ioptron SmartStar GEM5 GoTo

[Gadget]

Hi All

Has anyone had any experience with these

iOptron SmartStar GEM5 GoTo

Because at some point I will be looking for a EQ mount and this one seems very good value even with the GPS module

But its not a make that I have heard of or read much about so any input good or bad would be appreciated

Thanks

Kev

[Paul H]

Hi,

I was planning to blog about my experience but I'll answer your thread instead

I had the pleasure of using one for a couple of weekends. (I was looking to replace my old EQ5 rated at 9kg load with one that could do more for astrophotography).

The mechanical build of the mount is great compared to my old synta style EQ5 (from 2005 ish). The 2 inch legs make it very stable. It is obviously modelled on the LXD75, the larger knobs and finish make the latitude/horizontal polar adjustment much easier/smoother.

The head can be easily tilted forward to use a terrestrial object for checking the polarscope alignment - which was already close and easy to adjust (web based LXD75 info helped me out).

Although the on-site details are obscure - it does include a nice LXD75 style illumination-adjustable polar scope and it is also supplied with a 12V 2A AC adapter and a USB cable for direct PC-control and firmware update.

Setting up outside was easier than for my old mount; the clamps on the legs make adjusting their length and levelling the mount easier than than I am used to.

This was my first try out of a GoTo system but I found the controller easy to read and use. Things made sense. The only confusion I had was with choosing the right "Park scope" menu item (1 sets the park the other parks the scope).

The 2-star alignment was easy to do once I figured the park position was having the scope pointing at Polaris - setting that as the park position and then choosing 2 stars from there. Using the "Synch to object" option improves the alignment further. I don't suppose it was a hard test but 2-star alignment on Deneb and Vega meant that M56, M57 and Albeiro were dead centre.

If you have a Vista or Windows 7 laptop then the supplied drivers for the USB interface are our of date but they can easily be downloaded from the chip manufacturers web-site (I also needed to update the ASCOM drivers).

I only tried visual and PC controlled gotos. I used Carte du Ciel and Starry Night Pro 4.5 on a Vista 32 laptop to do gotos with good success although I noticed a couple of gotos took more than one attempt to kick in (not sure why). This hiccup did not happen when using the handset for gotos.

I used this mount with a Megrez 72 on one night and my OO Europa f4.8 250mm Newtonian the next. With the Megrez balancing the OTA was no issue but my Europa needed careful balancing (which is to be expected - its total weight with clamps and finder is 10kg). I needed to put on a second counter weight, from my old mount, to balance the Europa.

Minor quibble 1 - having a bubble level built in to the mount would be nice but actually I used a £2.75 Draper spirit level that I could see even when kneeling down to adjust the legs.

Minor quibble 2 - The Spreader is circular which means when the mount is put away I need the same floor space as when it is set up unless I am prepared to remove the spreader each night. My old EQ5 spreader was three arms - just slacken it off and rotate, it then it takes up less floor space in the shed.

I did have some delivery issues - the (big company) delivery agent was heavy handed and some things were damaged in transit but Altair-Astro replaced them quickly.

It seems ok for a single newt up to 10 inches and would be great for an 8inch scope but discuss it with Altair-Astro. They are friendly guys.

I liked the mount a lot but thinking about potential long term needs in the end I decided to go for a slightly bigger capacity HEQ5 for which I am now waiting on delivery. For my budget it is significantly more expensive, does not include a power supply or PC cable and the controller is less featured but there is a dedicated ST4 port.

Cheers,

Paul

[Ant]

I liked the mount a lot but thinking about potential long term needs in the end I decided to go for a slightly bigger capacity HEQ5 for which I am now waiting on delivery. For my budget it is significantly more expensive, does not include a power supply or PC cable and the controller is less featured but there is a dedicated ST4 port.

Cheers,

Paul

The HEQ5 should come with a power lead and a lead to connect the handset to the PC (it's the lead that you use to update the handset firmware), you can use this lead to get guiding software (like PHD) to talk to and control the HEQ5.

Cheers

Ant

[Paul H]

Regarding GPS:

Using the PC control It was easy to set the location and time from Starry Night Pro.

However, the handset keeps time and remembers location when not powered up - so unless you plan to move around a lot the GPS is not needed IMO.

Paul H

[Ant]

The handset doesn't keep time or date (but does keep location) - unless of course that has been updated in the latest firmware update (which I haven't done).

It's actually quite depressing changing the date manually... It reminds you how long it has been since you last used the scope

Cheers

Ant

[ollypenrice]

I can't help from experience but for information I will be receiving the larger iOptron iEQ45 to review for Astronomy Now when they come into the country. I had a visit from the European importer, just socially, yesterday and he seems optimistic about the performance. He isn't given to 'bigging up' the less expensive astro products so let's hope for the best.

Olly

[Paul H]

The HEQ5 should come with a power lead and a lead to connect the handset to the PC (it's the lead that you use to update the handset firmware), you can use this lead to get guiding software (like PHD) to talk to and control the HEQ5.

Cheers

Ant

I find distributor/dealer sites confusing - the information is not always consistent or current - I guess I should learn to talk to them before getting out the plastic! But it sounds like I do just need to get a USB to RS232 adapter from Maplins which is music for my other half .

Cheers,

Paul

[beetlejuice]

Hi All

Has anyone had any experience with these

iOptron SmartStar GEM5 GoTo

Because at some point I will be looking for a EQ mount and this one seems very good value even with the GPS module

But its not a make that I have heard of or read much about so any input good or bad would be appreciated

Thanks

Kev

I have this mount which I bought with the previous Gotostar hand controller (rather than the current Gotonova). I bought the review model that was featured in Astronomy Now a few years ago. Gotostar EQ5 GoTo upgrade

While the mount was, and is, fine, the goto was something else entirely. It just would not work properly. Failures to align, failures to stop were a common feature. I tried everything - changing the power supply cable (it was naff), changing power supply, flashing software, careful balancing, accurate polar alignment, correct time and location, DST - nothing worked. It got so frustrating, as the mount was unusable, that I eventually retrofitted the mount with a Skywatcher Synscan kit and it works perfectly. iOptron (which is an American company in partnership with a Chinese company, Nanjing Idea) seemed to have a lot of problems at the beginning, so maybe I was just unlucky. I'd join iOptron's group on Yahoo and ask a few questions there. My experience would certainly make me wary.

I still have the Gotostar kit, so I'm thinking of fitting it to a spare CG5 mount I have lying around and see if I can resolve its problems. What's the definition of stupidity? Doing the same thing over and over again hoping to get a different result.