What did the postman bring?

[Stu]

This arrived today. I've been looking for a cable to connect my Skysensor 2000PC to my SkyFi3 unit, and found a company on eBay that replied positively to my request.

I sent the diagram from the Skysensor Manual to them and got this cable back. I do hope it works, I will try it very soon and report back. At £15 I'm sure DIYers amongst you will scoff, a fool and his money easily parted and all that, but if it works reliably then it is worth it to me. I will post the eBay link elsewhere if successful!

[RayD]

8 minutes ago, Stu said:

This arrived today. I've been looking for a cable to connect my Skysensor 2000PC to my SkyFi3 unit, and found a company on eBay that replied positively to my request.

I sent the diagram from the Skysensor Manual to them and got this cable back. I do hope it works, I will try it very soon and report back. At £15 I'm sure DIYers amongst you will scoff, a fool and his money easily parted and all that, but if it works reliably then it is worth it to me. I will post the eBay link elsewhere if successful!

Good find, Stu.  For those not that way inclined, finding somewhere to get custom cables made can be a bit of a challenge.

Look forward to seeing if it works, and the link.

[Stub Mandrel]

1 hour ago, Stu said:

This arrived today. I've been looking for a cable to connect my Skysensor 2000PC to my SkyFi3 unit, and found a company on eBay that replied positively to my request.

Well I could buy the plug and knock one up from my bits box for a good bit less, but that seems a fair price to get one custom made.

[emadmoussa]

£5 from China...bargain...

[Alfian]

1 hour ago, emadmoussa said:

£5 from China...bargain...

Indeed!

[Stu]

7 hours ago, RayD said:

Good find, Stu.  For those not that way inclined, finding somewhere to get custom cables made can be a bit of a challenge.

Look forward to seeing if it works, and the link.

See this post Ray. It worked!

Apologies, the link seems to go to the beginning of the thread, but go to the last post.

[JOC]

It is a good job my postie is not the suspicious type ( well actually it was a courier!).  I got what looked like a missile for a shoulder launcher (like you see on the TV) wrapped in loads of bubble wrap and a black bin sack.  The contents of which were a nice chunky tripod that I am going to fix the baby vixen to.

[fozzybear]

Well this week for me nothing but loads for the wife via Ama8on and other internet suppliers it was the wife's birthday today and here in France we have a post-box so luckily  next door neighbour took all her parcels as nobody at home and to large to fit in it.. getting in the good books hopefully?, Soes by doc marten(girly style) shoes by Fly, fancy handbag girly things and dam expensive  I forgot I even bought her 2. So maybe I am good to go next month??

[Danjc]

6 grub screws in a bag in a bag in a bag. 

 

[kippford]

The postman just delivered this.

[Guest]

I've received my Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer back from it's "Spa Day" at Dark Frame Optics and it's StellarTune 2.5 upgrade ? (The NEQ-6 is still enjoying it's break lol)

I also received a new counterweight assembly called the Bodi CloverThree which will give the ability to put a 50mm finder guider on this setup IF I ever have to guide ? as I'm using an ASI1600MM with exposure times around 2 minutes unguided.

I'm hoping to try it out on the Lunar Eclipse Monday morning using an ASI120MC.

David

 

 

 

[Gina]

Some ribbon cable and mains input socket, fuseholder and switch unit - for the 3D printer I'm building.

[Saganite]

On 09/01/2019 at 19:13, reezeh said:

Just a weedle book today, from First Light Optics.

Wasn't the postman, but DPD this instance.

Only Volume 1; vol 2 is on order but out of stock, looking forward to that as it's what we're moving into.

 

 

Hope you devour it !

I have volumes 1&2 and they are really quite excellent. 

[Saganite]

On 14/01/2019 at 10:33, Stu said:

An Orion Smartphone adaptor for me. The Televue Fonemate works really well, but it only fits my 24mm Panoptic. Hopefully this will give a good fit on my BGOs for some higher power images.

I've got a few different sorts now so at some point will try to do a review on them for the Smartphone section.

Too much of Luddite I fear ,Stu, though I do envy the usefulness of it all !

Edited January 19, 2019 by Saganite

[tasheeya]

cheap 58mm uv/it cut filter for my 55-300mm nikkor lens so i can use it with my astro modded (full spectrum mod) DSLR.

 

[Stu]

1 hour ago, David_L said:

I've received my Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer back from it's "Spa Day" at Dark Frame Optics and it's StellarTune 2.5 upgrade ? (The NEQ-6 is still enjoying it's break lol)

I also received a new counterweight assembly called the Bodi CloverThree which will give the ability to put a 50mm finder guider on this setup IF I ever have to guide ? as I'm using an ASI1600MM with exposure times around 2 minutes unguided.

I'm hoping to try it out on the Lunar Eclipse Monday morning using an ASI120MC.

David

 

 

 

Looks great David, where did the 'both clover three' come from? A quick Google didn't turn anything up. I would like something similar for my Giro-WR mount.

Thanks!

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, Stu said:

Looks great David, where did the 'both clover three' come from? A quick Google didn't turn anything up. I would like something similar for my Giro-WR mount.

Thanks!

I bought it from Dark Frame Optics - I think they make them but not sure 

Works really well ?

[geordie85]

1 hour ago, David_L said:

I've received my Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer back from it's "Spa Day" at Dark Frame Optics and it's StellarTune 2.5 upgrade ? (The NEQ-6 is still enjoying it's break lol)

I also received a new counterweight assembly called the Bodi CloverThree which will give the ability to put a 50mm finder guider on this setup IF I ever have to guide ? as I'm using an ASI1600MM with exposure times around 2 minutes unguided.

I'm hoping to try it out on the Lunar Eclipse Monday morning using an ASI120MC.

David

 

 

 

I'll be interested to know how your neq6 performs after as I'm contemplating sending my mount for a spa day too 

[PeterW]

That counterweight will never work... you’ll find yourself drinking them and then the tracking will go to pot!

Peter

[Guest]

15 minutes ago, PeterW said:

That counterweight will never work... you’ll find yourself drinking them and then the tracking will go to pot!

Peter

Sorry - I forgot to point out that you empty the cans and then fill them with inert material - if I drink that then guiding will be a secondary concern lol

[JamesF]

It's a neat little solution to make a travel-friendly counterweight, though when I needed one I just taped three cans to the end of the counterweight shaft

James

[Stub Mandrel]

You could use cans of cheap lager and avoid any temptation to drink the contents.

[kippford]

11 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

You could use cans of cheap lager and avoid any temptation to drink the contents.

Only if the good stuff was finished.

[JOC]

If you want travel friendly counterweights I wonder if what I bought for my new gazebo would work.  For about £12 you can buy 4 empty double sandbags designed to be filled and velcroed around the gazebo legs.  Providing these telescope bars had an ultimate stop thing sliding off back plate, I see no reason why you couldn't take one of these purpose made sacks, fill it at your destination (sand, stones earth etc) zip it closed and just velcro it to the counterweight arm.  Then empty it to come home.

Edited January 19, 2019 by JOC

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, JOC said:

If you want travel friendly counterweights I wonder if what I bought for my new gazebo would work.  For about £12 you can buy 4 empty double sandbags designed to be filled and velcroed around the gazebo legs.  Providing these telescope bars had an ultimate stop thing sliding off back plate, I see no reason why you couldn't take one of these purpose made sacks, fill it at your destination (sand, stones earth etc) zip it closed and just velcro it to the counterweight arm.  Then empty it to come home.

That sounds like it would work - these light aluminum brackets cost £30 and pack away nicely with my accessory stuff - I also like that I can remove a can of inert material dependent on c/w requirements.

I remember I once used a carry bag with a few beers in it on my AVX as it only came with one c/w - I needed it for the monster Luminos 31mm eyepiece ?