PEC and eqmod

lookus · #1 14-07-2010, 10:56 PM

i am trying to record PEC data into eqmod and having problems.

i have tried perecorder but it can't seem to find my dsi. it inly finds the webcam on the screen as the only camera.

i have then tried to use PHd to record data but it doesn't seem to record any data. also , how long do i need to record for. someone told me 40 mins so i am doing that. don't know if it is right though.

can someone help me out with some instructions on how to do it or what i am doing wrong.

thanks

White Rabbit · #2 29-07-2010, 12:41 PM

Your DSI will not work with pe record as the frame rate is not high enough. You need a web cam not a ccd. You will need to record one full cycle of the worm gear and that depends on the mount you have for my HEQpro mount I think it was 50min.

If you are recording in PHD you need to "enable logging" in the menu up top. This will spit out the corrections that Phd made in the note pad file probably in My docs and you can then import that into the software that you are going to use to smooth you pec curve.

Hope that helps.

lookus · #3 30-07-2010, 08:19 PM

thanks for the reply and for the info.

have tried phd and managed to get it to work although adjusting everything in pecprep is more complicated than i expected. i will continue too work at it.

RobF (Rob) · #4 31-07-2010, 08:52 AM

I think the worm cycle on my Heq5 is about 8 mins, and you really want at least 5 cycles, so 50mins would be good.

PErecorder is a bit obscure. Once you get your data up ok on the graph you need to tweak the sliders to try and fit the variation + smooth out the fit. If your PE curve has too many blips in it you'll have the mount dancing all over the place. The name of the game is to get PEC that averages out your mounts movement so you've get less distance to chase the star when guiding.

You have to remember to religously park and unpark too so that EQMOD can keep track of your encoder positions....

I still haven't been able to quantitate the improvement PEC makes. Theoretically it helps smooth the fastest excursion points on the worm. Its probably pretty subtle unless you have terrible PE.