Automation and Scope Crashes

[AlistairW]

Hello,

OK so I am using EQMOD to control my mount via Stellarium, and I can control where I slew from inside the house. However I am forever concerned that when I do do a slew (for an alignment point for example) that the scope might do something odd and crash in to something. So I end up staring out the window with shoes on, ready to run down in an emergency. Thankfully it's never happened. Am I the only one who gets paranoid about this or do is it worth rigging up a web cam or something - or perhaps there is something else I can do. I suppose antherr example is if I were to accidentally select a star (from stellarium) that the scope genuinly can not slew to without crashing. Is there perhaps a way of setting limits on the "amount" a scope can slew - i.e it can't go below the horizon or something like that ?

Thanks

Alistair.

[ronin]

Suspect everyone gets paranoid.

Rather like the quote that you will not learn the sky with a goto. Every goto owner knows what is up there, where it is and where the goto should therefore go. They do not trust the things. So long before going out they have learnt where objects are.

[IanL]

You need to use the mount limits feature in EQMOD. You can set East and West positions beyond which the mount will not slew. Just manually slew to East side and West site positions where the camera end is near but not in collision with the tripod or pier and set the limits. It is covered in the documentation. You can also set horizon limits below which the scope will not slew.

[AlistairW]

Great advise - thanks for the help - still much to learn.

[gooselk]

Also, don't forget to disallow your mount to go far beyond the meredian. Depending on your scope and tripod/pier your scope may be in risk of hitting the pier/tripod just after crossing the meredian when observing/imaging high DEC objects. It should instead stop or (better for automation) do an automatic meredian flip.

Clear skies ... Lars