QHY PoleMaster

[PeterCPC]

Another Beta version on the QHYCCD web site

Update Date ( 更新日期 ) : 2016-06-30

V132(beta2)

修复 : 在某些机器上运行时极点监控面板中图像显示错乱的问题。

Fixed : The Monitor screen does not work correctly.

 

 

Peter

[swag72]

I have to say that I have been impressed by the Polemaster and how it works. Nothing difficult about using it at all..... I would definitely recommend them to others.

[saac]

Patiently waiting for mine to arrive tomorrow - it's been overcast here for last 2 weeks so it wasn't me

 

Jim

[saac]

It arrived, so I had a trial install of the PoleMaster on the mount and one question pops up.  I noticed when tightening the screw that secures the camera to the mount adaptor base that the two (camera and mount adaptor base) end up not entirely concentric.  the slight misalignment is I think due to the dovetail arrangement on the adaptor - as the screw tightens it pushes the adaptor leading to a slight out of alignment with the base.    My question is, does this slight misalignment matter?  I suspect not as the camera itself still runs parallel to the mount's polar axis - or have I messed up on my installation. Hope that all makes sense.

 

Jim

 

[sloz1664]

Misalignment is not an issue. So long as the polemaster is secure. The software takes care of any eccentricity.

Steve

[saac]

Steve thanks for the reply, I thought that would be the case, just needed confirmation in case I was missing something. The very slight misalignment appears to be a consequence of the dovetail arrangement in the adaptor.  Still waiting to test it out, clouds still not shifting

Jim.

[Demonperformer]

OK, the time is right (nice profit from the stock market fluctuations over the last couple of weeks, and the price has not yet caught up with the £/$ exchange rate), so I have placed my order for one of these this morning.

I reckon the worst-case scenario is that (for whatever reason, probably insufficient access to the area around Polaris) I don't get on with it and find a buyer through the classifieds.  From the recommendations that have been flowing freely in this thread, that doesn't sound as if it will be too difficult.

[saac]

I really don't think you'll be disappointed - one of the best bit of astro kits I have spent money on.

 

Jim

[PeterCPC]

There is a Beta 3 on the web site now:

Update Date( 更新日期 ) ： 2016-07-13

V132(beta3)

Updated: change the style of UI to make it more conducive to use at night.

 

Peter

[Demonperformer]

On 26/01/2016 at 14:02, nightster said:

Here's the workflow: after each step there is some sort of confirmation diaglog box that needs to be clicked.

Roughly align mount. Open Polemaster software. Press CONNECT to activate cam.  Adjust Exposure and Gain to your liking.  Click on the center of Polaris with your mouse.  A template layer of red circles will appear on top of your liveview image.  Mouseover the slider and rotate the template until it matches the neigboring stars (use the mouse roller here.)  Next you will click on another star in the FOV, not Polaris (note: remember which one you click.) It will now ask you to move the mount clockwise then click that same star again.  It will do this 2 times.  I then park the mount back to its starting position. As the mount returns a Green Circle appears and the star you have been clicking should track perfectly around the edge. You will click Polaris again. You will adjust star template once again, roller mouse button. The Rough Actual and Rough Current centers of rotation will be displayed. You will adjust mount until Polaris is inside the small green circle.  That completes Rough PA, now Precise PA.  Press Start Monitor 2 Green boxes will appear, one on Polaris one on its companion. A zoom box appears and a Green and Red Target appear. Adjust Alt and Az bolts until the targets are aligned and your done.   The next time you run the process it will ask you if you want to use the previous rotational data (right before you slew the mount clockwise.)  

I've used this 6 separate nights and no longer dread having to do my PA. 

I attached mine yesterday afternoon and installed all the software. Success - at least as far as I can tell - the screen was black when the cover was over the camera and white when the cover was removed, which I guess is the best I can expect on a sunny afternoon. I was going to give it a go in anger last night, but went down with a bout of frigus pedes (with a nasty dose of excusitis thrown in for good measure), so that will have to wait until tonight (hopefully!).

Two questions:

Firstly, how accurate does returning the mount to its starting position have to be (highlighted yellow)? The syntrek handset does not have a 'park' command and I was hoping to do my first attempt without having to fire up eqmod [just something else to go wrong]. Will using a reading on my setting circles be accurate enough?

Secondly, and this is possibly a little academic as I will have to do it anyway, what exactly is the point of the rough alignment (highlighted in green)? I may be missing something, but it seems to me that (paraphrasing) it says "move this object [Polaris] to this position [green circle]" and then says [using the same controls with the same level of precision] "move this object [green target] to this position [red target]". Wouldn't going straight to the second instruction achieve the same result with half the instructions/steps? Maybe someone using the system already can see something that is eluding me.

Thanks.

Just come up with a third question: is all this done with the mount tracking on or off (or doesn't it matter)? Thanks.

[Dr_Ju_ju]

The mount 'could' be powered down to do the adjustments, as long as the PoleMaster is parallel to the NCP axis, can see Polaris, and the 5 guide\adjustment stars, and you are able to rotate the RA axis...

 

So its irrelevant where you 'start' from, you are just physically aligning the mount to the NCP....

 

[nightster]

Great questions. I've learned from later posts that you should have tracking on if possible. You can slew manually. It shouldn't need to return to a preset home position. And lastly I have no idea why it doesn't jump straight to the high precision. Best I can guess is that the algorithm it is using to calculate the center of rotation and the actual pole position needs several iterations of you confirming and adjusting the plate. And it may have to do with the atmospheric dispersion, I rrally don know. People much more intelligent than me on this forum should be able to answer that.  I can say, with a high degree of confidence, that you will get really good, repeatable PA accuracy in about 5 minutes without the headaches or the time required  to drift first. Now you can drift to confirm your PA which is much more satisfying. 

[Demonperformer]

Thanks, Jeff.

Good to know that tracking should be on and getting back to the original position only needs to be approximate.

I reckon that is as good a guess as any - certainly has a certain logic to it. It was just curiousity really, as I couldn't see any logic to it - but whatever the reason I will need to do it.

Will be really pleased to get ANY sort of PA. Unfortunately, last night proved to be not as clear as was promised, but I am hopeful I will get out to give it a try sometime before Christmas!

Thanks.

[StuartJPP]

I think people are taking this way too seriously....(lack of clear skies does this) my tracking is on at the point of returning RA roughly back to where I started because I can't stop my mount tracking once it is going but the whole procedure is so quick that tracking on/off to me will make very little difference. 

IF you are monitoring after alignment for any significant amount of time then fine it will make a difference with tracking on being the correct method.

The whole purpose of the PoleMaster is to get polar aligned as quickly as possible and get on with imaging...in my opinion anyway.

If you do it properly and quickly you can be done in less than 5 minutes.

[Demonperformer]

Thanks, Stuart, and point taken. My OCD is showing ....

[Gina]

Came across the Polemaster on Bern's site and also here, and I've read right through this thread trying to see if this would be any use to me.  I've been doing PA with AstroTortilla and it's a fiddly process of trial and error - takes a long time and awkward as I need to move a laptop to where I can see it from the mount.

I'm not sure that Polemaster would even be practical as I have an EQ8 mount on a solid concrete pier.  I know that once set up, PA should stay put but AT seems a bit unreliable - or at least something is.  It seems inordinately awkward to set up PA and hence it gets abandoned after getting to around 30 seconds of arc.  I just simple can't be bothered and want to get on with imaging on a clear night.

I guess what I really need is remote control of the PA adjustments but reading that Polemaster only needs a couple of adjustments to put one colour ring on top of another seems so much better than the successive approximation methods of either AT or drift alignment.  I have a clear view of Polaris and surrounding stars from my observatory.  I do find it hard to believe the claims of a few arc-secs error with Polemaster though.

[saac]

Gina,  I can't yet comment on the accuracy of Polemaster, I don't yet have a guiding setup, but in terms of its functionality it really is a very intuitive piece of kit/software.  Once you've familiarised yourself with it once/twice you will easily be able to achieve PA within 5 minutes.

I have mine installed on my AZ EQ6 GT which is also pier mounted.  Ok a bit overkill perhaps, Polemaster would really come into its own on a mobile rig.  That said, my skill level is not high and I often have limited time so much that manual PA is still a challenge for me. Collimating the polar scope, and then doing the whole manual PA routine for me is total bore and something that distracts from precious time at the eyepiece or imaging.  The way I see it, a pier mounted mount will overtime undoubtedly shift - how much, don't know; enough to impact on PA for imaging, don't know. But with Polemaster on the mount in the observatory the occasional 5 min PA every other week will confirm.  I was happy to pay the asking price even knowing that it would be a low use item, but its effect on my enjoyment of the hobby should be high.  I'm looking for other uses for the camera when not in use on PA - possible All Sky, electronic finder scope - it has a screw in lens so should be adaptable.  Perhaps you could be able to borrow one for a trial before committing.

 

Jim

[Gina]

Thank you Jim   Just wondering how to fit it to my EQ8 which doesn't have a polarscope.

[msh1]

gina im only an hr away from you if you want to borrow mine i would be happy to come up to yours its not for the eq8 but azeq6 im sure you could knock a bracket up 

mark

[Gina]

Thank you for the offer Mark   I'll let you know if I'd like to take you up on that when it looks like we may get some clear night sky to try it.

[msh1]

47 minutes ago, Gina said:

Thank you for the offer Mark   I'll let you know if I'd like to take you up on that when it looks like we may get some clear night sky to try it.

Gina found this for you http://qhyccd.com/bbs/index.php?topic=5274.0 might give you some ideas lol

mark

[mbalkham]

Just taken delivery of my QHY PoleMaster (guaranteed cloudy nights for a month!). Does anyone know if the drivers run ok on a Windows 10 Tablet (maybe should have asked that before ordering!)

[saac]

They certainly work fine on a Win 10 laptop.

Jim

[StuartJPP]

If I had a permanent setup I probably wouldn't bother with a PoleMaster at all...a decent drift alignment and locking everything down should be all that is needed....perhaps a check every now and then.

I think that the AstroTortilla method of alignment is similar to AlignMaster in that it relies on moveing both RA and DEC which introduces errors in backlash...especially anything iterative....though I could be wrong and AstroTortilla only moves in RA.

There is a cheaper solution which is to use SharpCap's video polar alignment routine which is similar to PoleMaster (which PoleMaster is based on in fact).

PoleMaster could be much more accurate if they had a dual lens system...25mm to start with and 130mm (miniGuideScope) for fine tuning... but personally I don't think it needs it...

[sloz1664]

48 minutes ago, StuartJPP said:

If I had a permanent setup I probably wouldn't bother with a PoleMaster at all...a decent drift alignment and locking everything down should be all that is needed....perhaps a check every now and then.

I think that the AstroTortilla method of alignment is similar to AlignMaster in that it relies on moveing both RA and DEC which introduces errors in backlash...especially anything iterative....though I could be wrong and AstroTortilla only moves in RA.

There is a cheaper solution which is to use SharpCap's video polar alignment routine which is similar to PoleMaster (which PoleMaster is based on in fact).

PoleMaster could be much more accurate if they had a dual lens system...25mm to start with and 130mm (miniGuideScope) for fine tuning... but personally I don't think it needs it...

I have a permanent set-up and I still use a PoleMaster. I'm always bumping into my mount, even the slightest knock and you wonder if you've upset the PA. PoleMaster is quick and easy. Drift aligning is not. As one famous cook quotes: "Life is too short for stuffing mushrooms".

 

Steve