photography with a Heritage 130p

[gian]

1 hour ago, CraigT82 said:

I would steer clear of the eyepiece projection, just use a T ring and 1.25" nosepiece and shoot at prime focus. 

Though I'm not sure how the focuser assembly would handle the weight of a DSLR, might twist or sag 

i share your feelings about the focuser assembly. but the D40 is rather light at more or less 500 grams. my D3300 is even lighter and has liveview mode so i can use the lcd

 

i can also design and install some sort of support. im planning to beef up the focuser assembly anyway as it is really flimsy.

the focuser assembly is probably by far the crappiest component of this telescope. im surprised, considering how many have been probably built, that there is no metal (or at least more rigid) retrofit

Edited October 18, 2019 by gian

[CraigT82]

9 minutes ago, gian said:

i can also design and install some sort of support. im planning to beef up the focuser assembly anyway as it is really flimsy.

That could be interesting to see, I bet you could make and sucessfully sell retrofit focuser upgrades for this scope! 

I've previously retrofitted a 2" crayford focuser to my H130p which worked really well with lighter 2" eyepieces (though ended up needing the focuser for another project so I returned the H130p to as it was before modding). The thread is on here somewhere if you're interested (search "heritage focuser mod") 

[happy-kat]

44 minutes ago, gian said:

The focuser assembly is probably by far the crappiest component of this telescope. im surprised, considering how many have been probably built, that there is no metal (or at least more rigid) retrofit

The telescope is the OneSky in the US and has a massive following (a very long thread on cloudynights). of everything I've read I've never read the focuser failed, I wouldn't worry about it.

[gian]

14 hours ago, happy-kat said:

The telescope is the OneSky in the US and has a massive following (a very long thread on cloudynights). of everything I've read I've never read the focuser failed, I wouldn't worry about it.

Hi Kat

the focuser will not fail, as the plastic part is quite substantial but it flexes a lot. and when flexing it carries with it the secondary mirror, amplifying the flex by at least an order of magnitude. so much for carefully aligning the mirrors lol

i have quickly taken some measures and designed this part. the ring can be plasma cut from steel and thats quite cheap process, or cut on a decent router. the focuser assembly tab is 8mm steel and is welded to the ring.

the ring can be screwed to the existing plastic ring, or even glued. probably enough zip ties would even do and eliminate most of the flex

this can be installed so that the original focuser support remains in place and the mod can be rolled back with minor impact on the telescope

two extra 6 or 8 mm trusses can be easily added, with two 3d printed guides that then get glued to the main tube. 

a better focuser assembly can then be fitted to this ring. i dont have any idea what sort of focusers are available on the market at a decent price and what sort of attachment they have so my design stops there.

this part in steel would weight 640m grams, so not light, but i have designed it very massive and thats a worst case scenario. this can also be done in alu, but i dont have an AC tig welder . alu is also much easier to cut but less strong 

Sub-Dwarf, i think i have seen that mod before. pretty cool. 

 

[Alan64]

I use aluminum sheet and slats to strengthen plastic...

There I had converted a three-vane cowling to a single-stalk.  J-B Weld epoxy is used as the adhesive.

EQ-2 equatorial mounts are plentiful on the used market, and require a bit of DIY to get them to where you would want them to perform, like a well-oiled gyroscope.  I have one that I've almost completed...

...and using bronze-washers and needle-thrust bearings.  Very little outlay is required, throughout.

[gian]

Hi Sub Dwarf, i might have located one of those eq mounts, if they ship to Switzerland

i have seen that on ebay there are rack and pinion focusers for sale cheap, around 35 dollars, are those any good (better than the stock 130P focuser) or no point in wasting time and money? im almost done reinforcing the focuser support and i could easily replace the standard focuser with something better

[Alan64]

On 23/10/2019 at 03:44, gian said:

Hi Sub Dwarf, i might have located one of those eq mounts, if they ship to Switzerland

i have seen that on ebay there are rack and pinion focusers for sale cheap, around 35 dollars, are those any good (better than the stock 130P focuser) or no point in wasting time and money? im almost done reinforcing the focuser support and i could easily replace the standard focuser with something better

That's quite a low-profile focusser as it came originally.  If you're referring to those of the Chinese eBay listings, I've seen them.  They appear to be viable, and of metal, but again it would need to be shortened somehow, rather drastically I'd say, and yet another DIY project if possible.

[des anderson]

A warm welcome from Essex. Des

[des anderson]

Sorry guys and girls!!! I put my welcome into the wrong thread, a TRULY plonker moment. Des

[Vulisha]

Hi mate, 

I have Heritage 130p and did this with phone:

My equipment is:

• Heritage 130p,
• Used EQ-2 mount(about 60 eur), although EQ3 would be much better, this one has a bit of whiplash
• Arduino Due with HC-05BT module for mobile speed control(15eur)
• Stepper (20 eur) 
• Telescope phone holder(10 eur)
• Svbony UHC filter - because of my high light polution(25 eur) 
• Svbony 26mm plossl(25 eur) 
• Phone of choice (mine has max 30 sec exposure, maybe even too much for this setup) 

I also now ordered Canon EOS M for 120 eur, although not perfect option because of missing usb control, it is light (250 grams), and I am waiting for an adapter (5 eur) 

Edited October 28, 2019 by Vulisha

[CraigT82]

1 hour ago, Vulisha said:

I have Heritage 130p and did this with phone:

That's great!  I've been looking for a phone with a longer exposure than the 10secs that my Galaxy S8 offers... good to know the oneplus 5T goes up to 30 secs.

[gian]

On 26/10/2019 at 18:19, Alan64 said:

That's quite a low-profile focusser as it came originally.  If you're referring to those of the Chinese eBay listings, I've seen them.  They appear to be viable, and of metal, but again it would need to be shortened somehow, rather drastically I'd say, and yet another DIY project if possible.

Hi Alan

thanks for the info, i think i will order one. shortening is not a big deal. i could actually design and build a focuser but modifying an existing one can be cheaper and quicker. together with my extra trusses should work fine, and the support bracket will be lower than the stock one. my only doubt is the funny angle of the stock 130p focuser. ill take more measurements but it doesnt look 90 degs with the main tube"

"used EQ-2 mount(about 60 eur), although EQ3 would be much better, this one has a bit of whiplash"

thanks, will keep eyes open for a EQ3 

 

gm

[Vulisha]

6 hours ago, CraigT82 said:

That's great!  I've been looking for a phone with a longer exposure than the 10secs that my Galaxy S8 offers... good to know the oneplus 5T goes up to 30 secs.

There is also this app, it is in beta: 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.seebi.deepskycamera&hl=en

It does not work with OnePlus 5T max exposure is 0.1(although app says it is 48, but oneplus messed something up) but it should be good on Samsungs up to S9 I think, you can try it out as well. 

 

@Ggan I will probably need to modify focuser to be low profile for EOS-M so keep us updated please

[happy-kat]

Phones that use the camera2 driver can do long exposure and if the host supplier skin supports it.

[gian]

i have located a EQ-3 with tripod but the seller says he is fixing it because of a small defect, so waiting

 

i also found this from the usual suspects

would it be ok for a 130p?

 

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php?products_id=4949#cs

[happy-kat]

That linked item has a 3 kilo carrying weight so great for a camera and camera lens but not I don't think for the heritage 130p OTA

[gian]

i have located a used TS optics 150/750 with a EQ3-1 mount and tripod, with all the bits and pieces, for the equivalent of 120 euro

might just get it, sell the 150/750 and keep the rest for the 130p

[Science562h]

We "can not" clearly see Jupiter's Moons. We see a spheroid shape; no surface or atmosphere features. In contrast, we can clearly see the surface of the Moon & Sun. Your pic needs a filter,  more clarity or contrast, or might as well place DSLR @ the EP. 

Edited January 9, 2020 by Science562h

[alacant]

On 23/10/2019 at 10:44, gian said:

rack and pinion focusers

Hi

If you can get the tube supported properly, this one could offer significant improvement.

Cheers and HTH.

[Stu]

11 hours ago, Science562h said:

We "can not" clearly see Jupiter's Moons. We see a spheroid shape; no surface or atmosphere features. In contrast, we can clearly see the surface of the Moon & Sun. Your pic needs a filter,  more clarity or contrast, or might as well place DSLR @ the EP. 

Telling members their efforts are not good enough is not acceptable form on SGL (I saw your now edited post). Not everyone has or can afford filters, and we aim to encourage not belittle people starting out in the hobby.

Kindly modify your posting style or I will put you on moderated posts.

[gian]

On 09/01/2020 at 12:37, alacant said:

Hi

If you can get the tube supported properly, this one could offer significant improvement.

Cheers and HTH.

Hi

i actually got that focuser, but the version with the thread instead of the flange. it is a 2 " focuser so pretty large for a 130p. i have designed and built a completely new support system for the focuser but it is a bit small for this 2" one. will need to modify it slightly in order to make space for the thread. then i need to shorten the focuser as it is too long.

however i dont want to remove the stock focuser so i will need to do a little more designing for the new support that will be in parallel with the original focuser.

lots of projects currently on my bench, and workshop is bloody cold... but it is slowly progressing. 

we had some clear nights and had a chance to take a look at Venus finally. not so exciting, as expected, and the atmosphere is really moving! 

 

if anyone would like to comment, what do you think of the EQ3-1 vs the EQ3-2? i had the chance to look closely at a EQ3-2 and seems a very nice piece of hw. i am still not sure about that TS 150/700 mounted on top of a EQ3-1, price is pretty good but is a 2hrs drive to go pick ut up

gm