El Corazon wrote: indilib.org/media/kunena/attachments/4350/SolderlessFocuser.pdf
That’s the one I built. Pretty simple. I still ended up soldering everything to a Vero board, but it worked immediately. Use a standard NEMA17 Stepper motor (<$10) and DRV8825 controller. You can get them all from Amazon.
That’s what the prototype looked like:
indilib.org/forum/focusers-filter-wheels....html?start=48#54478
The electronics is actually the easy part, fitting the motor to the fine focus knob if your telescope requires more tinkering. That’s where having access to a 3D printer is priceless. I designed and printed all the brackets I needed.
But as you say, this is a rewarding hobby and you learn lots of different things all the time.
That's Awesome!!! Thank you so much...
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El Corazon wrote: In short, you need a stepper driven autofocuser with a strong motor, like a NEMA17. That should have no trouble pulling the weight of your light train when connected to the fine focus knob.
You can build one yourself, using for instance the MyFocuserPro instructions and the MoonLite Driver (as many others here have done as well) or you could buy a MoonLight focuser (expensive) or a Pegasus (some people I know have one and they are happy with it). Either way, I messed around for 2 years with analog focusers and since I put a stepper driven autofocuser together, all my stars are tack sharp in focus. No more bloated stars. Now I need to build one for my RC8 and for my ES102.
Thank you for this tip. Everyone I learn something new that make this hobby more interesting:)
The instructions I found online so far pretty old (2-3 years at best). Any reliable source of building it that include all required components and steps that you advise for a beginner like myself?
Thank you
Mohamed
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El Corazon wrote: That's an analog focuser and yes, it has an enormous problem, which is caused by the differential loading of the motor when it is focusing in vs out.
Now that make sense. I’m having hard times using the auto focused and in my last session I had to perform focus manually and adjust by autofocus.
Any recommendations for good auto focuser for the c8 that works with C8?
Thank you
Mohamed
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El Corazon wrote: Are you using the Linear or Polynomial focuser?
I didn't change any of the options, so I guess it is the default. My focuser is the JMI MotoFocus+ Celestron C8 ( farpointastro.com/shop/jmi-motofocus-celestron-c8/ ), and I don't know if it has a backlash or not...
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Gonzothegreat wrote: I use the tutorials from www.lightvortexastronomy.com/tutorials.html which are great.
Your stars look slightly bloated, have you use the autofocus or is it manual focus?
Thank you for the tutorial link. I shall spend the next few weeks on it...
I always use autofocus, unless I’m severely out of focus, or checking collimation, then I use auto focus again.
I shall be installing the Rowan belt mods after I get back from my trip and hopefully it will help tracking...
Thank you
Mohamed
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PS: Will try mosaic next time as my f/6.3 cannot get the whole galaxy in one shot.
ISO 800
Lights (filter Luminance) 14 x 300 sec
Darks 30 x 300 sec
Flats 50 x 0.05 sec
Bias 30 x 0.00025 sec
Total lights integration time 1:10 hours
Date Wed Oct 7th 2020
Seeing 3 / 5
Transparency 3 / 5
Sky Darkness #4 Rural/suburban transition - 6/9
Binning 1x1
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IMO this could be one of three possibilities (as it happened to me before), (1) you are not physically tracking, i mean you set tracking to ON and see position change, but the mount is not moving as it was ordered, or (2) you are don't have good polar alignment and the tracking is way off course, or (3) tracking for stars is not sidereal.
Technically, if the polar alignment is accurate, and the mount is tracking good (either on its own or controlled by ekos), you should see your target standstill, regardless of what you are doing with your camera. Guiding is for minor correction for astrophotography, but here you are just checking for fucus for 2-sec shots. You should have the stars stationary for a some time.
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Deesk06 wrote: From astrometry "Orientation: Up is 234 degrees E of N"
UP is 234 degrees East of North. So therefore this trialing is east - west...looking at what I had said above it looks to be a tracking issue. So the Ra Axis.
Thank you Daniel so much for this tip and this checklist. I will install the belt mods ASAP and test again.
I just wonder what astrometry.net verbose would be to conclude it is North-South trailing?
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Deesk06 wrote: I wouldn't touch the bearings right now. Go ahead and do the Rowan belt mod, however, be gentle. It's easy to pull off any connectors from the board.
Bearings would be last on my list. I do not plan on changing mine until it has been used for a good while. Like a few years or so, if at all.
Rowan belt mod and then look into adjusting the worm gear meshing. Be gentle with it though and work in small increments. Astro baby has a guide for it. Google astro baby HEQ5 worm gear mesh.
That's as far as I would go with touching the mount. There really should be no need to do much more, you do not want to make it worse than it is by doing something incorrectly.
Aa I said first, try and find yourself a starting point. Solve the image and figure out which direction is which.
I did upload the above image into astrometry.net and it was resolved successfully, but I couldn’t find any information about the direction and analysis of the distortion... can you please explain the role of astromerty.net as a first step?
Thank you
Mohamed
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Gonzothegreat wrote: To get round stars, it's a combination of a lot of things I think.
mount accuracy, is there any backlash? Can you fix it, or minimise it?
telescope balanced?
polar alignment, try to get the best you can with the Kstars PA tool
imaging train must set correctly, back-focus all good?
Focusing
do you have a field flattener?
guiding, are you using the multi-stars option?
Spend some time on the mechanical part first, make sure everything is sound and working as it should. I did tune my mount, I took everything apart and changed some dead bearings etc... I have a post about it somewhere here.
Then spend some time on the telescope part.
and finally, on the software side.
Here's a very good youTube channel with tons of tips www.youtube.com/c/CuivTheLazyGeek
Thank you for the YouTube link and other information. This is really helpful
I've already purchased the HEQ5 mod kit belt and also a higher quality replacement bearing set. I just didn't install them as the mount is few weeks old, and I don't know if you recommend replacing them now or wait...
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Thank you, but I was looking for rounded stars like your images. It seems that I'm still struggling with it. I found that Pixinsight (trial) actually round the stars, but this is due to an algorithm that actually alters the stars itself, and I didn't like that. I want to be able to get as round as possible in the widest area possible. Any advice on how to achieve that?
Is it the polar alignment? the accuracy of the guider? the mount mechanics?
PS: This is my 1st time trying PHD as a guider
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Imaging telescope / lens Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain (SCT) 8"/2032 mm 8SE
Imaging camera Canon T3i (CMOS)
Mount Equatorial Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro
Guiding telescope / lens Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain (SCT) 8"/2032 mm 8SE
Guiding camera ZWO Optical ASI120MM Mini (mono) (CMOS)
Filters ZWO Optical Luminance (UV/IR block) 1.25"
Accessories Off-axis guider ZWO Optical, Focal reducer Celestron 0.63x, Filter wheel ZWO Optical 1.25", Automatic focuser JMI MotoFocus+
Processed with GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) 2.10.20 (revision 1), Astro Pixel Processor 1.082, PHD Guiding (Stark Labs)
ISO 800
Lights (filter Luminance) 28 x 90 sec
Total lights integration time 42:00 min
Date Tue Oct 6th 2020
Seeing 3 / 5
Transparency 3 / 5
Sky Darkness #4 Rural/suburban transition - 6/9
Binning 1x1
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wvreeven wrote: We all get that. As long as you don't use any of the cameras that use those libraries I think you're good
Thank you Wouter, yes I have no problem but thought it was something I did wrong.
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