APT and ZWO EAF

[smr]

Hi.

Just wondering if anyone utilises APT with a ZWO EAF. 

I've just bought the ZWO EAF - presumably I don't need to use a Bahitnov mask anymore do I ? 

I can't find any installation instructions at all for APT - how does autofocus now work? I'm assuming I slew to a bright star to begin with and then click on the 'Focusing Aid' tool, place that over the star, and then click on the 'Auto-Focus Aid' tool and click run.

Should I leave the settings as default ?

I'd appreciate any help.

 

[bottletopburly]

Ivo @Yoddha uses a eaf , yes pretty much as you describe double click on image 1:1 choose a star not too bright though sat 1 or 2 hit run as you described, any problems drop a message on apt forum , have a read on apt user  manual 👍

Edited March 16, 2021 by bottletopburly

[Dinglem]

@smr have you checked out the APT user guide it helps with setup and how to use Focus Aid and Autofocus aid. I have a Sesto focuser and use it very well with APT now I know what I'm doing, after much trial and error and a few rude words 🤬

https://www.astrophotography.app/usersguide/focuser__gear_tab_.htm?ms=AAA%3D&st=MA%3D%3D&sct=MA%3D%3D&mw=MjQw#

[Grant Fribbens]

APT is having the focus routines overhauled at the moment but it is getting closer to what N.I.N.A. has. It is probably better to try out the latest beta @ https://www.astrophotography.app/betaversion.php and look at the documentation on the forum @ https://aptforum.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=4313&start=180 as it is a little bit more complex than N.I.N.A in that regard but it is getting so much better. I keep trying them against each other with my EAF.

[smr]

Thanks guys. Just as well I've literally paid for the full version of APT about 20 minutes ago! Downloaded the beta version. I see the Autofocus Aid has been developed quite a lot. Need to work out how to utilise it now.

[bottletopburly]

I found the auto routine to be very good last time out and its being fine tuned at the moment ,details on the APT forum, you can  see the work going into it .

[bottletopburly]

Just now, smr said:

Thanks guys. Just as well I've literally paid for the full version of APT about 20 minutes ago! Downloaded the beta version. I see the Autofocus Aid has been developed quite a lot. Need to work out how to utilise it now.

Money well spent imo ,Goto++ is fantastic since using it i dont even use a finder scope all plate solving and goto ++ for me .

[smr]

1 minute ago, bottletopburly said:

Money well spent imo ,Goto++ is fantastic since using it i dont even use a finder scope all plate solving and goto ++ for me .

Yes the Goto++ is amazing. I've made a couple of tutorials on my youtube channel as I was so happy with it. I put off plate solving for a long time thinking you needed a PHD in Astrophotography to understand it, so easy when you build up the courage to just get on with installing it and seeing what it's about!

[bottletopburly]

4 minutes ago, smr said:

I put off plate solving for a long time

Dont put it off put it at the top of your priority list honestly youll kick yourself for not doing it sooner  just follow davids tutorial ,and use ASTAP to solve which is further into the thread .

 

Edited March 16, 2021 by bottletopburly

[Paul M]

I'm hoping to get an EAF as my next astro purchase. I have been a naughty boy this year on spending so I'll have to control urge for a while longer! They certainly don't come up very often in the classifieds so there must be a lot of happy users.

As a fare paying fan of APT I keep on top of developments and have been watching the focuser routine evolve. Good to know it's testing ok in the wild

Goto++ was my first experience of solve and sync and it blew me away! And now with ASTAP set as my default solver it just gets better.

 

[smr]

4 hours ago, bottletopburly said:

Dont put it off put it at the top of your priority list honestly youll kick yourself for not doing it sooner  just follow davids tutorial ,and use ASTAP to solve which is further into the thread .

 

ah I have set plate solving up a few months ago, not sure you read my post properly!

[smr]

So I just realised tonight - bit of a rookie mistake - that before I installed my ZWO EAF I hadn't marked my focus position on the drawtube, on the Z73 there are markings to indicate your focus on the drawtube. I've just been outside focusing and have established that my drawtube needs to be at 63. So I locked the focus in at this position with the focus screw that comes with the scope.

Problem now is that the coupling goes on at an angle to the scope - on the flat part of the metal that the coarse focus knob would normally attach to is 45 degrees to the vertical of the scope. I'm not sure this will make much sense to anyone but I'm really hoping it does, it basically means that I would have to rack the drawtube out or inwards the flat part of the ZWO EAF and scope to be horizontal.

This is on the theory of practice as to whether it the coupling needs clamping to the flat parts of either metal?

[smr]

Right I think I've sorted it, attached the ZWO EAF as best I can. It's now set at 63, I can rack out a bit with the fine focus knob but can't rack inwards much, just about gets to 64 but no more than that really. Hopefully it's ok. Will test it next clear night and hopefully the PSU I've got ordered arrives tomorrow. 

[bottletopburly]

9 hours ago, smr said:

ah I have set plate solving up a few months ago, not sure you read my post properly!

Lol yeah I misread it 😂😂

[bottletopburly]

Why would it matter where your focus point is you can just use the motor to wind in and out to where you need it to be , just looked at your video and seemed fine , my autofocuser fits different to yours I use a belt as I don’t like the focus unit poking out and have it around the fine focuser .

Edited March 17, 2021 by bottletopburly

[Grant Fribbens]

The grub screws should always be tightened onto the flat part of the shaft that it is going onto. Once the focuser is attached you should not be moving the focuser by hand anymore. If you need to manually focus and you do not have computer control then you would need to remove the grub screws on the coupler, but remember to re align the flats on the shafts when you tighten up.

[smr]

1 hour ago, bottletopburly said:

Why would it matter where your focus point is you can just use the motor to wind in and out to where you need it to be , just looked at your video and seemed fine , my autofocuser fits different to yours I use a belt as I don’t like the focus unit poking out and have it around the fine focuser .

Doesnt the draw tube need to be roughly in focus though? I mean on the z73 you can rack out the focus draw tube quite a bit with a large scale from 0-100 or something with a fair bit of travel. If i rack out to 80 the stars are well OOF, same if I rack in to 75 for instance. Stars become focused at around 65.

If I racked the drawtube out to 80 where its OOF and installed the ZWO EAF at that point it would be no good would it as the drawtube would be so far out and once the EAF is installed there is only so much travel the drawtube can do? 

Thats what I am thinking, but happy if you are right!

[smr]

Thats what i have done. Tightened up on the flat part of the z73 shaft and flat part of the EAF.

[bottletopburly]

31 minutes ago, smr said:

Doesnt the draw tube need to be roughly in focus though? I mean on the z73 you can rack out the focus draw tube quite a bit with a large scale from 0-100 or something with a fair bit of travel. If i rack out to 80 the stars are well OOF, same if I rack in to 75 for instance. Stars become focused at around 65.

If I racked the drawtube out to 80 where its OOF and installed the ZWO EAF at that point it would be no good would it as the drawtube would be so far out and once the EAF is installed there is only so much travel the drawtube can do? 

Thats what I am thinking, but happy if you are right!

Here’s what I would do , first time use a bahtinov mask now you know where focus is from now on you’re roughly in focus close enough for auto focus to work, Apt has buttons to move manually in-out should you need move nearer if too far out for autofocus to work properly.

assuming the two flats line up in the coupler just wind the focuser in to 65 

Edited March 17, 2021 by bottletopburly

[smr]

That's the thing though, if I connect the coupler to the focuser shaft on the flat part of the coupler, and likewise connect the EAF to the coupler by tightening the grub screws on the flat part of the EAF shaft... at say 60 on the drawtube, the ZWO is at a 45 degree angle or virtually upside down to the scope so it's impossible to install the bracket across the mounting holes. Fortunately somehow managed to connect the coupler to the scope focus shaft flat part, and the ZWO and it's at 63. By eye after racking in and out last night on some stars I ascertained that the focus was sharpest at 64  - 63 so I should hopefully have enough travel now with the scope and EAF attached. Because I'm basing this on the guesstimate that you can't rack out to infinity once the EAF is mounted? You can't really rotate the coarse focus knob at all so I am thinking that you need to be close to focus to begin with before mounting.

[smr]

I just had a look in APT, changed the step size to 50 and had a go moving focus. Yes you can focus in and out as much as you want - for some reason I thought you could only focus so much once the EAF is installed. /facepalm