SW 127 Mak AZ with GOTO?

[jambouk]

I don't want you to break anything, but I gave that nut a REALLY good tightening with a so ket set, like a BiG tighten, not just thumb tight.

James

[Paulus17]

Just gave it another nip and seems better again,but it does seem it could be tightened quite a bit more yet,but don't wanna over do it.

[jambouk]

Think spark plug

[Paulus17]

Think spark plug

What,not so bright spark

Just wondering why it had come loose again as it was definately tighter when i done it last week??

[jambouk]

Haha. Go on, tighten it.

[Paulus17]

It is now tightened as much as i dare so will see if it comes loose again over time?

[ether823]

I have fitted a Rigel finder on my 127 and its brilliant.

[Paulus17]

I was thinking of getting another one of those ether,as i sold the one i had with my kit,also a 9x50 RAICF.

[Paulus17]

Well seeing as how this thread is about the Skymax 127 i thought i would post these piccys here.

This is a case i quickly knockked up just using materials i had,apart from the hardware.

The white foam is bits made up from the packaging from my previous scope,and this new scope,plus what i have saved from other packagings.

The black foam is the insulation foam left over from the laminate floor we had,just peeled the foil off.

I managed to get all the scopes parts in,apart from the tripod.

[dtr42]

that looks excellent

[jambouk]

Very good. Compact.

James

[Paulus17]

Thanks both just gotta get some corner pieces and some rubber feet for the bottom.

Went in the back last night as it was fairly clear,but by the time i'd finished setting up the cloud was already coming in,and was complete cover in no time so packed it all away

[lensman57]

I've bought a SW 127 MAK GoTo AZ a short while ago and whilst I readily admit that I'm still climbing the learning curve I have a few issues with it:

·The accuracy is not impressive – requiring PAE correction after each new target (using 32mm eyepiece = 46x)

·The SynScan handset would be significantly improved by a soft, shock-absorbing and non-slippery exterior finish

·The RJ-11 style connectors are not designed for repeated connection and disconnection (especially when it’s sub-zero temperature)

·The power input socket needs a retaining mechanism – the plug can pull out too easily

·The bubble level embedded at the top of one of the legs is way off level and as it cannot be easily removed and re-seated it is simply useless

·The SynScan software freezes if a re-alignment is attempted whist it is controlled by external computer – the only exit is a hard re-boot by de-powering – ( note to self - must remember to disconnect before mid-session re-align)

·The thumb screw handles for the tripod legs are awkward to grip and to turn

·The straight through finder is fairly impossible to use at high elevations

·The right angle finder I replaced it with gives little room between it and the eyepiece (I splay them out at odd angles to create more room, but this does not make it easier to obtain alignment – up and down and side to side commands create diagonal movements in the view finder)

Like I said, I'm still learning but some of these issues could be resolved at modest cost by SW. The GOTO accuracy is a bit disappointing, maybe it's due to user error, but I'm pretty sure I have all the usual variables correct (level, location, time, offset, etc. etc.) perhaps a reticule eyepiece would help.

Hi,

I have had this scope since the end of Jan and agree more or less with all the points that you mentioned, I also have another problem with the SkyWatcher power tank unit, the cigarette lighter syle power connector is a very loose fit and I have on several occasions lost power to the handset and therefore alignment, so all had to be started all over again. I also noticed something peculiar last night while after a week long rain I had the chance to try and image Saturn. Once aligned and PAE applied the planet stayed in the center for a good 10 minutes before a correction was necessary but as soon as the correction was applied the tracking went out of the window, I just couldn't observe the planet for more than a few seconds, wether this is due to backlash or something else needs to be investigated as the session was impossible to carry on, I just packed up and came in. I also think that the position of the guidescope is wrong, one has to be a contourtionist to use it in anywhere near the Zenith or like me constantly banging my eye on the eyepiece. The other point that needs addressing is the stiffness of the focuser knob, the vibration induced is just too much on the AZ goto mount and almost impossible to focus with a barlow and a webcam. The optics are very good quality but spoiled by less than satisfactory attachments. I also think that Skywatcher- Synta should either use the SC thread or bring out adaptors for this to be possible as I am not convinced by the integrity of the attachments with a draw tube style of fit.

Regards,

A.G

A.G

Regards,

A.G

[jambouk]

I didn't get a cigarette lighter connection with my mount, only the AA battery one; the cigarette lighter one i now have fits very firmly, i wish i could say the same for the other end of any power lead.

Focus is stiff. Various solutions outlined in this thread.

Finder scope, i agree.

Tracking? Worth clearing the old pae data each time unless the scope hasn't been moved at all. Dis you turn the tracking off or pae on the wrong object? Difficult to comment. I sometimes find my alignment is rubbish and just start again from scratch, including re-checking the level of the tripod.

I hope things get better.

James

[Paulus17]

A.G.

Can i ask which 32mm EP you use?

[lensman57]

I didn't get a cigarette lighter connection with my mount, only the AA battery one; the cigarette lighter one i now have fits very firmly, i wish i could say the same for the other end of any power lead.

Focus is stiff. Various solutions outlined in this thread.

Finder scope, i agree.

Tracking? Worth clearing the old pae data each time unless the scope hasn't been moved at all. Dis you turn the tracking off or pae on the wrong object? Difficult to comment. I sometimes find my alignment is rubbish and just start again from scratch, including re-checking the level of the tripod.

I hope things get better.

James

Hi James,

The cigarette lighter thing came with the tank and connects to the tank end, the fitting to the mount is another issue. The alignment was good, I did the brightest star with Spica and the second with vega and it was just a little off, it found saturn with no problem and got it bang on with the Celestron 9 mm , am sure that I had cleared the PAE data but thanks for reminding me I will check again. I still don't know why it went haywiresometimes this happens when the power supply fluctuates and the tracking becomes eratic but this was just none functional. I prefer to mount the scope on my EQ5 Pro but last night I had to be quick to set up and image .

Regards,

A.G

[jambouk]

If you've got a fancy equatorial mount then this will seem like a kids toy!

Better luck next time.

James

[lensman57]

A.G.

Can i ask which 32mm EP you use?

Hi,

I didn't use a 32 mm it was a 9mm Celestron Xcell, the widest I use on the Mak is a 25mm that came with the scope , My most used EPs are the 9mm Xcell and the 15 mm BST Star guider, I also bought a 4.5 mm TMB planetary that I think sucks, last night even though the seeing was not good ( usual as I live a stone throw from the airport ) the 9 mm on top of the 2.5X ED barlow just snapped the Cassini into focus, so clear and sharp, the 4.5 mm TMB is just soft.

Regards,

A.G

[lensman57]

If you've got a fancy equatorial mount then this will seem like a kids toy!

Better luck next time.

James

Hi James,

The EQ5 pro is a lovely mount but in hindsight I should have bought the HEQ5 pro, I would have got much better milage out of it. I use it mainly with my SW 100 ED, and I am getting ready to start doing some DSOs, but the weather has not been brilliant, I use the Mak for planetary. The attached thumnails are a couple of unguided experimental shots to test the set up and find my own skill level and the ability of the mount , camera and the scope. As a novicit has been a very steep learning curve in the last 10 weeks.

Regards,

A.G

[jambouk]

Great first images. Were they all with the 100ED? What camera are you using? This is now very off topid given the title of this thread!!!! Haha

Sorry. Back to the supatrak and 127....

I'm impressed you got a good image with the 9mm ep and the 2.5x barlow! Very good seeing.

James

[Paulus17]

Sorry AG i didn't realise it was a quote you took from another member.

But the 15mm BST is good to use is it?

Nice images,i'd be pleased with those.

James no problem,any useful tips for using or improving the 127 would be good to keep in one place?

[lensman57]

Great first images. Were they all with the 100ED? What camera are you using? This is now very off topid given the title of this thread!!!! Haha

Sorry. Back to the supatrak and 127....

I'm impressed you got a good image with the 9mm ep and the 2.5x barlow! Very good seeing.

James

Hi James,

The planet and M42 were done with the Mak 127 on the EQ5 pro and I have seen some excellent work of DSOs but with accurate guiding, the M51 was done with the ED100, 0.85 reducer and a Canon 1000d which had the wrong settings, Jpeg rather than Raw so I have not really processed the image , it is just too noisy. The planet was done with the OptiStar 75c and as yet I have not mastered the settings. The AZ Goto mount that came with 127 can actually track a planet reasonably well if set up correctly and I have used it to take widefield shots of the sky just with the Camera and it is ok up to 30 s for true wide field imaging. I believe that the AZ_GoTo mount was probably designed for something much lighter and shorter than the Mak. I have heard quite a lot of people getting vey good results with the 90mm Mak and perhaps that is the scope that was intended be used with such a light mount.

One thing that i have to say about the 127 is that atleast in mine the collimation is spot on, something that I am always afraid of in anything with mirrors.

As far as the topic goes the GoTo concept is sound and it works, the short comings as usual are in the mechanics and the integrity of the mount which if done properly would push the price up quite considerably.

Regards,

A.G

[Looeewoo]

I also think that the position of the guidescope is wrong, one has to be a contourtionist to use it in anywhere near the Zenith or like me constantly banging my eye on the eyepiece.

Agreed- I soon replaced mine with a red dot finder. Really should be right-angled to match the diagonal setup though.

[lensman57]

Sorry AG i didn't realise it was a quote you took from another member.

But the 15mm BST is good to use is it?

Nice images,i'd be pleased with those.

James no problem,any useful tips for using or improving the 127 would be good to keep in one place?

Hi ,

I find the 15 mm BST a lovely eyepiece for the price, very good viewing and very comfortable. The 9 mm X-Cel is excellent. I have not had any exotic stuff such as the Televue Ethos so I can't compare but to my eye those eyepieces are really good. The BST is £47.99, can'y go wrong with that.

Regards,

A.G

[Paulus17]

Thanks AG.

I was gonna get the 25mm BST but an 8mm and 12mm came up for sale second hand so bought those instead.