Newforestgimp

Nice !, Is that a GEM45 with Asiair ? If it is any advice on guide settings ? if it isn’t, what aggressiveness settings in your guiding S/ware ? regards Andy

Hi All, im searching for, without much success, a 12v 5.5x2.1 male input to canon DSLR dummy battery ? I already have a mains supply coupler and a USB coupler but ideally I’d like one with standard dc plug input with the necessary step down to 7v for DSLR. Anyone found something that provides a really neat solution to powering their DSLR ? regards Andy

Nina is actually quite straightforward to use with a few caveats that you know all your focal lengths, pixel counts etc etc. As I say I really liked NINA it really was just the guiding integration wasnt great when I used NINA, and as you say I would revert to APT and be up and running in 10 mins no dramas.

Yes, have to agree Nina support is really good 👍

I really like APT, paid up user and all…. I planned to still use it at home base but I’ve had a taste of wireless and I LIKE IT !! If I was more of a software installation guru id definitely go the mini pc/RPi route and use RDP from tablet or smartphone and use any application. Maybe I will one day but for now Asiair will do me for now.

I had a love/hate relationship with NINA, I really wanted to use it as the features and set up were perfect. what I hated was the guiding integration on auto run, now I’m 100% sure it was operator error (it always is) but most of the suggestions I got to get around the issue were about starting guiding outside of Nina and then starting the auto run/plan. That indeed worked but that takes the “auto” out of auto run, after losing way too many precious clear night hours experimenting & not imaging I threw in the towel and went back to the safety of APT. I’m sure my response will be responded to saying how you do this and do that, as I say I’m sure it’s 100% user error as I genuinely think NINA is a terrific application, just not for me. I’ve now simplified (because I’m simple) and gone the Asiair path so far with limited use it just WORKS, with limited time window before weather closed in Im up and running fully guided in minutes so far it does enough for me, Just my thoughts and experience. clear skies 👍 Andy

Sorry 😞

Not technically in action but it was the first attachment of my new GEM45 mount to my DIY pier, pleased to say it fits. I can’t believe how a mount so light & compact can handle 20kg payload. Super chuffed !! 🙂😬

Funnily enough ordered a coupler from them last night, I’ll check their other stuff now. thanks

Hi All, does anyone have a website to purchase the many cables we all get through in many varying lengths ? Amazon is my Goto one stop shop, however, it’s always a struggle to get the right sizes and formats filtered and then in suitable lengths, I want to get some really neat cable runs without wrapping cables here there and everywhere. Annnnd, why is the temperature sensor cable for the ZWO EAF so LONNNNGGGGG 🙈 surely it just needs to be a plug in sensor, no cable required or am I missing something ? cheers Andy H

A big boy mount Eek 😬…

Trying out the EAF focuser after installing it yesterday afternoon, it really messed with the balance !! And need to address the cables….again 😂

You do have to be patient, a few weeks, but I planned it well in advance around a time I knew I was going to be busy on other projects. Andy H

Just thought I’d write a short review in case anyone contemplating getting their mount tuned by Darkframe don’t contemplate just do it. Mine is a modest EQM-35 pro mount with WOZS61 with auto guiding and DSLR, even so I couldn’t get much better than about 1.5sec guiding sometimes much much worse. Darkframe did a Stella drive update for me and I can now use pretty much all of the payload for imaging and the guiding results speak for themselves consistently 0.7sec and below. I couldn’t believe I was seeing 0.32 consistently took screen shot and it was actually even better. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Regards Andy H

Very neat 👍👍

Cheers I’ll add it to the list 👍

Hi All, im in the process of updating & upgrading to two rigs, a pier based stay at home and a more portable rig. I currently use an SVBONY 50mm x 190mm FL and it works well enough although it’s my first and only guide scope so I have no comparison so it could be garbage ? Main thing is it’s BIG so i will move this to the pier. so I’m after something lighter to pair with my WO ZS61 & EQM-35 that is lightweight but most of all reliable. I’ve looked at the WO 32mm uniguide, too small ? The WO 50mm uniguide, too heavy ? I don’t know. anybody have any experience with these ? Or even better anyone ditched them for something better ? it will be paired with an ASI120MM. thanks in advance Andy H

If I get a clear window tonight I will try again, I do use 10sec for plate solving generally. But I couldn’t make out stars very well myself so kind of knew it was going to fail.

All seemed ok on a daytime shot, in the evening I was using APT to view and set up, used the focus aids within APT on live view and and it seemed ok. Went to then plate solve and it couldn’t resolve the images ?? it’s a 2nd hand 550D, I’m wondering if it’s more sensitive to light pollution on an extended exposure ?

Hi All, just wondering what would be a “goto” setting for a modified dslr ? im comfortable with my unmodded camera between iso 800-1600, anywhere up to 3-4 min guided exposures , I have the White Balance set to auto or daylight. But when it comes to my modded camera everything just looks really really noisy ? So much so that on taking test exposures I couldn’t even make out stars or focus correctly ? I fear I may have bought a dud so just wanted to check if there is a basic set of settings I should use to start as baseline. cheers Andy H

No problem it’s all good, fracs being so pricey I want to make sure I don’t end up with something very nice but too restrictive with what I can achieve with it.

My eqm35 has had the Darkframe Ltd Stella drive treatment so sub arc sec guiding should be no issue and I’m assured by Darkframe I can use the full 11kg payload for AP now. Even so I wouldn’t like to run it at its new upper limits for AP.

Invaluable detail again Vlaiv, I think to be honest if I go too much beyond a 90 I’ll be into buying another mount too to cope with the payload demands.

Ooh now that looks promising !! 96mm, good bang for buck.

I’m sure I saw that in the WMD dossier !!