AstroEQ for EQ mounts

[Andy Milner]

Wow thanks Mark. Really appreciate that. I'm waiting on billet parts for an adaptor for my ms lifecam to mod and use, and will buy a DSLR soon. Should be best if I get them first before I call. Although a few tips would be great.

I followed your video on using carted du ciel and had the EQ5 slewing well and cdc tracking the movement across star map. AstroEQ working well! Love it! Great value Tom!

My kit so far: 200p, eq5, AstroEQ driving dual axis. Now learning CDC, and EQMOD.

Andy

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[Quatermass]

Thought i would post on here some of the setting I am using with my EQ5 mount dual axis gears and my canon 350D with the skywatcher 200p.

First off the settings I am using in EQMOD when guiding with PHD (push here dummy software for guiding with my converted logitech 4000 webcam)

This first screen grab is from a guiding session a few weeks back. I used the polar alignment method described in my blog with phd and my guide cam.

The main setting to note here are the Ascom pulse guide settings both RA and DEC are maxed out because of the backlash issues with the dual axis kits gears.

Minimum pulse width is set to 50, Dec back lash is maxed out to 200. The rest you can see for yourself. The settings in PHD below the graph work fine with my set up but you do need to go into the brain setting and change your calibration steps I have mine set to 4000 which insures phd moves the gears enough when you hit the calibrate button. If the calibration setting in the brain are to low you don't get enough movement. These setting seem to work fine for me with my current set up so long as I make sure my polar alignment is spot on using the polar align with phd method I described in detail on my blog. Tom did a lot of work getting the guiding setting right in the last firmware changes and guiding is now going very well. I am getting full 5 minute subs and nice flat graphs from a cheap and basic set up.

The second screen grab is my main setting in EQMOD for refrence yours may be different as the com port varies according to your set up. Just make sure you have the right com port selected or EQMOD will just flash on and go off again when you connect to it using CDC Cartes Du Ceil star chart software.

It is important when setting up EQMOD to make sure your telescope and mount are in the home postion before you connect everything up and that you have done a rough polar alignment before hand. When everything is connected and your ready to slew to your first star you will find that it will slew to the target and then stop but you will not be on target normally. Your option then is to use the slew buttons to get your target in place and then hit the synch button but it is much faster to your Astro Tortilla. There are plenty of good tutorials for that on the stargazers lounge but I am including my setting her for your reference. It is very important to install the correct index files or it will not work for you. If you have the same set up as me here is a screen grab of the index files I installed followed by the setting in Astrotortilla that I use.

I hope that is a bit helpful to those of you who are new too all this Im still learning but if you have any more questions just fire away.

Cheers.

[Quatermass]

I believe Tom Carpenter is working on a cloud dispersal transmogrification unit at the moment, which when plugged into Astroeq effectively removes all cloud and haze from your location to a distance of 5 thousand miles and can terminate all other annoying light sources indefinitely. Well done Tom.

[TCWORLD]

I believe Tom Carpenter is working on a cloud dispersal transmogrification unit at the moment, which when plugged into Astroeq effectively removes all cloud and haze from your location to a distance of 5 thousand miles and can terminate all other annoying light sources indefinitely. Well done Tom.

I have been dabbling in weather manipulation, but at the moment there are few glitches in the system which cause prolonged torrential downpours and high winds a few hundred miles away.

[Quatermass]

I knew there was something funny going on with the weather lately lol

[Tinker1947]

As long as your responsible for this Pier drilling machine thats got loose, holes are appearing all over the place....Rippon, Lowerstoft to mention a couple.....

[beermat]

Just wondering if there is a way to check what firmware version AstroEQ is running?

 I've downloaded the latest config utility but when I press the check for update button it reports that there is no update.  I ran through the rest of the setup anyway but wanted to how to check the firmware version?

Thanks,

[Quatermass]

I just download it from the github site to be sure.

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[TCWORLD]

If you download it from the AstroEQ page, it downloads the latest version of the configuration utility from the github page . If you click update firmware and it reports none found, then you have the most up to date version.

If you want to check your version, if you look in the /hex/ folder of the utility you will find a "hexNames.txt" file. In that all the versions you have are noted - If you see two numbers next to each other look at the rightmost one. I'll add a version number check into the next config utility.

[RichM63]

I have been dabbling in weather manipulation, but at the moment there are few glitches in the system which cause prolonged torrential downpours and high winds a few hundred miles away.

Yeah, thanks for that, we had 178 km/h winds, my roof mostly in the next field, and a call out from the Gendarmes in the next village because a mate's barn had 'self deconvoluted' into the road and they were somewhat hacked at having to close the road , requiring me to sort out a clear-up in the middle of a hurricane!

Ya' ever tried explaining to armed Gendarmes + an irrate Mayor that really it is not my fault, but is down to "Heuristic Interstellar Scopeguiding-Autonomous Astronomy Software'..."HIS-ASS" for short!

So far I have everything working fine in the building, but what would be a great idea would be to document a user manual including parameters, settings, Quick Guide, setup, and FAQ showing typical scenarios.

Tom, if you want help with proofing your new website, just shout.

Cheers,

Richard

[RichM63]

TCWORLD, on 19 Feb 2014 - 10:05 PM, said:

I have been dabbling in weather manipulation, but at the moment there are few glitches in the system which cause prolonged torrential downpours and high winds a few hundred miles away.

Yeah, thanks for that, we had 178 km/h winds, my roof mostly in the next field, and a call out from the Gendarmes in the next village because a mate's barn had 'self deconvoluted' into the road and they were somewhat hacked at having to close the road , requiring me to sort out a clear-up in the middle of a hurricane!

Ya' ever tried explaining to armed Gendarmes + an irrate Mayor that really it is not my fault, but is down to "Heuristic Interstellar Scopeguiding-Autonomous Astronomy Software'..."HIS-AAS" for short!

So far I have everything working fine in the building, but what would be a great idea would be to document a user manual including parameters, settings, Quick Guide, setup, and FAQ showing typical scenarios.

Tom, if you want help with proofing your new website, just shout.

Cheers,

Richard

[TCWORLD]

Documenting everything is definitely something that I want to do, but at the moment I am finding myself at uni working on a project from 9am to 9pm or whenever I remember to leave, so I haven't had a chance.

If anyone feels like writing some guides, then everything on the website is essentially fetched from a wiki here:

http://www.astroeq.co.uk/doku/doku.php

So if you have anything that you want to write, even if it is incomplete and needs me to add information/fill in blanks/etc. feel free to create a page on that Wiki and once complete I'll add it to the master list.

[Quatermass]

Ok Tom I will send you a guide about guiding with astro eq and you can edit it as much as you need to ;-)

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[Andy Milner]

Thanks guys! It will be great to see some guides! I'm soaking up all help I can get, thanks Mark for your help so far. If the clouds clear I can go out and try some more tips you gave me. I did find out my eqmod was not working in the sense of it would load up then disappear then re-appear every 2 seconds. I was running my laptop on battery so decided to plug the laptop in mains. It was still happening, then I thought back to a youtube video Chris from eqmod made about the ascom setup, and in there is a setting that you change the windows priority. So I changed the windows priority to real time and it fixed it! So if anyone writes a guide please link to the very useful eqmod youtube vids. (Thumbs up!)

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[Quatermass]

UPDATE...I am doing further tests on guiding after updated the latest version of EQMOD which has increased the Dec back lash setting to 2000. Hopefully this will make things even better with the guiding. After all tests have been done I will send the tutorial/ guide to Tom so he can review it. 

[Andy Milner]

Finally tried out tracking using eqmod and AstroEQ the other night. First time for everything. :)Glad to say all working very well. Managed to track Jupiter with 2x Barlow enough to take video using iphone and imaged Jupiter for first time. Used PIPP and Registax for first time. Received Canon 1100D yesterday. So looking forward to a clear evening next week as I'm away all weekend.

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[booth_robert]

woop woop got my mount slewing now (dont know if its slewing the right way) but had troubles trying to polar align as i dont have a polar scope but just read up on a bit of software called alignmaster with a 30day free trail code 

nice pic andy

[TCWORLD]

If its not slewing the right way, you just have to run the config utility again and turn the reverse button on.

[hippie]

Help please with connecting the right wires of the stepper motors to the RG sockets, 

I have 2 RJ12 sockets to plug the RG cabels into which have 4 pins out of the back, Two pins upper & two pins lower,

I see the RG cabels have 6 wires which only the 4 center pins are needed for the stepper motors connection,

The 4 center RG wires colours are black, red, green, yellow,

The stepper Motor wires are black, green, red, blue,

I see that the connections to the RG socket use the upper & lower pins corresponding for RA & DEC,

Do I therefore Solder the RG cabal wires red to red black to black connections for RA, then green to green, yellow to blue for DEC?,

Our am I completely wrong Hear!,   

Advice & help would be much appreciated hear as I'm not good with understanding electric things !!!.

Ian.  

[booth_robert]

help how do tell if my mount is running in the right direction ie when using the slew controls on eqmod north south east west button witch way should the mount move 

thanks 

[booth_robert]

@hippie if you look at page 17 of this thread  i think i asked tom a similer question 

[TCWORLD]

The easiest way to check if the mount is moving in the correct directions is to point the mount approximately north (doesn't need an PA, so you can do during in the day), then manually point the telescope toward the NCP (normal EQMOD starting position). Now load up EQMOD and issue a go-to movement to a star somewhere towards the western end of the ecliptic. Is the scope pointing in approximately the correct direction? If it is pointing somewhere on the eastern end of the ecliptic then you need to reverse the RA axis. If it is pointing nowhere near the ecliptic - i.e. towards the north, then you need to reverse the declination.

[ebdons]

Hi, don't know if this has already been posted, but the config utility is having issues with win xp pro 32 bit, have tried with win 7 64 bit  and runs okayat the moment, don't know if this is listed in the requirements section. all the best Tony

[RichM63]

Hi guys, the motors for the EQ5 arrived from Mark this morning. Many thanks Mark.

I've recently spent way too much on astronomy kit, I didn't plan on buying the 200P, so can anyone tell me the technical name for the STANDARD RA or DEC shaft coupler gears. I'm a bit lost over on the pulleys websites.

All I need right now are a couple of pulleys to join the motors to the mount shafts.

I'll do the belt mod at a later date but for now I'll just use a direct pulley connection.

If anyone can give me a part # I'd really appreciate it.

It looks like the gears have 34 teeth and a 6mm connection bore with a 29mm diameter.

Or even better, if anyone has done the belt mod and has a couple of RA/DEC shaft coupler pulleys lying around shoot me a line and we'll make a deal.

Cheers,

Richard

[hippie]

Hi guys, the motors for the EQ5 arrived from Mark this morning. Many thanks Mark.

I've recently spent way too much on astronomy kit, I didn't plan on buying the 200P, so can anyone tell me the technical name for the STANDARD RA or DEC shaft coupler gears. I'm a bit lost over on the pulleys websites.

All I need right now are a couple of pulleys to join the motors to the mount shafts.

I'll do the belt mod at a later date but for now I'll just use a direct pulley connection.

If anyone can give me a part # I'd really appreciate it.

It looks like the gears have 34 teeth and a 6mm connection bore with a 29mm diameter.

Or even better, if anyone has done the belt mod and has a couple of RA/DEC shaft coupler pulleys lying around shoot me a line and we'll make a deal.

Cheers,

Richard

Tom supplied me with this information for pulleys & Belts which i got for my EQ5 mount, 

Regarding the pulleys, I got mine from a place called "BeltingOnline"

You would need the following:

2 x 40T (6mm bore - 1of M3 grubscrew)

http://www.beltingon...l40mxl025f-5178

2 x 15T (5mm bore)

http://www.beltingon...15mxl025fb-5168

2 x 6.35mm wide belts (1 x 61Tooth, 1 x 63Tooth)

http://www.beltingon...ming-belts-4580

Hope this helps Ian.