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alighnment problems

StuartB

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StuartB

StuartB

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Hi everyone. Im new to the forum.

Ive just recently bought a Skywatcher Syscan 127mm makcas scope. Ive tried alighning it using both the alighnment options using a 20mm eyepiece and a 6.3mm eyepiece and i still get the same inaccurate results. Ive entered all the details correctly, lat and long, date(american format) and time to the second, not extended the legs more than 10cm. Ive been quick on the alighnment process (2mins). Ive also levelled the tripod using a spirit level aswell as the one included on the tripod.

Whenever ive done the alighnment i can ask it to go back to the alighnment stars that ive used and i can get them in center of the eyepiece and that is where the accuracy stops. If I ask it to go to any other object it ends up being nowhere near my field of view of a 30mm eyepiece, also when ive asked it to go to any other object other than the alighnment stars it does a massive correction at the end but on the alighnment it doesnt do this.

I think ive tried everything possible so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks Stuart

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valleyman

valleyman

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Ok you seem to have entrerd all the info correctly into the handset. Have you used Daylight saving time. Also make sure your co-ords are North and West or east subject to your location in relation to the Meridian.

Try getting the mount pointing as close as possible to North before switching on the power.

Are you using 8x1.5 batteries , a power pack or direst current via a AC/DC plug.

These mounts are very current critical If you dont have a power Pack try Maplins for a battery starter 5in1 pack.

Never use recharchable 1.5 batteries.

The other thing you can try is to reflash the handset from the skywatcher website.

Maybe someone else will point you in the right direction for doing that as it has been some time since I last did it and can not remember the name of the cable you need to connect the PC to the Handset.

Pat

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JamesF

JamesF

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You do need to be absolutely sure to get the lat/long the right way around, too. That can cause all sorts of problems if it isn't right and as I recall it's not done in the most intuitive way. Can't say that's definitely the problem, but it's worth checking.

James

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valleyman

valleyman

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The cable you need to connect with the cable that came with the scope for using remote PC control is a USB to RS232 9 pin

here is the link to the AZ mount update. http://www.skywatcher.com/swtinc/customer_support.php?id=105&class1=1&class2=110

Suggest you only do this as a last resort and check on the Handset which version is loaded this link is for the V3.07

Hope this helps

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steppenwolf

steppenwolf

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You seem to have done everything correctly and Pat's advice is good too. Are you doing the 'Brightest Star' or two star alignment process? It shouldn't make a difference but the former is pretty 'golden'.

Power supply is critical as Pat has said so don't underestimate this.

If you are already using the 'Brightest Star' method, try the two star alignment instead but choose stars that are a minimum of 60 degrees apart and preferably more. After you have carried out the two star alignment, find a third star as far away from the first two as possible (say, 120 degrees away), centre it and then invoke the Pointing Accuracy Enhancement (PAE) feature to synchronise on this third star. Repeat this for every object that you do locate and centre so that you can build up a good 'profile' of the night sky from your location and time during this session.

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knobby

knobby

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I only have experience of the 4se but find that 2 star align is more reliable ... also use a power pack if possible and try using the location from the inbuilt list as it will eliminate the possibility of long.lat. being incorrect.

Try a factory reset incase anything has gone skew whiffy :D

The Celestron book says to try making your final approach the same for each alignment star ie : aim bottom left then fine tune up and right each time.

Good luck

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StuartB

StuartB

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Fisrt of all, thanks for all the quick responses.

Im using the scope plugged into the mains because i was aware of the issues with the battery pack provided.

I got the westings and northings from my gps and ive entered them correctly into the handset (w first N second), ive then entered the time zone to + and as we stand, daylight savings are on.

I usually always use the 2 star alighn and defocus the stars and when the alignment is successful i always use the PAE on every object i look at. The one thing i havnt tried is updating the hanset from the computer. Ill give that a go now.

Thanks again, Stuart

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StuartB

StuartB

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I've just checked my firmware version and its 1.7 so do you reckon this could be the problem? Im trying to upgrade it now but it keeps coming up with the message 'cannot connect to handset' ive set it up to the letter but still no joy :( im out of ideas now.

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knobby

knobby

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Stuart, I had exactly the same message ... don't forget I have a Celestron 4se though, what I found on the Celestron site was that they had two update programs. One called CFM which did motor ans hand controller FW and two individual programs for the motor and hand controller.

All the Celestron forums pointed to CFM which I couldn't get to work, tried the individual programs and worked straight away.

Have another look on the site?

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StuartB

StuartB

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Hi all, I managed to get out the other night but still no joy. I double checked the firmware version and it is 3.08 so thats the most current one. Is the timezone +1 hour at the moment? Ive had it on +0.00. Also ive checked the lat and long on 3 seperate devices and they all contradict each other to some degree, i guess ill just stick to the one that comes from my Garmin GPS. I havnt even tried to have a look at my backlash yet so maybe that might get it somewhere closer. Anyway ill keep trying and im sure it will all click into place. Many thanks again for your responses, most helpful :smiley:

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Cornelius Varley

Cornelius Varley

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Time zone is +0.00, DST is on untill the end of October. Also check that you have entered your coordinates in the correct format (degrees and minutes). You can check these using this website http://www.satsig.ne...long-finder.htm. Newcastle for example is 001 37N, 54 59N, I would assume your will be similar.

Peter

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valleyman

valleyman

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Can I ask again what the symptons are.

Do you go to the first star. set it in the EP etc etc. and then the scope auto goes to the 2nd star. It does this OK.

Then you ask it to go back to the original star and it does this OK.

Then when you select another object it slews towards it and then when it gets close it just goes haywire.

I ask because I had a AZ mount that did this and it was a problem with the chip for the ALT motor.

If it does this then suggest you talk with the supplier and ask for a new AZ mount.

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StuartB

StuartB

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Valleyman, Hi.

I can do the two star allign ok, then when i ask it to go back to the stars that i used for the allignment it centers them fine. If then i ask it to go to any other object in the sky it starts to slew round, stop, then it has a big correction (usually, up and to the right) at the end before it beeps. Its usually not even in my field of view of a 30mm eyepiece and sometimes even further out. This accuracy gets worse as the night goes on and find myself having to allign it again.

Stuart

I

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StuartB

StuartB

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I was lucky enough to get clear skies last night so i got ou to try and right the wrongs.

It started off quite promising, i spent extra time to level the tripod through each axis with a spirit level, i used the two star align. This time round i managed to ask it to go to the ring nebula and it was just to the top right corner of a 20mm eyepiece, then i asked it to go to alberio and the same again, just to the top right... Things are looking up eh?.... Well no. The accuracy just went downhill from then on. So i started from scratch, leveled the tripod, 2 star align (Capella, Deneb ) but this time round i asked it to go back to capella to to check the allignment and it started to slew in the opposite direction and ended up being over 90 degrees in azimuth out.

So i think its time to get onto the suppliers to see about getting a new mount!

Although this is very fustrating can i just say that the countless nights out under the stars and what ive seen has been a very humbling experience, in particular the Ring Nebula, Andromeda Galaxy, Jupiter, Venus, Alberio and the moon.

Stuart

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Cornelius Varley

Cornelius Varley

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Fisrt of all, thanks for all the quick responses.

Im using the scope plugged into the mains because i was aware of the issues with the battery pack provided.

I got the westings and northings from my gps and ive entered them correctly into the handset (w first N second), ive then entered the time zone to + and as we stand, daylight savings are on.

I usually always use the 2 star alighn and defocus the stars and when the alignment is successful i always use the PAE on every object i look at. The one thing i havnt tried is updating the hanset from the computer. Ill give that a go now.

Thanks again, Stuart

What type of psu are you using ?

Peter

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StuartB

StuartB

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I have come to the conclusion that my goto mount is faulty. I contacted the shop i bought it from and they contacted the suppliers, they are coming to pick the mount up to test it then hopefully replace it with a new one. :grin: :grin: :grin:

Ive got my scope out at the moment and i must say that it is alot more inaccurate than it was so fingers crossed they replace it.

Stuart

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