the Kson eklipse advanced goto mount

[garethmob]

I thought I’d post my first "light" and review as well as unboxing of the mount as there doesn’t seem to be many of these in the wild

As you know i posted a week ago about any one used them but no one had, so i thought I’d give it a go and the only review i read seemed really promising... i was looking at it like this

my skywatcher EQ 3-2 synscan mount, almost everyone has a skywatcher and the goto seems to work, like a lot of people have had problems with the goto, the polar alignment, the set up (i find its 15 - 20 minutes) and after seeing kev 102 42's mount the other night at how easy it was to set up i was intrigued.

I’d added below pictures of the "unboxing" the whole thing comes in a very nice and well protected bag, there’s plenty of foam all through it (top bottom and all sides) and has a very strong set of zips to close it up

As u can see there are multiple ports on the mount.

Power switch

Power light (in red, and it’s not bright either)

The power plug

Usb plug for hand box

Usb plug for "updating"

altogether it came with:

polar scope (need to get a new battery but as a through scope it showed Polaris fine (I’ll update this when I’ve put new battery into it)

AC adapter very useful as i was planning on getting it, in this picture i set it up on a work service to test how it got on

hand controller , very nice I’d say a cross between the Meade and the skywatcher, it comes with blue led (u can dim the screen and key light though )(read in instruction manual that u can change it but i haven’t yet) nice buttons, the screen is very clear, it shows 2 lines at a time, and only information you need to know (i found the skywatcher showed stuff i didn’t want to know)

It also came with a usb - usb cable for "updating" the mount software, hopefully it might work as a similar "eqmod" like thing as well

There is also a pouch to put the hand box in when attached to a tripod. I haven’t got a tripod yet for it so it will be staying in the box, it also came with a hex screwdriver to attach the wedge to the mount.

next the 2 weights

Very interesting and "modern" shape i actually quite like them, as their very different, the manual says there 3kg but I’ll do a more accurate weighing soon. The toe protector also appears to be a weight as well (might be useful when imaging just with the DSLR) there are little pieces of thin metal under the screws to push the weights to stop them moving, very good design but i can see losing them in the dark fairly easy.

the wedge

This i was very surprised at; it’s very well built and designed for. the scale for the latitude goes up n ones, you twist the left knob, and move the right till the line matches the number (i have it set at 52) it also has a clip where the polar scope goes into and it out of the way so it doesn’t hit anything when movement of a scope.

It also folds into the wedge when not in use

In the pictures the wedge shows "levelling" feet, mine didn’t come with it but it should be easy to source

The mount bolts onto the wedge by 3 hex screws and it feels very solid. It also has a sprite level on board in red (easer to see i found in LP light) it seemed a lot better than the one on the eq3-2.

the mount its self

It is an alt AZ mount but on a wedge it works as an EQ, (there is even a control in the handbox's setting to switch between EQ and alt az. undoing the screws (clutches??) the mount moves freely in both axes very smoothly. It accepts a skywatcher (vixen) (and any standard) dovetail and is secured in place by 2 screws

First turning on :

handbox lit up and told me what it was/made by and then the usual "don’t point at the sun message", pressing ok goes to a message "align now" which goes to a enter date (American but does have M,D and Y initials to help so i inputted 09M01D2011Y. (Rather incredibly every further time it went on it has kept the date (2nd) so i haven’t had to change it

Same as the time 01:45pm and every sequential use its kept time so no need to change

Next the location (i haven’t delved too deep so i put it as the closest to me which was Bristol (no Cardiff )

For alignment it gives 2 options, one an auto alignment, and advanced user

(I used auto but advanced user is what i can describe as the usual way with the skywatcher, you pick a star and align)

The auto seemed far more impressive and a lot easier. As i first tested in the day i was very surprised what it asked me to use. For auto to work you align the arrows on the mount and the bar where the telescope is attached, then you click ok on the box. As it was daytime it picked up the best object to use was.... the sun! It gave another message (don’t point at the sun) and then the altaz co-ords of where the sun is. The box then tells you to point the scope EAST (remembering to point the wedge north), quite incredibly the sun was basically smack on, in a 25mm eyepiece on the Coronado. The mount then continued to track.

I had to go to work so i left it till the evening

Remembering i don’t have a tripod currently i rested the scope on a table

Stargazers Lounge - garethmob's Album: review of kson mount - Picture (took this this morning but its how i had it last night with polar scope attached).

placed table in the garden using my uncles iPhone as a compass set the wedge to north, and aligned with Polaris (as no battery’s i set it to the approx. middle of the scope) and attached my camera (dovetail) (as lack of tripod i couldn’t attach a scope due to lack of "space"

Plugged it into my powerpack and switched on, the date had stayed, and the time so no change needed. I went through alignment (wedge to north, scope/camera pointing east) obviously with my camera it was basic east especially as the camera was at an angle to the dovetail. But pointed lens east, and it aligned to the brightest object...... Jupiter, this is where i had a WOW moment, when i looked through the view finder Jupiter was about 2degrees off centre!!! Perfect got it to where i thought centre was on the viewfinder, and went searching on my uncles iPhone (I’m glad i installed it to it) skysafari! Tonight’s best showed Andromeda, so i thought, why not set it to goto and away it went. As i didn’t have a scope attached i had to "trust" it set the 300d up for 3X2 min shots

the mount by the way is very quiet, even when slewing a lot more middle of the night neighbour safe, and tracking is effectively inaudible

After taking the pictures here’s one of the frames

58mm lens

I was very pleased with that (Andromeda being effectively in the centre of the image)

I then had it go off on M45 again found it perfectly! Brought it in did darks and flats

I will say to conclude the review, that this is a fantastic mount, and a lot better than the skywatcher eq2/3 a lot eaiser to set up and perfect for imaging!! i'm extreamly surprised these arnt more popular

If it’s clear tonight i'm going to try Andromeda again perhaps even m101!!

Hope you have enjoyed the review

Gaz

[Psychobilly]

I bought 6 of these in a liquidation auction. Unfortunately there were less tripods than mounts and they had been widely seperated in the auction catalog but I got all of them as well (3). I got rid of a few straight after to people who missed them in the "chaos" split the remainder with Kev we had one tripod each...

I Still haven't got round to using the ones I kept in "anger"... or making a tripod adaptor for the mount which doesn't have one...

I only bought them for mounting DSLR's

Peter...

[garethmob]

I had this one off kev Peter it's a really really good mount! I might give my 102st a go but for now I think it's my imaging rig till I gets a tripod. I emailed kson and the us seller smartastronomy hopefully I might be able to buy one off them. But in the pics u can see I got a cracking image from it sitting on a little bamboo table.

[Psychobilly]

I had this one off kev Peter it's a really really good mount! I might give my 102st a go but for now I think it's my imaging rig till I gets a tripod. I emailed kson and the us seller smartastronomy hopefully I might be able to buy one off them. But in the pics u can see I got a cracking image from it sitting on a little bamboo table.

Yeah he told me he was selling you one... it was a pity there were 6 mounts and only 3 tripods... Designing the Adaptor has been on my to-do list for ages...

[garethmob]

heres the image above cleaned up...... how center it is from my rough allignment in the camera viewfinder

if you got 5 mins would you be able to take a close up shot of the tripod you have please peter, i know some one who can build anything and everything (burger vans - horse vans - flame throwers, foam cannons, converting cars to gas ect) so if i know all the dimentions ect i might be able to get one

[Psychobilly]

Yep I'll take some pics for you when I get home in an hour or so...

[garethmob]

theres no rush peter it seems to like the table at present thanks very much though! the tracking i found was far far better than the eq3-2 i got star trailing in a 30second shot on the eq3-2, that andromedia was 2 minuits and the only thing that was a let down was my focus

[kev 102 42]

Nice one Gaz glad you like it, tidy pic of andromedia too......................kev

[Psychobilly]

Here we go... Its quite a neat setup with the Levelling adjusters but you could do away with those and jsut use the adjustment in the tripod legs

Details of the AZ adjustment peg for the wedge

Peter...

[david61]

Hi Guys will the mount work with low latitude like 8 to 10

and can you autoguide it and use the sky six with it

has it got ascom driver etc

im looking for a light weight mount for imaging and will take 6kg load

thanks for any advice

Regards

David

[garethmob]

hello david

just checked mine, it only goes as far as latitude 15 but there is other models

(check out the alibaba page for kson optics), there isnt a autoguiding port unfortunatly, but on the next model up i think they may offer it (not too sure though) i havent got sky 6 unfortunatly, and im not too sure about the ascom,

it does state it takes 8kgs or 6 for imaging.

[kev 102 42]

Dose the polar scope take batteries Gaz?..................................kev

[garethmob]

yes it does. It looks very much like the ones in the red dot finder. The off part of the dial on top is 0 matching up with a white dot on one of the sides. I'm not sure what the other 2 dials do yet tho. Gonna try it tomorrow see what happens

[Psychobilly]

Don't touch the other two... the "polarscope" is just a RDF/riflescope so they would move the dot...

[garethmob]

ahhh i wondered what they did thanks peter!

[Gonzo]

nice mount, must forward link to the wife.... hint hint Christmas present...

edit,

if I can find a link for price....

[Psychobilly]

I am not sure if anyone is importing these into the UK anymore... the ones talked about in this thread basically all came ftom a liquidation auction...

Peter...

[GJBC]

nice mount, must forward link to the wife.... hint hint Christmas present...

edit,

if I can find a link for price....

EKcentrik Wedge EQ Equatorial Mount GOTO KSON

Give you an indication of the cost, Though Pete is right, cant find anyone in the UK selling them now. unless it is second hand

[GJBC]

Hi Guys re the mount

can you answer a quick queery

does the dovetail which holds the scope turn maually by undoing the knob or does it need driving by the handcontroler on the mount you have

the azameth bearing turns freely by unding the knob or when tight by the hand controler

but the alt does not turn unless driven is that the same on yours i have tried undoing the knob but it does not allow free rotation for ballancing of the scope . have you found the same

[garethmob]

He dovetail holder does rotate free by a screw like thing. Same for the other. I'll take some pics later if tappatalk let's me.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[barryinaustin]

Hi,

I've been looking for a relatively nice, affordable go-to GEM to add to my setup, and this sounds like a decent mount. Would you happen to know if the person you bought the mount from still has any available? (and if not potential places to look...) I'm interested in the mount/wedge only, as I have a pier that I'm planning on mounting it on.

Thanks in advance for any and all information you can send my way!

Best regards,

Barry Johnson

Austin, TX

[Psychobilly]

Hi Barry,

I haven't been able to find any info on a Kson distributor in the US .. They used to have a distributor in Canada but cant find a current website.. the domain they used to use is available again.. A goggle search brings up distributors in Mainland Europe and Australia

Kson sell to potential distributors via Alibaba.com

GOTO Mount Telescope direct from

The mount can't be guided and while we were able to track down the user manual online thats all we could find...we ahvent been able to track down any drivers for computer control of the mount...

Regards,

Peter...

[barryinaustin]

Thanks Peter,

Very much appreciate the info! I think I'm OK without guiding for now, so long as I can get exposures of couple minutes I'd probably be happy. It would have to be an improvement over my home made, motorized barn door tracker I've been using up till now..

I've actually found a used mount here in the US for $450 so I may look at that route..

I take it that, other than the inability to guide the mount, you've been happy with the performance?

Thanks again for the help!

Barry J.

[Psychobilly]

I haven't used them at all... I have a selection of other mounts here so they live under my desk in work...

Peter...

[garethmob]

Iv used mine a lot and I do really like it but I would say its not totally for scopes. I wouldn't want to put anything bigger than either a 102st or megrez 72 on it. Directly putting dslr is great but you do have to trust its computer cos once it's started u can't manually adjust anything unless you want to start allignment again. I haven't got my eq3-2 working really to compare the two but I would say build quality the kson dose seem better. But just bewarned as Peter said no computer control (even tho it advertised) a company that not many places stock, so no support.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk