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Old 22-11-2007, 08:11 AM
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OneOfOne (Trevor)
Meteor & fossil collector

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Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Bentleigh
Posts: 1,386
In a similar vein, I have also wondered with GoTo scopes why they only move in one axis. I think an option to allow it to move in two axes for tracking objects would be fairly simple (two axis tracking?). Once the reference objects are centred and entered, the computer will have a model of the alignment. From this model it should be able to calculate where the centre of this model differs from where it should be and know that it needs to move the dec motor a certain amount to allow for this error.

If I goto to an object it will get it quite close to the centre, even if the alignment is out quite a bit (I just plonk the scope at the moment, rarely level it). Over a few minutes the object will drift out of view, but if I goto it again, it will recentre the object in much the same position as it did originally where it will drift again with time. So the goto must take into account the alignment error, but once it gets there it just moves the RA axis.

I would not expect this method of tracking would be as good as accurate alignment, but it would be good enough to keep an object in very good alignment for visual use, perhaps for an hour or more.

As a programmer myself, I don't see that such a routine would be rocket science and so could be added to the "next release" of the software.

As for alignment motors, perhaps a couple of geared motors with some sort of coupling to the adjustment screws would not be rocket science either. Altitude would be quite easy, azimuth may be a little more challenging but some sort of block for a motor driven screw to move inside would be suitable.
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