I am not really trying to bash Vixen as they generally offer very good value for money. The Sphinx may have since been fixed up but when I had one it was bugged. I had to do fixes to it to correct Vixen's errors. It was a step up from a Meade Alt Az mount but it needed some work. Also at the time I was brand new to autoguiding so that added to the frustration. Autoguiding got added later to the mount and cost extra even though it was originally marketed as doing autoguiding.
I could not get the autoguiding to work but then I was using a ToUcam for guiding.
The axes were too stiff out of the factory and needed correction to loosen them. The Starbook is very bright and dazzles your night vision. It also attracts bugs like crazy in summer. It had a very limited database as well so only the well known objects were available (may since have been improved).
Mechanically the mount looked the part but for the price (AUD$3600) I think a G11 would leave it in the dust. It was also only capable of a light payload. It could not handle the light Tak FS152 for example. I'd say at a guess it would be limited to about a 110mm refractor for payload and probably nothing by Tak (which tend to be quite solid) beyond an FSQ.
I agree, I'd go an AP over an EM400 for the more versatile electronics and PEC. But Tak mounts are still very very nice and I love how easy they are to setup and use. They are particularly good if you know how to use the polar scope which is a skill for southern hemisphere. I never mastered it.
Greg.
Quote:
Originally Posted by netwolf
Greg this maybe a bit OT, but what do you find lacking int he Sphinx. Is it the Starbook that is the main issue or something else mechanical? From what I have read and heard Vixen's are usually very good mecahnically speaking and are often overlooked because of the starbook. How does it compare in your experince mechanically to Tak or G11's?
If I had the money I think I would go the AP900 over the EM400. IF only you could use the AP GTO ont the TAK. But another thought occurs to me can you retrofit the Tak with a diffrent Goto system? I think it uses servo motors and I use my Gemini Servo motors with a Sitech controller. Could the Tak servo's be wired up to a GeminiII or Sitech or AP GTO? I know Parallax Instruments mounts come with AP GTO. And I think even MI250 had the option for AP GTO. I know there is at leastwas one person on the yahoo groups for Stiech that converted his old AP non goto mount to Sitech.
Is the Tak motor and encoder wiriing intergrated to the controller box internaly or is it a external modular connection like the G11 Gemini setup?
Regards
Fahim
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