Jump to content

Banner.jpg.b83b14cd4142fe10848741bb2a14c66b.jpg

Skywatcher goto mount

simmo39

Recommended Posts

simmo39

simmo39

Posted
Posted

Hi, here is the first question! Finaly had a break in the cloud cover last night so rushed out with scope to give it a go. Got some good views of Jupiter. As the sky cleared a little more i thought i would try a proper alinement of the mount. Due to my location and the rapid change in cloud cover aliined with 2 stars fairly close together ( not ideal i supose) Anyway mount tracked for a few mins as i had a quick tour of what i could see but then when i tried to get it back to Jupiter mount went off the wrong direction! As cloud cover returned was unable to get another alinment. Is this normal, the drifting not the cloud cover? :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Herbig

Herbig

Posted
Posted

You don't say what type of mount you are using, Alt Az or EQ? Did you set date time lat long etc?

Did you point it north and level it? Polar align if EQ?

These things make all the difference.

You are right 2 stars close together would not be the best but the mount should not go in the opposite direction unless you've done something wrong. EQs can do a meridian flip however.

With a rough alignment like you describe it's not going to be spot on a new target in a different part of the sky.

Try again with clearer skies and take your time to get it all right.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
simmo39

simmo39

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Well, Had another attempt with the mount, worked fine for about 20 mins but when selecting another object ti view it went off in the wrong direction! What i did notice was the hand set lights dimming when moving so supect loss in power may be the cause. May need to invest in a power tank. Any sugestions on which one is best for the money?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ronin

ronin

Posted
Posted

I presume that you were using batteries, if so were they rechargeables ?

They are not 1.5v, just 1.2v and they also hate the cold.

It is a common hole that people fall into, me as well as others, although if newish you may not have enough rechargeables immediatly at hand and a pack of AA's from poundland is cheap enough.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
simmo39

simmo39

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I presume that you were using batteries, if so were they rechargeables ?

They are not 1.5v, just 1.2v and they also hate the cold.

It is a common hole that people fall into, me as well as others, although if newish you may not have enough rechargeables immediatly at hand and a pack of AA's from poundland is cheap enough.

Been using poundland AA's. seem to last about 2 hours if im lucky. think power pack is the way togo.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
brucen

brucen

Posted
Posted

I use the basic Maplins jump-starter with mine. Others will say they won't last but I have had mine 2 years and it still works perfectly well. You do need to keep them fully charged at all times though or the battery will die sooner. I charge mine after every use and for a few hours every 2 weeks when not being used

http://www.maplin.co.uk/3-in-1-portable-jumpstarter-383992

You also need a longer than normal jack plug on the lead to stop the connection coming loose which turns it off. FLO do them as do many others.

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/power/skytron-power-supply-cable-for-skywatcher-celestron-mounts.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites
simmo39

simmo39

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Well try as i might I cant get this to work. New set of battries, 2 star alignment, says its ok and then ask to go to jupiter! off we go in the wrong direction!! I have checked and double checked all inputs and im confident that they are all correct. The only thing i can think of is that the bettreis are not doiing the job. Am waitnig for power pack to come and will try that asap. Just hope that works!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
brucen

brucen

Posted
Posted

I have never had a problem with the scope going off in the wrong direction but, there again, I have always used a power pack. It does seem a bit strange that you have this problem with new batteries - assuming they are now decent quality ones. The common reasons that crop up on the forum for this issue usually turn out to be related to issues with the data inputs such as the lat and long being entered using the metric format rather than in degrees and minutes, the time being entered in the British order rather than the American or the daylight savings not being set to off this time of year. If you are sure you have all these correct then let's hope it will be ok with the new power pack.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
GaryMoffat

GaryMoffat

Posted
Posted
One other point is the sky direction choice, make sure you check the correct direction, might seem daft but I did this thought I was looking North and I in putted Northen Sky and it should have been in fact was Eastern.
Corrected my error and the scope them tracked correctly.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
StuartB

StuartB

Posted
Posted

I had the same problem with mine even when i was running it through the mains power. I have the Skywatcher Synscan AZ Goto mount. I tried for weeks with mine, double, triple checking i had put all the info into the handset correctly and still with the same results. I contacted skywatcher and they took the mount in for checking and found it had a faulty chip in it which made it go in the opposite direction all the time. They replaced it with no problems and now everything is fine. Every now and again it is a little off on objects but i think that is down to how quick and accurate your alignment is.

HTH

Stuart

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Marki

Marki

Posted
Posted

Good luck! I had some similar issues with my celestron 8SE - battieries just wouldn't cut it for more than about 30 mins. Much more reliable with the powertank, and ensuring the contacts are firm seemed to help too. Not used the skywatcher systems yet, but I imagine they;d be similar. I found much the same thing with my iOptron minitower too - when its hooked up to a power tank it'll track precisely for hours, whereas it was always a bit tempramental on batteries.

Let us know how you get on! Clear skies,

Link to comment
Share on other sites
simmo39

simmo39

Posted
  • Author
Posted

BRILLIANT! It all works. power tank seems to have done the trick. Only did a quick and rough alignment, then did a quick tour of a few points in the sky going back to Jupiter every now and then. Was impressed, just a shame that I coudnt spend more time outside as the Norfolk sky is so clear tonite. Thanks to everyone who gave advice and help. :) .

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Gomtuu

Gomtuu

Posted
Posted

Don't forget to keep the power tank topped up though as the batteries do not last as long if you don't and can die completely if they fully discharge.

^ this

My first powertank did this - it now only runs for about 2 hours. Definitely something to be very wary of.

I'm currently using one of these from Maplins : http://www.maplin.co...le-power-224871

So far it seems to hold up pretty well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.