnily enough, I recently joined my local astronomy club and two others who use an ASIAIR said exactly the same thing - also a benefit for what I said above. Thanks, Dean

Hi all, I bought a second hand telescope setup (as pictured below) over a month ago as an upgrade from my portable star tracker setup. The entire setup is controlled via a Beelink mini PC which is attached to the back of the OTA: I have always wanted to upgrade to something just like this but have feared how complicated it would be to use compared to my straightforward start tracker setup. The fact this had a mini PC and an autofocuser was a huge selling point for me, not having to sit outside in the cold whilst trying to figure out how to use it. The previous owner has set it up to use NINA which I have heard great things about although I am struggling to understand how to use it all. Everything connects perfectly, I can control the mount and loop exposures of the 533MC but everything else has been very confusing. I've wasted many clear nights trying to get the focuser to work and also it's backlash compensation, guiding with NINA through PHD2 and have no idea where to start for plate solving/polar alignment. Videos on YouTube have somehow made me even more confused and I'm starting to hate this thing! 😂 I have always liked the idea of having an ASIAIR with it's simplicity, especially for someone like me who has little experience in this hobby, so I'm wondering whether or not I should swap my mini PC for the ASIAIR Plus/Mini. I have a ZWO camera and guide camera but I am aware that I would also need to swap the focuser for ZWO's EAF in order to work with the ASIAIR which I am happy with. So my question is... Should I swap the Beelink PC for an ASIAIR or would it be a massive downgrade... or upgrade even? I'm guessing having a windows PC is more powerful than a Raspberry Pi in terms of what it can do (not sure what though) but I feel like the ASIAIR is the better option for me with its simplicity. What do you guys think I should do? Has anyone had experience of NINA and ASIAIR and prefer one to the other? Setup: TS-Photon 6" F5 iOptron CEM26 ZWO ASI533MC Pro ZWO ASI120MM Mini (guide) Baader Steeltrack Diamond focuser - Deep Sky Dad auto focuser Beelink Mini PC Thanks and clear skies, Dean

Oh dear, I know what’s causing it and it’s rather embarrassing… I haven’t plugged in the RJ cable from the dec port in the mount to the dec port in the dec head. It’s working fine now haha

Similar problem here. I have just bought a CEM26 (used) and when powering on the mount, I get an error message: "Dec board communication failure" I can bypass this message by pressing the menu button but iOptron's software cannot find the mount let alone Nina. Also, when I look at the firmware version on the handset, it shows: Unknown with 8409 HC: 210105 RA: 210105 DEC: 000000

Yeah I think we are haha - so you can have a full frame sensor (1x) with a 600mm FL scope and it would use the whole view of the scope. A 1" sensor (3x) using a 200mm FL scope (or lens in this case) would 'see' (FOV) the same but use a small portion of the lens to look through: Full-frame 24mp @600mm: 1" 6mp @200mm: Full-frame 2.3mp @200mm (cropped in): So I'm talking about comparing the first two whilst you're talking about the last two, if that makes sense? I think... Would I be right in saying that the first one would be best in terms of image scale? But that's not an option with my budget, would need a new mount as well in terms of payload 😂 But I see why everyone is saying the 533 has a better image scale compared to the A7iii now as cropping into the same FOV makes it 2.3mp in this case.

I feel like this is starting to go off topic here but doesn't this require a goto mount? I have a SkyGuider pro so I can't see how I could manually move the mount precisely enough to each coordinate. I guess I could keep plate solving until I get there roughly and that each panel needs to overlap slightly which would allow room for error but seems like a lot of effort. Like you said, I would probably rather shoot with lenses instead if that's the case and sacrifice resolution. I have the Laowa 100mm f/2.8 APO which would be great. Works out to be nearly the same FOV as a 3:2 panel mosaic with the WO Z61 and 0.8x reducer. But obviously only a 3000x2000 image compared to an insane 9000x6000 (minus the overlapping)…

This is all like a foreign language to me - I'll be researching about "pp and RMS this weekend then and hopefully get a better understanding of this. I understand the size of the sensor doesn't actually change the focal length of the scope but I meant it as the equivalent so a full frame sensor (1x crop) would need a scope with a FL of 1,080mm to see the same as a 1" (3x) sensor with a 360mm FL scope. In terms of the FOV being a drawback, I think it might be a benefit for me. With full-frame, the only things that fit well in frame are the Andromeda Galaxy and the North America Nebula with the Pelican etc and I guess some other smaller DSO's with surrounding dust or just cropping in slightly. I have tried the 533 out on a tool I use to calculate the FOV and it seems to be quite useful actually. A lot of things I can't normally reach, I would be able to easily like the Eagle, Cocoon, Crescent, Tulip Nebula etc. But there are a few DSO's that are a bit of an awkward fit like Orion, Horsehead/Flame and Heart/Soul Nebula as you loose some of the surrounding detail especially when cropping it to a 3:2/4:5 ratio. However... William Optics have a 0.8x reducer/flattener designed for the z61 and would solve this problem. It would also make the scope faster (f/5.9 to f/4.7) which I guess would also help make up for the smaller pixel size not being able to take in as much light. Below are comparisons on some DSO's to show how much more reach I can get with a 1" sensor: 533: A7iii: 533: A7iii: 533: 533 0.8x: A7iii: 533: 533 0.8x: A7iii: 533 (5:4): 533 0.8x (5:4): A7iii (3:2): On another note, I found this on Astrobin shot with the 533MC and WO Z61 which is pretty cool (weirdly the resolution of the image is 5604 x 5640 so not sure if they upscaled the image of binned the sensor?) Anyway, I think I'm liking the 533 now and guess it would be good for doing 6 panel mosaics (3x2) that would give me a similar FOV as my Sony even in 3:2 ratio as well. Just need to see how complicated that would be but I'm sure there's forums out there for this.

Ok I'm starting to like the 533 at bit more now 😂 Still, I think I would prefer higher megapixel resolution rather than a better sampling rate although I don't really know much about sampling rates so will look into that. I like the idea of printing some of my images so it may not be high enough resolution for that unless I print small. My worry with a 1" sensor is guiding. I'm used to shooting at 396mm focal length (A7iii has a 1.1x crop) and could maybe get away with 150s images with guiding although shoot 120s to be safe. With a 1" sensor, it has a crop factor of 3x so I would be shooting at roughly 1,080mm. My guiding setup is an asi120mm mini (1/3" chip so 7.21x crop) with a 125mm focal length guide scope so I'm guiding at 901.25mm. Maybe I would benefit from a off axis guider instead in this case or would I be asking too much of the mount? I can't see myself getting anything more than 60s subs. Sounds exciting, they did release a load of planetary cams recently so would make sense to release a new deep sky cam. Whatever camera I would be getting, I would most likely be waiting until there's an offer (winter sale maybe) or if someone sells one cheap for second hand so might see it get released before I end up buying one. Obviously, that's if this is true. They just need to make the 294 but without all the problems.