Re: Resetting spring-loaded worm
That's exactly what Brian says. He only refers to the far end screw that it is beneath the big spring screw though. Unscrew a little and that should free the worm enough to float over the gear.? However, I'm not sure if I'm going to get much benefit of it. Currently DEC is guiding just under 0.4" RMS over 3 hour sessions and it is the RA axis what is limiting the guiding accurary (I get around 0.6" RMS).
Best wishes,
Daniel
|
Bob
your the perfect person don¡¯t discredit your skills, attention to detail and analytical skills.?
there are plenty of dissemblely guides ?on the net and attention to order of washers. ?Take photos when taking it apart use this site as a guide
Losmandy sell lubricant kits etc. there are many guides on how to adjust your worm and blocks. ?Many have written them but I like Michael Herman¡¯s guides.?
Maybe look to replace the clutch pads they may clean up ok. ?Be careful of some solvents on the anodising surfaces. ? ?Disassemble clean re-assemble?
Might need new worm bearings or such like ruland coupling. ? Check when taking apart so you can order replacements. There are databases of nuts bolts bearings etc you can use in the files section.?
Remember you cannot wreck it. ?
Maybe try run it prior to dissemble and test PE so you have a base line when put back together to see if something is not right.?
You will learn as you go, best way to do it
cheers
bren
--
Brendan
|
Planetary Nebula - NGC 6781 - HOO
Bubbles are my thing right now and this beautiful and popular supernova remnant does not disappoint. Two light years across and 1500 lights years away in the constellation of Aquila, which is sadly somewhat barren of DSO objects.?
?
Total integration time is 3.66 hrs using an 12" F3.9 truss Newtonian, captured with an ASI 294MM Pro camera using Chroma 3nm narrowband filters. No moon was present. Equal number of Ha and Oiii subs.
?
This is a bright object, and I was able to pull out some detail using Pixinsight. Bortle 4/5 sky. Modified Losmandy G11 mount running Onstep.? It's very small for my setup, and I look forward to returning someday with a 3m scope! I was also able to get the little dumbbell (M76) later in the night, so looking forward to seeing how they compare.
?
?
?
Peter
|
I don't know that good lubricants would deteriorate appreciably in 3 years.? Does the mount work?
|
hello Bob Hancey, I am a member of the Sac Valley astro soc. we have a G11 mount (older mount) I am in the start of a rehab project for this mount. My greatest concern is that lubricants on the interior of the mount are no longer qualify as lubricants as the scope sat unused for at least 3 yrs. Will attempt to use soon, but do not have a lot of hope movement from the mount. I will contact Losmandy to see if they do rehabs on their mounts and cost to do so. I do not have the skill set to do a breakdown and rehab (I am a retired ICU RN---not much crossover skills for this project). IF my attempt to have Losmandy to do a rehab is a negative, NEXT best hope is to find a person/business that can do rehab (some funds are available), with a location in central/northern Calif and southern Oregon that the mount can be delivered to. SO, if there is anybody within the Losmandy group has a name of person/business that could be of value in terms of getting this mount back into a reasonable/functioning shape for members/visitors can use, any input would be appreciated, respectfully submitted Bob H.
|
Re: Resetting spring-loaded worm
There is nothing else that can cause this in a clean undamaged unmodified G11 or GM8 mount with tucked servos and sprung Gen II OPWs.?
--
Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware?
? ?Astropheric Weather Forecast - South Pasadena, CA?
|
Re: Bubbly Detail: NGC 7365
Sam,
I appreciate your kind comments.? The telescope is Newtonian 12" truss F3.9?Camera is an ASI 294 MM Pro. Image resolution is 0.34"/px. Bin 1 mode.? Personally I think this should be everyone's first scope!? I.e start at 1400mm and work up, while piggybacking a 200mm for wide field. The mount is a g11 modified for high precision guiding under Onstep control.? OAG guiding using guide QHY camera with 2.4 micron pixels.? When I first processed the data set and looked at images on Astrobin I realized I was missing something. That turned out to be Sii data which is all the fine stuff on the outer perimeter.? So I shot for signal.? The data is processed in Pixinsight. Key to revealing detail is deconvolution. The Astro Imaging Channel has a very good tutorial???from three weeks ago for those who want to take it to the next level! You cannot get this level of detail with OSC camera sadly. When you poroces and stack your data consider using Normalized Scale Gradient. It helps a lot when he moon is about. My sky is New Jersey Bortle 5/4 in theory but I think 5 in practice with the LED lighting that is so pervasive now.
Peter
|
Re: Resetting spring-loaded worm
¡±If your back off screw doesn't seem to be working it could be that the bottom cap screws are just a bit too snug to let the OPW move. If they are just a little bit too snug they lock the OPW into position and the worm can't float on the worm gear.¡±
- that is exactly what happened to mine; they were screwed down tight enough that the worm could not float. Slightly loosening them restored the float for the worm gear and resolved the spikes in my guiding.
Geoff Chapman
|
Re: Bubbly Detail: NGC 7365
Agree, Peter- really astonishing! Rivals Hubble images imho. I especially like the dynamic quality of the image, or percussion effect, as you describe.
Can you share any other technical information such as about the telescope and its whereabouts? Do you think the exquisite details are largely due to the narrow band filters and large data set? What is your focusing workflow? I have the OSC version of that camera and don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen such sharp image details, even through the high quality glass of a Stellarvue 102 refractor.?
Thanks again!
Sam
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Aug 21, 2022, at 9:50 PM, HenkSB < haling@...> wrote:
Peter that's a spectcular image, thanks for sharing!? 30 hours integration, a lot of work but it really paid off.? No better way to conclude a discussion than obtaining results like these.? Well done.
|
Re: Usability Question--Update #2
Mark glad to hear things improved
>>> And declared victory for the modeling.
haha yes, i love that sentiment ;)
On Mon, Aug 22, 2022 at 10:47 PM Mark de Regt < deregt@...> wrote: We had a clear night tonight, with no wind or moon.? So out I went again. ? After polar aligning with Polemaster (probably not necessary, since the tripod hadn¡¯t moved, but good practice), I turned off the hand controller, put it in CWD position, then did a cold start.? ? I told it to go to Altair (east side); it wasn¡¯t on the finder scope, but it wasn¡¯t too bad.? I centered, and clicked Menu>Align>Alignment.? I then told it to go to Deneb.? It wasn¡¯t far off center on the illuminated reticle eyepiece; I centered, and clicked Menu>Align>Alignment.? I told it to go to Vega, and repeated the process (it was very close to center).? Finally, I did Alberio (I like Alberio, so I¡¯ll use any excuse to look at it).? It also was close to centered. ? Going to the west side, I told it to go to Mizar.? It was not very close (not on the finder, but it was on the Telrad).? I centered, clicked Menu>Align>Alignment.? And declared victory for the modeling. ? I substituted a 26mm Nagler Type 5 as my eyepiece, and told it to go to M27 (east side).? It was pretty well centered.? Repeated for a number of east side targets, all with good success.? Told it to go to M81 (west side); it wasn¡¯t so well centered, but it was on the eyepiece.? Told it to go to M31 (east side); it was at the very edge of the field of the 26mm Nagler.? Told it to go to M57, and it was reasonably well centered. ? I think that this probably is as good as it gets.? I¡¯ve heard all the people saying that I¡¯m too optimistic expecting everything to be centered, so I¡¯ll accept the imperfections.? It¡¯s good enough for my limited needs. ? I thank everyone for their help, particularly Brian Valente. ? I wish everyone clear skies, and a good night. ? Mark de REgt ? ? I went through all of the suggestions made, and collected those that seemed might possibly be connected to my problem.? Then I implemented them. ? Last night was a test. ? I carefully determined the CWD position.? Although, to be honest, there is absolutely no way I know of to know when the counterweight bar really is pointing as down as it can, since a bubble level depends on catching exactly the right part of the curve, and not moving it at all.? But I also understand that that matters only for the first slew. ? I slowed the speed at which the mount slews, to lessen the probability that anything skips with the sudden torque. ? I did a careful polar alignment with PoleMaster. ? I made sure that time, date, and place were all very accurate. ? I deleted any existing model. ? I sent the mount to Altair.? It missed by a fair amount.? I decided that maybe I should only ¡°center¡± using ¡°center¡± or ¡°guide,¡± not ¡°move¡± or ¡°slew,¡± so it took a while to center Altair.? After carefully centering Altair on my illuminated-crosshair eyepiece, I selected ¡°Menu,¡± then ¡°Align,¡± then ¡°synchronize.¡± ? I told it to go to Vega.? It was almost perfectly centered.? I centered, synced, then told it to go to Deneb. ? It was perfectly centered. ? The west side of my sky is pretty much destroyed with Seattle sky glow and trees.? So I decided to play on the east side, to see how it worked,?
It worked very well!? Everything I told it to go to was reasonably well centered. ? Then I told it to go to Mizar, very much on the west side, but easy to see. ? It missed by a lot.? I centered it, and synced. ? I told it to go back to Deneb.? It was on the eyepiece (17mm Nagler Type 4, on a Celestron 11¡± EdgeHD), but quite far off center.? I centered and synced.? Told it to go to M27.? It was centered pretty well,? I told it to go back to Mizar, and it barely was on the eyepiece. ? And so the night went.? I found no way to get it to converge on a model that got everything reasonably close to the center of the eyepiece (I wouldn¡¯t care so much, except that it¡¯s a royal PITA to center anything, to me, on a GEM, since I have no idea which of the four buttons to hit at any time to get it to move in any particular direction). ? It was somewhat promising, in that it always got the target on the (very, very wide) eyepiece, but it is far, far from perfect. ? Mark
-- Brian?
Brian Valente astro portfolio? portfolio astrobin?
|
Re: Usability Question--Update #2
Also,
when you have good models for both sides, and you don¡¯t move the mount,
you can either reset CWD and use Warm Start, or just power up and use Warm
Restart.. Both use the model you made previously, saving startup time..
Derek
?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf
Of Derek C Breit
Sent: Tuesday, August 23, 2022
7:31 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Losmandy_users_io]
Usability Question--Update #2
?
Going
to the west side, I told it to go to Mizar.? It was not very close (not on
the finder, but it was on the Telrad).? I centered, clicked
Menu>Align>Alignment.? And declared victory for the modeling.
***
Now
that you can do it, go back to the instructions or videos or whatever and build
a *better* model.. You put 4 stars into the East Model, but only one into the
West..
But..
YEAH! WOOO HOOO! :-))
Derek
?
?
?
We
had a clear night tonight, with no wind or moon.? So out I went again.
?
After
polar aligning with Polemaster (probably not necessary, since the tripod
hadn¡¯t moved, but good practice), I turned off the hand controller, put
it in CWD position, then did a cold start.?
?
I
told it to go to Altair (east side); it wasn¡¯t on the finder scope, but
it wasn¡¯t too bad.? I centered, and clicked
Menu>Align>Alignment.? I then told it to go to Deneb.? It
wasn¡¯t far off center on the illuminated reticle eyepiece; I centered,
and clicked Menu>Align>Alignment.? I told it to go to Vega, and
repeated the process (it was very close to center).? Finally, I did
Alberio (I like Alberio, so I¡¯ll use any excuse to look at it).? It
also was close to centered.
?
Going
to the west side, I told it to go to Mizar.? It was not very close (not on
the finder, but it was on the Telrad).? I centered, clicked
Menu>Align>Alignment.? And declared victory for the modeling.
?
I
substituted a 26mm Nagler Type 5 as my eyepiece, and told it to go to M27 (east
side).? It was pretty well centered.? Repeated for a number of east
side targets, all with good success.? Told it to go to M81 (west side); it
wasn¡¯t so well centered, but it was on the eyepiece.? Told it to go
to M31 (east side); it was at the very edge of the field of the 26mm
Nagler.? Told it to go to M57, and it was reasonably well centered.
?
I
think that this probably is as good as it gets.? I¡¯ve heard all the
people saying that I¡¯m too optimistic expecting everything to be
centered, so I¡¯ll accept the imperfections.? It¡¯s good enough
for my limited needs.
?
I
thank everyone for their help, particularly Brian Valente.
?
I
wish everyone clear skies, and a good night.
?
Mark
de REgt
?
?
I
went through all of the suggestions made, and collected those that seemed might
possibly be connected to my problem.? Then I implemented them.
?
Last
night was a test.
?
I
carefully determined the CWD position. ?Although, to be honest, there is
absolutely no way I know of to know when the counterweight bar really is
pointing as down as it can, since a bubble level depends on catching exactly
the right part of the curve, and not moving it at all.? But I also
understand that that matters only for the first slew.
?
I
slowed the speed at which the mount slews, to lessen the probability that
anything skips with the sudden torque.
?
I
did a careful polar alignment with PoleMaster.
?
I made
sure that time, date, and place were all very accurate.
?
I
deleted any existing model.
?
I
sent the mount to Altair.? It missed by a fair amount.? I decided
that maybe I should only ¡°center¡± using ¡°center¡± or
¡°guide,¡± not ¡°move¡± or ¡°slew,¡± so it took a
while to center Altair.? After carefully centering Altair on my
illuminated-crosshair eyepiece, I selected ¡°Menu,¡± then
¡°Align,¡± then ¡°synchronize.¡±
?
I
told it to go to Vega.? It was almost perfectly centered.? I
centered, synced, then told it to go to Deneb.
?
It
was perfectly centered.
?
The
west side of my sky is pretty much destroyed with Seattle sky glow and trees.? So I
decided to play on the east side, to see how it worked,?
It worked very well!? Everything I told it to go to was reasonably well
centered.
?
Then
I told it to go to Mizar, very much on the west side, but easy to see.
?
It
missed by a lot.? I centered it, and synced.
?
I
told it to go back to Deneb.? It was on the eyepiece (17mm Nagler Type 4,
on a Celestron 11¡± EdgeHD), but quite far off center.? I centered
and synced.? Told it to go to M27.? It was centered pretty
well,? I told it to go back to Mizar, and it barely was on the eyepiece.
?
And
so the night went.? I found no way to get it to converge on a model that
got everything reasonably close to the center of the eyepiece (I wouldn¡¯t
care so much, except that it¡¯s a royal PITA to center anything, to me, on
a GEM, since I have no idea which of the four buttons to hit at any time to get
it to move in any particular direction).
?
It
was somewhat promising, in that it always got the target on the (very, very
wide) eyepiece, but it is far, far from perfect.
?
Mark
|
Re: Usability Question--Update #2
Going
to the west side, I told it to go to Mizar.? It was not very close (not on
the finder, but it was on the Telrad).? I centered, clicked
Menu>Align>Alignment.? And declared victory for the modeling.
***
Now
that you can do it, go back to the instructions or videos or whatever and build
a *better* model.. You put 4 stars into the East Model, but only one into the
West..
But..
YEAH! WOOO HOOO! :-))
Derek
?
?
?
We
had a clear night tonight, with no wind or moon.? So out I went again.
?
After
polar aligning with Polemaster (probably not necessary, since the tripod
hadn¡¯t moved, but good practice), I turned off the hand controller, put
it in CWD position, then did a cold start.?
?
I
told it to go to Altair (east side); it wasn¡¯t on the finder scope, but
it wasn¡¯t too bad.? I centered, and clicked
Menu>Align>Alignment.? I then told it to go to Deneb.? It
wasn¡¯t far off center on the illuminated reticle eyepiece; I centered,
and clicked Menu>Align>Alignment.? I told it to go to Vega, and repeated
the process (it was very close to center).? Finally, I did Alberio (I like
Alberio, so I¡¯ll use any excuse to look at it).? It also was close
to centered.
?
Going
to the west side, I told it to go to Mizar.? It was not very close (not on
the finder, but it was on the Telrad).? I centered, clicked
Menu>Align>Alignment.? And declared victory for the modeling.
?
I
substituted a 26mm Nagler Type 5 as my eyepiece, and told it to go to M27 (east
side).? It was pretty well centered.? Repeated for a number of east
side targets, all with good success.? Told it to go to M81 (west side); it
wasn¡¯t so well centered, but it was on the eyepiece.? Told it to go
to M31 (east side); it was at the very edge of the field of the 26mm
Nagler.? Told it to go to M57, and it was reasonably well centered.
?
I
think that this probably is as good as it gets.? I¡¯ve heard all the
people saying that I¡¯m too optimistic expecting everything to be
centered, so I¡¯ll accept the imperfections.? It¡¯s good enough
for my limited needs.
?
I
thank everyone for their help, particularly Brian Valente.
?
I
wish everyone clear skies, and a good night.
?
Mark
de REgt
?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
From: [email protected]
< [email protected]> On Behalf Of
Mark de Regt via groups.io
Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2022
8:58 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Losmandy_users_io]
Usability Question--Update
?
I
went through all of the suggestions made, and collected those that seemed might
possibly be connected to my problem.? Then I implemented them.
?
Last
night was a test.
?
I
carefully determined the CWD position. ?Although, to be honest, there is
absolutely no way I know of to know when the counterweight bar really is
pointing as down as it can, since a bubble level depends on catching exactly
the right part of the curve, and not moving it at all.? But I also
understand that that matters only for the first slew.
?
I
slowed the speed at which the mount slews, to lessen the probability that
anything skips with the sudden torque.
?
I
did a careful polar alignment with PoleMaster.
?
I
made sure that time, date, and place were all very accurate.
?
I
deleted any existing model.
?
I
sent the mount to Altair.? It missed by a fair amount.? I decided
that maybe I should only ¡°center¡± using ¡°center¡± or
¡°guide,¡± not ¡°move¡± or ¡°slew,¡± so it took a
while to center Altair.? After carefully centering Altair on my
illuminated-crosshair eyepiece, I selected ¡°Menu,¡± then
¡°Align,¡± then ¡°synchronize.¡±
?
I
told it to go to Vega.? It was almost perfectly centered.? I
centered, synced, then told it to go to Deneb.
?
It
was perfectly centered.
?
The
west side of my sky is pretty much destroyed with Seattle sky glow and trees.? So I
decided to play on the east side, to see how it worked,?
It worked very well!? Everything I told it to go to was reasonably well
centered.
?
Then
I told it to go to Mizar, very much on the west side, but easy to see.
?
It
missed by a lot.? I centered it, and synced.
?
I
told it to go back to Deneb.? It was on the eyepiece (17mm Nagler Type 4,
on a Celestron 11¡± EdgeHD), but quite far off center.? I centered
and synced.? Told it to go to M27.? It was centered pretty
well,? I told it to go back to Mizar, and it barely was on the eyepiece.
?
And
so the night went.? I found no way to get it to converge on a model that
got everything reasonably close to the center of the eyepiece (I wouldn¡¯t
care so much, except that it¡¯s a royal PITA to center anything, to me, on
a GEM, since I have no idea which of the four buttons to hit at any time to get
it to move in any particular direction).
?
It
was somewhat promising, in that it always got the target on the (very, very
wide) eyepiece, but it is far, far from perfect.
?
Mark
|
Re: Usability Question--Update #2
Hi Mark,
Sounds like you're making progress! The thing about Gemini model is that it can take into account additional variables, like axis non-perpendicularity or even mirror flop, if you add a few more stars to the model. 5-8 stars might be enough to help center the object even better, but it is a tradeoff in time it takes to get started vs. time you spend later trying to find/center the objects. Your decision, ultimately, but you may want to at least try more than three stars, to see if it helps.
Regards,
? ?-Paul
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Tue, Aug 23, 2022 at 01:47 AM, Mark de Regt wrote:
We had a clear night tonight, with no wind or moon.? So out I went again.
?
After polar aligning with Polemaster (probably not necessary, since the tripod hadn¡¯t moved, but good practice), I turned off the hand controller, put it in CWD position, then did a cold start.?
?
I told it to go to Altair (east side); it wasn¡¯t on the finder scope, but it wasn¡¯t too bad.? I centered, and clicked Menu>Align>Alignment.? I then told it to go to Deneb.? It wasn¡¯t far off center on the illuminated reticle eyepiece; I centered, and clicked Menu>Align>Alignment.? I told it to go to Vega, and repeated the process (it was very close to center).? Finally, I did Alberio (I like Alberio, so I¡¯ll use any excuse to look at it).? It also was close to centered.
?
Going to the west side, I told it to go to Mizar.? It was not very close (not on the finder, but it was on the Telrad).? I centered, clicked Menu>Align>Alignment.? And declared victory for the modeling.
?
I substituted a 26mm Nagler Type 5 as my eyepiece, and told it to go to M27 (east side).? It was pretty well centered.? Repeated for a number of east side targets, all with good success.? Told it to go to M81 (west side); it wasn¡¯t so well centered, but it was on the eyepiece.? Told it to go to M31 (east side); it was at the very edge of the field of the 26mm Nagler.? Told it to go to M57, and it was reasonably well centered.
?
I think that this probably is as good as it gets.? I¡¯ve heard all the people saying that I¡¯m too optimistic expecting everything to be centered, so I¡¯ll accept the imperfections.? It¡¯s good enough for my limited needs.
?
I thank everyone for their help, particularly Brian Valente.
?
I wish everyone clear skies, and a good night.
?
Mark de REgt
?
?
I went through all of the suggestions made, and collected those that seemed might possibly be connected to my problem.? Then I implemented them.
?
Last night was a test.
?
I carefully determined the CWD position. ?Although, to be honest, there is absolutely no way I know of to know when the counterweight bar really is pointing as down as it can, since a bubble level depends on catching exactly the right part of the curve, and not moving it at all.? But I also understand that that matters only for the first slew.
?
I slowed the speed at which the mount slews, to lessen the probability that anything skips with the sudden torque.
?
I did a careful polar alignment with PoleMaster.
?
I made sure that time, date, and place were all very accurate.
?
I deleted any existing model.
?
I sent the mount to Altair.? It missed by a fair amount.? I decided that maybe I should only ¡°center¡± using ¡°center¡± or ¡°guide,¡± not ¡°move¡± or ¡°slew,¡± so it took a while to center Altair.? After carefully centering Altair on my illuminated-crosshair eyepiece, I selected ¡°Menu,¡± then ¡°Align,¡± then ¡°synchronize.¡±
?
I told it to go to Vega.? It was almost perfectly centered.? I centered, synced, then told it to go to Deneb.
?
It was perfectly centered.
?
The west side of my sky is pretty much destroyed with Seattle sky glow and trees.? So I decided to play on the east side, to see how it worked,?
It worked very well!? Everything I told it to go to was reasonably well centered.
?
Then I told it to go to Mizar, very much on the west side, but easy to see.
?
It missed by a lot.? I centered it, and synced.
?
I told it to go back to Deneb.? It was on the eyepiece (17mm Nagler Type 4, on a Celestron 11¡± EdgeHD), but quite far off center.? I centered and synced.? Told it to go to M27.? It was centered pretty well,? I told it to go back to Mizar, and it barely was on the eyepiece.
?
And so the night went.? I found no way to get it to converge on a model that got everything reasonably close to the center of the eyepiece (I wouldn¡¯t care so much, except that it¡¯s a royal PITA to center anything, to me, on a GEM, since I have no idea which of the four buttons to hit at any time to get it to move in any particular direction).
?
It was somewhat promising, in that it always got the target on the (very, very wide) eyepiece, but it is far, far from perfect.
?
Mark
|
Re: Usability Question--Update #2
Very good, Mark,...that you got back to useability.??
There can be also good value to dig into why the pointing may be imperfect, if you now, having built a Model using your Gemini:
Look at the model parameters, which the Gemini calculated.? The largest values are going to tell you the largest "errors" from a perfectly polar aligned, zero cone angle, zero counterweight shaft bending perfect telescope and perfect mount.
If you were to boot up your Gemini using Warm.Boot, this reads back into the active memory the last set of Model parameters that were stored in the Gemini long term memory.?
(If you Cold Boot, you erase all those Model parameters back to all zeros...so don't Cold Boot until you write down the prior calculated values on paper!.)
Connect your Gemini to a PC, and use the ASCOM Gemini.net applet, go to its Advanced panel, press the bottom right area "From Gemini" (to the PC that is) and look for the "rolled up" section "Model parameters".??
Write down those numbers. If they are all zero, then your Model data is erased...that happens if you press "Cold Boot" when you boot up your Gemini unit.
These are the factors that Rene Goerlich designed into the Gemini mount modeling software.? They are a key to understanding if your polar alignment is off, if you have cone angle in your dovetail mounting, etc.??
A nice description of these error factors is in the Gemini-1 user manual, on which the Gemini-2 was also built.??
Mark.Crossley also has a description of these Model factors known his very useful website ?
Mark gives good information about the AZimuth and Elevation errors in the Gemini model of its polar alignment corrections:
Page 39 of the Gemini1 manual, which you can download, lists the factors shown in the photo attached.??
Ideally you want these values near zero.? See what story your values tell you about your mount system.
One more thing...if you make a model, then you adjust the mount...say you raise the Elevation or rotate the AZimuth, then the model is no longer correct.? You should then park at CWD and reboot with a Cold Boot.
And if your Gemini.net has its checkboxes to "reload model at connect" then your PC can overwrite the model you may have made with just the handset.? These checkboxes can be handy and useful, or cause you trouble.? Be careful with them.??
Best regards, Michael
On Mon, Aug 22, 2022, 10:47 PM Mark de Regt < deregt@...> wrote: We had a clear night tonight, with no wind or moon.? So out I went again. ? After polar aligning with Polemaster (probably not necessary, since the tripod hadn¡¯t moved, but good practice), I turned off the hand controller, put it in CWD position, then did a cold start.? ? I told it to go to Altair (east side); it wasn¡¯t on the finder scope, but it wasn¡¯t too bad.? I centered, and clicked Menu>Align>Alignment.? I then told it to go to Deneb.? It wasn¡¯t far off center on the illuminated reticle eyepiece; I centered, and clicked Menu>Align>Alignment.? I told it to go to Vega, and repeated the process (it was very close to center).? Finally, I did Alberio (I like Alberio, so I¡¯ll use any excuse to look at it).? It also was close to centered. ? Going to the west side, I told it to go to Mizar.? It was not very close (not on the finder, but it was on the Telrad).? I centered, clicked Menu>Align>Alignment.? And declared victory for the modeling. ? I substituted a 26mm Nagler Type 5 as my eyepiece, and told it to go to M27 (east side).? It was pretty well centered.? Repeated for a number of east side targets, all with good success.? Told it to go to M81 (west side); it wasn¡¯t so well centered, but it was on the eyepiece.? Told it to go to M31 (east side); it was at the very edge of the field of the 26mm Nagler.? Told it to go to M57, and it was reasonably well centered. ? I think that this probably is as good as it gets.? I¡¯ve heard all the people saying that I¡¯m too optimistic expecting everything to be centered, so I¡¯ll accept the imperfections.? It¡¯s good enough for my limited needs. ? I thank everyone for their help, particularly Brian Valente. ? I wish everyone clear skies, and a good night. ? Mark de REgt ? ? I went through all of the suggestions made, and collected those that seemed might possibly be connected to my problem.? Then I implemented them. ? Last night was a test. ? I carefully determined the CWD position.? Although, to be honest, there is absolutely no way I know of to know when the counterweight bar really is pointing as down as it can, since a bubble level depends on catching exactly the right part of the curve, and not moving it at all.? But I also understand that that matters only for the first slew. ? I slowed the speed at which the mount slews, to lessen the probability that anything skips with the sudden torque. ? I did a careful polar alignment with PoleMaster. ? I made sure that time, date, and place were all very accurate. ? I deleted any existing model. ? I sent the mount to Altair.? It missed by a fair amount.? I decided that maybe I should only ¡°center¡± using ¡°center¡± or ¡°guide,¡± not ¡°move¡± or ¡°slew,¡± so it took a while to center Altair.? After carefully centering Altair on my illuminated-crosshair eyepiece, I selected ¡°Menu,¡± then ¡°Align,¡± then ¡°synchronize.¡± ? I told it to go to Vega.? It was almost perfectly centered.? I centered, synced, then told it to go to Deneb. ? It was perfectly centered. ? The west side of my sky is pretty much destroyed with Seattle sky glow and trees.? So I decided to play on the east side, to see how it worked,?
It worked very well!? Everything I told it to go to was reasonably well centered. ? Then I told it to go to Mizar, very much on the west side, but easy to see. ? It missed by a lot.? I centered it, and synced. ? I told it to go back to Deneb.? It was on the eyepiece (17mm Nagler Type 4, on a Celestron 11¡± EdgeHD), but quite far off center.? I centered and synced.? Told it to go to M27.? It was centered pretty well,? I told it to go back to Mizar, and it barely was on the eyepiece. ? And so the night went.? I found no way to get it to converge on a model that got everything reasonably close to the center of the eyepiece (I wouldn¡¯t care so much, except that it¡¯s a royal PITA to center anything, to me, on a GEM, since I have no idea which of the four buttons to hit at any time to get it to move in any particular direction). ? It was somewhat promising, in that it always got the target on the (very, very wide) eyepiece, but it is far, far from perfect. ? Mark
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Re: Usability Question--Update #2
We had a clear night tonight, with no wind or moon.? So out I went again. ? After polar aligning with Polemaster (probably not necessary, since the tripod hadn¡¯t moved, but good practice), I turned off the hand controller, put it in CWD position, then did a cold start.? ? I told it to go to Altair (east side); it wasn¡¯t on the finder scope, but it wasn¡¯t too bad.? I centered, and clicked Menu>Align>Alignment.? I then told it to go to Deneb.? It wasn¡¯t far off center on the illuminated reticle eyepiece; I centered, and clicked Menu>Align>Alignment.? I told it to go to Vega, and repeated the process (it was very close to center).? Finally, I did Alberio (I like Alberio, so I¡¯ll use any excuse to look at it).? It also was close to centered. ? Going to the west side, I told it to go to Mizar.? It was not very close (not on the finder, but it was on the Telrad).? I centered, clicked Menu>Align>Alignment.? And declared victory for the modeling. ? I substituted a 26mm Nagler Type 5 as my eyepiece, and told it to go to M27 (east side).? It was pretty well centered.? Repeated for a number of east side targets, all with good success.? Told it to go to M81 (west side); it wasn¡¯t so well centered, but it was on the eyepiece.? Told it to go to M31 (east side); it was at the very edge of the field of the 26mm Nagler.? Told it to go to M57, and it was reasonably well centered. ? I think that this probably is as good as it gets.? I¡¯ve heard all the people saying that I¡¯m too optimistic expecting everything to be centered, so I¡¯ll accept the imperfections.? It¡¯s good enough for my limited needs. ? I thank everyone for their help, particularly Brian Valente. ? I wish everyone clear skies, and a good night. ? Mark de REgt ?
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From: [email protected] < [email protected]> On Behalf Of Mark de Regt via groups.io Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2022 8:58 AM To: [email protected]Subject: [Losmandy_users_io] Usability Question--Update ? I went through all of the suggestions made, and collected those that seemed might possibly be connected to my problem.? Then I implemented them. ? Last night was a test. ? I carefully determined the CWD position. ?Although, to be honest, there is absolutely no way I know of to know when the counterweight bar really is pointing as down as it can, since a bubble level depends on catching exactly the right part of the curve, and not moving it at all.? But I also understand that that matters only for the first slew. ? I slowed the speed at which the mount slews, to lessen the probability that anything skips with the sudden torque. ? I did a careful polar alignment with PoleMaster. ? I made sure that time, date, and place were all very accurate. ? I deleted any existing model. ? I sent the mount to Altair.? It missed by a fair amount.? I decided that maybe I should only ¡°center¡± using ¡°center¡± or ¡°guide,¡± not ¡°move¡± or ¡°slew,¡± so it took a while to center Altair.? After carefully centering Altair on my illuminated-crosshair eyepiece, I selected ¡°Menu,¡± then ¡°Align,¡± then ¡°synchronize.¡± ? I told it to go to Vega.? It was almost perfectly centered.? I centered, synced, then told it to go to Deneb. ? It was perfectly centered. ? The west side of my sky is pretty much destroyed with Seattle sky glow and trees.? So I decided to play on the east side, to see how it worked,?
It worked very well!? Everything I told it to go to was reasonably well centered. ? Then I told it to go to Mizar, very much on the west side, but easy to see. ? It missed by a lot.? I centered it, and synced. ? I told it to go back to Deneb.? It was on the eyepiece (17mm Nagler Type 4, on a Celestron 11¡± EdgeHD), but quite far off center.? I centered and synced.? Told it to go to M27.? It was centered pretty well,? I told it to go back to Mizar, and it barely was on the eyepiece. ? And so the night went.? I found no way to get it to converge on a model that got everything reasonably close to the center of the eyepiece (I wouldn¡¯t care so much, except that it¡¯s a royal PITA to center anything, to me, on a GEM, since I have no idea which of the four buttons to hit at any time to get it to move in any particular direction). ? It was somewhat promising, in that it always got the target on the (very, very wide) eyepiece, but it is far, far from perfect. ? Mark
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Re: Bubbly Detail: NGC 7365
Peter that's a spectcular image, thanks for sharing!? 30 hours integration, a lot of work but it really paid off.? No better way to conclude a discussion than obtaining results like these.? Well done.
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Re: Any one using an ST-i for guider with Losmandy G2 conversation
The says:
GUIDE PORT: This is where you connect the supplied 6 conductor modular phone style cable to the Autoguider (sometimes labeled "CCD") input port on your mount when using the ST-i as an autoguider, or when using Track & Accumulate with mount corrections (see the CCDOPS Manual for details of this mode
USB and POWER: Attach the 15-foot USB cable to any USB port on your computer AFTER you have installed the drivers and software for the ST-i. The USB port also provides power to the camera.
Appendix A ¨C Connector and Cables
Telescope Jack
The Telescope Jack is used to provide tracking signals to the tele- scope drive. Viewed from outside the camera, looking in, it has the following pin-out:
The Left, Down, Up and Right signals are driven from optically isolated photo transistors that conduct when telescope movement is desired. They can sink up to 25ma and can hold off up to 25V. If what you are plugging into is voltage based you¡¯ll need an external pull-up resistor. The Common signal is connected to the common on the four photo- transistors.
This appears to be the so-called ST-4 standard.
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Gearbox replacement instructions for G11+OPWB
Hello all,
I need to repair/replace the RA gearbox on my G11 with OPWB?and Maxxon?motors. Looking up instructions, I can see that this is relatively simple for standard worm/block with worm gear cover. However, with the high precision worm and OPWB, I do not see a removable cover.
Is there a set of instructions for this? Ideally, I wouldn't want worm adjustment to change because the mount has performed really well.
Regards Hemant
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Re: Problem controlling GM811G with latest ASIAIR Plus
I'd love to see the logs, but ASIAIR requires internet access since the only way to get at the logs is to email them. If you're imaging in the field using the internal ASIAIR wifi, you're out of luck. The only way to get at the logs is to use the app in station mode, which requires access to a wifi router. Who among the ?ASIAIR developers thought that was a good idea????
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The iconic bubble nebula is 7 light-years across and 7,100 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cassiopeia. I've tried to capture the percussion effect in this image, in the waves of radiating ionized gases. Much of the outer fillermentry details are in the Sii signal, so I put particular emphasis on this in my integration. Total integration time is just under 30 hrs using an 12" F3.9 truss Newtonian, captured with an ASI 294MM Pro camera using Chroma 3nm narrowband filters. Shot over multiple nights starting with a full.moon. The moon was never not present.. 109 x 400s Sii, 96 x 400s Oiii, and 60 Ha x 4000s subs. Processed using Pixinsight. Bortle 5 sky. Modified Losmandy mount running Onstep.? The left and top outer edges of the frame are lighter due to camera rotation during an emergency service of the image train, but I really did not want to crop it out as it would I think upset the balance of the image.
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Peter
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Chip Louie
Paul Kanevsky
Michael Herman