Virtuoso Wedge Project

[happy-kat]

Currently toying with making a wedge for the Virtuoso mount as toying with getting it working in EQ mode.

I've also got the new WiFi adaptor to play with.

@Geoff Lister would you mind sharing a picture of the wedge you built please?

[happy-kat]

This link is relevant. Sadly the member never shared any more images.

Virtuoso wedge

I've copied text and image to here.

There is an Alt-Eq6 mount that enable the type selection menu. I made a research about that before.

I constructed a wedge for my Virtuoso mount and connected it to a Synscan, but all software versions after 3.30 auto-select the mount type. My solution is operate the mount setting the longitude coordinates to 90deg. This solution tells the mount that the az fork is pointed to north (or south) pole. The disadvantage is that sometimes I receive a "below horizon" alarm from synscan.

The other option is to use the Synscan Ascom driver and set it as EQ, but I didn't tested this option yet.

[Alien 13]

Interesting project, I have thought about getting a virtuoso as the basis for a DIY camera mount but would need to have it operate over wi fi and reduce its size to a minimum....

Alan

[happy-kat]

If starting from nothing the az-gti mount would be much better 

[Alien 13]

29 minutes ago, happy-kat said:

If starting from nothing the az-gti mount would be much better 

I have considered one of these but it offsets the camera which might be fine for widefield panos but limited for my closeup work so would need major modifications too. 

Alan

[happy-kat]

I do like a challenge.. today's is getting the wifi dongle to work on the mount. I know that it is compatible, just got to sort the connection out.

I will add that the mount even in the none pro version gives the option of either altaz or eq mode on start up.

Edited April 6, 2019 by happy-kat

[happy-kat]

ah ha... got both the tablet and the phone now working.

Issue on phone I had forgotten to not run the app in emulator mode. 

Mount will only connect in AltAz mode so off to try the original test, I am going to turn on the mount with EQ button 5 option (to double test firmware either has it or doesn't) and leave it running in side real and see if only the azumith moves.

I also have the virtuoso app that should connect as well through WiFi so will test that later too.

Just for reference this was the page on an earlier version of the user manual

 

Edited April 6, 2019 by happy-kat

[happy-kat]

Test one confirmed button 5 is not enabled in this virtuoso firmware.

So far have been unable to connect the Virtuoso app using WiFi so currently have it connected using Bluetooth.

This is letting me connect and set mount to equatorial so I will have to get on a build a wedge.

[happy-kat]

I can confirm that the mount tracked equatorially.

Need to build the wedge now. Once I've built a wedge I guess I could test it as per my second post anyway just to see whether the fudge works.

[happy-kat]

More thoughts.

Link for reference to related drivers and such for this project taken from this post and also this post 

Note if interested in the project then don't delay down loading as not all links are still live, but this post link here may provide what you need in the attached zip file.

 

[happy-kat]

I need to test some more because on my test yesterday the azimuth was moving and not altitude, I expected this to be the other way around on pondering it this morning. I need to build the wedge to then test again.

[happy-kat]

@Geoff Lister Hi, any chance of sharing a picture of the wedge you knocked together please for your Virtuoso?

[Geoff Lister]

4 hours ago, happy-kat said:

Hi, any chance of sharing a picture of the wedge you knocked together please for your Virtuoso?

I'm sorry about the delay in responding, but I have been away for a few days.

These two photos show my wedge. The Virtuoso's feet sit against the white blocks, and the clamping bolt, in the left foreground, is a 1/4" - 20 UNC with a converter collar to 3/8" - 16 UNC. The horizontal section has compass and bubble-level, and the bolt head, just in front of the slope, is to attach the base to the tripod of my Skymax 127. The speckled marks on the chipboard are from rain ?.

I was able to get the virtuoso to operate in EQ mode, by using the standard Az/Alt setup that would apply at the North Pole (Az calibration set at 90 deg.).

 

Not a masterpiece of design or fancy woodwork, just functional.

Geoff

[happy-kat]

Thank you for sharing your pictures. I might get a chance to rough play using a stack of books later and the virtuoso app again.

[happy-kat]

I've got a fake wedge a couple books, fake aligned and today whilst all four coordinates are rolling visually I'm just seeing the altitude rotating. So this looks to be working as expected

Edit: just maybe the base is also moving....... Not so good. Hopefully because of my fake aligning.

Edited April 9, 2019 by happy-kat

[happy-kat]

Much arms gesturing thinking discussing and tilting the mount both motors have to move otherwise it inscribe a straight line movement. I noticed in the tracking menu the sidereal rates differed. 

[happy-kat]

With the short nights I had forgotten about this project.

[happy-kat]

There is one other thought I had which was setting the mount's latitude to 0 then using the mount on a wedge that might work to.

[Geoff Lister]

On ‎26‎/‎07‎/‎2019 at 08:13, happy-kat said:

There is one other thought I had which was setting the mount's latitude to 0 then using the mount on a wedge that might work to.

I went the other way, and set my Virtuoso to 90 degrees before mounting it on my wedge. With normal tracking, the azimuth axis moved (at about 15 degrees/hour), and the altitude pointer remained at a fixed position on the scale. My reasoning was that, at the North Pole, celestial objects will remain at roughly the same azimuth (Dec.) angle as the Earth rotates.

Geoff