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Re: AP1100 loading heavy scope at 60 inch pier height
Shailesh Trivedi
Eric,
This is an excellent suggestion. I just sent an email to purchase a tote for my TEC 180. Thank you for this tip it should help with leverage and lift in the absence of the handle which is attached to the dovetail bar. Shailesh
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Re: AP1100 loading heavy scope at 60 inch pier height
Hi, Shailesh:
I have a TMB 175 f/8 OTA on an AP1200GTO that I set up and tear down for each observing session. I use the open-ring loading technique with Park 2 that George and Roland recommend. However, for added security I invested in a “Scope Tote,” which looks like a giant blood pressure cuff with a wood dowel handle. It securely wraps tightly around the OTA and gives me something to grab on to when I hoist the telescope up to the open rings. You can find them here:
http://astronomy-shoppe.com/?page_id=177
Hope this is helpful.
Eric Baumgartner Redding CT USA
From: Astro-Physics GTO users group <main@ap-gto.groups.io> on behalf of Shailesh Trivedi <strivedi@...>
George,
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Re: Spikes in DEC #guiding
#Guiding
Sébastien Doré
Well, I'm not the one who will contest your analysis, Brian. As Howard said earlier, your advice is to be taken seriously, and I agree! 🙂 And I also agree with your argument about the guiding pulse being in only one direction and being compatible
with bad PA.
The reason why I said it was good in the first place is only because PHD told me so (see attached). It wasn't based on anything other data. Hence my hypothesis about it struggling to show me the real NCP when I did the Polar Drift Align in the gusty conditions...
Anyway, AP is
also working with me behind the scenes to help figure out what could have happened. So, we'll see if they can shed some light on this from their perspective.
Sébastien
De : main@ap-gto.groups.io <main@ap-gto.groups.io> de la part de Brian Valente <bvalente@...>
Envoyé : 3 mai 2021 22:55 À : main@ap-gto.groups.io <main@ap-gto.groups.io> Objet : Re: [ap-gto] Spikes in DEC #guiding #guiding Seb
When i first reviewed your PHD logs, it appeared to me your polar alignment was quite off. All your corrections were in one direction
You said you thought it was the wind, but i have my doubts about that
so it's possible your polar alignment may be misaligned for whatever reason
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Re: Spikes in DEC #guiding
#Guiding
Sébastien Doré
Reassuring, thanks!
Sébastien
De : main@ap-gto.groups.io <main@ap-gto.groups.io> de la part de Roland Christen via groups.io <chris1011@...>
Envoyé : 3 mai 2021 22:45 À : main@ap-gto.groups.io <main@ap-gto.groups.io> Objet : Re: [ap-gto] Spikes in DEC #guiding #guiding I just hope I have not prematurely worn out the gears/motors/else by accident in some way. You cannot wear out the gears and motors.
Roland
-----Original Message-----
From: Seb@stro <sebastiendore1@...> To: main@ap-gto.groups.io <main@ap-gto.groups.io> Sent: Mon, May 3, 2021 9:03 pm Subject: Re: [ap-gto] Spikes in DEC #guiding #guiding
Thank you Brian and Roland.
While its not impossible that DEC balance was off for some reason, I would say it's unlikely as I usually do it the same manner Roland described and last night was no different. In fact, I even use the dovetail riser as a reference point (see below) when loading
the OTA which I know is pretty spot-on balance. But I always check in Park2, before balancing RA, swing it to Park3, balance RA and then send to Park5 to check again and adjust if necessary.
Unfortunately, as I setup and tear down every night, I can't assess if that was the culprit. Will need to wait for the next clear night to see if any different,
hopefully by the end of the week.
Here's a shot with all 4 DEC clutches fully loosened and OTA at balance point above. I can easily move it up and down with a single finger by lightly pushing on the top/bottom side of the dewshield or backend of the camera and it won't freefall in any case.
I also should say that I did a Guide Assistant run at the end of the night like you suggested, and PHD2 then reported a 20 arc-min from NCP !
Now, I'm not clear on how such a difference (from the beginning of the night, where it supposedly was in the 2-3" range) could have occured as I almost overtighten and triple-check each
and every knobs, clutches or whatever I can grab onto before firing up the imaging session. I make sure of that because temperature sometimes falls quite suddenly at night at this time of year (20C in like 1-2 hrs) and I've experience times where metal contraction
was enough to virtually loosen things up. Last night was not that bad (about 10C between evening and midnight) but maybe I overlooked one of the dovetail knobs or the wheels that tighten the altitude adjustment, but again I'd be surprised.
Another thought I had today, was the possibility that the Polar Drift Align routine in PHD2 might have had difficulties in evaluating the field rotation correctly. Especially since the field of view through the OAG is tiny at 1422mm (like under half a degree
with QHY5-174MM) in addition to the serious wind gusts that were relentlessly pushing against the assembly and then, encoders fighting back to keep it on target as you saw on the erratic initial Guiding Assistant plot.
In the end, could it be possible it might have mistakenly directed me away from the pole instead of towards it ?
The thing I am uncertain about that theory however is how that would explain the 130s periodic spikes I got for a while. If my PHD2 settings were reasonable
and Dec balance OK, then I just hope I have not prematurely worn out the gears/motors/else by accident
in some way. I'm usually pretty careful, but life taught me that too much care can end up in the entire opposite of what you're trying to achieve sometimes... :-S
Sébastien
-- Roland Christen Astro-Physics
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Re: Spikes in DEC #guiding
#Guiding
Seb When i first reviewed your PHD logs, it appeared to me your polar alignment was quite off. All your corrections were in one direction You said you thought it was the wind, but i have my doubts about that so it's possible your polar alignment may be misaligned for whatever reason
On Mon, May 3, 2021 at 7:13 PM Seb@stro <sebastiendore1@...> wrote:
--
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Re: Dew cap internal flocking peeling off
Roland Christen
Is there any chance the evaporating volatiles from the Pliobond could No, no chance. besides, that dewcap is not part of the tube assembly
Rolando
-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Dodd <mike@...> To: main@ap-gto.groups.io Sent: Mon, May 3, 2021 8:59 pm Subject: Re: [ap-gto] Dew cap internal flocking peeling off On 5/3/2021 9:50 PM, Jim Fakatselis wrote:
> Thanks, just ordered some Pliobond. > Jim > >> On May 3, 2021, at 4:00 PM, Roland Christen via groups.io >> <chris1011=aol.com@groups.io> wrote: >> >> >> Pliobond works really well. >> >> Rolando Is there any chance the evaporating volatiles from the Pliobond could fog the objective lens? --- Mike -- Roland Christen Astro-Physics
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Re: Spikes in DEC #guiding
#Guiding
Roland Christen
I just hope I have not prematurely worn out the gears/motors/else by accident in some way. You cannot wear out the gears and motors.
Roland
-----Original Message-----
From: Seb@stro <sebastiendore1@...> To: main@ap-gto.groups.io <main@ap-gto.groups.io> Sent: Mon, May 3, 2021 9:03 pm Subject: Re: [ap-gto] Spikes in DEC #guiding #guiding
Thank you Brian and Roland.
While its not impossible that DEC balance was off for some reason, I would say it's unlikely as I usually do it the same manner Roland described and last night was no different. In fact, I even use the dovetail riser as a reference point (see below) when loading
the OTA which I know is pretty spot-on balance. But I always check in Park2, before balancing RA, swing it to Park3, balance RA and then send to Park5 to check again and adjust if necessary.
Unfortunately, as I setup and tear down every night, I can't assess if that was the culprit. Will need to wait for the next clear night to see if any different,
hopefully by the end of the week.
Here's a shot with all 4 DEC clutches fully loosened and OTA at balance point above. I can easily move it up and down with a single finger by lightly pushing on the top/bottom side of the dewshield or backend of the camera and it won't freefall in any case.
I also should say that I did a Guide Assistant run at the end of the night like you suggested, and PHD2 then reported a 20 arc-min from NCP !
Now, I'm not clear on how such a difference (from the beginning of the night, where it supposedly was in the 2-3" range) could have occured as I almost overtighten and triple-check
each and every knobs, clutches or whatever I can grab onto before firing up the imaging session. I make sure of that because temperature sometimes falls quite suddenly at night at this time of year (20C in like 1-2 hrs) and I've experience times where metal
contraction was enough to virtually loosen things up. Last night was not that bad (about 10C between evening and midnight) but maybe I overlooked one of the dovetail knobs or the wheels that tighten the altitude adjustment, but again I'd be surprised.
Another thought I had today, was the possibility that the Polar Drift Align routine in PHD2 might have had difficulties in evaluating the field rotation correctly. Especially since the field of view through the OAG is tiny at 1422mm (like under half a degree
with QHY5-174MM) in addition to the serious wind gusts that were relentlessly pushing against the assembly and then, encoders fighting back to keep it on target as you saw on the erratic initial Guiding Assistant plot.
In the end, could it be possible it might have mistakenly directed me away from the pole instead of towards it ?
The thing I am uncertain about that theory however is how that would explain the 130s periodic spikes I got for a while. If my PHD2 settings were reasonable
and Dec balance OK, then I just hope I have not prematurely worn out the gears/motors/else by accident
in some way. I'm usually pretty careful, but life taught me that too much care can end up in the entire opposite of what you're trying to achieve sometimes... :-S
Sébastien
-- Roland Christen Astro-Physics
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Re: Spikes in DEC #guiding
#Guiding
Sébastien Doré
Ooops, not sure why the second photo showing balance in Park5 didn't go through. Please see attached.
De : main@ap-gto.groups.io <main@ap-gto.groups.io> de la part de Seb@stro <sebastiendore1@...>
Envoyé : 3 mai 2021 22:03 À : main@ap-gto.groups.io <main@ap-gto.groups.io> Objet : Re: [ap-gto] Spikes in DEC #guiding #guiding
Thank you Brian and Roland.
While its not impossible that DEC balance was off for some reason, I would say it's unlikely as I usually do it the same manner Roland described and last night was no different. In fact, I even use the dovetail riser as a reference point (see below) when loading
the OTA which I know is pretty spot-on balance. But I always check in Park2, before balancing RA, swing it to Park3, balance RA and then send to Park5 to check again and adjust if necessary.
Unfortunately, as I setup and tear down every night, I can't assess if that was the culprit. Will need to wait for the next clear night to see if any different,
hopefully by the end of the week.
Here's a shot with all 4 DEC clutches fully loosened and OTA at balance point above. I can easily move it up and down with a single finger by lightly pushing on the top/bottom side of the dewshield or backend of the camera and it won't freefall in any case.
I also should say that I did a Guide Assistant run at the end of the night like you suggested, and PHD2 then reported a 20 arc-min from NCP !
Now, I'm not clear on how such a difference (from the beginning of the night, where it supposedly was in the 2-3" range) could have occured as I almost overtighten and triple-check each
and every knobs, clutches or whatever I can grab onto before firing up the imaging session. I make sure of that because temperature sometimes falls quite suddenly at night at this time of year (20C in like 1-2 hrs) and I've experience times where metal contraction
was enough to virtually loosen things up. Last night was not that bad (about 10C between evening and midnight) but maybe I overlooked one of the dovetail knobs or the wheels that tighten the altitude adjustment, but again I'd be surprised.
Another thought I had today, was the possibility that the Polar Drift Align routine in PHD2 might have had difficulties in evaluating the field rotation correctly. Especially since the field of view through the OAG is tiny at 1422mm (like under half a degree
with QHY5-174MM) in addition to the serious wind gusts that were relentlessly pushing against the assembly and then, encoders fighting back to keep it on target as you saw on the erratic initial Guiding Assistant plot.
In the end, could it be possible it might have mistakenly directed me away from the pole instead of towards it ?
The thing I am uncertain about that theory however is how that would explain the 130s periodic spikes I got for a while. If my PHD2 settings were reasonable
and Dec balance OK, then I just hope I have not prematurely worn out the gears/motors/else by accident
in some way. I'm usually pretty careful, but life taught me that too much care can end up in the entire opposite of what you're trying to achieve sometimes... :-S
Sébastien
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Re: Spikes in DEC #guiding
#Guiding
Sébastien Doré
Thank you Brian and Roland.
While its not impossible that DEC balance was off for some reason, I would say it's unlikely as I usually do it the same manner Roland described and last night was no different. In fact, I even use the dovetail riser as a reference point (see below) when loading
the OTA which I know is pretty spot-on balance. But I always check in Park2, before balancing RA, swing it to Park3, balance RA and then send to Park5 to check again and adjust if necessary.
Unfortunately, as I setup and tear down every night, I can't assess if that was the culprit. Will need to wait for the next clear night to see if any different,
hopefully by the end of the week.
Here's a shot with all 4 DEC clutches fully loosened and OTA at balance point above. I can easily move it up and down with a single finger by lightly pushing on the top/bottom side of the dewshield or backend of the camera and it won't freefall in any case.
I also should say that I did a Guide Assistant run at the end of the night like you suggested, and PHD2 then reported a 20 arc-min from NCP !
Now, I'm not clear on how such a difference (from the beginning of the night, where it supposedly was in the 2-3" range) could have occured as I almost overtighten and triple-check
each and every knobs, clutches or whatever I can grab onto before firing up the imaging session. I make sure of that because temperature sometimes falls quite suddenly at night at this time of year (20C in like 1-2 hrs) and I've experience times where metal
contraction was enough to virtually loosen things up. Last night was not that bad (about 10C between evening and midnight) but maybe I overlooked one of the dovetail knobs or the wheels that tighten the altitude adjustment, but again I'd be surprised.
Another thought I had today, was the possibility that the Polar Drift Align routine in PHD2 might have had difficulties in evaluating the field rotation correctly. Especially since the field of view through the OAG is tiny at 1422mm (like under half a degree
with QHY5-174MM) in addition to the serious wind gusts that were relentlessly pushing against the assembly and then, encoders fighting back to keep it on target as you saw on the erratic initial Guiding Assistant plot.
In the end, could it be possible it might have mistakenly directed me away from the pole instead of towards it ?
The thing I am uncertain about that theory however is how that would explain the 130s periodic spikes I got for a while. If my PHD2 settings were reasonable
and Dec balance OK, then I just hope I have not prematurely worn out the gears/motors/else by accident
in some way. I'm usually pretty careful, but life taught me that too much care can end up in the entire opposite of what you're trying to achieve sometimes... :-S
Sébastien
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Re: Dew cap internal flocking peeling off
On 5/3/2021 9:50 PM, Jim Fakatselis wrote:
Thanks, just ordered some Pliobond.Is there any chance the evaporating volatiles from the Pliobond could fog the objective lens? --- Mike
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Re: Dew cap internal flocking peeling off
Jim Fakatselis
Thanks, just ordered some Pliobond. Jim
On May 3, 2021, at 4:00 PM, Roland Christen via groups.io <chris1011@...> wrote:
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Re: AP1600 w/AE manual
#Absolute_Encoders
Dhaval
Hi Bryan,
Thanks for responding. I did see that, but did not pay a lot of attention given that I will be getting the CP4. Not sure if there is a whole lot of difference between those connections with CP3 and with CP4. Outside of that, I really wanted to see how to set it up in a remote location - with respect to homing it for the first time, creating pointing model, etc. Thanks, Dhaval
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Re: AP1600 w/AE manual
#Absolute_Encoders
Worsel
Dhaval
Does this help? https://astro-physics.info/tech_support/mounts/1600gto/1600-ae-hardware-connections-2.pdf The link is on https://astro-physics.info/index.htm?tech_support/tech_support Bryan
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Re: 1100GTO case
Elenillor
Has anyone used soft sided buckets such as:https://www.kleintoolscanvas.com/shop/canvas-buckets-pouches/wide-opening-straight-wall-bucket. as a small, light weight house-to-car-to-setup. 3M and others make similar bolt buckets. Obviously not for shipping but it seems they should work for a separated 1100. Perhaps should add some closed cell foam in the bottom and a rolled kydex sheet to keep the bag open. I might give it a try when I get the mount, scheduled for Auguest. .
John.
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Re: AP1200 GTO chatter
Again, I wouldn't worry about it Mike. From your description, it looks like you did a fine job. Good for 2-3 years depending on usage and environmental conditions. Don Anderson
On Monday, May 3, 2021, 03:16:29 p.m. MDT, Mike C <mike@...> wrote:
Thanks Dale and Don
cheers, Mike
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Re: AP1200 GTO chatter
Mike C
Thanks Dale and Don
cheers, Mike
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Re: 1100GTO case
Hi Todd
I agree that it would be better if the Dec axis could be stored sideways. There are other brands of these heavy duty toolboxes. I think Milwaukee has a similar set, but I am not sure what the dimensions are. The footprint of the Dec axis with the DOVELM162 attached is 12" X 16" X 8-1/2". Allowing for at least 1inch of padding all around it looks like a Pelican 1607 case (inside dimensions 21.1" X 15.8" X 11.6") would accommodate the Dec axis plus saddle in a sideways orientation. Pelican sells their cases with a no foam option. You would probably want to use the high density polyethylene foam and cut it yourself. There was another discussion about storage cases on the forum not long ago, and Roland commented that you need to make sure that the gearbox housings are not subjected to any stress when the mount is being stored. Mike
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Re: Dew cap internal flocking peeling off
Roland Christen
Pliobond works really well.
Rolando
-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Fakatselis <pashasdad@...> To: main@ap-gto.groups.io Sent: Mon, May 3, 2021 2:31 pm Subject: [ap-gto] Dew cap internal flocking peeling off The black flocking lining on my 130EDF dew cap has peeled off. Any ideas on how to repair it?
Thank you in advance. Jim
-- Roland Christen Astro-Physics
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Re: 1100GTO case
midmoastro
Mike this is exactly what i was looking for, thank you. Did they not have a box where the DEC could fit sideways along with the mounting plate? I think I would prefer that but may not be an option with Rigid.?
Todd
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Re: Dew cap internal flocking peeling off
Double sided tape from Michaels or any craft store should do the job.
On May 3, 2021, at 15:31, Jim Fakatselis <pashasdad@...> wrote:
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