Any EQ8 News?

[E621Keith]

That's not bad but i bet the USA won't be paying anywhere near that for the same item.

I reckon if you live in the USA, you would have bought the CGE Pro already.

I just looked at the price for Orion Atlas (NEQ6) and Orion Atlas PRO (AZ-EQ6). They cost $1499 and $2299 respectively, which equates to £957 and £1465. Pretty much the same if not slightly more expensive than what FLO charges in the UK and that is after including VAT. I doubt the EQ8 would be much different.

It seems like there isn't much difference in price between USA and UK when it comes to Skywatcher products.

[Avo]

How does the PE of this mount compare with the Celestrons CGEM or the CGE pro ?

Think the Mesu is quoted +/- 4 arc secs uncorrected.

[dph1nm]

Robin has used EQMOD's pec (nots the mounts PPEC) to reduce the PE down to 2.18 arcsecs pk to peak over the 3.3 minute worm period - buy you could so the same on your HEQ5 and typically this pulls the PE down to around +-5 arc sec pk to pk over the 10 minute worm period.

As the HEQ5 doesn't have absolute encoders, I don't find PEC really to be the solution. With EQ8 it might be, though. I will certainly be tempted at that price, but it isn't quite what I hoped it would be (now +/- 2" over 10 mins would be nice!).

NigelM

[rfdesigner]

I think this looks better than I feared for a worm drive.

From the pempro graph it looks like 4 arc seconds per minute worst case.. that's 0.3 arc seconds per 5 second guide sub, so probably something around 0.2 arc second RMS on 5 second guiding... without any PEC.

What I will want to know is how this stands up in a breeze.. if it still achieves these figures then it could begin to make a Mesu look a bit expensive.

I wonder if SW are planning to provide an upgrade to the encoders to the new type that are around (1 arc sec resolution).. for a fee!

Derek

[RyanParle]

looks like a nice bit of kit, certainly somthing i would consider putting on my long term want list, but there are a few things that i find slightly odd. firstly the polar scope, but i guess the majority of users will not need one as they will be permanently mounting it in an obsy and using drift alignment or PoleAlignMax to get things spot on.

the bit that really surprises me is the DSLR trigger port. do skywatcher seriously think that any observatory user of such a piece of equipment would need a camera shutter release built in to the mount? any serious user will be using a computer to control their whole setup and will have no need of an extra camera trigger. The mount should be the mount, built for performance, why have SW wasted time with silly little gimmicks like this?

[RyanParle]

Oh and forgot the big one... a mount like this has no need for the synscan handset... EQMOD all the way. Chris i hope soon that someone at SkyWatcher realises the importance of your work and start to collaborate with you or even better they send you an EQ8 to play with!

[Zakalwe]

the bit that really surprises me is the DSLR trigger port. do skywatcher seriously think that any observatory user of such a piece of equipment would need a camera shutter release built in to the mount? any serious user will be using a computer to control their whole setup and will have no need of an extra camera trigger. The mount should be the mount, built for performance, why have SW wasted time with silly little gimmicks like this?

Probably because it was included in the later EQ6 GT mount. They probably use the exact same circuit boards.

[chrisshillito]

Ricardo Contreras from duoptic.com, the Sky-Watcher dealer for Argentina and Chile, has managed to make contact with the Synta development team who have the following to say about the AZ-EQ6GT and EQ8 mounts interfaces:

"The motor controller on the AZ-EQ6 and the EQ8 are using 3.3V logic, and in the future, all our new motor controller will use 3.3V logic, too. But we have made sure that the communication interface is +5V tolerant and the new motor controllers will be compatible with the old SynScan hand control. The EQMOD user should make sure that their adapter can receive 3.3V serial input signal reliably."

It would seem that not all EQDirects are 3.3V tollerant on their input (yet synscans must be) and this is most likely why the first attempt at direct connection to the EQ8 failed. However, some EQDirects we know work fine with the AZ-EQ6Pro (Hitech Astro and shoestring usb types for instance) and so should also work with the EQ8 - hopefully someone down under will confirm this in due course.

Chris.

Chris.

[RobinW]

Ok, I haven't been able to get hold of a 9pin female to make an adapter for my Shoestring usb eq6 eq-dir device so I opened the 9pin plug and tack soldered my rj connector and tail to it.

It works. I connected to the mount using the usb eq-dir device without the handset.

I'm guessing the shoestring eq5 eq-dir device is the one to use on an eq8.

Not sure why my 3.3v bluetooth didn't work but this does.

[chrisshillito]

Ok, I haven't been able to get hold of a 9pin female to make an adapter for my Shoestring usb eq6 eq-dir device so I opened the 9pin plug and tack soldered my rj connector and tail to it.

It works. I connected to the mount using the usb eq-dir device without the handset.

I'm guessing the shoestring eq5 eq-dir device is the one to use on an eq8.

Not sure why my 3.3v bluetooth didn't work but this does.

Good - panic over then, glad to know EQASCOM can be made to work with the EQ8 in the mode it was intended to work.

Any EQDirect device that has been shown to work successfully with the Az-EQ6GT will be suitable for the EQ8. I know that the HitecAstro EQDIR adapter has been tested with the AZ-EQ6GT and FLO markets it as such, so Shoestring certainly isn't the only option. Perhaps we should put out a call to AZ-EQ6GT users to find out what flavours of EQDirects they have been using. In fact whilst you're still the first to get your hands on the EQ8s there's surely a window of opportunity for you Aussies to get some free EQDirect samples from of the main commercial vendors

Chris.

[FLO]

Good - panic over then, glad to know EQASCOM can be made to work with the EQ8 in the mode it was intended to work...

Any EQDirect device that has been shown to work successfully with the Az-EQ6GT will be suitable for the EQ8.

That is fantastic news

Thank-you

[Sp@ce_d]

snip.... In fact whilst you're still the first to get your hands on the EQ8s there's surely a window of opportunity for you Aussies to get some free EQDirect samples from of the main commercial vendors

Chris.

Hehe... I have the HitecAstro EQDIR.. wonder if I can get a free EQ8 to test it with..

[RobinW]

Since I posted that this morning, two others have popped up and have eqmod working with shoestring usb eq5 devices.

Most suppliers down here stock the shoestring versions. I guess the hitech astro one is british?

[FLO]

I guess the hitech astro one is british?

Yes, manufactured here in the UK

[RobinW]

Cheers, I've seen a lot of their distribution boxes around down here (mount hub pros?) but not many edir devices.

[sbooder]

Just had a look at the EQ8 on FLO. I might have to sell my EQ6 and my wife to get this baby. Very competitive price though?

[RobinW]

Sorry to drag this back up again but here's a snap of maxim guiding via an OAG at about 1.2Mts.

Yes I have fogging issues, and power issues you can't see. Suddenly it's winter down here

[rob288]

EQ8 haved arrived in New Zealand, got the 12 inch truss newtonain on the mount, just need to get the pier organised and test.

[Avo]

Skywatcher's facebook page posted about the EQ8 and the AZ-EQ6, .........................................................( drums fingers on table )

[Sp@ce_d]

Thought it was end of Sept for UK?

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