Pegasus SCT Auto Focus

[Jbro1985]

Anyone got experience with one of these?

Would love to sort out Auto Focus on SCT but crayfords kill too much of the back focus and this seems to be the only reasonable alternative I kind find...

https://pegasusastro.com/motor-focus-kit-sct/

Also - can you get to work with a hitec Astro motor focus via some sort of rj45 to serial converter, does anyone know?

[Merlin66]

Hmmm

I use the JMI focus motor on my C11 for spectroscopy.

It can be remotely controlled from the PC or local hand controller. Works well for me.

(With ALL SCT's it pays to run the focuser back and forth through full travel a few times (about 30 turns) to re-spread the grease on the baffle tube, this reduces to possible mirror slop)

 

[wimvb]

Not exactly your setup, but here are my experiences with a pegasus focuser.

I bought the pegasus focuscube for my sw 150PDS, to use with INDI. Attaching to the scope was a bit fiddly, as it has to be attached between scope and dovetail. I also found out the hard way that INDI support is, let's call it, glitchy. It connects, but doesn't respond. It works fine with its own software.

AfaIk, the Pegasus dmfc focuser has a port that is compatible with usbfocus.

Hope this helps some.

[Jbro1985]

Thanks guys.  I'm assuming it is ASCOM compliant.  Thanks for sharing your experiences with newts, different focusers and different software/products, I am sure they will resonate and be useful to some. 

Perhaps to clarify questions, if anyone can help:

1.  Does anyone have experience using the motor focus kit SCT made by pegesus?

2.  Does anyone know if this will run through SGP auto focus via a hitec Astro focusmaster?

The blurb on the site indicates it might do but it is a bit grey.

Thanks all.

[wimvb]

28 minutes ago, Jbro1985 said:

The blurb on the site indicates it might do but it is a bit grey.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help. AfaIk, it's a relatively new product, so I wouldn't fully rely on ad blurbs. Otoh, windows software generally works more out of the box than linux. But it is somewhat of a risk. Have you checked on Cloudy Nights?

[souls33k3r]

I have been thinking about this for a while but i don't like two things (assuming it's for your Evolution scope)

1) The thing sticks out on one side, this for me does not work because my scope goes back in the box and there isn't enough room to have this.

2) Can snap off easily because of it sticking to one side. I'm sure it's just my own paranoia.

3) Just personally i don't like these rubber bands

There's an alternative that you can use which is Lakeside. It does stick out but in the direction of focuser and not to one side. With regards to Hitech, i'm sure it's the same as i've got for my Pegasus UPB. I had a cable made for me to use my Lakeside with Pegasus and it works flawlessly. 

Hope this helps.

 

[Jbro1985]

4 hours ago, souls33k3r said:

There's an alternative that you can use which is Lakeside.

I think I saw this on Ian King.  It's not easy to discern from their website.  Regarding the ergonomics of it stick out to one side, if you look at the way it is fixed, although the photos show it off to one side on the website, it seems to me that as it is attached by the three screws already on the focus knob, you could rotate the fixed so it is not sticking outwards but inwards.  I am less concerned about the band as long as it is well engineered.  I feel like giving it a shot and will follow up with Pegasus about the Hi-tec Astro compatibility...  there are plenty of rj45 to db9 converters out there I see so hopefully if its just a case of the focus controller sending a message to a stepper motor it will be fine.  I won't be getting one until the new year as off travelling for the next month and a half but will do a write up if I do get one.

[souls33k3r]

11 minutes ago, Jbro1985 said:

I think I saw this on Ian King.  It's not easy to discern from their website.  Regarding the ergonomics of it stick out to one side, if you look at the way it is fixed, although the photos show it off to one side on the website, it seems to me that as it is attached by the three screws already on the focus knob, you could rotate the fixed so it is not sticking outwards but inwards.  I am less concerned about the band as long as it is well engineered.  I feel like giving it a shot and will follow up with Pegasus about the Hi-tec Astro compatibility...  there are plenty of rj45 to db9 converters out there I see so hopefully if its just a case of the focus controller sending a message to a stepper motor it will be fine.  I won't be getting one until the new year as off travelling for the next month and a half but will do a write up if I do get one.

You've certainly got a point here. I'm sure it can rotate and regarding the belt, like i said that's just my personal opinion and i know i'm wrong but it's my ease of mind i always look out for

I'm a lakeside guy and because i already have the cable made for it, i'll buy another lakeside for my SCT.

[wimvb]

4 hours ago, souls33k3r said:

2) Can snap off easily because of it sticking to one side. I'm sure it's just my own paranoia

Not much of a risk, really. It's a sturdy chunk of aluminium. As long as you don't engage in you national ball sports with your scope, you should be fairly safe. But that is only based on my very short experience with the universal focuscube (which isn't that universal, btw).

[wimvb]

4 hours ago, souls33k3r said:

3) Just personally i don't like these rubber bands

Any belt drive has this solution, so I guess it's ok. I'm sure you could replace the belt with a more sturdy version. But if it's made from silicone, it can handle cold weather better. You could keep a spare, just in case.

[souls33k3r]

3 minutes ago, wimvb said:

Not much of a risk, really. It's a sturdy chunk of aluminium. As long as you don't engage in you national ball sports with your scope, you should be fairly safe. But that is only based on my very short experience with the universal focuscube (which isn't that universal, btw).

I agree, i'm sure it's all well made and goes on well but like i said, it's a personal feeling but what Jason said above does make sense where you can possible rotate it so it doesn't stick out on one side.

[souls33k3r]

Just now, wimvb said:

Any belt drive has this solution, so I guess it's ok. I'm sure you could replace the belt with a more sturdy version. But if it's made from silicone, it can handle cold weather better. You could keep a spare, just in case.

Sods law dictates, things go horribly wrong when you really need them to work.

Plenty of people use the belts and they work fine. I even had worries with the lakeside before i even bought it because of the cables sticking out and might snap them but it's all good. Now all i have to worry about is dew 

[wimvb]

1 hour ago, souls33k3r said:

Now all i have to worry about is dew 

There's always one more thing to fix, isn't there? ?

[souls33k3r]

9 minutes ago, wimvb said:

There's always one more thing to fix, isn't there? ?

Always! it's a never ending conundrum

[Jbro1985]

34 minutes ago, wimvb said:

1 hour ago, souls33k3r said:

Now all i have to worry about is dew 

There's always one more thing to fix, isn't there? ?

Ha - Thats's where I'm at right now.  Dew on the frac and focuser and dew on the SCT.  The frac though, to be fair, doesn't seem to really suffer too much.  However, as commonly said, the one night everything else is going right....  Once dew is sorted its just going to be a case of getting better gear over time and getter better myself at acquisition and at processing.

[Aidan]

I can’t comment on using the focuser on an SCT, but I have Pegasus focuser son both of my scopes, both controlled using their Ultimate Power Box.  I can’t rate their products and support high enough.

All the components work extremely well and have never let me down.   I can’t see why it would not perform as well on an SCT.

Its all ascom compliment and the software is easy to use.

[iapa]

I bought the Pegasus focus cube for my 8" Celestron as it has all the electronics in one place, and I don't need hand controller.

Same bracket and so on by the look of it.

With the bracket supplied, which has 6 12 radial slots for the scores to mount to OTA,  I could probably rotate it so it fits within the diameter of the OTA but not an issue for me just now. I also plan to cut the box inserts to I can fit it in later tho'.

Tried in anger once, only one clear night, but it worked a dream using SGPro.

 

[Jbro1985]

6 hours ago, iapa said:

the electronics in one place

So no controller required?

[wimvb]

5 hours ago, Jbro1985 said:

So no controller required?

USB connection to a computer. Works with ASCOM, and supposedly with INDI (although I haven't  got it to work yet).

There is a hand controller available if you want one

https://www.altairastro.com/Pegasus-FocusCube-Hand-Controller.html

[Jbro1985]

Could not be less interested in a hand controller!  I'm assuming usb2?  If that's the case, then I'll take the focus cube everyday.  I like the hitec with the moonlite motor and focuser on the frac, but if I don't need to dick around with the controller and cables then that's a win.

[wimvb]

6 hours ago, Jbro1985 said:

I'm assuming usb2?

Yes. The hc seems to be an afterthought, since the cube was advertised as pc control only.

[Anne S]

I've just ordered the hand controller. I find it useful to be able to move focus without a laptop. My FocusCube is fitted to a refractor so I need to wind the focuser in to put the scope in its case. Also, it would have been useful to be able to move the focuser when fitting it! I know I could have bought the standard motorfocus but this scope will be part of a dual rig and the other scope uses the Mount Hub Pro focus controller so I was happy that it didn't need a handset most of the time.

[jjosefsen]

Hi.
I just bought the universal version to use on my frac. Unfortunately I had to send mine back, it kept loosing connection and had to be reset all the time, very frustrating experience..

I have the Pegasus Astro pocket power box, which I love to death, even though the connector for the environment sensor came lose and had to soldered back on. I don't know if they have quality issues in general or if I've just been unlucky.. but I like the ideas they have, and the software they make is pretty good.

They have also been very accommodating when contacting them, so service is good.

In regards to the focus motor, I ended up getting the PrimaLuceLab Sesto Senso instead, which is also an all in one unit. More expensive, but I must say it is very very nice..

https://www.primalucelab.com/astronomy/sesto-senso-robotic-focusing-motor.html

 

[ngwillym]

I've got the Pegasus Focuscube - which is a newer version just has all the electronics in one place (one on my C11 and another on my 127mm APO), - take a look here:

http://astro58.wixsite.com/havenobservatory/focuscube

Regards

Neil

[iapa]

On 22/11/2018 at 17:39, Jbro1985 said:

So no controller required?

nope,

all done form PC

 

you can put a controller in place the temp sensor, I PREFERTH SENSOR.