Quote:
Originally Posted by jase
Interesting thread with a variety of views. Good stuff!
Having owned a Losmandy Titan (regular, not 50:1 gearbox version) for a few years, I have to say that it is a very capable mount. Am sure Peter who purchased mine (noted in this thread) is now a happy camper. I found the mount worked very well for robotic operations having produced many images with it in this manner. However, don't be mistaken, its not a robotic mount. Mounts with absolute encoders offer true robotic operations having the ability to recover from a power outage. That said, if you ensure you "park" the mount each night after an imaging run has completed you can successfully power up, night after night, platesolve and continue imaging from where you last left off. However if you have a power outage during an imaging run (common in remote locations where dark skies exist I should add - talking from experience here!), the mount struggles and needs human intervention to keep the pointing aligned through regular syncs. If anything, the Gemini software is a force to be reckoned with. The latest ascom driver set is solid and feature rich. The version 5 code in which Mr. Ward is testing will undoubtedly bring new features. Expected as soon as Feb 2011 I hear on the vine. Peter is on the inside so could advise realistic dates.
A few key points on the Titan;
- Have the latest firmware eprom - don't dismiss the telescope's brains! It is after all a key aspect and perhaps just as important is the continual improvement program where software takes advantage of new features.
- Ensure the mount is relatively well balanced. I found the a slight imbalance improve tracking performance.
- To give your Titan more torque you can upgrade to the 50:1 gearbox, alternatively feed it 18v. It will love you for it slewing large scopes around with ease.
- Gemini's in built pointing model is ok, however does not compare against a software pointing model such as Tpoint (far more terms). Depending on what you want achieve, the inbuilt pointing model may work well for you (keep in mind that operating remotely, the target needs to be dead center of the chip).
- From a tracking performance perspective with PEC programmed, you will obtain excellent performance - on par with an AP900 - no problem.
- Be mindful of cable tangle. The lugs that are used to secure polar alignment in azimuth can snag a cable. I've had a few 1m USB cables that are now 1.05m. They stretch to a point of destruction. Not a fun situation to be in while operating remotely and your guider stops working.
- Check your worm clearance. If you do adjust make sure you compensate for expansion/contraction as the ambient air cools to avoid binding.
- Perhaps more a Gemini point of interest, but set your east and west limits correctly. Not only will this save your precious OTA and camera hammering itself into the mount but also defines the meridian flip. For remote operations you can tweak the goto limit to fine tune (handy to say the least). You don't want to be wasting 20mins waiting for the mount to flip on an automated imaging run!
I'm sure I could think of a few other pointers on the mount, but overall its a strong performer for astro imaging work. |
thanks Jase, really great info and pointers which i am noting
