How to set up PEC on the Synscan controller using a guide camera?

[Jannis]

This is probably a noob question, but i really can't find the information anywhere..

I know several mounts, including my HEQ5 pro have PEC, and when you're not guiding it can be very good.
Now in the manual it simply states to select a star near the celestrial equatior and keep it in the middle using the RA buttons. And while this works, i feel a guidecam would so a significantly better job, and is also what everyone seem to recommend to use for setting the PEC.

However, for the Skywatcher Synscan V3 controller, i can't find information about how to do it, or if it's even supported?
I'm guessing i'd first have to first set the guide-speed to the same as the PEC training speed on the controller. Now I have the option to guide using either the guide-port on the camera and mount, or by using the serial cable for the controller, but i'm not sure what i need to use?

 

[Cornelius Varley]

22 minutes ago, Jannis said:

This is probably a noob question, but i really can't find the information anywhere..

I know several mounts, including my HEQ5 pro have PEC, and when you're not guiding it can be very good.
Now in the manual it simply states to select a star near the celestrial equatior and keep it in the middle using the RA buttons. And while this works, i feel a guidecam would so a significantly better job, and is also what everyone seem to recommend to use for setting the PEC.

However, for the Skywatcher Synscan V3 controller, i can't find information about how to do it, or if it's even supported?
I'm guessing i'd first have to first set the guide-speed to the same as the PEC training speed on the controller. Now I have the option to guide using either the guide-port on the camera and mount, or by using the serial cable for the controller, but i'm not sure what i need to use?

 

I'm not sure that using a guide camera plus, I assume some guiding software, would allow PEC through the handset. Using a guide camera when imaging should take care of PEC so training the mount shouldn't be necessary. PEC training records the sequence of RA button pushes over a set period of time to keep the target star in the centre of the FOV which are then played back to eliminate periodic error. 

[Jannis]

Thanks for the reply.

From what i understand it's split thoughts about using PEC when also guiding. Some say it conflicts with guiding, and others say it improves guiding as the error never happen in the first place as far as the guide program thinks.

However in my case i just want the PEC set as precise as possible mainly for those times when i use my guide-camera for imaging and won't have access to guiding. That way, if possible, i can use it first to set a PEC, and then use it for imaging.

I know on (at least some) celestron mounts for example, when you use the guide-port on the mount and just guide like normal, it records the guide commands when running the PEC training, but i don't know if the skywatcher does the same?
I guess i could just try, but not sure how to confirm if it have recorded anything other then taking a series of images over ~10 min and see if it wobbles back and forth?

[Cornelius Varley]

17 hours ago, Jannis said:

This is probably a noob question, but i really can't find the information anywhere..

I know several mounts, including my HEQ5 pro have PEC, and when you're not guiding it can be very good.
Now in the manual it simply states to select a star near the celestrial equatior and keep it in the middle using the RA buttons. And while this works, i feel a guidecam would so a significantly better job, and is also what everyone seem to recommend to use for setting the PEC.

However, for the Skywatcher Synscan V3 controller, i can't find information about how to do it, or if it's even supported?
I'm guessing i'd first have to first set the guide-speed to the same as the PEC training speed on the controller. Now I have the option to guide using either the guide-port on the camera and mount, or by using the serial cable for the controller, but i'm not sure what i need to use?

 

Might have found the solution through eqmod