sirius pro az/eq-g problems

[Trucker360]

i have an issue with my orion sirius pro az/eq-g mount. im going to try and explain what its doing, however, i predict this wont end well. 

 

so. i go set this thing up when its clear. im pretty good at it now, and do an alignment. usually always two stars. ive tried three star alignments, but idk if there was a glitch or what. anyway....... go to vega, turn the rate up to 7 and move it a good ways to get it centered. its that far off. ok, fine. think itll then do deneb. its closer, but not close. ok.itll say alignment successful. but then pops up a warning about some axis or maz mal something.... 2 sets of what looks like lat and long. then go to m31. m31's core will be right on the edge of the glass of the eyepiece. (orion 130st with star guider 8-24 eyepiece at 24mm which is 60 degrees fov.) which, then everything is off on the pointing. it tracks fine, im getting no trails at 300mm 4.5 min subs not guided. i just dont know what to do to get it to point better. 

 

i think that dumpster fire of an explanation is everything. 

 

things ive checked so much i can almost recite them. 

polar alignment is spot on. 

elevation is correct. 

lat and long are correct.

time is correct. 

 

pic i took... lens has a ton of coma, but youre not getting horse head with .9 subs. over 2 nights with a ball head mishap. also, sequator vs dss. lol

[Cosmic Geoff]

11 hours ago, Trucker360 said:

but then pops up a warning about some axis or maz mal something....

This does not seem to be a popular mount in the UK.

Until someone better informed comes along, here's my stab in the dark.  If Sirius didn't write their software from scratch, they may have based it on someone else's. In the latest Sky-watcher Synscan software, MEL and MAZ are parameters that pop up at the end of alignment to show you how much your polar alignment is off, and there is some procedure for using them to fine-tune the mechanical adjustment.  I generally ignore them as it's too much for my aged brain. 🙁

I have found that the GoTo is not very accurate, particularly if the sought object is the other side of the meridian from the two alignment stars, and have got around this by setting up the mount with added software for a "plate-solve and re-sync" (which works brilliantly, BTW).

Addendum, from review: "The Sirius equatorial mount comes with the SynScan hand controller that is often used with Orion and Sky Watcher GoTo setups. It offers a 42,900 object database, guided sky tours, and more."

Edited December 7, 2021 by Cosmic Geoff
Synscan compatibility

[Trucker360]

11 minutes ago, Cosmic Geoff said:

This does not seem to be a popular mount in the UK.

Until someone better informed comes along, here's my stab in the dark.  If Sirius didn't write their software from scratch, they may have based it on someone else's. In the latest Sky-watcher Synscan software, MEL and MAZ are parameters that pop up at the end of alignment to show you how much your polar alignment is off, and there is some procedure for using them to fine-tune the mechanical adjustment.  I generally ignore them as it's too much for my aged brain. 🙁

I have found that the GoTo is not very accurate, particularly if the sought object is the other side of the meridian from the two alignment stars, and have got around this by setting up the mount with added software for a "plate-solve and re-sync" (which works brilliantly, BTW).

Hey! That's it. Mel maz! I've found out that apparently it's the same as the sky watcher az eq6. Different paint job though. I'm starting to wonder if it's the hand controller. Maybe an update or the v5? 

[johninderby]

I think the Qrion and SW are the same except for the colour and half pillar tripod. 🤔
 

Edited December 7, 2021 by johninderby

[StevieDvd]

1 hour ago, Trucker360 said:

Hey! That's it. Mel maz! I've found out that apparently it's the same as the sky watcher az eq6. Different paint job though. I'm starting to wonder if it's the hand controller. Maybe an update or the v5? 

I think t's the same as the SW AZ-EQ5.

You mention the MEL & MAZ values - this reminds me of the Polar Alignmet in the Synscan handset which allows you to do iterative adjustments to get a better PA than just the start alignment process (as per the manual).

Evne if you have good PA (and presumably the correct time/location) you still need the scope/mount physical view to agree with what the mount thinks you are pointing at. If you do a goto on a known star you'd recognise and if not exactly centred then release the clutches and cenre it manually. Then you know your view matches the synscan expectation. If the next goto is not centred then check for loose clutches, loose Alt/AZ adjusters or one axis being overly tight (with clutches loose).

 

[Trucker360]

6 hours ago, StevieDvd said:

I think t's the same as the SW AZ-EQ5.

You mention the MEL & MAZ values - this reminds me of the Polar Alignmet in the Synscan handset which allows you to do iterative adjustments to get a better PA than just the start alignment process (as per the manual).

Evne if you have good PA (and presumably the correct time/location) you still need the scope/mount physical view to agree with what the mount thinks you are pointing at. If you do a goto on a known star you'd recognise and if not exactly centred then release the clutches and cenre it manually. Then you know your view matches the synscan expectation. If the next goto is not centred then check for loose clutches, loose Alt/AZ adjusters or one axis being overly tight (with clutches loose).

 

But the mount recognizes that it moved and compensates? 

[StevieDvd]

15 hours ago, Trucker360 said:

But the mount recognizes that it moved and compensates? 

Sorry did not realise this mount had dual encoders (they detect manual movements).  You may need to disable these (temporarily) to try this test, and re-enable them after the first goto is manually aligned. Should be an option in the handset but check the manual first.

[Shimrod]

16 hours ago, Trucker360 said:

But the mount recognizes that it moved and compensates? 

Do you have a reticle eyepiece  you use when aligning? I have a different mount, but I was surprised at how far out from the 'centre of the eyepiece' I was when aligning with a normal eyepiece, especially if lower power. The more accurate alignment using the reticle eyepiece has improved the goto accuracy on the mount.

[Trucker360]

1 hour ago, Shimrod said:

Do you have a reticle eyepiece  you use when aligning? I have a different mount, but I was surprised at how far out from the 'centre of the eyepiece' I was when aligning with a normal eyepiece, especially if lower power. The more accurate alignment using the reticle eyepiece has improved the goto accuracy on the mount.

I do not. I put it out of focus and fill the eye piece that way. 

[wimvb]

First off, there is a synscan app (for android) that is very handy when you need to enter your location and time. It's both a time saver and extra insurance that you have the numbers correct. The app includes polar scope reticule.

Second, after 2 star alignment, use the synscan all star polar alignment routine. After first polar alignment, park and turn off the mount. Then start from scratch. 2 star alignment should now be much closer. Repeat the polar alignment. Goto should now be very close on each target that is on the same side of the meridian as where you did the 2 star alignment. The first star in your alignment will always be far off, because of possible inaccuracies in the location and time, and (more importantly) because of cone error in your rig. The mount manual has a procedure to reduce cone error. Some cone error won't be a problem, but too much of it is a nuisance.

Use a low magnification eyepiece for initial alignment, but use a higher magnification to finetune it. I used two thin copper wires to make a diy reticule out of a 10 or 13 mm eyepiece that came with the scope. Quite easy and well worth spending some time on. It doesn't need to be super accurate, but it will boost consistency.

Because tracking is accurate, there is nothing wrong with the mount. But I would turn off the encoders, and avoid releasing the clutches. Use the synscan to slew.

Edited December 10, 2021 by wimvb

[Trucker360]

Fixed it with pae

[Robindonne]

Where did you buy this mount if i may ask?  In Europe?   

[Trucker360]

4 hours ago, Robindonne said:

Where did you buy this mount if i may ask?  In Europe?   

Ebay as "damaged" it wasn't damaged. Guy thought a captured screw was broke. However, this is the same as the skywatcher az eq 6 gt. And orion is no longer selling it, or any parts that go to it now. 

[StevieDvd]

7 hours ago, Trucker360 said:

Ebay as "damaged" it wasn't damaged. Guy thought a captured screw was broke. However, this is the same as the skywatcher az eq 6 gt. And orion is no longer selling it, or any parts that go to it now. 

So you have one like this EQ6 or like this EQ5 (as Johninderby posted above). Makes a difference if you need to post questions later.

[Robindonne]

15 hours ago, Trucker360 said:

Ebay as "damaged" it wasn't damaged. Guy thought a captured screw was broke. However, this is the same as the skywatcher az eq 6 gt. And orion is no longer selling it, or any parts that go to it now. 

Ok thanks.  I was in doubt to buy a white skywatcher or black orion.  I decided to go for the black one but all of a sudden couldn’t find them anymore.  

[Trucker360]

On 19/12/2021 at 14:49, Robindonne said:

Ok thanks.  I was in doubt to buy a white skywatcher or black orion.  I decided to go for the black one but all of a sudden couldn’t find them anymore.  

Yeah. Not on there site now. Neither is the polar scope. I might have to get belts soon.