Mount has gone crazy.

[xelasnave]

I dont expect help I just want to grizzle.
After a week getting my mount perfect as to polar align it now seems that it has gone crazy.
Maybe I bumped it, maybe the land here has moved but it refusses to respond.. and the RA seems to be to slow or fast, I get to the stage I am not sure... but balance adjustment does not help.
I did have it in lunar mode and wonder if somehow the setting although confirming sidereal rate internally has not changed from lunar.

As I said I have tried everything dont need help but had to have a grizzle.

Picked up a focuser mask, electric focuser which is still a work in progress as to fitting, a small guide scope, two additional tube rings and a 16 inch dovetail.I have a small guide camera and all would seem good to go if I can sort out the mount.

Alex

[speach]

Someone said "life wasn't meant to be easy" but I don't think that it was meant to be a hard as it is with a scope. My own tale of woe may cheer you up a bit. New set up on a permanent pier this time, so spent a considerable amount of time getting the polar alignment correct,good; then to getting all the bit and bobs talking to one another, good, now to take a few practice pics, good. this is in winter in Gippsland so not many night conducive to a clear sky, but in the end got everything going as it should, magic. So a clear night came went out opened the dome trained the scope on something to focus everything sill ok goto the object I'm going photograph that night, right in the middle of the lappy screen press go and PHD decides to have the night off. So I spent 4 hr fiddling and cursing and kicking the cat etc etc and then went to bed!

[xelasnave]

It was so simple up North being able to see the SSP.

I worry about whats next when I try to guide.
Hide the axe.

I also picked up a comma corrector which given the problems I have not assessed as yet.

I think I am too tired as I just dont seem to be thinking straight... adjust it this way or that, but I cant understand why it went off, maybe a possum jumped on it ..but I got one run of 11 minutes where it seemed to track perfect now a 10 second shot shows problems...anyways it wont beat me. I want to be able to give it all a good run next dark.

Alex

[xelasnave]

I needed a bracket to hold the new electric focuser so I made a unit in cardboard and then covered it in layers of resin...strong as.

alex

[doppler]

I'll be interested to see what you find out re your RA sidereal speed problem. My Heq5 pro has always had drift on the RA drive and I always thought it was PE. I have changed hand sets but the drift is still there. Tried an experiment the other night and turned on solar rate instead of sidereal and the tracking was almost perfect?

[xelasnave]

It seems very strange, something that was not an issue now is of prime concern.

I will get it aligned again first...maybe the problem has something to do with not being aligned properly...

Interesting that your use of solar rate improved things..I am inclined to think maybe it is something from the controller.
As I said I did use lunar mode maybe it cant reset???

But I am glad I found all this out before trying to set up auto guide cause I would have blamed the auto guide set up.

I would like the mount to be perfect before I introduce auto guiding.


Alex

[doppler]

I have my mount on a pier and no matter how well aligned there is always a slight creep in my images, I always feel my mount is tracking slightly too fast but only noticeable between 30 to 60 sec subs. Auto guiding sorts this out pretty well, but it's still a bit annoying.

[xelasnave]

It is a lot better.
Rule one...do the opposite to what you think is right....
I have no idea what the problem was although I did find all tripod legs less than tight .At one stage the mount read that it was 40 degrees latitude here??? even if the mount was less than accurate that seemed way off.. the RA problem disappeared as alignment improved..I cant reason why and put it down to luck to get it somewhat right.
Too tired to think is my problem. Why am I tired..staying up most of the night trying to fix problems.

Did this with the six inch so I wonder if the eight inch will be happy ???
alex

[RKenning]

Alex - It could be one of these scope hogs causing problems.
Hope you get it sorted out.
Cheers Rob

[xelasnave]

Yes yes...the little darlings.

Seems rather promising now.

Fitted electric focuser ...only took most of the day. But the cardboard and resin trick saw a nice plastic part formed from cardboard so all the measurements were sortted in cardboard which was resined up...and strong.
Just glued the bracket on as did not want to drill holes with mirror in place.

Added additional rings now has four..Still needs to have tube reinforced as the seam does not seem so good...needs something but I will get around to that later. Needs an internal reinforcement..a ply cylinder reinforced with resin will do it...but need to remove all optics to do that sort of job... may do it if I fit baffles...which seem to be restricted to half inch.

Have not had time to set up auto guide.
But getting good focus.. the new mask makes it easy..balance seems ok.. happy with Nikon...got crap from one end of the house to the other...and no one to say "clean it up" except me.

Cant get 11 minutes unguided yet but close I feel.

The eight inch seems ok coma not too bad with corrector.
Probably good to have problems that takes my mind off such a small window.. I was going to get Satern thru 5 degrees hole in trees...its a challenge.

Alex