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Orion SteadyStar Adaptive Optics Guider

rawhead

By rawhead
in Imaging - Discussion

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SteveL

SteveL

Posted
Posted

Nice to see more Adaptive Optics options out there, but its still more expensive than the SX version (plus add the tax and import duty).

I liked this comment at the bottom of that orion item :rolleyes:

Please note this product was not designed or intended by the manufacturer for use by a child 12 years of age or younger.

lol... as if!

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Technobill

Technobill

Posted
Posted

I just got one of these. I have to say I am a convert. It has exceeded my expectations.

I have always had problems with football stars on my 12" F10 lx200R. The optics on the scope are wonderful, after 3 years still hasnt needed a collimation. It just seems to have some tracking issues even when guided. I have pec'd it to death with pem pro but still get more bad frames than good ones when taking longer exposures (even when guiding).

But a couple of weeks back, after hearing about the great improvement a friend got with one of these I picked one up and on Day one I was blown away. Uut of 25 x 10 minute exposures only one was not perfect (and there were small wind gusts for it to contend with too)

This device and its software are excellent, adjusting the image many times a second and occassionally knudging the scope.

I think if you already have good results through normal guiding it would not be of any help, but where you have not perfect polar alignment or a not to good RA drive, even if there is a light breeze this thing is the bees knees. I think it would be excellent when out in the field as you would not have to get perfect polar alignment before starting to image.

From my perspective, I gave DSO's a big miss for a year as I just could not tame the beast, but now I am waiting for the clouds to go away (over a week and still waiting) so I can get out there and actually image something.

Bill D

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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

Posted
Posted

I think that these devices come into their own, as Bill has found, at long FL. Even if you don't have Meade PE to contend with, a long FL is terribly dependent on the seeing. Also a big scope is going to respond more slowly to the guider simply because of its inertia, I would guess.

Bill, you seem to say that it was hassle free on the IT and mechanical front?

Olly

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Technobill

Technobill

Posted
Posted
I think that these devices come into their own, as Bill has found, at long FL. Even if you don't have Meade PE to contend with, a long FL is terribly dependent on the seeing. Also a big scope is going to respond more slowly to the guider simply because of its inertia, I would guess.

Bill, you seem to say that it was hassle free on the IT and mechanical front?

Olly

Hi Olly,

Hardware wise no issue at all. I have only used it a couple of times so far. It is a second hand unit, I know the guy who owned it and he has used it a fair amount.

The steadystar software is pretty neat and basically at the push of a button or two does an auto calibration of the AO unit and then the scope and works out the angles. From theire you hit guide and it just works a treat.

The software generally works well but it has a few bugs. The biggest problem I had was that pressing the main Find Star' button which you need to do to have it guide, would crash on the latest version but I tracked this down to using a video camera at full PAL res. I have reported the problem and they informed me they are looking into it and there is new version of software coming out soon. In the meantime I received my lodestar guide camera and this is excellent and very sensitive. The software had no issues with this camera.

Bill D

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