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The Ioptron Mounts.

FarSide

By FarSide
in Discussions - Mounts

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Davey-T

Davey-T

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I have iEq45 which I bought to use as a portable setup as it's a lot lighter than the NEQ6.

So far its been fine and tracks well even unguided, quick and easy to set up in the field , runs all night on Maplin 5 in1 power pack

Not sure it's worth the extra money if your going to have it permanently mounted in obs'

Dave

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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

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Quick answer, no. They are very portable and very easy to set up and align but the longer the tube they are asked to carry the more the spring loaded anti backlash drive shows its limitations. I also think that accuracy over time might be something that will come up in discussion. The real payload of the 45 is not remotely comparable with that of the EQ6. The EQ6 carries our TEC140 very easily for imaging. The 45 won't carry it for visual. However, the portability/speed factor may be important to you, I don't know.

Olly

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Davey-T

Davey-T

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As Olly says it depends what you,re going to stick on it. I only image with a 100mm f/6 refractor and it works OK.

As with all these things people are already bringing out various mods to improve them.

Also another thought NEQ6 works with EQMod which may be a consideration to you.

Dave

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FarSide

FarSide

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I have the EQmod and all of the bits and bobs for my mount, I've had my NEQ6 for quite a while now i was just curious as to why the iOptron mount was so expensive when it seems physically lighter. Olly, Dave, thatks much for your help!

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michael.h.f.wilkinson

michael.h.f.wilkinson

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Interesting info. I would like a mount I can set up quickly, and with compact scopes (like my SCT) the iEQ45 seems a candidate. The lower weight is interesting, but the backlash issues worry me. I see several Losmandy mounts come up secondhand, sometimes for prices not far beyond the iEQ45, and that seems the more attractive proposition if I decide to go for an expensive mount. Alternatively, I will just get the (N)EQ6 after going for some serious workouts in the gym ;)

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Jessun

Jessun

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I use the HEQ5 and the iEQ45. The iEQ45 is packed with nice features, all of which work a treat especially in the field such as clever PA, nice handset with built in little red LED torch, hex head inside all bolts, easy parking, nice pointing accuracy plus a few other finesses that the HEQ5 lacks.

But side by side I find that the HEQ5 outguns the iOptron when it comes to how they actually perform. The iOptron even has a sublevel there: IF it performs!

The iOptron:

Not easy to balance.

Handset missing button presses.

Dec keeps moving even after a stop command.

Guiding is notoriously difficult.

It wobbles in RA - sudden and without warning making stars look like rice grains but without the drift. Just a massive wobble that can go on for hours.

The HEQ5:

None of the above.

I think the iOptron could be really good with better gears and a software update. (There is one to stop the Dec runaway, but it doesn't work.)

I know that at 1.6m FL I'm asking a lot, well too much, from these mounts, but the SW just does it.

The NEQ6 would be my definite choice based on what I've discovered so far.

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pete_l

pete_l

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OK, iEQ45 is off my wish list.
The thing is, once you exclude the iEQ45 (and presumably the iEQ30, too) there's not a lot else in the sub £4,000 range. You can get a Losmandy GM8+Gemini (I have one, overpriced and under-supported in the UK and it's imaging capacity is weedy IMHO) or a Vixen SPX or possibly an Avalon Linear or M-uno. The Avalons are better on paper than the GM8 or the SPX but they're largely an unknown quantity in the UK.

And once you go over ~ £4k, you're into Mesu territory.

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michael.h.f.wilkinson

michael.h.f.wilkinson

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As I have said, I have seen some S/H Losmandy mounts going (GM11) for a very decent price (not with Gemini, but I am not a GoTo person, as Olly will testify to ;) ). I think the (N)EQ6 is the best option at the moment, or even an HEQ5 if I only use it for the 80mm F/6 I have. The (N) EQ6 would be able to carry an upgrade to my visual scope more easily (say a C11, or OMC300).

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Davey-T

Davey-T

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M42 an optics company in France is selling a modified high performance version of the iEQ45 'sposed to cure guiding, backlash probs, at a premium price though.

They also sell a high precision worm gear quite expensive as well.

Mods put forward so far involve spring changes and shims and tensioner on the drive belt.

Haven't had any problems really but I only do relatively short exposures with DSLR and 100mm refractor which is all I bought it for, don't think I'll be putting a 6" Apo refractor on it

'cause I can't afford it.

Dave

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Jessun

Jessun

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I want to like this mount, it would make a great field setup, and the fact that upgrades are for sale already means that the basic idea is still sound, it's just poorly executed in some areas.

What I find most annoying is that all errors and bugs I've come across are sporadic and random, making them harder to sort out.

The worm is almost €300...

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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

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Lucas Mesu has it right. DItch worms. I so want to see more roller drives coming onto the market. The iOptron spring loaded mesh has attacked the backlash issue but created a new one, iOptron Spring Wobble.

Belt is interesting. At least something is happening, at last, to shake up the design of mounts. Most problems seem to me to be worm-related.

I think you need to be careful with the G11 since a while back it seems there was a big improvement in QC and you need one of those post-improvement models if buying second hand.

Olly

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michael.h.f.wilkinson

michael.h.f.wilkinson

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It is heavier, and quite a bit more expensive. No wonder the (N)EQ6 has such a hold on this part of the market. I must say, sometimes I think the best thing for me to do is to update the GP mount to dual axis drive and tracking, and start imaging with the 80mm from that, It should be stable enough, and could hold that and the 70mm F/5 finder as a guide scope with ease. The polar alignment of the GP is very good. I could then either get an EQ6 to mount some bigger scope for visual, or get a dob for visual

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FarSide

FarSide

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The thing is, once you exclude the iEQ45 (and presumably the iEQ30, too) there's not a lot else in the sub £4,000 range. You can get a Losmandy GM8+Gemini (I have one, overpriced and under-supported in the UK and it's imaging capacity is weedy IMHO) or a Vixen SPX or possibly an Avalon Linear or M-uno. The Avalons are better on paper than the GM8 or the SPX but they're largely an unknown quantity in the UK.

And once you go over ~ £4k, you're into Mesu territory.

I'm looking at Mesu, but i'm not in the obsy range of commitment yet, and i hear the software is a bit dodgy. I need to sit down and get some proper research under my belt ideally.

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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

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I'm looking at Mesu, but i'm not in the obsy range of commitment yet, and i hear the software is a bit dodgy. I need to sit down and get some proper research under my belt ideally.

I don't find the software is dodgy. Not at all, the Argo Navis is a very mature product and hasn't missed a beat since the mount arrived hundreds of hours of imaging ago. The issue is that it won't appeal to remote imagers because there is no Park position as yet.

Another potentially decent portable German mount was the one being developed by Astrotrac but that seems to have gone quiet.

Olly

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