Star Tracker / Motor Unit

[RossHicksPhoto]

Hi all, 

So my amazing wife bought me an Astromaster 130EQ  for my birthday. I have already bought some extras for it so I can hook up my DSLR and cannot wait to get some clear skies to give it a go. 
However, I am also looking for some guidance as I want to set up a motor unit so I can track the stars. 
The telescope came with an equatorial mount but I am not sure which system will work to motorise it. 

Do any of you have any experience / knowledge in this area please? 

[redbase]

@RossHicksPhoto  Hi Ross,  I have the same telescope which I just purchased used this week.  Here is a link to a motor which you can attach to help track the stars:  https://www.celestron.com/products/astromaster-powerseeker-motor-drive

I have a slight problem with my EQ mount in that the slow motion DEC assembly does not not turn properly.  Does your work okay? 

[Cosmic Geoff]

It seems likely that a RA drive unit can be found for your mount, but don't expect too much of the result.  A motorised CG-3 may only be suitable for hands-off visual observation or elementary lunar or plantary imaging.  So far as I know, the CG-3 is a relatively lightweight mount.  Some serious imagers use a telescope similar to yours mounted on an EQ-6 mount (q.v.).

Also be advised that your 'scope may not come to focus with the camera at all without some modification.

Edited August 28, 2020 by Cosmic Geoff

[AstroMuni]

17 hours ago, RossHicksPhoto said:

However, I am also looking for some guidance as I want to set up a motor unit so I can track the stars. 

I have the motor for the 130eq and its a pain to use. Once you enable tracking you cant move the scope using the RA cable unless you disengage the motor (and unscrewing the nut to disengage in the dark is not enjoyable). And in some positions the motor just gets in the way of the scope. But I have heard that some folk have had success using it.

Edited August 28, 2020 by AstroMuni

[BrianHes]

Hi Ross. Happy birthday.
I have the same scope. I see you have the t ring adaptor and Barlow. If you have the Barlow that screws into the adaptor, you should be able to get a good focus on the camera. 
I haven’t tried photographing stars yet, at least not clusters, but have had some success with lunar. 
As others have said, the standard mount can wobble, so you need to make sure everything is balanced after fitting the camera. make sure everything is tight and shorten the legs as far as possible. That will give you the best chance of success. 
I have the motor but have never got it to work properly/at all, so it is gathering dust. It isn’t needed for planetary/lunar photography, exposures are quite short.
I find best results by using the self timer. It cuts down the wobble caused by the mirror flipping up. 
Hope you enjoy the scope. Happy viewing
 

[RossHicksPhoto]

On 28/08/2020 at 15:39, redbase said:

@RossHicksPhoto  Hi Ross,  I have the same telescope which I just purchased used this week.  Here is a link to a motor which you can attach to help track the stars:  https://www.celestron.com/products/astromaster-powerseeker-motor-drive

I have a slight problem with my EQ mount in that the slow motion DEC assembly does not not turn properly.  Does your work okay? 

@redbase sorry for the late reply... Only now noticing these responses.... Oops. 

I don't seem to have any issues with either of the slow motion controls. 
Also, thanks for the link... 
Adding to basket as we speak

 

[RossHicksPhoto]

On 28/08/2020 at 18:02, BrianHes said:

Hi Ross. Happy birthday.
I have the same scope. I see you have the t ring adaptor and Barlow. If you have the Barlow that screws into the adaptor, you should be able to get a good focus on the camera. 
I haven’t tried photographing stars yet, at least not clusters, but have had some success with lunar. 
As others have said, the standard mount can wobble, so you need to make sure everything is balanced after fitting the camera. make sure everything is tight and shorten the legs as far as possible. That will give you the best chance of success. 
I have the motor but have never got it to work properly/at all, so it is gathering dust. It isn’t needed for planetary/lunar photography, exposures are quite short.
I find best results by using the self timer. It cuts down the wobble caused by the mirror flipping up. 
Hope you enjoy the scope. Happy viewing
 

@BrianHes Thanks for such a comprehensive reponse. 
I have an intervalometer that I have for my Canon EOS 750D so I tend to use that to fire off shots when attached to the telescope. No wobble at all then. 
I have done some long exposure shots in the past (albeit on a Camera Tripod) and find this gets best results as there is no delay in having to wait for a timer.

 

Edited October 2, 2020 by RossHicksPhoto
Submitted in error