iOptron CEM60-EC First thoughts

[Jkulin]

Great Anne, I'll be there at the show, so hopefully will bump into each other, if you need to find me then me will be hovering around Peter Shah's stand 656imaging.com

ATB

[souls33k3r]

I must admit, for some weird reason i'm looking at CEM60EC as well ... my current mount works just fine but that itch which i'm unable to get rid of

CEM120/120EC is totally out of the budget for me.

A few questions if you don't mind me asking, does the CEM60EC support EQMOD?

Also what do the encoders do? (now this is a super noobish question)

[Jkulin]

2 hours ago, souls33k3r said:

I must admit, for some weird reason i'm looking at CEM60EC as well ... my current mount works just fine but that itch which i'm unable to get rid of

CEM120/120EC is totally out of the budget for me.

A few questions if you don't mind me asking, does the CEM60EC support EQMOD?

Also what do the encoders do? (now this is a super noobish question)

I can confidently say that I loved my CEM60EC, it was just brilliant, I never heard of one with my issue, so as far as I can tell it was a first, I really would have been happy with a replacement one, but the 120EC just looks stunning and in the flesh is even better: -

It's out of my budget as well, so I have got to give myself a bigger dividend this month and get my accountant to sort it out at the end of the year ?

I had a similar question about EQMOD when I bought the 60, simple answer is no, it has it's own Commander software, that is so simple to use, it really is, see the below: -

Most of the settings you leave at the default, you only need to change the meridian flip so it doesn't conflict with your capture software such as SGP, ignore the image above where is says stop, I have mine set at 5 mins after SGP so it doesn't take control.

My understanding of the encoders is that they monitor where your mount is and where it is declaring that it is and correct the axis, they can only go by the mounts read outputs and not the physical view of where the mount is pointing.

If you have an Obsy or like me a fixed pier then really you should only need the encoders on the RA, however if you are regular using different setups and locations then I am led to believe that it is useful on the DEC as well, but it is more expensive.

My guiding in comparison to my old AZ-EQ6-GT is like chalk and cheese, I really wish I had never bought the AZ and jumped straight in with the iOptron.

HTH.

[souls33k3r]

1 hour ago, Jkulin said:

I can confidently say that I loved my CEM60EC, it was just brilliant, I never heard of one with my issue, so as far as I can tell it was a first, I really would have been happy with a replacement one, but the 120EC just looks stunning and in the flesh is even better: -

It's out of my budget as well, so I have got to give myself a bigger dividend this month and get my accountant to sort it out at the end of the year ?

I had a similar question about EQMOD when I bought the 60, simple answer is no, it has it's own Commander software, that is so simple to use, it really is, see the below: -

Most of the settings you leave at the default, you only need to change the meridian flip so it doesn't conflict with your capture software such as SGP, ignore the image above where is says stop, I have mine set at 5 mins after SGP so it doesn't take control.

My understanding of the encoders is that they monitor where your mount is and where it is declaring that it is and correct the axis, they can only go by the mounts read outputs and not the physical view of where the mount is pointing.

If you have an Obsy or like me a fixed pier then really you should only need the encoders on the RA, however if you are regular using different setups and locations then I am led to believe that it is useful on the DEC as well, but it is more expensive.

My guiding in comparison to my old AZ-EQ6-GT is like chalk and cheese, I really wish I had never bought the AZ and jumped straight in with the iOptron.

HTH.

Thank you for explaining it matey. I can't see any reason to fault this brilliant mount. You're talking about giving yourself a good dividend, I have to worry about my children's inheritance

So one small question around it's own control software, does it fully eliminate the hand controller or you need it as well? 

[Anne S]

On 12/02/2019 at 17:06, Jkulin said:

Great Anne, I'll be there at the show, so hopefully will bump into each other, if you need to find me then me will be hovering around Peter Shah's stand 656imaging.com

ATB

I'll be hovering around Altair Astro examining the cem60. We'll be there when it opens as we're staying nearby. I should have a turquoise handbag!

[Anne S]

2 hours ago, souls33k3r said:

Thank you for explaining it matey. I can't see any reason to fault this brilliant mount. You're talking about giving yourself a good dividend, I have to worry about my children's inheritance

So one small question around it's own control software, does it fully eliminate the hand controller or you need it as well? 

You can plug the handset in as well as connect to the laptop but it works without too. I use the handset if I need to fine tune my composition. I've been using Commander for several years with my travelling setup. It all works well with Maxim dl for pointing. I do connect through POTH as Commander won't act as a hub and I like to use the Sky6 with Maxim dl.

[Jkulin]

2 hours ago, Anne S said:

I'll be hovering around Altair Astro examining the cem60. We'll be there when it opens as we're staying nearby. I should have a turquoise handbag!

You won’t miss me Anne, look for the debonair bloke with a handlebar tache ?

[Jkulin]

5 hours ago, souls33k3r said:

Thank you for explaining it matey. I can't see any reason to fault this brilliant mount. You're talking about giving yourself a good dividend, I have to worry about my children's inheritance

So one small question around it's own control software, does it fully eliminate the hand controller or you need it as well? 

My accountant doesn’t know it yet, he’ll probably have a fit?

As Anne said you don’t need the handset at all, I'll post a link to a lead that Kev in their technical department put me into, no more bulky RS232, just this slimline version: -

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07DFM6P1Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[souls33k3r]

9 hours ago, Anne S said:

You can plug the handset in as well as connect to the laptop but it works without too. I use the handset if I need to fine tune my composition. I've been using Commander for several years with my travelling setup. It all works well with Maxim dl for pointing. I do connect through POTH as Commander won't act as a hub and I like to use the Sky6 with Maxim dl.

Sweet stuff, that's absolutely brilliant. Just what I wanted to hear.

6 hours ago, Jkulin said:

My accountant doesn’t know it yet, he’ll probably have a fit?

As Anne said you don’t need the handset at all, I'll post a link to a lead that Kev in their technical department put me into, no more bulky RS232, just this slimline version: -

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07DFM6P1Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Cheers for the link John. Now I'm going to have to do some explaining to my wife as to why I want to sell a perfectly fine mount to acquire this beauty... I don't expect that conversation to go smooth

 

[Jkulin]

1 hour ago, souls33k3r said:

Cheers for the link John. Now I'm going to have to do some explaining to my wife as to why I want to sell a perfectly fine mount to acquire this beauty... I don't expect that conversation to go smooth

Its Valentines day, nice romantic meal, bottle of bubbly, flowers and a box of chocs and she'll hardly object to anything :-), you did remember it was Valentines day didn't you?

[souls33k3r]

3 hours ago, Jkulin said:

Its Valentines day, nice romantic meal, bottle of bubbly, flowers and a box of chocs and she'll hardly object to anything :-), you did remember it was Valentines day didn't you?

Ouch! i better come up with an excuse then ... any suggestions? ?

[ollypenrice]

On 13/02/2019 at 17:07, souls33k3r said:

I must admit, for some weird reason i'm looking at CEM60EC as well ... my current mount works just fine but that itch which i'm unable to get rid of

CEM120/120EC is totally out of the budget for me.

A few questions if you don't mind me asking, does the CEM60EC support EQMOD?

Also what do the encoders do? (now this is a super noobish question)

If you have a rig which works and you still have an itch to change it then you are in a very unusual position. A private psychoanalyst will actually cost you less than changing your kit. Hardly anything costs more than a course of psychotherapy but one of the few things that does is buying a new astrophotographic setup and getting it to work.

The cheapest though not necessarily the most enticing option might be a cold shower.

lly

[Jkulin]

2 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

The cheapest though not necessarily the most enticing option might be a cold shower.

LMHO ?

[JamesF]

On 12/02/2019 at 15:36, Anne S said:

I've got a husband!

Yeah, but most of them are useless.  Just ask our wives :D

James

[gingergeek]

1 hour ago, JamesF said:

Yeah, but most of them are useless.  Just ask our wives

James

Hear Hear !!! ..... that was my girlfriend.

[Jkulin]

2 minutes ago, gingergeek said:

Hear Hear !!! ..... that was my girlfriend.

Was as in the past tense? ?

[GraemeC]

I can recommend this mount, I've had mine since October last year and it's still a delight to use.  Even better news just recently is that FLO are now stockists, which gives me much greater peace of mind.

Graeme