Heres's my (trans)portable setup. The FSQ-85ED with an SS-One Traveler harmonic drive-based mount. The SS-One is made by a chap called Nakazawa-san and he makes many small unique stuff.
The Raspberry Pi based AutoGuider Pro controller (which he makes not only for his Traveler mount, but also for other makers), is a pretty nifty device. Not only does it perform autoguiding, it controls focusing, DSLR intervalometer control, dithering, GOTO, and Polar Alignment. With it's USB ports, it accepts WiFi and GPS devices. The WiFi USB, there's remote VNC display, and Sky Safari Pro control for a more extensive GOTO.
So there's really no more need for a PC/Laptop with this setup. It does need 12V which I use the OmniCharge Ultimate to power the mount.
A little video snippet of the Autoguiding calibration in action :-
I've built a 'mobile observatory' for Celestron Edge11" on an EQ8 mount, because of my forested property. I'm learning SynScan WiFi, Stellarium & PHD2 guiding etc. As a Vulcan, all the other human setups are very foreign to me and I'm still to image successfully. Is anybody out there...out there...out there...
Finally managed to mount my new to me focuser on the intes mk-65.
Not too many focusers will fit this scope due to its very short light path to reach focus, the only ones that I could find were made by JMI and Starlight instruments.
Only by matching this with the T2 Baader prism diagonal made this possible with a min total 120mm light path to focus my shortest eyepiece.
Hopefully will be a great improvement over the stock helical eyepiece/diagonal.
The last photo shows the original diagonal/focuser
Finally managed to mount my new to me focuser on the intes mk-65.
Not too many focusers will fit this scope due to its very short light path to reach focus, the only ones that I could find were made by JMI and Starlight instruments.
Only by matching this with the T2 Baader prism diagonal made this possible with a min total 120mm light path to focus my shortest eyepiece.
Hopefully will be a great improvement over the stock helical eyepiece/diagonal.
The last photo shows the original diagonal/focuser
Nice scope Matt and beautifully finished but where's the pictures of the objective.......
Here you go Andrew ....
You know me, I just have to tear things apart to see how they work....
Hard to believe that there is more $10K of Russian glass sitting there.... these TMB-LZOS cells are built from the hubs of Russian tanks.....
however after many years use near the coast in Queensland enough of the salt air had found its way inside to leave a deposit on the front of G1 and rear of G3 elements and my OCD just couldn't leave it there.
The glass is once again pristine. There were a dozen spots that no cleaning liquid would dissolve so using Roland Christen's method (a little saliva on the fingertip) even they are now history.
I hope Chris doesn't see the picture or he might want the scope back....
You know me, I just have to tear things apart to see how they work....
Hard to believe that there is more $10K of Russian glass sitting there.... these TMB-LZOS cells are built from the hubs of Russian tanks.....
however after many years use near the coast in Queensland enough of the salt air had found its way inside to leave a deposit on the front of G1 and rear of G3 elements and my OCD just couldn't leave it there.
The glass is once again pristine. There were a dozen spots that no cleaning liquid would dissolve so using Roland Christen's method (a little saliva on the fingertip) even they are now history.
I hope Chris doesn't see the picture or he might want the scope back....
Thanks for that Matt a thing beauty and hanging for first light
Thanks Les I do too,
It’s a very versatile mount, I’ve only used it in equatorial mode twice since I’ve had it, so it stays as is in planet fork mode all the time because I like it that much.
I have the adapters also for alt/az which I haven’t even tried yet!
One day...
Flash, get a towel...forget those little refractors, here's THE BEAST !
A quiet afternoon so I spent some time getting ready for next weekend.
- OTA on the mount... inside that Matthias Wirth lid lies a work of art.
- I've moved the finder well forward on dovetail - this turns out to be way, way more convenient than having the finder on the rear end of the scope.
- The business end with a 30mm erfle of some sort,
- Loaded with a turret with a set of Fujiyama orthos and a finder eyepiece.
Interestingly the van Slyke turret requires less backfocus than the APM star diagonal with rotolock does.
I'm sure it's a fantastic scope Wavy. Just when I saw the reflections I could not resist paraphrasing your very comment from a while ago - I thought it will be funny.
)
