Mesu Musings,

[vdb]

We are pushing Lucas to also offer the scitech controller (http://siderealtechnology.com/) as an option.

It offers full ascom support but moreover has high res encoders for tracking! Which would exclude the need for tracking ...

Can't be wrong that controller if it's used on:

Yves.

[NickK]

We are pushing Lucas to also offer the scitech controller (http://siderealtechnology.com/) as an option.

It offers full ascom support but moreover has high res encoders for tracking! Which would exclude the need for tracking ...

Can't be wrong that controller if it's used on:

http://planewave.com...ge=1&id0=1&id=2

Yves.

Hmm I think you'd need some active optics or post processing to overcome the seeing...

[vdb]

Hmm I think you'd need some active optics or post processing to overcome the seeing...

????

Seeing has nothing to do with tracking and/or unguided subs ... (on the contrary if you guide, seeing could be an extra issue so not having the need for guiding proves my point exactly ...)

AO in amateur world has still not battled seeing, except if you have a very bright guide star and one correct at 10 or 20 Hz/Sec ...

The day we can shoot a laser in the air and track that maybe ... but until then moving to a great location with excellent seeing is our only option.

[ollypenrice]

I agree with Yves. In pirinciple encoder-controlled RA drive can work and eliminate the need for guiding. I hear that the ASA direct drives have at last started to work properly, after much sorting of bugs, though it is only hearsay. Bad seeing means bad guiding. The conventional guiders are all affected by bad seeing whereas an encoder controlled mount with good enough PA is not affected at all - though clearly the final image will be affected even if the tracking might be perfect.

Olly

[ncjunk]

whats the cost difference between this and what the mount comes with? are we looking at just a couple of hundred?

i would like the encoder version but guiding with the slow pe i can live with...

[jjongmans]

It offers full ascom support but moreover has high res encoders for tracking!

The current controller is mostly used on dobsonian setups, that's the reason that the ASCOM driver has no real functionality except goto and position readout. That's quite useless if you want to control your setup with a computer. A better controller (one with a descent ASCOM driver) can unleash the true potential of this mount. At this moment it is a good mount, but if you're used to control your setup with a computer, be prepared to change your workflow standing next to your setup with a couple of handcontrollers... It will work fine, but I'm not changing my way of working because of the mount.

[vdb]

whats the cost difference between this and what the mount comes with? are we looking at just a couple of hundred?

i would like the encoder version but guiding with the slow pe i can live with...

Not a couple of hundred ... you've seen the prices of the Planewave