Baader LVI2 Autoguider

[Herrman]

Hi,

I have been thinking about investing in a stand-alone autoguider. Has anyone brought the Baader LVI 2 autoguider? If so I wondered how you got on with it; and is it worth the money?

As always, any replies and comments are gratefully received.

All the best,

Herrman

[E621Keith]

Never used one, but the Skywatcher synguide seems to be a lot cheaper. The advantage of the LVI 2 will be its ability to automate DSLR exposure and focuser control.

[Rossco72]

I have the original LVI which doesn't have the DSLR control interface.

You need a good fast scope, my guiding improved greatly when I got my ZS66 down to f4.6.

The setup is fairly simple and results are good but the parfocal eyepiece is rubbish!

[Toxic Coolaid]

I just got my LVI2 in yesterday. Waiting on some clear nights. The eyepiece is still a POS but it gets you on the ballpark. My purchase came with cables to connect to both types of Canons, focuser, and a cigarette lighter 12v adapter (the cord is a bit short). I'll keep you posted. I'll be using a Sky-Watcher PRO 80ED APO with f7.5. I hope that f7.5 is not too high. I'll keep you posted on my progress. Looks like it may be several days before it clears up.

[Rossco72]

Well my LVI was murder when i tried using my TV85 as a guidescope at f7!!!

[morimarty]

hi folks.

herrman ive been using the smartguider2 for about 6 months now.and have to say im very pleased with it. i use it with an st80 as a guide scope guiding an ed80 f7.5 pro and a 10inch f4.8 newtonian. although i do use a .85x focal reducer on the ed80 making it f6.37. now it does have a few cons though. ie the exposure times are varied to those set in the control paddle . and the mga unit as bright blue led lights lighting up like a boat on matlock bath. but overall well worth the investment hope this helps.

martyn.

[Rossco72]

At f5 the ST80 is ideal as a guidescope and is the one most folks go for.

If I didn't already have the lil 66 triplet, I'd get an ST80 to use as a guidescope for sure.

[Toxic Coolaid]

I have a ST80 on the way. I tried the LVI 2 for the first time the other night. I hooked everything up, it found a star, and started tracking it within 5 minutes. Unfortunately I don't have the cable to connect to my Meade so It couldn't auto guide it. The LVI2 had a graph where it was sending x and y axis corrections, but with no cable my Meade couldn't get the corrections. Everything seemed to work very well. I just turned the module with the blue lights over because the lights are very bright. When it started to send axis correction 2 other amber lights came on. I don't remember which lights they were now. Anyway I hope to get the st80 in and my Meade comm cable, then drive 30 min to the dark places and let it fly. I am getting decent pics with Unguided polar and I'm happy with that for now. I know they will get much better.

1 min 45 sec, 18 lights, 8 darks. messed with PS a little much, just learning it too. There was lots of light pollution, plus the Moon was washing out the sky some.

Trying tonight, I think I got the polar lined lined up butter this time

Mo

[Herrman]

Never used one, but the Skywatcher synguide seems to be a lot cheaper. The advantage of the LVI 2 will be its ability to automate DSLR exposure and focuser control.

Hi Keith,

Many thanks for your reply, sorry for the delay in responding- I've been away for a couple of days. Yes, the price does seem a bit steep, even with the ability to control a dslr and focusing as well autoguide. However, I took an interest in the LVI2, not only because of the stand-alone facility, but also because I've had mixed fortunes with my current set-up- Orion Autoguider + PHD controlling a NEQ6. I

[Herrman]

Never used one, but the Skywatcher synguide seems to be a lot cheaper. The advantage of the LVI 2 will be its ability to automate DSLR exposure and focuser control.

Hi Keith,

Many thanks for your reply, Sorry for the delay in responding- I’ve been away for a couple of days. Yes, the cost of the LVI2 does seem a bit steep; even with the additional dslr and focus control options. However, I took an interest in it not only because of the stand-alone facility, but also because I’ve had erratic results from by current set-up of Orion Autoguider + PHD controlling a NEQ6 (sometimes it calibrates and guides sweetly, but other times it calibrates but then will lose the star pretty quickly, and I can’t work out what I’m doing wrong). I know that many people get fantastic results using this combination, but I can’t seem to crack it, and so I wondered if I’d have more luck with a different camera and software. I will certainly look at the Synguide option before parting with any hard-earned cash!

Thanks again, Kev (Herrman)

[Herrman]

I have the original LVI which doesn't have the DSLR control interface.

You need a good fast scope, my guiding improved greatly when I got my ZS66 down to f4.6.

The setup is fairly simple and results are good but the parfocal eyepiece is rubbish!

Hi Stuart,

Many thanks for your reply, and apologies for the delay in replying.

I use a Skywatcher EQ 80 for guiding, so at f7.5 do you think this will be too slow for the LVI? Also, your comments about good results at f4.6, makes me wonder if my current set-up of Orion Autoguider + PHD is suffering due to a too-slow f-ratio. I have a focal-reducer, I think it might also be worth trying guiding with that in situ before spending money.

Thanks for your help, Kev (Herrman)

[Herrman]

I just got my LVI2 in yesterday. Waiting on some clear nights. The eyepiece is still a POS but it gets you on the ballpark. My purchase came with cables to connect to both types of Canons, focuser, and a cigarette lighter 12v adapter (the cord is a bit short). I'll keep you posted. I'll be using a Sky-Watcher PRO 80ED APO with f7.5. I hope that f7.5 is not too high. I'll keep you posted on my progress. Looks like it may be several days before it clears up.

Hi Toxic,

I’d be really interested to hear how you get on; especially as I use the same scope for guiding as you do.

All the best, Kev (Herrman)

[Herrman]

hi folks.

herrman ive been using the smartguider2 for about 6 months now.and have to say im very pleased with it. i use it with an st80 as a guide scope guiding an ed80 f7.5 pro and a 10inch f4.8 newtonian. although i do use a .85x focal reducer on the ed80 making it f6.37. now it does have a few cons though. ie the exposure times are varied to those set in the control paddle . and the mga unit as bright blue led lights lighting up like a boat on matlock bath. but overall well worth the investment hope this helps.

martyn.

Hi Morimarty,

I have been really interested to read yours and all of the other posts. What’s I’ve learned is that I need to reduce my scope’s f-ratio and then see how my current set-up behaves, before I before spending money.

All the best, Kev (Herrman)

[Herrman]

I have a ST80 on the way. I tried the LVI 2 for the first time the other night. I hooked everything up, it found a star, and started tracking it within 5 minutes. Unfortunately I don't have the cable to connect to my Meade so It couldn't auto guide it. The LVI2 had a graph where it was sending x and y axis corrections, but with no cable my Meade couldn't get the corrections. Everything seemed to work very well. I just turned the module with the blue lights over because the lights are very bright. When it started to send axis correction 2 other amber lights came on. I don't remember which lights they were now. Anyway I hope to get the st80 in and my Meade comm cable, then drive 30 min to the dark places and let it fly. I am getting decent pics with Unguided polar and I'm happy with that for now. I know they will get much better.

1 min 45 sec, 18 lights, 8 darks. messed with PS a little much, just learning it too. There was lots of light pollution, plus the Moon was washing out the sky some.

Trying tonight, I think I got the polar lined lined up butter this time

Mo

Hi Toxic,

Just scrolled down and found your latest message. I’m very impressed with the image; particularly as it was taken unguided. If I can achieve something half as good next time I get outside, then I’ll be feeling pretty chuffed!

It would be great to hear how you get on with the LVI2 once it’s cabled-up.

All the best, Kev (Herrman)

[SteveKinder]

Mo,

I am well impressed by your image.

1 min 45 sec is much better than I am getting unguided with my CGEM. What mount are you using?

Thanks,

Steve.

[Toxic Coolaid]

Steve, it is a Meade LX90 8in. They're different from traditional Mounts because the motors gears and optics are all one piece. Unfortunately if I want to upgrade my scope...I have to buy a whole new setup. I've gotten further into the photography than I thought I would. But I still enjoy it even though it's working on my wallet.

Mo

[Toxic Coolaid]

Still Unguided but Much better results with practice. Kind of embarrassed by my old image now. Hopefully this one will embarrass me later.

[christoffl]

I had the opportunity to test the LVI2 against the Lacerta Mgen

Lacerta MGEN stand alone auto guider - no PC required

I am using the Mgen for 2 years now and it works perfectly. For shorter focal lenghts with the ATIK 383L I use it as my transportable equipment and do the guiding with only a normal 8x50 finderscope. That is working well upd to 400mm.

For my 80/480 and also the GSRC I use an OAG.

The Baader LVI is working but not that good as this Mgen.

It doesnt' reach the same sensitivity and is not that comfortable to use.

I am absolutely satisfied with the Mgen. Maybe that helps a bit

Chris

[Herrman]

What an amazing image, specially as it was unguided! What exposure did you use, and how many subs?

Regards, Herrman

[Herrman]

Hi Chris,

Apologies for not replying sooner to your post- I've been away again for a while and it's taken some time to catch up on things. The Lacerta guider certainly looks to be a pretty comprehensive bit of kit. I'm going to persevere with the Orion unit for a while longer, but if I still can't get it to behave I will certainly consider the Lacerta guider, it's quite pricey, but if it's reliable and gets the job done then it would be a worthwhile investment.

All the best, Herrman

[Toxic Coolaid]

It's been a while but this should help answer some questions:

Autoguiding with the LVI2

I have finally figured out to tune the LVI2’s settings. Unfortunately it’s not just a “set and forget” type of setup. This is what is working very well for me:

1. The largest leap in performance that I have found is to make sure to line the LVI2’s camera’s axis up with the mounts axis. That way x or y axis is controlled by a single axis signal from the LVI. If you’ve ever had an alignment eyepiece or finder scope turned you will know all about this. To move a star up a line in the eyepiece or scope, you have to press up then right then up then right to center the star. If the eyepiece is lined up with the mounts axis…you only have to press up. This seems so simple but it took me some time to think about it and realize it should make a difference. To align both of axis I use my alignment eyepiece in the guide scope where the LVI camera is going. I get it aligned so each direction button only moves a star in one direction. Either 0, 90, 180, or 270 degrees. I then replace the eyepiece with the LVI camera in the same orientation.

2. Advanced settings after doing the LVI’s guide calibration. If you have good polar alignment the Y axis needs to be one step faster than the X axis. I tend to use (4) Fast for the Y axis, and (3) Mild for the X axis. I generally use 250 for the “pulse”.

3. Your LVI’s screen should show pretty stable graphs as it tracks. If the X or Y gets too high or low the LVI bumps it back in alignment. The higher the “Aggressiveness” the less out of line the X or Y can get before being bumped back. The longer the “pulse” the harder the LVI bumps it.

4. What to adjust f the alignment starts to go to far back and forth. If the pulse is too long, the LVI bumps to hard and the alignment goes too far…then gets bumped back and goes too far and gets bumped back….and so on. I first drop the pulse down a step. If it is still going back and forth I drop the aggressiveness.

5. What to do if the alignment starts to trail off and goes all the way to the max and stays there. Start with stepping up the pulse first. This will bump the alignment a little more on each adjustment. If needed step up each aggressiveness one step.

I hope this helps out with what should be called tuning the LVI. I am getting stable guides for as long as my light pollution and less than perfect skies will allow (usually 7 min with a Ha filter)

[Herrman]

Hi,

Thanks for the update on using the LVI, it's interesting to see that even this set-up has it's quirks! The good news for me is that I have finally managed to get the Orion autoguider working with PHD, this thanks to adjusting the settings to parameters suggested on another thread on this site, it's early days but so far I've had no problem with calibration and guiding since using the new settings. I must trace the originator of the post to thank them. I still like the idea of a stand-alone guider however, the fewer cables there are for me to trip over the better!

All the best, Herrman

[philming]

Hi all !

I'm shopping for an MGEN at the moment.

I allready have a Synguider, that I'm pretty pleased with, but I'm missing the dithering option on this one.

Do you think the upgrade is worth the price ?

Best regards,