EQ6 goto upgrade advice

[Kanon]

I have gave up star hopping on my EQ6 and decided that I should upgrade to a goto. I got fed up trying to find an object remove the eyepiece fit the camera focus and find the object again. My plan was to piggyback my 80ed onto my dx 250 and set the 250 up for imaging and use the 80ed for manual/auto guiding or visa versa if I wanted to. I still need to resolve an issue I had with the orion optics dx 250 dovetail plate poorly fitting the EQ6 mount. I have a replacement plate but I need to mount the rings on to it but thats another post.

Anyway my EQ6 has an AWR system 5 drive fitted to it which is good but it isn't goto. So I have been doing some research on the net on the various goto options for EQ6's. I have considered the skyscan upgrade but I have read some mixed reviews all agree that you go get your bang for your buck with it. Unfortunately I am one of those people start with a budget then think 'if I spend £450 on an upgrade I will end up wishing I had spent more on a better goto system' and so the budget increases.

I came to the conclusion that I should buy this motor and pulley set http://www.micgiga.com/products/details.php?product_id=3 As there is less in the way of gearing so backlash should be minimal. The motors are Sanyo Denki which are allegedly quite good. For a handset I am not fussed on how it looks just on functionality and I like the sound of a PowerFlex MTS-3SDI Aluminium-blue with the display and catalogue. I stumbled across this website http://arnholm.org/astro/tracking/ and wondered if the results would be as good on my EQ6.

Total cost would be just under £700. I'm not sure if I should spend the money now or wait until later in the year when the dark nights are back.

Could I have some advice please? Does anyone have any experience with any of this kit? I know I could buy a second hand EQ6 pro with Skyscan already fitted for that price but I don't believe that the tracking would be as good.

Thanks in advance for any advice given,

Mark

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

If you intend to use a guide scope, the mount errors will be cancelled out, so you don't need to be as picky as you might think. An unguided mount will always be worse than a guided one (assuming same mount but different drive options) so I think the Skyscan/Synscan (they changed the name, its the same kit) would be as good as the more exotic options, if you are autoguiding.

I have the EQ6 goto system and use autoguiding, I don't have any issues with it being inaccurate.

I'd say go for the cheaper option, use the cash to buy a guide webcam.

Captain Chaos

[Kanon]

I do intend to buy a Watec 120n at some stage but don't know if it would be best to put the money towards that rather than a dedicated guider. My Toucam could easily be modded for long exposure as well. I know I can autoguide using the 120n with a capture device plugged in to my laptop and a guide port interface such as the one from shoestring astronomy, which I already have. What I don't know is would this arrangement be just as good as dedicated autoguider that plugs straight into the guide port?

Cheers,

Mark

[GazOC]

Nice avatar BTW Mark. Did you take the image?

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

Autoguiding needs nothing more fancy than a standard Toucam. Modified (B&W) ones generally have bigger pixels and are less accurate because of this. The shoestring stuff works well with K3CCD tools and can guide the EQ6 well.

I tend to go the budget route wherever possible, so I use a cheap 500mm f/8 camera lens with a Toucam for guiding the EQ6 (and HEQ5). It works fine.

Captain Chaos

[Kanon]

Nice avatar BTW Mark. Did you take the image?

Thanks

I took that through my dx-200 with the canon then processed in photoshop. I didnt get the focus right as I couldnt make it out from the display on the back of the camera so I've starting to use DSLR focus now.

http://www.mark1b.aquiss.com/IMG_2248_filtered_final%20(2628%20x%201752).jpg

[FLO]

I don't know anything about the alternative drives/controllers but I have noticed that using third-party components does make the mount difficult to sell on, should you want to.

[orion f6.3]

just fitted the EQ6 upgrade kit (last night) took no more than a hour! then half hour to learn how to use it review soon