I posted a rather lengthy description of an issue I was having in RA with my system.  Numerous people offered a variety of checks and possible solutions-thanks.

What I did last night was:

Replace power supply with a newer/different one (13.8V 5A)

Reinstall CP3 control system

Reinstall CP3 power supply cable

Train another PEC curve (which seems better than the one with the CP4, this is subjective though, it looks "smoother")

Change slightly guiding parameters in MaximDL, specifically guide exposure from 10" to 5", aggressiveness is I think 6

Shot the same object as over previous nights, NGC 1134.  The results showed the stars as being tighter and rounder at least according to Maxim's ability to measure this.  There were still two instances of "tadpoles" but not as severe as previous imaging runs.  I would not say 100% perfect but there are other issues that may come into play-namely things like seeing and the like (we were in the very low 2" range last night), that could be impacting results.  However, there is a definite improvement over previous nights.

So there is a strong suggestion that something that was changed made a difference although it is not definitive.  Now I think work backwards and see if I can add something back in and cause it to suffer a degradation in performance.

Mike J. Shade: mshade@q.com

Mike J. Shade Photography:

mshadephotography.com

In War: Resolution

In Defeat: Defiance

In Victory: Magnanimity

In Peace: Goodwill

Sir Winston Churchill

Already, in the gathering dusk, a few of the stars are turning on their lights.

Vega, the brightest one, is now dropping towards the west.  Can it be half

a year since I watched her April rising in the east?  Low in the southwest

Antares blinks a sad farwell to fall...

Leslie Peltier, Starlight Nights

International Dark Sky Association: www.darksky.org