New EQ6Pro Questions

darrellx (Darrell) · #1 30-06-2009, 07:13 AM

Hi All

I have recently purchased an EQ6Pro, and last night was my first chance to get it out and give it a run. The first thing I noticed is that it is a lot heavier than my EQ5.

Anyway, I have a few questions I was hoping someone might be able to answer for me. BTW, I am sure I have seen some these questions before, but I cannot find them again.

First, it has 3.25 of the firmware loaded.

The most important relates to the hand controller. The keys do not light up when I use it. The LCD is working fine, and it goes to sleep after the period of inactivity. It lights up when I press a key, but none of the other keys do. Is something wrong, or is there a setting in there that I cannot find?

Next, when I did the original setup I get a message on the screen:
Polaris HA=22:48
Clock=06:35
I ignored it and things worked fine. I am just wondering what this is. I went back and checked that I had all the settings correct, like long and lat, and time zone.

The last one. The handset for the EQ5 looks exactly the same. I cannot tell them apart. I assume that they would be interchangeable????

Thanks
Darrell

toryglen-boy (Duncan) · #2 30-06-2009, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darrellx

Hi All

I have recently purchased an EQ6Pro, and last night was my first chance to get it out and give it a run. The first thing I noticed is that it is a lot heavier than my EQ5.

Anyway, I have a few questions I was hoping someone might be able to answer for me. BTW, I am sure I have seen some these questions before, but I cannot find them again.

First, it has 3.25 of the firmware loaded.

The most important relates to the hand controller. The keys do not light up when I use it. The LCD is working fine, and it goes to sleep after the period of inactivity. It lights up when I press a key, but none of the other keys do. Is something wrong, or is there a setting in there that I cannot find?

Next, when I did the original setup I get a message on the screen:
Polaris HA=22:48
Clock=06:35
I ignored it and things worked fine. I am just wondering what this is. I went back and checked that I had all the settings correct, like long and lat, and time zone.

The last one. The handset for the EQ5 looks exactly the same. I cannot tell them apart. I assume that they would be interchangeable????

Thanks
Darrell

Hi Darrell

Yeah, i upgraded to 325 at the weekend, and i noticed this, not backlight on the handset! hopefully this is something that can be fixed on the next release, although there is a setting on there for light timout on the handset, so maybe thats reset or something, but yeah, i noticed it.

Yeah, the handsets are completely interchangealble.

darrellx (Darrell) · #3 30-06-2009, 02:33 PM

Duncan

Thats great. Thanks. Well, not great but good that at least its not just me. Its also good that the hand sets are interchangeable. I now have spare.

Darrell

dcalleja · #4 30-06-2009, 02:41 PM

Hi
I'm getting a EQ5 Pro. Whats are the main diffs between that and the EQ6 Pro. I presume the EQ5 is a different mount?

toryglen-boy (Duncan) · #5 30-06-2009, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcalleja

Hi
I'm getting a EQ5 Pro. Whats are the main diffs between that and the EQ6 Pro. I presume the EQ5 is a different mount?

I have owned both so might be able to shed some light on this, from the point of view of using it, there is absolutely no difference. They even sound the same when slewing etc. The EQ6 with legs fully retracted is actually a few cm's lower than the EQ5. The only real difference is the location of auto guider port and plug points etc. Oh, and the EQ6 has a bubble level that is never level either.

But the biggy is the load, the EQ6 can easily carry alot more than the EQ5, although the EQ5 was easy-ish to carry around (to a point) the EQ6 breaks my back after 2 metres!!

dcalleja · #6 30-06-2009, 03:08 PM

Duncan
Thanks for that - its a great help

toryglen-boy (Duncan) · #7 30-06-2009, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dcalleja

Duncan
Thanks for that - its a great help

you're welcome

darrellx (Darrell) · #8 30-06-2009, 05:30 PM

Duncan

"Oh, and the EQ6 has a bubble level that is never level either."

I just assumed that it was level. Since there is no where large enough to place a spirit level, how did you check this? This may explain part of my alignment problem last night.

Darrell

White Rabbit · #9 30-06-2009, 05:55 PM

Hi

You need to make sure that the tripod is level before you put the head on, at least it's the only way that I know.

sandy

bmitchell82 (Brendan) · #10 30-06-2009, 07:43 PM

you can fabricate up a little plate that sits between the headmount and the tripod legs that way your leveling it with the load on though its much harder to make fine adjustments.

As i use EQmod and eqmod is hevily dependant on accuracy for polar alignment and polar alignment is dependant to a degree with your initial balance i just level the legs off with a accurate bubble level in three directions and make sure that the mount is pointing as close to due south as possible (ferrous materials dodged :S). but the polar alginment is a big one! get that and your slews will be accurate enough to drop targets on CCD's