1751 replies to this topic

[Stefan042]

 

I got a Wedge so seemed time to add here.

[JethroXP]

 

 

 

I got a Wedge so seemed time to add here.

 

Very cool!  What are your thoughts on using it?  I've been thinking about a wedge as well for long exposure imaging but I keep seeing people say you need an EQ mount for that.  Curious how this works out for you.

[Stefan042]

Very cool!  What are your thoughts on using it?  I've been thinking about a wedge as well for long exposure imaging but I keep seeing people say you need an EQ mount for that.  Curious how this works out for you.

Let me start a new topic as discussions are Off Topic discouraged here.

 

I have questions too! 

[Gator1PK]

Doesn't look dark.  Or clear for that matter!     Did you get any observing that night?  Or is this just your example contribution to Cloudy Nights?

 

Beo

The astronomical forecast was looking great. First time out to that park/boat launch off US 27 in Palm Beach County.  Setup the scope early and watched in disgust as clouds started to roll as the sun set. By 9:00pm is was pitch black out, I couldn’t see anything a couple of feet in front of me.  I could heard water splashing, big splashes, as in a gator jumping in the water (I’m a Floridian) I was covered in bug spray. The clouds screwed it up, the darkness let my imagination get the better of me and I left without viewing.  But next time, I’m bringing a friend and other defenses.  My other dark viewing site are the boat launches off I-75 (Alligator Alley) at the far west side of Broward County.  Have been able to view 4 galaxies with the 8SE from there, on clear, moonless night. The extreme light pollution of Fort Lauderdale stays far to the east.

[malemotives]

 

Added the RACI Finder Scope and focus motor today. Hoping for clear skies tonight. Still waiting.

Edited by malemotives, 21 September 2020 - 08:38 PM.

[charlesgeiger]

stargazer3236,

I have been trying to get a hand controller holder for my Nexstar 11GPS but can't find one.  Farpoint does not seem to have it as far as I can tell.  I have been on a waiting list for 6 months or more for the JMI through Farpoint but they do not have any stock.  I do not have access to a 3D printer but would love to get one made and do not have the skill to make use of the software.   Did you say Thingiverse can make one for me?  I would be glad to get ahold of a black one for my Nexstar hand controller to fit in the fork arm but face towards the working end of the telescope so I can input objects from the seated hand controller.  If you know how I can hire someone to print one or make one of steel please let me know so i ma contact them.  I find these to me would be essential.

Thank you for any information or response you might get me so I can have someone make one for me.

Thank you for any help or ideas.

Charlie Geiger 

[Stargazer3236]

Thingiverse provides the STL files. You need to go to Treatstock.com, upload your STL files, choose your color and material and then choose a 3d manufacturer from the list that is provided. It costs nothing to download the STL files, it may cost you a small amount of money to have them printed up, however.

[malemotives]

stargazer3236,

I have been trying to get a hand controller holder for my Nexstar 11GPS but can't find one.  Farpoint does not seem to have it as far as I can tell.  I have been on a waiting list for 6 months or more for the JMI through Farpoint but they do not have any stock.  I do not have access to a 3D printer but would love to get one made and do not have the skill to make use of the software.   Did you say Thingiverse can make one for me?  I would be glad to get ahold of a black one for my Nexstar hand controller to fit in the fork arm but face towards the working end of the telescope so I can input objects from the seated hand controller.  If you know how I can hire someone to print one or make one of steel please let me know so i ma contact them.  I find these to me would be essential.

Thank you for any information or response you might get me so I can have someone make one for me.

Thank you for any help or ideas.

Charlie Geiger 

It would be nice to have a printed one that fits on a tripod leg. For now I put velcro on the back of my hand controller and a strip on the base and just stick it in place when not in use.

[Lord Beowulf]

 

 

 

Beo

[Fool]

I’m new here today. I’m the Fool. Here’s my slightly seasoned Celestron Nexstar 8i. I recently attached a laser sight to the OTA which makes sighting so much easier. 

[RicRob65]

I hope Im not too far off topic here... On thingiverse I can only find a handcontroller bracket for the evolution series but I want one for my 8se. Does anyone know if they are the same thing?

[Don W]

Why don't you start a new thread? This thread is for pictures!

[RicRob65]

Apologies Don. I'm new with this. I didn't know this thread was for pictures only. 

[Eclipsed]

Hi all,

 

I received my Evo 8 EdgeHD last Wednesday and had it up and running quickly the same day so that I could use it that night!  Here it is, on my patio, waiting for dark skies.  After an auto-align using StarSense, it tracked well and no issues. Saw many objects using the Celestron Skyportal App!  Found Neptune for the first time, cool!

 

Just the standard set up for now (with added dew shield) but have ordered a 2" back and 2" diagonal to allow better future eyepiece selection.

 

Clear Skies,

Martyn

 

[spoupart]

Is it possible to fullly control your Alt-Az with the ASIAIR Pro?

 

Quick update to my 6SE: I mounted a flexible gooseneck lamp to the arm, using an adapter plate I printed. The LED lamp has both white and red illumination modes and is powered by one of the ASIAIR’s 12VDC outputs. 

 

[BazzaAlpine]

So after playing around with balancing, stripping down the mount and making sure all the gears had minimal play I gave up on the mount that came with the 6SE and bought a Celestron AVX. Also swapped out the nexGuide as it was an older model (and frankly useless) and went with the ASI 120 mm mini package. Now the weather has started getting colder I think I'm going to have to look at some sort of dew heater straps and controller as I think my 6.3 reducer is fogging up a bit, though my dew shield has so far kept the front glass clear. It's going to be a toss up between that or filters 

[sanford12]

 

A couple of years ago I bought this scope for a price I couldn't pass up. After using it a few times it sat because I just didn't enjoy the cumbersome set-up and the weight. It's not a grab and go scope. Before owning the AVX it was a Celestron  GoTo 5" Mak. It was simple to set up and get going. GoTo worked well and images were surprisingly good. I wanted to get back to that simplicity.

 

With the proceeds from the sale of the AVX I bought a 6 SE with quite a bit left over for extras. Covid and the 6-8 week waiting period for the 8" AVX drove used prices up so it was a good time to sell. Kept the StarSense and the set of cheap Celestron eyepieces that came with the AVX. Had a SkyPortal dongle left over from the Mak. Updated the whole shootin match without a problem. First try with 6 SE it was a cloudless clear blue sky till sunset and clouds rolled in. Tonight the clouds rolled out at sunset so it was a go. I was hoping with my previous experience with the Skysense and Skyportal that first light with the new scope would go smoothly. Alignment took on the first go. Calibrated on Jupiter and Saturn was right next door then on to Mars. Close to the center of the eyepiece but not perfect. I'll fine tune it. Not the best night for viewing but it sure felt good. Even chuckled happily because it had gone better than expected and I have a scope I'll use.

 

Here's the scope along with Astro Dog. Got few days of clear weather that I'm looking forward to.

 

 

Edited by sanford12, 03 November 2020 - 09:12 AM.

[malemotives]

Adding a Wedge make it a whole different animal.

 

 

[humma kavula]

this is my 2nd 8se. this time i wanted to do something different so i wrapped it in carbon fiber wrap. my wrapping skills are not up to par but im happy. 

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[malemotives]

Love having my EVO 8 on a wedge.

My next step is to build a permanent PIER, which will make setting up so much easier and faster. No need to fuss with leveling my tripod and putting the mount on the Pier always ensure Polar North setup without hassles.

 

After researching and finding a pier plate adapter for the EVO 8 is just shy of $400, plus $37 for bolt kit (TOO EXPENSIVE), I am using this diagram to make my own. I bought 3 10" ¼" round plates for less than $40. I made a pattern to drill the holes from my tripod mount and I purchased extra celestron bolts from OPT for $29.

 

 

 

 

I have prepped the base, run electric conduit, including wiring for 2 USB ports. Waiting for my 10"x48" cement mold. The pier will be 38" high + 6 inches for plate hardware. When not in use the Pier will host a statue of a Pelican.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by malemotives, 23 November 2020 - 03:42 PM.

[JethroXP]

Love having my EVO 8 on a wedge.

My next step is to build a permanent PIER, which will make setting up so much easier and faster. No need to fuss with leveling my tripod and putting the mount on the Pier always ensure Polar North setup without hassles.

 

After researching and finding a pier plate adapter for the EVO 8 is just shy of $400, plus $37 for bolt kit (TOO EXPENSIVE), I am using this diagram to make my own. I bought 3 10" ¼" round plates for less than $40. I made a pattern to drill the holes from my tripod mount and I purchased extra celestron bolts from OPT for $29.

 

 

I have prepped the base, run electric conduit, including wiring for 2 USB ports. Waiting for my 10"x48" cement mold. The pier will be 38" high + 6 inches for plate hardware. When not in use the Pier will host a statue of a Pelican.

 

 

Looking good!  Please share more photos when it's finished!

[Don W]

Yes, this thread is supposed to be about pictures!!

[dibble]

Here's my shiny new Evo 8 on my balcony in Tokyo. Now if the clouds would just go away I might be able to see something ! 

[Snowspeeder]

Got my hands on the evo 9.25 about 3 weeks now. Cloudy skies this time of the year, only had a brief night to observe Jupiter and its moons. Had the same issue with some of the users here; the wifi was working fine but now am not able to use it via SkyPortal, kept getting disconnected. Perhaps instead of an iPad, considering to get a laptop as a better option. 

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[mlord]

I have recently acquired an "open box" Evolution 8 from B&H at a hefty discount.  A big thank-you goes out to whoever previously returned it.    The OTA appears to have never been opened/mounted before I got it.  The only fault I have found was a stripped tripod leg screw hole, which I have subsequently repaired.

 

There are now a few customizations on the mount:

 

 

On the right side, is a custom thing I made for attaching the HC-holder to the fork-arm, avoiding cord wrap issues.  On top of that I added a small shelf for holding two eyepieces in a more convenient place.  This all attaches with velcro, and is quite sturdy in use.

 

 

On the left side, there's a box holding my ESP32-based scope enhancements.  Currently it provides a GPS receiver, plus a HomeBrew alternative to the built-in WiFi.  Someday (when I get to it) it will also offer Bluetooth as an alternative to WiFi.  This box plugs into an AUX port via a short patch cable running around the other side of the mount fork.  There are also three on/off switches on the box, one for the GPS, one for the HomeBrew WiFi, and a third for the built-in Evolution WiFi.  These enable fine-tuning power consumption to maximize battery run time on cold nights.  This is all covered in the HomeBrew Wifi/Bluetooth thread:  https://www.cloudyni...ry-for-aux-bus/

 

 

Finally, below the ESP32 box, and attached simply with some black shoelace, is a DeWalt 20V Max battery holder, with a DC-to-DC converter to regulate the output to exactly 12V, plugged into the mount's DC-in jack.  This gives considerably extended run time on cold viewing nights here.

 

 

One other minor thing:  for now, the stock Celestron Star Diagonal is in place.  But I took the two fat screws from the eyepiece side and moved them to the mount side of the diagonal, because they were interfering with my larger eyepieces.  Then I found two longer screws with the same thread, dabbed some hot-melt glue onto the ends to make mini-knobs, and used those on the eyepiece side of the diagonal.  Almost as good as a twist-lock now!  (well, not quite, but far better than stock).

 

 

That's it for now.

Edited by mlord, 20 December 2020 - 11:14 AM.