Mohib

On 04/12/2020 at 00:02, rickwayne said:

That's what I usually resorted to. You can also use timed exposures rather than live view, it's a pain but if you're patient it can work. The spikes get fat and insensitive if you get too bright a star, but that sounds like a problem you wish you had at this point!

For timed exposures, bump the ISO up to something ridiculous (you can do this with LV too if you haven't already tried it. Don't worry, no one EVER forgets to dial the ISO back down. Or to remove the Bahtinov mask...

Thanks. I guess I’ll try to be patient. And maybe find a bright star. 

I am using a Nikon Z6 with William Optics Z61 II and a Radian triad ultra quad band filter. I had a good imaging session with it one night. I focused on the moon and I found that the stars were pretty sharp.   However, during my second imaging session, my stars were a little bloated. Since, WO Z61 II comes with a Bahtinov mask I want to use it, but the problem is I can’t see any stars. Neither in live view nor in the live view mode of APT (which I think is the same). Can someone help me with tips on achieving a good focus with my current setup. Am I missing something? Should I first find a bright star, maybe Polaris, focus and then image my target? 

3 hours ago, TerryMcK said:

The reason it is making that noise is because the voltage of that cell has dropped below 12v since you used it earlier when it probably had more charge. It cannot supply enough power to the mount which needs 12v at 3 Amps minimum when slewing. The voltage needs to be constant and not drop when under load as appears to have happened.

That power source is not suitable and you need a mains(line) power supply that can supply 12v (nominally 13.8v) such as a ham radio/CB regulated power supply. From the link you posted to amazon.com I’m guessing you are not in the UK? The line voltage in the UK is 230v so may well be different in your country. Whatever try to get a power supply which provides the correct voltage/current or has already been mentioned use the supplied cigarette lighter cord that came with the mount and try it out with a car socket.

Thank you. It worked with the car socket. I’ll invest in a proper portable battery soon or get the AC/DC adapter. 

3 hours ago, johngm said:

One of these would do

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/batteries-powerpacks/lynx-astro-12v-dc-5amp-low-noise-mains-power-supply.html

 

Thank you so much for the help. It is working with the car cig port. I’ll invest in a proper portable battery soon but thanks again for all your help. Clear skies!

3 hours ago, Kryptic said:

Just an idea - red led flashes when you try to slew? This suggests low voltage 

 What power source are you using?

 

Thank you so much. I tried with the cig port and it is working. 

1 minute ago, johngm said:

Well spotted, i just noticed that. And that power supply looks nowhere near powerful  enough. 

Mohib, do you have a mains to 12v adaptor laying around you could try ? at least 3Amp

I don’t think I’ve. Is it mains to 12v DC?  Can I try running with the car adapter that it came with?

6 minutes ago, Kryptic said:

Just an idea - red led flashes when you try to slew? This suggests low voltage 

 What power source are you using?

 

Maybe that’s the issue. This is what I’m using. I use this with my lightrack ii

TalentCell Rechargeable 12V 6000mAh/5V 12000mAh DC Output Lithium Ion Battery Pack for LED Strip and CCTV Camera, Portable Li-ion Battery Bank with Charger, Black (Multi-led Indicator) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ME3ZH7C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabt1_PWUTFb1Z30ZVY?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

7 minutes ago, johngm said:

I am trying to establish if its happening on both axis

Just now, johngm said:

It could well be a problem with the motor control board or a software problem. It might be worth trying a factory reset on the hand controller. Did you purchase it New ?

Yes it’s new. 
here’s the video of me just trying it with the hand controller. 
 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14Ne7NRfUWYFdE50mssHk9fyc6sMS7UgN/view?usp=drivesdk

2 minutes ago, johngm said:

Very strange Noise. Have you tried to move it yet with the Up/Down Left/Right large arrow keys ? all i could see you do in the video is slew via the goto function

Forgot to add, I turned on the mount. On the controller I pushed the arrow keys, nothing is happening. Yesterday I was able to select the slew rate but as of now, I’m not able to select. Is there anything I have to do prior to selecting the rate?

1 minute ago, johngm said:

Very strange Noise. Have you tried to move it yet with the Up/Down Left/Right large arrow keys ? all i could see you do in the video is slew via the goto function

Yes I tried that. Nothing happens. Just makes the same sound. 

Just now, johngm said:

Cannot see your video 

I added another link in the comments. It’s a google drive link. 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/19k8sj6oDsp7m9IW0dbM492P7XyPFpVCz
 

this is the video I took of my attempt to slew

1 hour ago, johngm said:

Forgot to add, with the clutches locked, make sure you cannot physically turn the mount by hand. Just place your hand on the counterweight  bar, and gently push on it, see if you can move it. Only need light pressure. If it moves, then your clutches aren't engaging. You can try this before you power it up. Don't push to hard though, because no matter how good the clutches, it will move. 

Yep I made sure they’re locked and it doesn’t slew. Please check the video I posted 

56 minutes ago, johngm said:

Have you tried moving the mount off the hand controller in both RA and DEC  ?

Do you mean manually? Unlocking the clutch then moving in both axis, then yes I’ve. 

6 hours ago, M40 said:

Hello Mohib, if the clutches are locked so you can't reposition the mount by hand and you can hear the mount driving, it could be driving at such a slow speed that you may not notice it. Ramp the speed up using the controller and see what happens. Hope it helps.

I tried with 9 and nothing. Just makes the slewing sound and it doesn’t move. I’ll post a video of soon. 

3 minutes ago, Cornelius Varley said:

Are you using the direction keys on the handset or issuing a go-to command to move the mount?

On the controller I selected No to alignment and then selected the object. Controller says the mount is slewing but nothing happens. I tried directional keys as well. Nothing! It just makes the sound

2 minutes ago, Cornelius Varley said:

Are the clutches in the locked position ?

Yes they are. I tried with unlocked position as well. 

Hi,

i recently got an HEQ5 mount and I tried to set it up today. I powered it and connected the hand controller but when I try to slew it to an object, it just makes the slewing sound but doesn’t do anything. I set up my lat, long etc on the SynScan. Any idea why?