Some Guidance for Guiding...

[PhotoGav]

Good evening folks,

I am going to take the leap of faith and add a guide set-up to my system. I am looking at using a QHY5-II camera through the Skywatcher 9x50 finder on my Skywatcher 80ED, all on an HEQ5 Pro mount. I will run PHD on an old laptop that I have. My question is this: the old laptop is pretty decent, but has USB 1 ports on it, will this create a problem with the guide camera?

I look forward to your help and advice.

[PhotoGav]

Wow - I seem to have finally found a question to which nobody on SGL knows the answer!

Anyway, thankfully I have found a solution.

It looks as though usb 1.0 probably would not have been good enough for the camera. My solution - I've found another laptop with usb 2.0 ports. So, thanks to my sister for saving the day!

Clear skies.

[swag72]

Guiding will make a massive difference to your imaging - You'll love it!!

[PhotoGav]

Thank you Sara. Fingers crossed that the 'upgrade' isn't too painful to get working properly. I'm just loving this whole trip though, the research and learning is really stimulating.

[Rob63]

Will the crosshairs on the finder interfere with guiding or can you remove them?

Using the finder as a guidescope would be a potential path I might take as I have a spare finder gathering dust.

[PhotoGav]

They won't as you unscrew that part where it enters the finder at the wide point and replace with an adapter.

Here's a pic pointing to where I mean...

You can see that it is plain black at the join rather than the sparkly black.

That's the theory... I will update as I progress!

[ollypenrice]

When the finders are modded for guiding the spring loaded support gets replaced, I believe, by a fixed one. The last thing you want on a guider is anything springy!! You might get away with it but a slight tug on the cables would move it.

Not sure how folks get round this.

The leap of faith is going unguided, not guided!

Olly

[PhotoGav]

I am getting nervous... I have a definite feeling of having taken one step backwards. I just hope that the two steps forwards will happen painlessly and quickly!!