That makes sense Brian. If it does not impact tracking then I dont care. Tracking is the only thing I am really interested in getting the best out of. I can use the alt=0 trick easily if need be.

Nick,

The wavy washer goes in between the RA clutch plates and helps separate them when the locks are untightened. Unless you are at the equator, the altitude your mount is set at will always cause some large fraction of the mount weight to push down on the plates, creating stiction/friction. These mounts don't free wheel like some other brands but this is normal. The wavy washer helps with stiction, but does not eliminate it. If you gently swing the mount back and forth you will get a feel for the balance point.

Most folks go for a slight East heavy balance in RA, and a slight camera/eyepiece heavy balance in Dec. You don't want to be perfect, but want a slight imbalance to get the worm and ring gears to ride on one side of the gear faces, not jump back and forth to create backlash.

If you crank the ALT down to zero, that takes most of the weight off the RA clutches. But use caution as the center of mass is less over tripod center, and you can get tippy and flop over if the mount is bumped or is too far offset.

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I've watched all the videos (and going to watch this one again). My rig is light but I do find that its really difficult to "unbalance" it by moving the weight up and down
I got the 7 pound weight since the rig is light.
If I use just the CW bar and put it horizontal and let go, it does seem a bit stiffer to move than I would have imagined.


How does one know they need such a washer and does it help overall tracking significantly ?

?

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Just get the wavy washer for RA axis.

THanks.

Sorry, yes, I mean the wavy washer.

Mark

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Brian,

Thank you for your warp speed fast reply.

I have watched your excellent video on balancing. ?For RA, there is no rotation position where the axis is free to move. ?For DEC, only when the OTA is on the West side and the CWB is horizontal will the DEC axis move freely. ?This is with my full rig ~32 lb using a 21 lb and an 11 lb counterweight.

Won't the Bellville washers reduce the resitance?

Mark

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I just received my new G11G system for astrophotography. ?I set it up and everything functions properly in a basement test. ?

However, the RA and DEC axes are very sticky when the clutches are released, making it difficult to achieve a good balance. ?Does the system need to wear in or should I consider the Bellevue (sp?) washer upgrade?

Mark Wetzel

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Thank you so much Keith! I'm definitely still new at this kind of analysis and this is super helpful

15" peak to peak is a bit higher than I was expecting but I am definitely still getting things setup and dialed in here!

Hi Nick.? To use PECPrep, you need to give it 'clean' unguided data as the file you gave it has multiple sections, and to be honest I'm not sure what its analyzing when you open the file as is.? To create a clean file, do your calibration in PHD2, shut down the program, then re-start.? Go into the brain (Advanced Settings) and uncheck the box 'Enable mount guide output'.? Then go back and start 'Guiding' - no guide corrections will be sent to the mount but the star positions will be logged to be used in PECPrep.? After finishing the section, close PHD2 and rename the file accordingly.

That said, I edited your log file to include only unguided portion of log section 5 and fed into PECPrep, and got the attached results (about 15" peak to peak, with the 76s error at about 3").

An easier way is to open the log file in the PHD log viewer, select section 5, right-click on the graph and select 'Analyze unguided section'. This tells about the same story, except the displayed values are amplitudes and not peak to peak (so half of what PECPrep displays).

Yet a third way is to open the file in the PEMPro log viewer and select that section (now labeled section 4 since it doesn't include calibration sections, and it also says Guided=True since that section started out with a few guide commands before being disabled).? Again, similar results.

Keith

Much better tonight and so many thanks for the help!
Attaching the baseline PHD log.
Calibration, 20 or so mins of guiding and 20 or so mins of Guide Assistant
Much more stable

I'm now taking some test shots and guiding at

RA: 0.09px (0.5 arc sec)
DEC: 0.06 px (0.38 arc sec)
Total RMS: 0.1px (0.68 arc sec)

Given my skies and gear and that both are almost the same error, I dont think I can ask for more.
PA is also rock solid so far!

Thank you so much to all that have helped. Especially Brian

I did import the log into PEC Prep (I have not used PEM PRO yet because I have a DSLR and I dont think thats going to work out well)

It did show a peak at 76.2 sec (I think? I don't really know for sure) which was a bit worrying but honestly I dont really know if I have an issue or not.
If I am reading the PEC error correctly, this mount is working really well

Peak PE+:? ? 1.85 arcsecs

?

Peak PE-:? ? -2.45 arcsecs

Is that really a "peak to peak" value of just 4.3 ??
Attaching a picture of the PEC Prep (the peak on the graph is at "100" whatever that indicates)

OFF.? But I will try ON as soon as its clear and get back to you ASAP.

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Jim W
Phoenix, AZ. USA

Losmandy GM811G, NINA 1.11, ASI2600MC Pro, Sky-Watcher Scopes

Just making sure: did you get the successful runs with Gemini expects J2000 setting turned on or off? If off, that's not really using the changes I made to the driver to let it work with J2000 client applications...

Regards,

? ? ?-Paul

On Tue, Jun 29, 2021 at 07:05 PM, Paul Kanevsky wrote:

Did you ever test the updated ASCOM driver with J2000 setting and NINA? I'd like to know if that fixed the problem, and to see the logs if it didn't improve things. This change was based on your request, so I'd like to hear from you on this before I can recommend this driver version to others.

I did manage to get two successful runs using the 1.0.82.0 driver but would like to do additional testing.? For the past 3 to 4 weeks the conditions have been poor at best.? Heat, not getting below 100 at mid-night, wildfire smoke, monsoons and the moon.? I didn't see any issues with the imaging I did.? I was able to plate-solve and center without any issues.? I make sure "Gemini expects J2000..." is OFF before each imaging session.? I used NINA nightly build 90 or greater and the current release of ASTAP.
?
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Jim W
Phoenix, AZ. USA

Losmandy GM811G, NINA 1.11, ASI2600MC Pro, Sky-Watcher Scopes

On Tue, Jun 29, 2021 at 11:52 AM, "Guilherme Vênere wrote:

One question: I had the option "Sync perform additional align" box checked. Could that be the problem?

?

Guilherme,

With this checked, every time you sync you are adding another point to the model. Over time you will have a complicated multi-point model which may not be correct. I used to click Add'ln Align after each sync thinking I would keep developing a more accurate model across the whole sky.? The problem is one or more points could be off center or potentially on the wrong star (e.g. Castor or Pollux?). Then the model is distorted somehow and GoTo's or Solve and Centers are working on bad info. I now use only two points for a new model, one East and one West. The each new night I sync on a bright star; Vega is my current obvious choice, then perhaps Deneb if I get started later. With the aforehand in place, SGPro will Slew and then Center pretty well.

John K.