887 replies to this topic

[wachuko]

Yes, the musical mount. Hope your DEC is balanced.

 

BTW, what are you riding?
 

I checked everything several times.  It is balanced.  But I could not wait for the 11 lbs. counterweight to arrive before using it. 

 

Riding journey has been a long one (Yamaha, Honda, Harley, Triumph, BMW, etc.)... last year I sold the big ones and kept two small ones... Maybe later (health and finances permitting) I will get another touring bike.  I have ridden with 4 other friends to two corners of the USA (they have done all 4). 

 

But right now we are taking care of my father-in-law and have been grounded at home... no time to go out and ride...   Why do you think I jumped into getting this setup  ??   My plan is to, once everyone is asleep, go to the backyard and look up at the stars... Very grateful that I can work from home during this time.

 

Anyway, back to your question... currently have a Royal Enfield Contiental GT 650 and a Royal Enfield Himalayan... Took the Himalayan (before father in law's health situation) to the Smokey Mountains to do the 500 run... that was fun as heck.

 

Short clip of one of the river crossings 

 

And here is a video of me trying to ride on sand for the first time... needless to say, I have not gone back after that fall  ... need to remove as much weight as possible and get proper tires.   It is a 360 video, so move it around to see the fall...

 

https://youtu.be/Qdm...8lr4ltL1e6WFzoO

Edited by wachuko, 11 October 2023 - 10:02 PM.

[vidrazor]

Yeah falls are fun. I've had several on highways, most memorable is sliding down the NJ Turnpike at 80mph on a Bandit 1200. That wasn't so bad, as I was relatively unscathed, and I even got to ride the bike home -  albeit without breaks. My last last on a Ninja 650 had worse results. I've not had 2 wheels since that, or any wheels actually, which is holding up my astro shooting.

 

We're going off topic here, but one last bike/astro connection was using my bike (then my only source of transportation) to go to site to shoot. Below is my rig on a Ninja 650, a CEM26 head in the Givi case, it's tripod and an SVBONY 102 f/7 on top, and a backpack with everything else.

 

Fun times.

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[pablotwa]

Does this mount have Lunar and Solar tracking rates? or only sidereal?

 

Thanks!

 

Pablo

[vidrazor]

Does this mount have Lunar and Solar tracking rates? or only sidereal?

Thanks!

Pablo

It has all, but it's software-driven for lunar and solar, there's no hardware switching like on some mounts. It defaults to sidereal. So you either use ExploreStars via WiFi, or control it via USB from an app like Astro Photography Tool, Nina, Ekos, etc. to change the tracking rate.

Edited by vidrazor, 14 October 2023 - 02:17 PM.

[PatrickVt]

Does this mount have Lunar and Solar tracking rates? or only sidereal?

 

Thanks!

 

Pablo

 

If using ExploreStars, you just change the tracking rate in Settings....  

 

Sidereal is 48.00

Lunar is 46.24

Solar is 47.88

 

If in ASCOM, you can change the rate there too but you don't need to deal with specific numbers.  You just choose sidereal, lunar or solar.  

 

(Note:  I'm going on memory here.  I have not had a chance to use any of my astronomy gear this spring and summer due to abysmal weather and wildfire smoke so it is all in storage.)

 

Patrick

[wachuko]

Yes but you're at the end of the shaft. You want the weight closer to the center of gravity, near the rotational axis of RA. You want this any time you balance a mount, but especially so when you've past the weight capacity of a mount, as is the case here. Counterintuitively, more weight near the center of gravity is better than less weight further out.

 

You want the counterweight(s) further up the shaft, something more like what you see below. This, along with proper balancing (by temporarily overcoming stiction in RA and DEC) will make the mount more stable and allow it to track better. This is why I suggested the larger weight

Fixed!  Received the 11 lbs counterweight.  Hole in it was larger than the shaft on the mount.  So I made a bushing out of some brass stock that I had.

 

 

 

 

Also started printing the adapter for the QHY PoleMaster Electronic Polar Scope...

 

[vidrazor]

Fixed!  Received the 11 lbs counterweight.  Hole in it was larger than the shaft on the mount.  So I made a bushing out of some brass stock that I had.

Also started printing the adapter for the QHY PoleMaster Electronic Polar Scope...

Nice. You're crazy, BTW. But certainly not alone. You've joined the ranks of people who've pushed the boundaries of their mounts, such as in the fellow's rig you see below. Your setup is much more elegant tho. I admit to slapping my C5 on my SkyGuider Pro. It's surprisingly friction free bearings allow for such craziness, actually.

 

Although I almost stuck a laser in the front of iExos100 to aim at Poalris, because I polar align in Ekos, I realized all I had to do was use a phone app to find the general position of Polaris (typically still in daytime while setting up), and then throwing a small pair of binoculars on the mount with RA rotated out of the way, and check with the binoculars to make sure Polaris was in the general vicinity once it was dark enough to see it. This allowed me to have sufficient leeway in the azimuth adjuster to accurately polar align in Ekos. The same concept can be done with Astro Photography Tool's polar align via plate solve module, as well as NINA's polar alignment module.
 

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[Akinetopsia]

Fixed!  Received the 11 lbs counterweight.  Hole in it was larger than the shaft on the mount.  So I made a bushing out of some brass stock that I had.

 

Also started printing the adapter for the QHY PoleMaster Electronic Polar Scope...

 

Adapter.jpeg

Nice!

Let me know if you have issues with my model. I suggest printing the FDM model saddle standing up in this orientation and enabling tree support, 4 layers wall + 1 for skin and something like 20% infill. It needs a relatively well-tuned printer profile

Edited by Akinetopsia, 20 October 2023 - 09:04 AM.

[Akinetopsia]

Although I almost stuck a laser in the front of iExos100 to aim at Poalris, because I polar align in Ekos,
 

I have no idea what you mean ;P

 

 

In my case it was actually instrumental in finding the source of my pointing error: My GPS module acted as if everything was all right but silently stopped being able to get a fix. The last few sessions were complete failures b/c of that, until i purchased a laser to see exactly what was going on.

On that pic it was supposed to be pointing at that bright Jupiter.

Edited by Akinetopsia, 20 October 2023 - 09:07 AM.

[wachuko]

Nice!

Let me know if you have issues with my model. I suggest printing the FDM model saddle standing up in this orientation and enabling tree support, 4 layers wall + 1 for skin and something like 20% infill. It needs a relatively well-tuned printer profile

Thank you!  I was indeed having issues with printing it.  Here I was trying to rotate it a third time to see if a different orientation would work.  Let me make those changes and try again... 

 

These came out fine...

 

 

 

I have no idea what you mean ;P

 

 

In my case it was actually instrumental in finding the source of my pointing error: My GPS module acted as if everything was all right but silently stopped being able to get a fix. The last few sessions were complete failures b/c of that, until i purchased a laser to see exactly what was going on.

On that pic it was supposed to be pointing at that bright Jupiter.

Newbie here as you know.  What does that setup with the laser look like? Photos?  Components used?  How is it mounted?

[Akinetopsia]

Oh, while on the topic of 3d printed parts for the iEXOS, I forgot i made a replacement tripod spider hub as i broke mine one night. Combination of cold, weak tripod and being maxed on weight.

 

Apologies to Explore Scientific for giving away free replacement part models on their turf (this thread), but the cheap tripod really is what's dragging this nice little mount down, and without a proper alternative, we make do with what we have.

 

Tough resin for that one. FDM probably won't cut it unless you use polycarbonate or print super hot, plus tiny overhangs.

 

thingiverse link:

https://www.thingive...m/thing:6275570

Edited by Akinetopsia, 20 October 2023 - 10:22 PM.

[Akinetopsia]

Newbie here as you know.  What does that setup with the laser look like? Photos?  Components used?  How is it mounted?

No pics unfortunately. I basically just mounted the laser in one of the tracks under my dovetail with a couple tie-wraps. Def not a permanent solution, but at least it was straight. One should use a laser like that sparingly, first for planes, and second people won't like you at a star party ;p

 

 

It's a little hard to tell but from what i can see from your pics you may have a bit of over-extrusion. You might find the fit for the nuts a little tight and perhaps even the screw holes. Screws should normally slide in without gripping, but overall it shouldn't be a problem.I say just go with it. They are not large parts so not much waste if you have to reprint. Plus the nuts should seat in their place after tightening if the tolerances are not too off.

 

Oh and also, you need a good first layer adhesion for it to successfully print in that orientation. If it dislodges, choose a thicker first layer, then use the babysit option on the printer when it starts and squish it just a little. But again, see how it goes with your current settings first.

Edited by Akinetopsia, 20 October 2023 - 10:36 AM.

[wachuko]

Oh, while on the topic of 3d printed parts for the iEXOS, I forgot i made a replacement tripod spider hub as i broke mine one night. Combination of cold, weak tripod and being maxed on weight.

 

Apologies to Explore Scientific for giving away free replacement part models on their turf (this thread), but the cheap tripod really is what's dragging this nice little mount down, and without a proper alternative, we make do with what we have.

 

Tough resin for that one. FDM probably won't cut it unless you use polycarbonate or print super hot, plus tiny overhangs.
I'm technically working rn, so i'll update this post with the Thingierse link a bit later today.

The tripod is definitely the weak link with this mount.  I want to avoid the temptation of buying a different tripod... as I want to buy a larger mount pretty soon.  I was even thinking of installing the mount on a pier in the backyard, like all those cool folks that have done the same.

[wachuko]

No pics unfortunately. I basically just mounted the laser in one of the tracks under my dovetail with a couple tie-wraps. Def not a permanent solution, but at least it was straight. One should use a laser like that sparingly, first for planes, and second people won't like you at a star party ;p

 

 

It's a little hard to tell but from what i can see from your pics you may have a bit of over-extrusion. You might find the fit for the nuts a little tight and perhaps even the screw holes. Screws should normally slide in without gripping, but overall it shouldn't be a problem.I say just go with it. They are not large parts so not much waste if you have to reprint. Plus the nuts should seat in their place after tightening if the tolerances are not too off.

 

Oh and also, you need a good first layer adhesion for it to successfully print in that orientation. If it dislodges, choose a thicker first layer, then use the babysit option on the printer when it starts and squish it just a little. But again, see how it goes with your current settings first.

Very old printer that I installed a steel nozzle to play with carbon fiber reinforced filament.  I have been meaning to buy a new printer with a larger printing footprint... just holding on until next year for that purchase. 

[vidrazor]

I have no idea what you mean ;P

In my case it was actually instrumental in finding the source of my pointing error: My GPS module acted as if everything was all right but silently stopped being able to get a fix. The last few sessions were complete failures b/c of that, until i purchased a laser to see exactly what was going on.
On that pic it was supposed to be pointing at that bright Jupiter.

What GPS was giving you errors?

 

I almost put a laser on my unit, but found it simpler easier to do what I outlined. Plus lasers can get you into legal hot water in some places.
 

[Akinetopsia]

What GPS was giving you errors?

 

I almost put a laser on my unit, but found it simpler easier to do what I outlined. Plus lasers can get you into legal hot water in some places.
 

I'm using a raspberry pi 4 as a controller, and the GPS is a BN-880 module. It flashes red and blue when it has a fix, so i assumed it was working and KStars reported "GPS Location" as active, but when i looked at the INDI panel i saw that it was in NO FIX all the time so my coordinates were arbitrary, hence the large offset. Oddly it was setting the clock properly tho. I think Astroberry, which i was using until recently, defaults to Hungary or something.

I'm now working on a custom controller on a vanilla linux and without having to rely on kstars. It was cool to remote into the scope and have a desktop and all but it was too janky when trying to access it wirelessly from a distance.

 

As for the laser, yeah, like i said generally it's best to only use them for short duration, when there are no planes and when absolutely necessary. I use the polemaster and my alignment was good, yet the scope was pointing randomly and it was impossible to tell how, and by how much from just looking into it. But oh boy does it make a rough alignment quick and easy - as long as you don't have cone error... Well, it would help with aligning that too -- with every alignment, really.

It's a shame b/c it's such an useful tool.

Edited by Akinetopsia, 20 October 2023 - 11:14 PM.

[Akinetopsia]

i've updated my post with the thingiverse link.

Edited by Akinetopsia, 20 October 2023 - 10:28 PM.

[wachuko]

Nice!

Let me know if you have issues with my model. I suggest printing the FDM model saddle standing up in this orientation and enabling tree support, 4 layers wall + 1 for skin and something like 20% infill. It needs a relatively well-tuned printer profile

Fellow forum member in The Hobby Machinist forum did me the favor to print them.  I will deal with my 10 year old printer later…

​

Edited by wachuko, 21 October 2023 - 07:29 AM.

[Akinetopsia]

Nice prints! not sure about the color scheme tho ;D

Looks like they printed it with the flat face down, which means they had to support the whole surface. I hope it's flat and level as that's the face that is perpendicular to the polar axis, which is why i suggested printing standing up. Supports often leave poor flat surface quality, but if it works, it works.

Hope you get some clear skies to test it all out!

Edited by Akinetopsia, 21 October 2023 - 02:32 PM.

[wachuko]

Akinetopsia, on 21 Oct 2023 - 12:11 PM, said:

Nice prints! not sure about the color scheme tho ;D

Looks like they printed it with the flat face down, which means they had to support the whole surface. I hope it's flat and level as that's the face that is perpendicular to the polar axis, which is why i suggested printing standing up. Supports often leave poor flat surface quality, but if it works, it works.

Hope you get some clear skies to test it all out!

beggars can't be choosers, lol

[wachuko]

It is here!  

 

[vidrazor]

It is here! 

So will you be using that rig strictly for visual? If not, you should post what kind of subs times you'll be getting from it.

[wachuko]

So will you be using that rig strictly for visual? If not, you should post what kind of subs times you'll be getting from it.

Visual for now, correct.... because I do not even know what you said after that question  

[Akinetopsia]

> I do not even know what you said after that question lol.gif waytogo.gif

exposure duration for a snapshot.

When doing astrophotography one generally takes a bunch of images and "stack" them together later to improve signal-to-noise ratio. Since the result is one final stacked image, ppl refer to the individual photos as sub-frames.

 

@vidrazor when i did my first ever dso photo last year of andromeda (unguided), i think i managed 30s exposures but only ran it for a total integration of 20 minutes Correction: a couple subs of 80 or so seconds, as i was manually triggering and was so excited i wanted to image literally everything i could successfully slew to.

I had similar exposure time 15s subs (ttl 20 min integration) for my orion image (also unguided). Both are in my gallery and not prize winners, but my first personal successes.

 

I was not precisely aligned for either, definitely not for the Orion one.

 

 

In fact i've geared up only for weather not cooperating, wildfire smoke, other gear issues and life just getting in the way since that Orion image almost a year ago to the day.

Edited by Akinetopsia, 24 October 2023 - 05:39 PM.

[vidrazor]

@vidrazor when i did my first ever dso photo last year of andromeda (unguided), i think i managed 30s exposures but only ran it for a total integration of 20 minutes Correction: a couple subs of 80 or so seconds, as i was manually triggering and was so excited i wanted to image literally everything i could successfully slew to.
I had similar exposure time 15s subs (ttl 20 min integration) for my orion image (also unguided). Both are in my gallery and not prize winners, but my first personal successes.

I was not precisely aligned for either, definitely not for the Orion one.

In fact i've geared up only for weather not cooperating, wildfire smoke, other gear issues and life just getting in the way since that Orion image almost a year ago to the day.

Typically most subs times with this unit are in the 40 second range unguided, with a relatively short scope like a 60mm with an APS-C sensor. Some get longer, others shorter unguided, which puts it in SkyGuider Pro/Star Adventurer territory. No doubt for AP work you need to autoguide with this rig. There is an issue with the electronics/mechanics where every Nth frame goes off kilter and is a tosser, some folks here have ripped out the electronics and replaced them to compensate for it, and they also replace the bearings while they're at it. This is essentially like going in for a heart transplant and a hip replacement, but some folks here are that much the tinkerers.