At last!!

[centroid]

At last!! 😀

Today, I finally finished my astro imaging set up. Coming back into the hobby after 8 years away from it, I had forgotten just how much was involved. Just as well really, otherwise I might not have bothered 🤔.

Decide on, and buy, a main scope, finder scope, guide scope, and mount.

Fabricate a steel pier, and get it welded.

Excavate a hole for the pier, and fill it with concrete, with inset bolts.

Decide on and buy cameras (imaging & guide)

Finding out that I needed various adapters and extension tubes to use them.

Buy an EQdirect cable to remotely control the mount.

Buy a motor focuser.

Buy Dew heater bands, and controller.

Decide on what software to use. I settled on Astroart 8 for capture, guiding, and pre-processing. I like everything in one package (capture,guiding, and processing), as I always did.

Build a weatherproof interface to go on the outside of the summer house (my warm room 🙂), for all the electrical/electronic connections out to Pier, from the computer,  power supplies,and focus motor controller. Six cables in all, in two bundles, contained spiral wrap for neatness, and less of trip hazard in the dark.

Make up various cables, 12V power, and RJ10 ( feed out to the focus motor)

12V  to the mount (HEQ5 PRO), 12V to the Dew Heater controller, 12V to the Main Camera. Guide cam powered via usb from the main camera.

AlI I need now are some clear skies, so that I can use it.

[M40]

On the basis that you have built your own pier, this constitutes diy, so this thread just has to go to the diy observatories topic or as I mostly call it, the excuse remover topic 🤦‍♂️. My current excuse is that we are moving in a couple of weeks so my stuff is all packed up, I should be able to live off the "I haven't unpacked yet" excuse for a while yet. Stick a picture up, would be good to see how you have done things. 

[NEM]

I'd be interested to see your weatherproof interface for the scope connections.  I'm planning to build something similar in the next few months.

Noel