EQ8 - Installation and Commissioning

[Gina]

Threaded rod and extra nuts came in the post this morning and I now have the mount set up on these.  The rig actually feels pretty rigid

Focussed the scope and now ready for PA with AstroTortilla

[Tinker1947]

if your going to settle with the studding another metal plate in the middle with nuts and washer either side would make it very sturdy,,,,awesome looking with that EQ8.......

[Gina]

if your going to settle with the studding another metal plate in the middle with nuts and washer either side would make it very sturdy,,,,awesome looking with that EQ8.......

I was wondering whether to do that myself - I have another 250mm diameter x 10mm mild steel plate now.  Think that's a good idea

[Gina]

Have a problem   The mount won't slew to the correct place using Slew from CdC   Which is very odd because it was working perfectly the other day.  Having started AT up for PA, I chose a star to the east ready for adjusting altitude and chose Telescope - Slew but the scope ended up pointing SE and about 30 degrees altitude instead of just above the horizon to the east.

I'll got out and do some more tests shortly.

[dmahon]

Firstly I'll cover the pier adapter plate modifications required to go from the NEQ6 to the EQ8. The EQ8 requirements are actually much simpler and do not need a double stepped mounting hole - just a flat plate with a 12mm hole in the middle for an M12 attachment bolt, the usual post for use in azimuth Polar Alignment and two M8 threaded holes for M8 screws that secure the azimuth adjustment after PA.

Can I ask about that - if the two lateral M8 holes are for securing after PA, one assumes it swivels around the centre bolt (like the EQ6). If that's the case, how do the bolts still line up with the holes after it's swivelled? If not, why do they need loosening before/during PA?

[rob288]

If its on a pier such as Ginas, you need to get a close polar alignment before marking the holes in your plate,  the bolt holes on the mount are slotted so you have some adjustment to fine tune your polar alignment.

[Gina]

Can I ask about that - if the two lateral M8 holes are for securing after PA, one assumes it swivels around the centre bolt (like the EQ6). If that's the case, how do the bolts still line up with the holes after it's swivelled? If not, why do they need loosening before/during PA?

The mount has curved slots about an inch long for the M8 bolts, that allow it to turn several degrees either way - yes, pivoting on the centre bolt.

[Gina]

Done some PA altitude adjustment but now there's cloud in the way.  Rather than using CdC Slew to set the scope pointing east I just used EQMOD ASCOM to set the azimuth to 90 degrees and altutude to 15 degrees - above the LP and low level haze.  Got around 100 stars to plate solve on using 10s and binning 8x8 with the MN190 and 460EX - until the cloud came in -  and got down to 4' error.  Looks like getting down to a minute of arc error should be withing reach with this mount - the adjustment is nice and smooth  

Now I'm indoors watching the image via TeamViewer hoping the cloud will go away.  I've closed the roof just leaving the eastern wall flap down with the scope looking out.  The dew is horrendous tonight but the dew shield and heater are doing their job.

[stephen_usher]

I'm getting my scope ready in case Jupiter peeps over the top of the roof to the east in time to see the dual moon shadows pass over its face. Somehow I doubt it as Jupiter will only be 10 degrees above the horizon at 22:20.

What do you plan to image tonight Gina?

[Gina]

I'm getting my scope ready in case Jupiter peeps over the top of the roof to the east in time to see the dual moon shadows pass over its face. Somehow I doubt it as Jupiter will only be 10 degrees above the horizon at 22:20.

What do you plan to image tonight Gina?

If I get a chance probably the Heart Nebula mosaic.

Having some very strange things happening toinight.  I decided to re-measure the altitude error without touching the mount and the error went from slightly too high to too low with the error increasing with each measurement   Should I have tracking set to sidereal or OFF?  ATM I have it set to sidereal.

[Tinker1947]

Maybe go back to basic's, plug in a handset and do a 2 or 3 star align see how it gets on.....??

[SnakeyJ]

Good luck with this tonight Gina - a few frustrations but the polar alignment was sounding very encouraging, hopefully the clouds will clear and give you some time to tinker around and iron out some of the wrinkles - Keep at it

[Gina]

Maybe go back to basic's, plug in a handset and do a 2 or 3 star align see how it gets on.....??

Could do but I see no advantage in using the handset as I want to do everything from the laptop with EQMOD.  I may get round to playing with the handset just to see what it will do once I get my main setup working properly.

[Gina]

Good luck with this tonight Gina - a few frustrations but the polar alignment was sounding very encouraging, hopefully the clouds will clear and give you some time to tinker around and iron out some of the wrinkles - Keep at it

Thank you Jake   However, nothing seemed to go as planned last night and I decided to pack it in and go to bed just before midnight.  There was some cloud about which was frustrating and the dew was horrendous - everything was dripping except the area of the scope round the dew heater, the mount and the camera which were producing enough warmth to keep the dew off.  Even the floor was wet!  When I packed up and closed everything up I put the fan heater on low temperature in the scope room to help dry everything out.  It's been the only occasion when I could have done with a dehumidifier.  Never had such "torrential" dew before.

I'm wondering whether I'd be better doing the PA with an ED80 rather than the MN190.  I think an ED80 was probably what I used to PA the NEQ6.

I tried guiding and the guiding graph was a lot better than with the NEQ6 even without good PA.  I tried some imaging of the Heart but too much cloud about and I lost guiding so decided "enough was enough" and gave up for the night.

[SnakeyJ]

Wise call to know when to quit and that dew sounded horrendous. Agree with doing the pa on the ed80, it can always be tweaked at longer fl later on, but for time being I think its worth getting everything up and running to get familiar with the new rig and EQ8.

Better conditions down here last night, but had to cut short due to poorly children & sick mum. Though I did sneak out for a little shot at Jupiter this morning. Seeing wasnt great though and pushed the focal length to far on Jup

typed on my mobile with Tapatalk

[Gina]

Wise call to know when to quit and that dew sounded horrendous. Agree with doing the pa on the ed80, it can always be tweaked at longer fl later on, but for time being I think its worth getting everything up and running to get familiar with the new rig and EQ8.

Better conditions down here last night, but had to cut short due to poorly children & sick mum. Though I did sneak out for a little shot at Jupiter this morning. Seeing wasnt great though and pushed the focal length to far on Jup

typed on my mobile with Tapatalk

Thank you

Hope poorly children and sick mum get better soon   Nothing serious I hope.

[Gina]

I now have a lovely brand new Esprit 80ED so next time we get any clear night sky I'll try with that

[Nathan_Pembs]

I now have a lovely brand new Esprit 80ED so next time we get any clear night sky I'll try with that

EQ8 and an Esprit.....you robbed a bank lately Gina? lol

[ollypenrice]

This mount looks great. I might just buy one and be done, since it would carry the multi scope array easily.

Let me clarify my concern about the washers; yes they are in compression but each washer has two surfaces, neither of which will be perfectly flat, and the fit of the washer will not approach interference on the threaded bar, so my concern would be slippage between washers under variable load. This might slightly affect the length of the stack. But I'd be the first to agree that, it it works it works and there an end. I take that view with everything I use.

Regarding the sale of the hang glider by Stephen, I think that if my surname were Usher I'd be looking for another sport...  The hang glider pilots round here have this story about two old peasant farmers out shooting. They see a hang glider and one of them fires.

'What was that? Did I hit it?'

'No idea, but it dropped that bloke pretty damned quick when you fired.'

Olly

[Gina]

EQ8 and an Esprit.....you robbed a bank lately Gina? lol

I've loaded up the ol' credit card   I can afford the interest and to gradually pay it off - decided to enjoy life while I can

[Gina]

This mount looks great. I might just buy one and be done, since it would carry the multi scope array easily.

Let me clarify my concern about the washers; yes they are in compression but each washer has two surfaces, neither of which will be perfectly flat, and the fit of the washer will not approach interference on the threaded bar, so my concern would be slippage between washers under variable load. This might slightly affect the length of the stack. But I'd be the first to agree that, it it works it works and there an end. I take that view with everything I use.

Regarding the sale of the hang glider by Stephen, I think that if my surname were Usher I'd be looking for another sport...  The hang glider pilots round here have this story about two old peasant farmers out shooting. They see a hang glider and one of them fires.

'What was that? Did I hit it?'

'No idea, but it dropped that bloke pretty damned quick when you fired.'

Olly

I see what you mean about the washers but they did work well with the NEQ6.  I'm not using them now though - it's the long threaded rods with nuts and single washers

Good hangglider story Olly

[Avo]

Nathan_Pembs, on 30 Oct 2013 - 11:11 PM, said:

EQ8 and an Esprit.....you robbed a bank lately Gina? lol 

"I've loaded up the ol' credit card    I can afford the interest and to gradually pay it off - decided to enjoy life while I can  :)"

Can't knock that attitude, if you don't use it, someone else (Tax-man etc) will 

[dmahon]

I've loaded up the ol' credit card I can afford the interest and to gradually pay it off - decided to enjoy life while I can

Is there room left for a Riccardi reducer? Would be nice to know if you can get it to work at F3.75

[Gina]

Is there room left for a Riccardi reducer? Would be nice to know if you can get it to work at F3.75

I don't know that reducer and whether it would work with the Esprit flattener.  ATM I have 16mm OAG, 9mm extension tube, EFW2 and 460EX to give 76mm being the 75mm back focus with the flattener plus 1mm for Astrodon filters.  So the space situation would depend on which components you use.

[dmahon]

It's a reducer/flattener - I don't think you would use the Skywatcher flattener too. It has a backfocus of somewhere between 71-81mm.

Oh, I understand...... I meant is there room left on the credit card