Thanks so much Fahim for the detailed and thoughtful reply. Given the complexity and likely expense then to get this up and going, and the fact I need a heavier mount, I'm thinking I might just bite the bullet and buy an EQ6 Pro/Synscan mount...do you know if these can be guided by the DMK (by the way it's firewire) and or my Phillips 900nc and what software I'd need for that?
cheers Rob
Quote:
Originally Posted by netwolf
You can use the DMK Camera for Autoguiding. The LXD75 has not guide port so you need to use ASCOM gudiing. ASCOM is the platform used to allow your Laptop to connect to the mount's controller and control it with one or many applications such as Planeteriums and or CCD capture software etc etc. The Autostar has a port on the HC that can be connected to your PC via A Serial cable. This connection as mentioned allows Computer to control the slewing of the mount. However this connection can also be used to send guide commands. This is known as ASCOM Guiding. This is not as good as direct guiding becuase that provides a dedicated link to the brain of your mount to recive send guide commands.
You could try and find a USed MEade #909 APM module that connects to the AUXIliary port on your mount and adds A St-4 compatible guide port and focus motor control and another Aux port to add other Meade accesories. If you can get this module then you can Get the Shoestring GPUSP plus cable and use that to send the guide commands to the mount, rather than going via the ASCOM interface. Further still if you buy a Q-guider/Orion/Qhy5 these come with a ST-4 output and can be connected directly to your mount. But you still need to use software on your laptop that connets to these Camera's via USB and allows you to focus, find and select a Guide star. Software like Guidedog and Guidemaster, this is simialr to using DMK with Shoestring GPUSB , the only difference is that the GPUSB is built into the Camera so you dont need a second connect to your PC to the Mount. Lastly you can go for standalone Guiders like the TV Guider or STV or ST4 where there is no need for a PC the Camera connects to the ST-4 on the APM Module and usually has a Display or a control box that allows you to focus and select a star to guide on. The TVGuider and STV are the best ones for this method as the come with a display so you can see and focus the star. Also TVGuider could be used to focus your DSLR on the TVGuider LCD SCreen. The ST-4 Guider that started it all (which even the Guide ports are named after now as it set the standard) is a bit harder to use, but those who use it say its great. It provide numeric information that you must advise the brightest star in the field of view, its brightness and using this you have to adjust focus till you get a certain measurement and then you can guide. Meade also released there own Guide camera which like the Q-guiders had a ST-4 guide port that could be connected to the APM Module and you used Meade software on the PC to find and select a bright star to guide on. I believe Meade also made available a simlar method with there newer LPI camera.
Wow thats a lot to say in one go. I will stop now. I hope it helps.
Regards
Fahim
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