Autoguiding using STL11K and EQ6 with EQMOD

[wysiwyg (Mark)]

Hi Guys,

I was wondering if anyone here is using a SBIG CCD camera with autoguiding, and successfully guiding an EQ6 via the guide port.
If you are using EQMOD, thats a bonus as well.

So far I cannot get the SBIG to communicate with the mount even after turning off pulseguiding in EQMOD. I am using a cable that was provided with the camera.

This might also be a software related issue, and I am using CCDSoft. I have tried all the variations under autoguiding with no success, but it may be that I am overlooking something trivial.

Perhaps the cable is not wired correctly for the EQ6????

This would allow me to shed some real weight off the mount.

Any ideas are welcome.

Thanks
Mark

[Terry B]

I use an EQDIR with my EQ6 mount. I have a SBIG camera and a QHY5 guide camera. I usually use the QHY guider with its cable plugged directly into the mount. This works well. If I want to use the internal guide chip on the ST9E I have to use a different cable. It is wired opposite to the one I use with my QHy guider. I just made them myself having abought a $15 crimper and the plugs from Dick Smiths.

[wysiwyg (Mark)]

Thanks heaps Terry!

I still have an old cable i used to use with the GPUSB, and like you said its wired opposite to the SBIG cable, so it should work.
I will give it a go tonight.

Do you find autoguiding with the SBIG better or worse than with a dedicated guide camera??

Cheers
Mark

[Terry B]

Originally Posted by wysiwyg

Thanks heaps Terry!

I still have an old cable i used to use with the GPUSB, and like you said its wired opposite to the SBIG cable, so it should work.
I will give it a go tonight.

Do you find autoguiding with the SBIG better or worse than with a dedicated guide camera??

Cheers
Mark

Depends.
I very rarely use the internal guide camera and use my QHY guider. I find it very difficult to find adequate guide stars with the internal guider especially through a blue filter. Most of my imaging is through photometry filters and is mostly limited to 120 sec exposures so I don't have much problem with differential flexure.
Having said that I am currently taking a time series of a dim nova in the LMC using 5 min exposures and am using the internal chip. This is through no filter at all and I was able to find a suitable guide star. Using the external guider wasn't working because I had changed the camera connection for another reason and it seems to be flexing. To save wasting a good clear night before I fix it I am using the intermal chip and it seems happy.

[wysiwyg (Mark)]

Thanks Terry,

I managed to find a solution without having to change the cable or wiring configuartion and using the supplies cable by SBIG.

At one stage I was getting movement in directions N and S only, but managed to find someone who else had the same problem on the EQ6 yahoo forum.

Apparently you need to change the guide speed from .25x to 1x for both RA and DEC in the EQMOD Ascom program or your hand controller if you are using one.
Tried that and it works

Now that I have control of the mount via the SBIG the only thing left is to test the actual autoguiding.

Cheers
Mark