Awaiting my ioptron mini tower pro

[ajohnw]

You've got me at it again Jeremy. Any opinions if some one has tried to use gear like this welcome.

Alignment, tricky where I am at home - Celestron SkyScout - Polar alignment scope
Drive AtroTrac tracking mount.
"Go To" - Celestron SkyScout.

I have noticed that the Ioptron mini towers also have an equatorial drive mode but can't find any information on it being used like that - other than many many photo's but no indications of if it breaks them. If it's counterbalanced correctly hard to see why it would.

Late edit. The more I look into it a ZEQ25GT seems to be the best option.

John
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[ajohnw]

I think I have made my mind up and will be getting one of these

http://www.green-witch.com/ioptron-zeq25-1186-p.asp

The excuse will be rationalising what I have as it stands a chance of carrying all the scopes I own. Maybe even my 10in SCT.

John
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[HaseebM]

Its an excellent EQ Mount but the max payload I could use on this one was 17 lbs without vibration though the one I used had 1.5" legs. Perhaps the 2" will hold 27 lbs better. Other than this, aligning the mount is simple once you get used to and tracking is good.

[ajohnw]

My experiences suggest that the tripod is usually the problem. There is a video on youtube showing it slewing 30lbs odd but the person who posted it also posts info on "tuning" them. Seems he even strips the planetary gearbox and relubes that as well.

I have a couple of alternatives. An old Vixen GPDX pier and also the same sort of thing that was fitted to Meade's 10in "cardboard" aka sonotube tubed newtonian but the tube would need extending on that one. Also the tripod off the SCT or the Meade APO.

For visual use I have never really had any problems aligning. I just set according to latitude as well as I can, same time and then swing the whole lot round to correct drift, trimming up with the fine adjuster if the set up has one. Locating alignment stars can be more of a problem. Photography is not something I have really tried but I suspect fogging from the sky limits exposure time.

The only thing I am not keen on is that it can't be used in alt az mode. That mode isn't in the hand controller. I might try an email to see if they will fix that. Skywatcher did but the other way round alt az to equatorial. I just mentioned it on a forum and the next upgrade had both.

Levelling is no fun on a tripod but I could make something to fix that, also to get round the counterweight fouling the tripod in alt az mode if it becomes available.

The other odd thing is that it forgets PEC and needing an autoguider to set it ???? Suppose some one could borrow one for the early part of a night.

One thing for sure the weight would encourage me to use it more often.

I looked at the minitowers as well but feel I would miss equatorial. Some of these have had both modes in the hand controller but looking at the internal construction using a wedge with it would concern me. They have beefed up one of the worm carriers but I feel it's hard to be sure all would be ok tilted as that one would be moving more load - uphill and downhill.

John
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[JR1]

My experiences suggest that the tripod is usually the problem. There is a video on youtube showing it slewing 30lbs odd but the person who posted it also posts info on "tuning" them. Seems he even strips the planetary gearbox and relubes that as well.

I have a couple of alternatives. An old Vixen GPDX pier and also the same sort of thing that was fitted to Meade's 10in "cardboard" aka sonotube tubed newtonian but the tube would need extending on that one. Also the tripod off the SCT or the Meade APO.

For visual use I have never really had any problems aligning. I just set according to latitude as well as I can, same time and then swing the whole lot round to correct drift, trimming up with the fine adjuster if the set up has one. Locating alignment stars can be more of a problem. Photography is not something I have really tried but I suspect fogging from the sky limits exposure time.

The only thing I am not keen on is that it can't be used in alt az mode. That mode isn't in the hand controller. I might try an email to see if they will fix that. Skywatcher did but the other way round alt az to equatorial. I just mentioned it on a forum and the next upgrade had both.

Levelling is no fun on a tripod but I could make something to fix that, also to get round the counterweight fouling the tripod in alt az mode if it becomes available.

The other odd thing is that it forgets PEC and needing an autoguider to set it ???? Suppose some one could borrow one for the early part of a night.

One thing for sure the weight would encourage me to use it more often.

I looked at the minitowers as well but feel I would miss equatorial. Some of these have had both modes in the hand controller but looking at the internal construction using a wedge with it would concern me. They have beefed up one of the worm carriers but I feel it's hard to be sure all would be ok tilted as that one would be moving more load - uphill and downhill.

John
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When it comes can you post some images please

[ajohnw]

Not ordered yet Jeremy. Should be after Xmas but can do.

John
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[JR1]

Not ordered yet Jeremy. Should be after Xmas but can do.

John
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would be nice to see it scope mounted

[ajohnw]

I should have the stuff about to mount a 110 meg rez on it at least. The tube on that is said to be just under 5Kg but I have my doubts Adding the other bits and bobs puts it well over that.

I do have a rail for the 10in SCT but it needs adapting. It's of a carbon fibre C11 that arrived from Italy a couple of Xmas's ago - complete with a broken corrector. I was strung along plus the Xmas break and found it too late to raise a paypal dispute. A lesson to learn. No matter how helpful a seller may be start a dispute immediately or shortly after a problem has been found. Unfortunately this model has to go back to the USA for repair.

John
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[HaseebM]

The video is made by Paul Chasse, one of my online buddies and that was more of a trial. I too had mounted a 150mm iOptron MAK along with finderscope, 2" diagonal and eyepiece and the mount slewed fine but there were lots of vibrations and dampening on 1.5" can be irritating. Your suggestion to try a different tripod may work as the Mount head is sturdy ( though I experience the mount turns on its own before the screws are tightened or rather balancing is a bit tedious ), but for lighter scopes this is a wonderful mount, very light, easy to set up and takes only five minutes. I made a video as well under ZEQ25GT.

For exposures up to 4 - 5 minutes I wouldn't bother with an autoguider and in my case due to heavy light pollution, I cannot go beyond 2 minutes in any case. For me the best Mount remains the CG-5 and Celestron have released an advanced version called AVX, however this is almost double the weight of the ZEQ25.

Here are two images of ZEQ25GT, one with MAK 150 and another with WO 71 Zenithstar.

[ajohnw]

I haven't any photo's of any of my set ups. Found this one on the web LXD-650 and 127mm F9 APO Scope and head weighs 50lb according to Meade and bits at that end another 10.



It's surprisingly stable compared with others I have used even with a long refractor on it. They also did the LXD-750 for the 6 and 7in models. Both reworked slightly by AstroPhysics plus different software. The main change seems to have been lapping the worm wheels.

The other one is the Vixen GP DX. Official rating 10kg but prior to adding goto people used to mount some rather heavy scopes on these. They use stepping motors and the noise is awful. Bronze worms and wheels.



Things have advanced in some ways at a cost. Absolute encoders directly on the shafts. All sorts of sizes available at a cost including this one with or without them.

http://www.optcorp.com/astro-physics...-encoders.html

I actually looked at the cost of the encoders - pretty horrific even for a DIY conversion. The scopes can be slewed by hand as quickly as you like and positioning isn't lost. Plus pretty fantastic tracking errors.

John
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I'll add a link to another except I have the 10in. All they seemed to do on this mount was shorten the tube as the scope size went up. Makes me wonder about advances at times - power - a few batteries. They also did a goto for it but I never managed to get my hands on one.

http://www.opticsplanet.com/meade-st...telescope.html

It's in bits as they clearly made a mistake on the 2ndry holder. I need to find time to fix it.

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[HaseebM]

The LXD looks almost like the AVX. Isn't the LXD also an Alt / Az? I hope Meade has sorted out their production issues. Nice set ups though.

[JR1]

I won't try mounting my Orion Optics scope on my mini tower pro though

[ajohnw]

The LXD head weighs 12.5kg less the counterweight which puts it between the EQ5 and EQ6. The LXD-750 is probably heavier than the EQ6. Both LXD's make good use of box sections. Material in the right place for strength. Bit like tubes against solid bars. A tube can be lighter and stronger than a bar for a relatively small increase in diameter. Both heads are well regarded by older Astrophysics users even though most of them have moved on. The usual comment is that is a good head but the 750 is even better. It doesn't have an alt az mode that I am aware of.

The scope itself is perfect but has a classical refractor problem that is sometimes mentioned in older books. At very low declinations stars have a slight pink touch to them. I think this is down to the cell. Adjustable and it doesn't hold the elements firmly to avoid pinching them so they can move very very slightly. The books usually put it down to atmospheric refraction. Pass could be either really.

I'm 6ft 3in and have no problems at all using the kit at a decent height tripod more or less fully extended. I'd say it's better than their SCT fork mounts which are pretty good. Those tend to be better as the size goes up. When I see SCT's on German mounts that can scarcely carry them on a stupidly narrow rail I just think fashion is not always a sensible thing. I suspect the same applies to LXD heads. They don't look right any more.

John
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[ajohnw]

If you are interested in sitting in the warm Jeremy this might be of interest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt4Gb3Yfh9g

The "other half" of the software in on indi.org. I believe this stuff can be run on windows too.

Talk about automation. It's interesting to compare with visual use with many mounts. Rough alignment via a compass. 2 or 3 star alignment and other alignment refinement on any object slewed to on some mounts. Then autoguiding if photo's are to be taken.

My mount is on order. It looks like I should have phoned to check stock. I expected an email if that was a problem. Nothing off Altar Astro at all. I could have had it delivered from the USA by now.

Whoops forgot another piece of software that is useful in it's own right.

https://edu.kde.org/kstars/

John
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[HaseebM]

Isn't Altar Astro participating in an exhibition in London?

[ajohnw]

Isn't Altar Astro participating in an exhibition in London?

Don't thinks so it was a 2 day conference, last Friday and Saturday.

John
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[HaseebM]

Don't thinks so it was a 2 day conference, last Friday and Saturday.

John
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I received an invite from iOptron to attend their stand on FB and meet two of their reps.

[ajohnw]

FB ???????

John
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[HaseebM]

FB ???????

John
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You obviously not heard of facebook.

[ajohnw]

TA M8.

John
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