Rowan AZ100 Mount Owners Thread

[Speedmaster]

On 31/01/2023 at 13:27, Space Hopper said:

I'm interested in this myself.

I know Neils Haagh, who runs Panther mounts in Denmark often stacks 30s subs without using the field de-rotation device and the results are pretty good.

I think 30s is the limit though, depending on focal length / target etc

30s That’s pretty good though. More than enough I think  

Is guiding possible with an altaz ?

[Speedmaster]

On 01/02/2023 at 19:07, Stephenstargazer said:

• There is a small gap between the bolt and spacer that lets it hang vertical, but the (threaded) spacer is hand tight on the mount
• the bracket is sheet aluminium with folded edges- made in shed !
• the neoprene bag came with the power pack (12v and USB) from Ridge Monkey. The velcro strap is tight and grips the neoprene.

That’s a very nice set up. What’s the battery sir? Looks tiny for a 12v. 

[Stephenstargazer]

The battery is 12v, USB A, USB C and 13Ah capacity, capable of 3A at 12v, tough rubber cover, 0.85kg. Made for carp fishermen (dont ask!) by Ridge Monkey. Mine is a few years old, I see they have an updated version now, using wireless and costing more:

https://ridgemonkey.co.uk/product/vault-c-smart-42150

Look for old stock from tackle shops?

 

Edited February 3, 2023 by Stephenstargazer

[Stu]

On 01/02/2023 at 15:38, BGazing said:

As I have ordered the dual saddle version and am waiting for it...is adjustment plate a must? 

 

On 01/02/2023 at 16:14, josefk said:

Hi @BGazing i think the answer will depend on your use case and expectations (and your scopes).

I asked myself the same question before I acquired a second scope to mount on my AZ100 and decided to "wait and see" after some practical experience. So far the jury is still out but my gut feeling (for me) is that the saddle adjuster won't be needed.

I haven't had enough hours sat behind dual mounted scopes at different levels of magnification to formulate my final opinion but i have found what small difference there is in aiming point between scopes (and there is a small difference for my scopes) feels "not more troublesome" than the amount of drift across the EP there is in any event while i move from sitting behind one scope to sitting behind the other (1.  the other anyway set up at a different mag/FOV, 2. i don't have motor drives). i.e the object being observed in the first scope is pretty much there or thereabouts in the second scope even by the time i've moved across and i would guesstimate (i haven't totally properly checked) it is probably there or thereabouts to within 1/2 degree.

Cheers

I agree with josefk that it depends on the use case and it depends on the scopes used and whether they happen to match up or not. For lower power views it’s not likely to be a problem. For me, I often use two solar scopes side by side (WL and Ha) at high powers and any misalignment shows up quite obviously and can make it hard to compare features.

I’ve actually just acquired an ADM Maxguider adjustment plate to allow easy, tool free adjustments to be made and I’m very pleased with it.

Not a cheap bit of kit so I do agree that waiting to see whether you actually find it’s a problem or not is the best option.

[BGazing]

Thank you very much, Stu. Yes, the primary idea was perhaps pairing WL and H-alpha, and, ocassionally, C8 (or friend's C11) and a frac. I guess every different combination of telescopes needs further adjusting? Is that why you opted for ADM, easier to deal with than Rowan's adjustment saddle?

Edited February 3, 2023 by BGazing

[Deadlake]

34 minutes ago, Stu said:

 

I agree with josefk that it depends on the use case and it depends on the scopes used and whether they happen to match up or not. For lower power views it’s not likely to be a problem. For me, I often use two solar scopes side by side (WL and Ha) at high powers and any misalignment shows up quite obviously and can make it hard to compare features.

I’ve actually just acquired an ADM Maxguider adjustment plate to allow easy, tool free adjustments to be made and I’m very pleased with it.

Not a cheap bit of kit so I do agree that waiting to see whether you actually find it’s a problem or not is the best option.

What is the difference between this and the Rowan altitude adjuster?

[Oldfort]

2 hours ago, Stu said:

I agree with josefk that it depends on the use case and it depends on the scopes used and whether they happen to match up or not. For lower power views it’s not likely to be a problem. For me, I often use two solar scopes side by side (WL and Ha) at high powers and any misalignment shows up quite obviously and can make it hard to compare features.

I’ve actually just acquired an ADM Maxguider adjustment plate to allow easy, tool free adjustments to be made and I’m very pleased with it.

Not a cheap bit of kit so I do agree that waiting to see whether you actually find it’s a problem or not is the best option.

I also use 2 solar scopes side by side.  The alignment is in that intermediate zone where they are not too far apart, but a bit further than I'd like so the maxguider is pricy in terms of marginal utility.  Where I'm located (on a corner balcony) there's been no direct view of the sun since November, but it's on it's way back now.

[Stu]

2 hours ago, BGazing said:

Thank you very much, Stu. Yes, the primary idea was perhaps pairing WL and H-alpha, and, ocassionally, C8 (or friend's C11) and a frac. I guess every different combination of telescopes needs further adjusting? Is that why you opted for ADM, easier to deal with than Rowan's adjustment saddle?

That’s the thing, each setup is slightly different and if you want them bang in then you need to adjust each time. The Rowan plate needs Allen keys and is a bit fiddly I find, the ADM much more quick and simple but still very solid.

I use a Herschel Wedge for White Light and a PST mod for Ha, so the orientations are different. It can be tricky to know where you are when comparing the two views, so it helps if they are bang on. Won’t know for a while as my PST is soon to go on a journey to become somewhat larger!!

[Stu]

2 hours ago, Deadlake said:

What is the difference between this and the Rowan altitude adjuster?

The Rowan plate needs Allen bolts and I found it quite fiddly for regular adjustment. The ADM has thin wheel adjustment for for one direction (AZ on the AZ100) and bolts which push against a central pin for the other, both pretty easy to get accurately aligned.

[BGazing]

11 hours ago, Oldfort said:

I also use 2 solar scopes side by side.  The alignment is in that intermediate zone where they are not too far apart, but a bit further than I'd like so the maxguider is pricy in terms of marginal utility.  Where I'm located (on a corner balcony) there's been no direct view of the sun since November, but it's on it's way back now.

Exactly my situation, no Sun until March as it is obstructed by a taller building opposite. Come second half of May, I also get a very late Sun appearance on the east (it is already quite high) as the street is not exactly E-W oriented. So I have two good 'windows' at the Sun in the city.

[Neil P]

15 hours ago, Stu said:

 

I agree with josefk that it depends on the use case and it depends on the scopes used and whether they happen to match up or not. For lower power views it’s not likely to be a problem. For me, I often use two solar scopes side by side (WL and Ha) at high powers and any misalignment shows up quite obviously and can make it hard to compare features.

I’ve actually just acquired an ADM Maxguider adjustment plate to allow easy, tool free adjustments to be made and I’m very pleased with it.

Not a cheap bit of kit so I do agree that waiting to see whether you actually find it’s a problem or not is the best option.

That looks a great option, but I don’t see them available on any uk retailer’s list, I think FLO used to stock it but it is not on their list of ADM products that I can see now, Did you get it direct from ADM?

[Stu]

21 minutes ago, Neil P said:

That looks a great option, but I don’t see them available on any uk retailer’s list, I think FLO used to stock it but it is not on their list of ADM products that I can see now, Did you get it direct from ADM?

No, I bought it used very strangely off someone called Neil whose surname began with P 🤣.

I’m sure if you contacted FLO they could source them from ADM and add to the site, they have done that for a couple of bits for me in the past.

[BGazing]

On 29/11/2022 at 23:17, Stu said:

Again, agreed! With the Rowan unit connected to SkySafari, that’s all you need really. I know the DSC can be handy if you don’t want to use the phone, but, despite the huge catalogues in the DSC, I still find SkySafari easier to locate objects, but also see what is nearby to look at.

I knew I read it somewhere...but i forgot - can you do a one object quick alignment in Sky Safari, like on a planet or on Sol? Does it require AZ 100 te pointed South and level? Not sure why that would be the case as SW AzGti can do a quick align without being pointed south...

[Stu]

1 hour ago, BGazing said:

I knew I read it somewhere...but i forgot - can you do a one object quick alignment in Sky Safari, like on a planet or on Sol? Does it require AZ 100 te pointed South and level? Not sure why that would be the case as SW AzGti can do a quick align without being pointed south...

I’m not sure, I would have to check. I thought it needed a South/level reference as the first data point, with the single alignment star as the second.

[BGazing]

1 hour ago, Stu said:

I’m not sure, I would have to check. I thought it needed a South/level reference as the first data point, with the single alignment star as the second.

Thank you. I understand that one star/object alignment is possible with the Rowan app with it just being level.

By the way, where is Rowan app in Playstore? How do you actually get it?

Edited February 7, 2023 by BGazing

[Stu]

1 hour ago, BGazing said:

By the way, where is Rowan app in Playstore? How do you actually get it?

It’s not an app, it’s a web page interface into the controller itself opened in a browser. Enter the IP address of the box (192.168.4.1 in my case, I’m sure it’s standard) obviously you need to be connected to the mounts Wi-Fi hotspot in order for it to work.

[Alan White]

When I was playing, oops testing this yes it was South and level to start.
And indeed you link to the mount not using an app as @Stu describes.

 

[Stephenstargazer]

@lifeonmars commented earlier on problems aligning the mount with Sky Safari and I have found the same. Unless you initially open the AZ100 webpage and align at least one star, Sky Safari will not do an alignment point succesfully. However if you have done that beforehand then Sky Safari will add align points OK , up to 10 of them according to SS help pages.

Can any one else confirm this ?

BTW 1 it seems possible to switch between SS and AZ100 Web as much as you like, or leave the mount wifi network. As long as the mount is kept swithched on it will pick up again when you reconnect. However when you close SS I am pretty sure it loses its own alignment data ? (At least with SS+ in Andoid)

BTW 2 you can set the starting position where you like in config. Level, South is just the default.

 BTW 3 on the Rowan firmware update page there is an updated Manual. Thanks Derek !

Edited February 8, 2023 by Stephenstargazer

[Stu]

8 hours ago, Stephenstargazer said:

@lifeonmars commented earlier on problems aligning the mount with Sky Safari and I have found the same. Unless you initially open the AZ100 webpage and align at least one star, Sky Safari will not do an alignment point succesfully. However if you have done that beforehand then Sky Safari will add align points OK , up to 10 of them according to SS help pages.

Can any one else confirm this ?

BTW 1 it seems possible to switch between SS and AZ100 Web as much as you like, or leave the mount wifi network. As long as the mount is kept swithched on it will pick up again when you reconnect. However when you close SS I am pretty sure it loses its own alignment data ? (At least with SS+ in Andoid)

BTW 2 you can set the starting position where you like in config. Level, South is just the default.

 BTW 3 on the Rowan firmware update page there is an updated Manual. Thanks Derek !

I use SkySafari on iOS and have NOT found that to be the case. I point South and level, turn the mount on and then access the web interface and enable the motors.

After this I just switch to SkySafari and select a star to align on and away we go.

[Stephenstargazer]

10 hours ago, Stu said:

then access the web interface and enable the motors.

This may be significant, I have mine set to come on automatically (for the benefit of a Quick Start). I'll try the other way. 

[lifeonmars]

1 hour ago, Stephenstargazer said:

This may be significant, I have mine set to come on automatically (for the benefit of a Quick Start). I'll try the other way. 

I switch the motors on via the button on the rowan AZ100 webpage and if I go straight to SS it will not do a two star alignment.

If  I switch motors on and 2 star align via the rowan webpage its spot on.

I can then switch to SS and it will go to objects no problem.

My starting position is pointing south and level(well level by rack of eye).

I am running Android.

I have resigned myself to aligning in the Rowan app and switching over to SS

Hope this helps

 

 

[Stu]

1 hour ago, lifeonmars said:

I switch the motors on via the button on the rowan AZ100 webpage and if I go straight to SS it will not do a two star alignment.

If  I switch motors on and 2 star align via the rowan webpage its spot on.

I can then switch to SS and it will go to objects no problem.

My starting position is pointing south and level(well level by rack of eye).

I am running Android.

I have resigned myself to aligning in the Rowan app and switching over to SS

Hope this helps

 

 

Interesting. When you say won’t do a two star align in SS, it’s just a matter of pointing the scope at a chosen start, then pressing align and the doing a Goto to the second object and repeating. That is not necessarily the official advice but work for me I think. Let me check next time out though. It may be an Android vs iOS difference in SS??

[lifeonmars]

33 minutes ago, Stu said:

Interesting. When you say won’t do a two star align in SS, it’s just a matter of pointing the scope at a chosen start, then pressing align and the doing a Goto to the second object and repeating. That is not necessarily the official advice but work for me I think. Let me check next time out though. It may be an Android vs iOS difference in SS??

Thanks Stu

The way I carry out alignment is

1.set scope level and south switch on Rowan control box, connect to WiFi hotspot,switch on motors on Rowan webpage.

2.Switch to SS

3. Select a star lets say Rigel point the scope and centre in eyepiece.

4 Tap Rigel on my Tablet touchscreen to select then press align.

5.  Repeat step 3 with second star and press align.

Moving between stars for alignment I manually push the scope but the motors are running and the encoders are counting.

If I  remember correctly on pressing align the Ist time, for some reason  the scope starts slewing,rather than allowing you to move to  a second alignment star. 

 

 

 

[Stephenstargazer]

11 hours ago, Stu said:

It may be an Android vs iOS difference in SS??

That SS alignment method works same way on Android. 

 

11 hours ago, lifeonmars said:

Moving between stars for alignment I manually push the scope but the motors are running and the encoders are counting.

I can use the SS movement buttons to align a star and find th is easier than the Ropwan joystick.

 

11 hours ago, lifeonmars said:

If I  remember correctly on pressing align the Ist time, for some reason  the scope starts slewing

Yes , pretty sure that was what mine did and moved the scope away from the star I had just centred - irritating!

I shall try following Stu's method again, though I am not very happy with going into AZ web just to turn motors on when you can start with them on. There are a few other rather odd behaviours with the AZ web page that I have passed on to Derek.

[Stephenstargazer]

@Stu and @lifeonmars.

I changed my 'AZ config' so that the motors had to be turned on manually and re-tried the alignment routines. There was no substantial difference eg

Aligning in SS only - on aligning the first star the mount moved off the star (only about 10 minutes)  when the align button was pressed. This was probably the distance I had corrected with the SS control arrows ( < > ). @Stu do you align solely manually?

After just a one star align in 'AZ web' - or just a SYNC, there is no such problem with any subsequent alignment in SS. 

I think it is unlikely to be an SS Android/IOS issue as this has had much resting and many,many users with other systems. (The SS help files do list the few differences.)

I am using the AZ firmware  version - AZ100.V1.0.4.bin.  

Edited February 15, 2023 by Stephenstargazer
Added info about using SYNC after test