DSC's installed!

iceman (Mike) · #1 27-02-2005, 02:58 PM

Hey guys.

Today I finished installing the DSC's that I bought off westsky last week. So far, it looks like it works.. move the dob, the direction changes

I'll post some pics etc tomorrow and give the first light report if the sky clears tonight!

Can't wait to give it a run!

RAJAH235 · #2 27-02-2005, 03:10 PM

Hi Mike, Do you have to level your t'scope base and tube in the basic set-up procedure? The Meade Mag 1, has a couple of choices but I've found this is the slightly more accurate method. I then 2 star it and go viewing from there. I update about every 45 degrees or so.
They make it easier to find things.
Have fun.

ps.Send me some clear sky, please.

Starkler (Geoff) · #3 27-02-2005, 03:58 PM

Yep Mike you'll need a bump stop inside the base to set the ota perpendicular to the horizontal axis for the initialisation process.

It will ask you to either point the tube horizontally or vertically as a first step. The important reference here is the geometry of the base itself, not the ota in relation to the ground.
Once you do your alignment, the dsc calculates your relative position and works from there. ie it doesnt matter if the base itself isnt levelled wrt the ground.

iceman (Mike) · #4 28-02-2005, 07:49 AM

I haven't been able to first light it yet, blanket clouds last night. I think it recommends setting it up in the horizontal position to start with. I'll have to read the instructions again, but yeh, then a 2 star alignment and off I go.

I like the fact that I can store up to 60 objects in a "user list", so I can plan an observing session in advance.. enter all the objects I want to view and then just scroll through them.

I need a cable for hooking it up to my laptop too, so I can use it with some planetarium software.

Here's some pics of it all finished. Might need to tidy up the wires in the base, but so far they don't get in the way of tilting the scope.

Robby · #5 28-02-2005, 09:38 AM

Looks great Mike... That's be a good piece of kit to put to full use at SPSP.!
Cheers

iceman (Mike) · #6 01-03-2005, 07:55 AM

For sure, I definitely wanted it installed before SPSP!

I took it out for a first light last night..

2 star align, Sirius first and then Rigel, centered them as close as I could be bothered in a 15mm eyepiece, then chose "Saturn". Swung around to the coordinates it gave me until they both said "0.00", looked in the eyepiece, and whalla, there was Saturn all but in the middle of my 15mm eyepiece! She works!

Chose M42, bang, just off the middle of the eyepiece.

Looked at a few other targets, M41, M46, M47 and some NGC open clusters around Carina (didn't take notes).

I found that (as expected) it's very accurate if you're in the same quarter of sky, but if you slew over 60 degrees or so away from where you were, it's best to realign on a known object in that part of the sky.

All in all, i'm very happy and it's going to help me chase down faint fuzzies like never before!

gbeal · #7 01-03-2005, 09:04 AM

Ice,
be good to see if you can interface it to the Palm units. I use one (as does Rob), and there is plenty of target lists available, I can e mail you off forum if you want. I use mine with the Palm, but also an ancient laptop with SkyMap on it. Can't beat the crosshairs moving as you move the scope, magic.
Gary

Robby · #8 01-03-2005, 09:21 AM

Hi Mike,
Do you use USDigital encoders? If so what type? I could bring my Palm setup over & plug into your encoders... I have the Dave Ek interface box.
Geez, looks like I'm bringing everything except the scope to SPSP

...
Might need a bigger pack!
Cheers

gbeal · #9 01-03-2005, 12:29 PM

Now theres a good idea Ice, cos he will have his laptop as well, and presumably the "dongle to make the decoder box work.
Gary

rumples riot · #10 01-03-2005, 02:26 PM

Wow that scope is looking more like a meade everyday only much bigger and lighter. Good stuff Mike, really outstanding stuff. When you told me about it in Sydney I was not quite sure what you mean't but now I see that this will make astronomy much easier.

Good stuff.

iceman (Mike) · #11 02-03-2005, 06:28 AM

Thanks guys.

Yep, they use USDigital encoders. It has an RJ11 port for connecting to the serial port of a laptop, but i've got to find a cable (or get one made) that has the correct pins in the right order

I've found some planetarium software that has drivers for the SkyCommander, so it will be very cool to see the crosshairs move and not have to worry about looking at the little unit itself.

Robby, you should be able to bring over your box and palm.. Will be very handy to use at the SPSP, especially if I haven't hooked it up to my laptop by then.

Starkler (Geoff) · #12 02-03-2005, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by iceman

I found that (as expected) it's very accurate if you're in the same quarter of sky, but if you slew over 60 degrees or so away from where you were, it's best to realign on a known object in that part of the sky.

All in all, i'm very happy and it's going to help me chase down faint fuzzies like never before!

The accuracy will depend alot on the quality of the initial alignment. You want to choose alignment stars that are 90 degrees or so apart in the horizontal plane, and maybe 30 degrees or more in the vertical plane. The box has to see enough encoder ticks in both planes to get satisfactory resolution on intialisation. Sirius and Rigel are too close together.

You also want to centre the stars as accurately as you can manage in fairly high power eyepiece, say 10mm, and have an reasonably accurate horizontal or vertical mark.

If you do it all properly, you can get accuracy of .2 - .3 degrees or better all over the sky.

RAJAH235 · #13 02-03-2005, 09:15 PM

Mike, Geoff's info on 2 star alignment, is pretty much what is rec'd in the Meade book. It's still wise to update tho., because of the mechanical slop in the base/bearings/encoder drive etc. I update approx. every 45 degs. or so. Saves you having to swith to a lower power E/Pc. The objs get too far out of field when using a high mag E/Pc. L.

iceman (Mike) · #14 02-03-2005, 09:21 PM

Yep I agree completely, and was aware of this though I didn't care to fuss too much about it for my first light - I really just wanted to see that it all worked, even if it wasn't 100% accurate because of my half-hearted attempt at alignment.

Sirius and Rigel were chosen because they were easily visible from where I was in the backyard.

Actually the one thing I'm disappointed about, is the alignment star catalog. There's 40 stars in its alignment catalog, but literally about half of them I can't see because they're all in the northern hemisphere. So it gives me 20 alignment stars, and factor in that half aren't visible at different times of year, it gives me about 10 to choose from. And fomalhaut is the only one in the southern hemisphere.

That's my only beef with it.

When I plan to go out and use it seriously, i'll definitely choose some better alignment stars and be more careful about centering it in a 9mm plossl.