Atik 314L+ with ED80 questions

[kirkster501]

Personally I think that a focuser upgrade would not be incongruous considering CCD, filter wheel, filters etc hanging off if - nigh on two grands worth....Stock focuser is weakest link of the ED80 package IMO. You guys sound like your sticking with stock one albeit with the ( excellent) baader adapter? That wont solve slippage etc that the stock focuser can be subject too.....

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kingboya]

Personally I think that a focuser upgrade would not be incongruous considering CCD, filter wheel, filters etc hanging off if - nigh on two grands worth....Stock focuser is weakest link of the ED80 package IMO. You guys sound like your sticking with stock one albeit with the ( excellent) baader adapter? That wont solve slippage etc that the stock focuser can be subject too.....

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

from my perspective, the stock focuser is fine now. I have adjusted it so it is now very good. I suffer no slippage whatsoever and trust in it completely now. This adapter will just complete the setup.

[kirkster501]

from my perspective, the stock focuser is fine now. I have adjusted it so it is now very good. I suffer no slippage whatsoever and trust in it completely now. This adapter will just complete the setup.

What did you do to it to get this comfort feeling? If I can get mine the same as you then I have no ideological desire to spend £260 on a new one!

[Gina]

I upgraded to the Baader SteelTrack which is very nice now that I have solved the problem of the three grub screws (that hold two parts of it togerther) coming loose. The focussing is lovely and smooth and holds well.

[kirkster501]

...btw. I meant to say good call on the Baader click-lock. They are utterly brilliant. I had one on my old CPC scope and it makes attching stuff an absolute breeze. They grip like you would not believe - a 800lb gorilla would not pull it off.

[Gina]

I have actually just installed astro tortilla but yet to try it out. I have read all of the information in the manual, but just to clarify, do you download an image from artemis onto your hardrive and then point astro tortilla to that file, which it annalizes, then it slews to the target somehow?

Yes, that's right. At least that's what I've done so far though admittedly only once due to the lack of suitable weather!

[kingboya]

What did you do to it to get this comfort feeling? If I can get mine the same as you then I have no ideological desire to spend £260 on a new one!

http://www.astronomyshed.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=4932

I carried out this adjustment and now my focuser is rock solid, no slippage whatsoever but not too tight!

[kirkster501]

http://www.astronomy...php?f=43&t=4932

I carried out this adjustment and now my focuser is rock solid, no slippage whatsoever but not too tight!

Hi, yes I did that mod to mine. Prior to the mod my ED80 focuser was as slippery as a political party leader. Afterwards it was rock solid. But solid enough to entrust all that imaging kit?

[Gina]

I tried that with mine but after a short while of seeming alright it got loose again. I got fed up with adjusting it all the time and loosing imaging time due to focus slip that I took the plunge and upgraded. I have never had the focus slip with the SteelTrack even with my heavy DSLR that weighed a Kg with all it's cooling stuff.

[andyo]

http://www.astronomy...php?f=43&t=4932

I carried out this adjustment and now my focuser is rock solid, no slippage whatsoever but not too tight!

Yes thats the same mod I did to mine and fingers crossed its held out fine,I even held it by the focuser tube with the weight of the scope on it and no slippage at all.I also

modded the skywatcher autofocuser and have that attached as well, it all seems very solid now.

[kingboya]

Yes thats the same mod I did to mine and fingers crossed its held out fine,I even held it by the focuser tube with the weight of the scope on it and no slippage at all.I also

modded the skywatcher autofocuser and have that attached as well, it all seems very solid now.

I am not the only one that held the scope by the focus tube!

[Sp@ce_d]

Re the click lock, yes it screws on the SW tube. Make sure you get the type i linked to M56 is the SW thread. They do different versions, I also have an SCTone on the ZS66.

My tube adjusted fine & holds well. I very rarely have to adjust it once set it seems to stay in focus. I also have the SW electric focusser which made a difference holding focus night after night... I won't link to it till you've recovered from the click lock outlay ;-)

[kirkster501]

Well, I think - in due course - I am going to upgrade the focuser. I like the ED80 and do not think I will be parting with it so its worth the investment. Money situation recovering still after shelling out for a Dob Scope and a Moonlite focuser for it (I am visual as well ).

Gina, I believe you use the FLO adapter at the front of the FF/FR to hold the whole imaging shebang in the Baader focuser? Do you use a LP filter in that adapter when imaging with the CCD filter wheel assembly?

[Gina]

Gina, I believe you use the FLO adapter at the front of the FF/FR to hold the whole imaging shebang in the Baader focuser? Do you use a LP filter in that adapter when imaging with the CCD filter wheel assembly?

Yes, that's tha adapter I've got. I'm not using an LP filter ATM but I may need one if I image anything low in the south or south-west where there is light pollution. It should only be necessary for L as the other filters will block LP anyway so one alternative would be to swap the 1.25" L filter with an LP but i guess that might spoil the parfocal filter/scope combination I have at present. An extra filter shouldn't affect use with the other filters I don't think so I may well take that option.

[andyo]

Yes, that's tha adapter I've got. I'm not using an LP filter ATM but I may need one if I image anything low in the south or south-west where there is light pollution. It should only be necessary for L as the other filters will block LP anyway so one alternative would be to swap the 1.25" L filter with an LP but i guess that might spoil the parfocal filter/scope combination I have at present. An extra filter shouldn't affect use with the other filters I don't think so I may well take that option.

I am thinking of adding a LPF to my combination and was thinking about just adding a skywatcher 2" one on to the FR using the FLO adapter and Baader 2"click lock adapter.This wouldnt affect the parfocal filters and I have heard that although the RGB do prevent a lot of the light pollution the addition of a LP filter also helps further improve the signal to noise ratio

[Gina]

The Hutech IDAS P2 LP filter looks like it would be much better at LP reduction than relying on the separated RGB Baader bandpass for cutting Na and Hg emissions though it does cut out some other wavelengths. How important these are for galaxies I don't know. When I was using a DSLR I found the Astronomik CLS CCD filter worked well but I gather the IDAS one is better. I'm thinking of putting it on my wish list.

[andyo]

The Hutech IDAS P2 LP filter looks like it would be much better at LP reduction than relying on the separated RGB Baader bandpass for cutting Na and Hg emissions though it does cut out some other wavelengths. How important these are for galaxies I don't know. When I was using a DSLR I found the Astronomik CLS CCD filter worked well but I gather the IDAS one is better. I'm thinking of putting it on my wish list.

The idas filter seems to get good reviews certainly for dslr's.I thought of getting this filter myself Is it worth the extra cash for mono ccd when using RGB filters as opposed to the £27 skywatcher

one.I dont know which one to go for myself

[Gina]

Perhaps some more knowledgeable person will give us the answer - please I know nothing about the SW one but can't imagine it being very good for just £27. You usually get what you pay for.

[kirkster501]

I have a 2 inch Hutech, an expensive investment at £165. I would like to preserve that investment when I make the leap to CCD. MAybe it would be applicable for the luminance channel as you say Gina...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Gina]

Currently £155 form FLO http://www.firstligh...ion-filter.html

The IDAS filter should certainly help with the Luminance and from what I've read and looking at Hutech's response graph, I'd think it would be good for RGB too.

This is what FLO say (I think this quote refers to a mono CCD) :-

CCD imaging can also benefit, because although CCD imagers can already shoot through light pollution to some extent, including an LPS filter to the setup gives an added (signal-to-noise) edge.

Edited March 24, 2013 by Gina

[andyo]

Perhaps some more knowledgeable person will give us the answer - please I know nothing about the SW one but can't imagine it being very good for just £27. You usually get what you pay for.

cant agree more with you about you get what you pay for, I think I will probably go for the idas filter as will be good for both the ccd and dslr but as you said it would be good to hear from someone in the know

[Coco]

I've got the welded up adapters problem! I have T2 (M42x75) extension tubes screwed into the Atik T2 to M54 adapter for the focal reducer and now want to attach the T2 to M42x1 lens adapter for widefield. But the T2 extensions now seem to be welded into the Atik adapter as well as welded to each other. So with a possible clear sky tonight I shall have to use ED80 imaging instead of widefield as I had planned. I've ordered another Atik adapter from FLO but that won't go out untill tomorrow with Saturday the very earliest it could arrive - more likely next week. At least the Atik adapter came out of the EFW2 alright

I feel your pain with this Gina...

Ollys shoe polish is a great tip... shouldn't evaporate and put a film on the filter surfaces.. top tip!

Mean while use a hack saw and cut 2 slots across from each other, you can then use a butter knife or reverse side hack saw blade to unscrew the damn things..

[Gina]

I feel your pain with this Gina...

Ollys shoe polish is a great tip... shouldn't evaporate and put a film on the filter surfaces.. top tip!

Mean while use a hack saw and cut 2 slots across from each other, you can then use a butter knife or reverse side hack saw blade to unscrew the damn things..

Thank you I'm using boot polish on all new threads. Unfortunately, I can't get a hacksaw in as the T2 extenders are screwed/welded into the bigger Atik T2 to M54 adapter. But I might be able to drill holes/indentations into the 8mm one. Once the T2 extenders are off the Atik I could use a hacksaw. Thanks for the suggestion

[kirkster501]

Thank you I'm using boot polish on all new threads. Unfortunately, I can't get a hacksaw in as the T2 extenders are screwed/welded into the bigger Atik T2 to M54 adapter. But I might be able to drill holes/indentations into the 8mm one. Once the T2 extenders are off the Atik I could use a hacksaw. Thanks for the suggestion

If its one of the thicker adapters you could drill a small hole one side, one 180 degrees at the other side and insert a tommy bar through the middle to give you leverage possibly?

[Gina]

If its one of the thicker adapters you could drill a small hole one side, one 180 degrees at the other side and insert a tommy bar through the middle to give you leverage possibly?

Yes, indeed