ZWO AM3, so many questions...

[Bigskyjim]

Hi all, apologies if this is in the wrong place...  (if so, mods feel free to move to somewhere more relevant)🤔

Long time lurker here...

I've recently been trying to get into astrophotography after migrating from a manually powered SW EQ5. After some careful thought (and a lot of saving up) I invested in a whole new setup, including a ZWO AM3 mount. Wow! what a steep learning curve. Miraculously, on the day of its arrival I got a perfectly clear night, and managed to test it out on my balcony...

 

But I ended up with more questions than I started with, and I'm hoping you more knowledgeable folks can help.

 

Before I begin, here is my current setup: -

 

• Mount: ZWO AM3
• Tripod: ZWO TC40
• Scope: William Optics Zenithstar 73
• Main Camera: Canon D250 SLR
• Guide Camera: ZWO mini ASI120MM
• Guidescope: SVbony 165
• Computer: ASIAIR mini 
• Interface: Apple Ipad
• Power Supply: Apertura Portable Telescope Power Supply - 155 Wh Lithium Battery

 

I have so many questions, particularly relating to the AM3 mount. the instructions provided are fairly lacking. If you kind folks could solve any, or all, I'd be much better placed to continue trying to get to grips with my astronomy journey. Here goes...

 

1) I performed a semi-decent polar alignment down to less than 15 arc seconds, (which was a joy compared to my old SW). Then chose nice and easy Arcturus as my first ever 'go to' target. Arcturus appeared in the camera view finder, but was not centralized. What could be the reason for this?  Is there also a way to 'tweak' or refine  something in the app so that the mount then 'learns' where the target actually is and can make further go to tracking more accurate

2) My power supply isn't the greatest., and I think i may have been undergunned. Towards the end of my (fairly short) session, the mount started beeping constantly. This was accompanied by a small 'voltage' warning at the top of the app. I assume this is because the power supply dropped below 12V in the cold. Can anyone give me some good suggestions as to the best way to power my mount more effectively? I'd much rather buy a complete unit than mess around with lithium ion batteries and crafting my own battery pack (I'm not very electronically minded, and live in a country where it can be difficult to source items required). Any and all suggestions to power the mount (with a battery, I have to drive to a dark site to see anything at all) would be appreciated.

3) The Focus mode in the ASIAIR was very difficult to use. There was significant lag between the images being taken and them arriving on my screen to the point where  I couldn't really tell which change i'd made to the focus had produced the image). Is it better to just use the DSLR view finder with a Batinov mask?

4) Does anyone have any good suggestions as to a good place to mount the ASIAIR mini? I stuck it to the side of the mount body with a velcro dot, however I did find that at certain orientations the mini came very close to making contact with the lower part of the mount, and it also led to my cables becoming snagged on the DEC axis adjustment handle.

5) can anybody point me in the direction of a good tutorial to use the app with the mount? While it is fairly intuitive, other areas are quite technical and I don't understand what to do (and the time to be working it out, isn't when i'm in -5C in the middle of nowhere 🤪.

 

I appreciate I've asked a lot of questions there. The main issue (worry) I have is actually powering the mount properly. It cost me a lot, and I don't want to damage it with an unsuitable power supply), I'd be particularly keen for power  supply suggestions.

 

Thank you and clear skies!

[Dark Raven]

On 31/10/2023 at 14:01, Bigskyjim said:

1) I performed a semi-decent polar alignment down to less than 15 arc seconds, (which was a joy compared to my old SW). Then chose nice and easy Arcturus as my first ever 'go to' target. Arcturus appeared in the camera view finder, but was not centralized. What could be the reason for this?  Is there also a way to 'tweak' or refine  something in the app so that the mount then 'learns' where the target actually is and can make further go to tracking more accurate

Take a look at this:

 

On 31/10/2023 at 14:01, Bigskyjim said:

2) My power supply isn't the greatest., and I think i may have been undergunned. Towards the end of my (fairly short) session, the mount started beeping constantly. This was accompanied by a small 'voltage' warning at the top of the app. I assume this is because the power supply dropped below 12V in the cold. Can anyone give me some good suggestions as to the best way to power my mount more effectively? I'd much rather buy a complete unit than mess around with lithium ion batteries and crafting my own battery pack (I'm not very electronically minded, and live in a country where it can be difficult to source items required). Any and all suggestions to power the mount (with a battery, I have to drive to a dark site to see anything at all) would be appreciated.

Do a power audit first to understand how much power you actually need, then add some reserve due to future upgrades, sub zero temps and battery age degradation. Aim for LiFePoO4 battery chemistry. One of below should work for you depending on power consumption and budget.
Omegon Pro Powerbank 48k LiFePO4 154Wh 12V (astroshop.eu)
Omegon Pro Powerbank 96k LiFePO4 307Wh 12V (astroshop.eu)
ECOFLOW Portable Power Station RIVER 2 MAX, 512Wh LiFeP04 Battery/ 1 Hour Fast Charging, Up To 1000W Output, Solar Generator (Panel Not Inc.) for Outdoor Camping/RVs/Home Use : Amazon.co.uk: Garden
EcoFlow DELTA 2 Portable Power Station with 1-3kWh Expandable Capacity, LFP Battery, Fast Charging, Use as a Solar Generator for Home Backup Power, Camping & RVs : Amazon.co.uk: Garden

 

On 31/10/2023 at 14:01, Bigskyjim said:

3) The Focus mode in the ASIAIR was very difficult to use. There was significant lag between the images being taken and them arriving on my screen to the point where  I couldn't really tell which change i'd made to the focus had produced the image). Is it better to just use the DSLR view finder with a Batinov mask?

Do you have Electronic Auto Focuser? Did not see it on your equipment list. Lag comes due to antiquated Canon USB 2 connection. Arm your self with patience and calculate 15-25 min for autofocus with DSLR depending how far off you start. ASIAIR Mini USB 2 only might be second bottleneck you come to. Try to get EAF if you do not have one,  try to ditch DSLR and buy (second-hand) dedicated astro cam. Start small and cheap like ASI585 MC. If you do not have the option to upgrade, yeah Bathinov mask is faster.

On 31/10/2023 at 14:01, Bigskyjim said:

4) Does anyone have any good suggestions as to a good place to mount the ASIAIR mini? I stuck it to the side of the mount body with a velcro dot, however I did find that at certain orientations the mini came very close to making contact with the lower part of the mount, and it also led to my cables becoming snagged on the DEC axis adjustment handle.

Do not place it there. ZWO issued a warning about the positioning it there on AM5 and did not include the mounting option there for AM3. Buy additional finder shoe and mount it on the scope if there are holes for it. Alternatively on the saddle or dovetail bar. 

 

On 31/10/2023 at 14:01, Bigskyjim said:

5) can anybody point me in the direction of a good tutorial to use the app with the mount? While it is fairly intuitive, other areas are quite technical and I don't understand what to do (and the time to be working it out, isn't when i'm in -5C in the middle of nowhere 🤪.

Google is your friend... but here is AM5 tutorial (same as for AM3 except for Bluetooth) made before the above warning

Happy star hunting... Do show your photos...

Edited November 10, 2023 by Dark Raven

[Elp]

Congratulations on your setup.

The asiair user interface is fairly well laid out, the options on the RHS are organised in some sort of order, focus first, because if you're not near focus you can't do step two, polar align then preview, plan etc.

1. Was your Canon setup as the main camera and on in the user interface (you need a mini usb (check your AV out port on the camera) to usb A cable to connect the camera to the asiair), some cables can be finniky, took me until the third to get the Canon working correctly (the cable needs a data line, not just a bog standard charging cable). If it's connected correctly, when you do a slew, the Canon will take a shot and the asiair will plate solve the image, if target is not centred it'll continue this process automatically until done (normally done in two or three iterations).

3. Focus routine. This can be a pain with a DSLR due to the shutter delay and data transfer, the way to do it is disable the auto refresh checkbox at the bottom of the focus routine window (is it in this window or in the PA one only?), Or increase the exposure time which gives you time to tweak the focus and the scope vibration to settle down, then it takes the image, you assess the focus and continue. Trying to do this with short exposures with a DSLR is a lesson in frustration, with an astro camera you can do it in real time. In the focus routine mode choose a medium bright star, press on it and it'll zoom into it, then focus until your FWHM value is as low as you can get it. When you're near focus you'll move either side of the focus point but you'll get a feel of how slight to turn your fine focus knob and get back there quickly, once on focus you'll notice a lot more tiny stars start to appear. Confirm the focus by taking a preview in preview mode, you'll learn from experience what good focus looks like. I've never used a bahtinov mask due to the asiair focus routine being so good (you can't beat a numerical FWHM value vs human visual assessment of a diffraction pattern).

4. Your Z73 should have two sets of similar to pan hex head screws on the top of the focuser, these are for mounting mini finder brackets, I've put two on my Z61 for the purpose of mounting accessories of which the asiair fits. If you've got a newer WO scope with the cat handle or central handle it's likely it also accepts accessories but atm you need two mounting points because of the guidescope too.

The most technical aspect of the asiair is your guide settings, everything else is self explanatory, it really is the easiest system to use for AP.

Edited October 31, 2023 by Elp