From: "milton_aupperle" <milton@outcastsoft.com>

Date: August 30, 2010 1:35:40 PM MDT

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Re: guiding last night...

Hi Mark;

Yes it does.

The HEQ5 / HEQ6 requires 2 amps at 12 volts when slewing and less than that when guiding. The CGE Pro uses 2.5 amps at 12 volts when slewing and supposedly half that amount when guiding.

So if your "stingy" with the high speed slewing, you can probably go say 5 hours with your tank.

Be very careful towards the end because once the amps start dropping off, behavior of mounts becomes really "odd".

HTH..

Milton Aupperle

--- In Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com, Mark Gaffney <markgaffney@...> wrote:

My father tells me 7AH should be 1 amp for 7 hours..I`m guessing the  

power is used at a greater rate when slewing than just tracking...

Mark.

On 30/08/2010, at 12:20 PM, Mark Gaffney wrote:

Hi Milton,

The settings for Azm & Dec, both positive & negative were all at  

noughts so I`ve left them there.

You`re right there was some play in the mount afterwards. It was a  

rocking of the mount on the tripod in both directions but this was  

easily fixed by doing up the mounting knob underneath a little more  

tightly.

I should get 7 hours of use out of my 7AH Celestron Battery tank  

isn`t this right fully charged? It seems to give out after 1 & 1/2  

to 2 hours powering my dew strap.

I should be ordering a new AC-12 volt adapter on Wednesday. I`ve  

heard from York Optical to say they have the 240 volt Australian one  

for $25 + $12 postage..

I`ll get out tonight hopefully & try the slew test with the HC on a  

star & perhaps do another 4 star (at least) alignment then Hibernate  

the mount. I`ll have to look at my Planetarium apps to see when it`s  

best to do these.

With the HC I haven`t noticed that start & stop times are  

particularly difficult. I usually use a speed of 7 when doing all  

but finest adjustments with the direction buttons. 6 is usually a  

little to slow to get where you`re going..

The mount has never been altered with respect to backlash before.. 

(it`s still pretty much "out of the box" though about 6 years old  

now..)

Thanks for the help..!

Mark.

On 30/08/2010, at 8:28 AM, milton_aupperle wrote:

Hi Mark;

After zeroing the internal backlash with the Hand Controller, I'm  

pretty sure your going to find out the mount is loose on the RA and  

probably Dec axis.

You can see if the mount is got slop just with your hand by rocking  

the scope gently back and forth on both axis. If you can feel the  

scope shifting, then you will have backlash.

To measure it visually, all you need to do is put a camera or an  

eyepiece on the scope (prime focus is best with the C 9.25 at 2350  

mm), center it on a bright star and then use the hand controller  

Left / Right or Up / Down buttons. Press a button and count how  

long it takes for the object to start moving. Then release the  

button and see if it keeps moving after being released. The  

Reticule in Astro IIDC works really well for checking this.

If the mount is perfectly in synch with no backlash it starts when  

you press and stops when you release, no delay at all. If there is  

any delay in either case, then you have backlash.

I've also done that test in daylight if you have a distant object  

say 500 m to 1+ kilometers away. You just turn of the sidereal  

tracking and move the scope with the hand controller. Things should  

stop / starts immediately - just as I described before.

HTH..

PS: Also check to make sure that Periodic Error correction is not  

being performed and is off by default.

Milton Aupperle

--- In Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com, Mark Gaffney <markgaffney@>  

wrote:

Milton,

Attached is the backlash adjustment section from my Manual (It`s  

for a

C9.25 SGT scope, which mine is effectively with the C9.25 OTA &  

CG-5

mount..)

I`ll try tomorrow, weather permitting to set these backlash  

settings

to zero as you suggest..

As for testing whether this has any effect we`ll see..

Mark.

On 30/08/2010, at 3:44 AM, milton_aupperle wrote:

Mark;

--- In Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com, Mark Gaffney <markgaffney@>

wrote:

Milton,

Some of those fluctuations in the guiding graph may be  

accounted for

by my turning on the desklamp I have at the site so I can add

items to

& from the scope without balancing a torch in one hand.

I seriously doubt that has any affect unless the light is  

pointing

in the guide scope.

The

callibrations were done in the dark though (I`m pretty  

sure..?).

Would the settings you described for your 1100 mm FL (with an  

f6.3

reducer I presume) be OK..i.e. 7 seconds for start time & min

distances of 25 for RA & 20 for Dec..? Or should I be trying

something

a little different?

I can tell you all the settings in the world mark, but it will  

not

make a bit of difference. You have mechanical issues with the  

mount

and nothing will fix that until you resolve them.

You`ve got to realise I`m yet to familiarise myself with the

significance of the figures in the log..! These pixel distances

etc.,

measurements, I take it are how far Astro IIDC is moving the  

mount

when guiding..

Read the previous message I sent about the Log results wher eI

describe in detail what they measn.

I may try to adjust the backlash settings on the HC & mount  

using

power from my battery tank (it`s not much chop running for long

times

though, especially running just a dew strap which I usually  

use it

for)..

My readings for the FL etc. of the Kwiq & the Scorpion  

combination,

seem to tally with yours..as far as I can see..?!

Why not read what I wrote and think about it. Both the last  

message

and the other one described in detail how to interpret the

calibration log and what it is telling you.

Your ignoring the actual problem that your mount is  

mechanically out

of whack. Until you solve that problem, which is screwing up not

only the guiding but your GOTO repeatability, your wasting your  

time

imaging DSO's.

Best of luck..

Milton Aupperle