I need to vent...

[Baskevo]

So, while I am still experiencing some gnarly guiding with my 3rd EQ6-R Pro mount, I decided to mess with the settings... However, I have been setting everything up with a new laptop and a new USB-C External hard drive, I accidentally deleted 2 nights worth of data T.T I am so mad at myself. When my pictures weren't being saved to the hard drive, I tried to set up the software for the hard drive and accidentally reformatted the whole thing...

I also set up PEC in EQMod, and am using it with PHD2's PPEC, which I think is giving me some better guiding, but I'm definitely getting some gnarly backlash, especially when I'm dithering in both axes. RMS error was reaching to 1.9" during an image, and the stars look horrible, because it wouldn't recover from a dither. I really hope that it has to do with my guide scope and setup, because I really don't want to have to open the mount (I'm terrible with stuff like that, but I will if I have to)...

I think I'm going to try out my new SV with a new guide scope the next time there's a clear night (which won't be for a while).

Anyway, thanks for letting me vent... Clear skies and smooth guiding to all, enjoy it while you can!

[UlteriorModem]

I also set up PEC in EQMod, and am using it with PHD2's PPEC

Conventional wisdom is to NOT use PEC with Phd2 as they tend to 'fight' one another.

Could you provide us with more details about your equipment? I know you have an EQ6R-pro mount but that's it. The EQ6R boats a payload capacity of 44 lbs. Another 'rule of thumb' is to not exceed 50 to 60% of that rating.

[yobbo89]

if you haven't touched the hd, ie install programs or used it much, it is very possible to get that data back

[Baskevo]

I also set up PEC in EQMod, and am using it with PHD2's PPEC

Conventional wisdom is to NOT use PEC with Phd2 as they tend to 'fight' one another.

Could you provide us with more details about your equipment? I know you have an EQ6R-pro mount but that's it. The EQ6R boats a payload capacity of 44 lbs. Another 'rule of thumb' is to not exceed 50 to 60% of that rating.

I was recommended to run PEC by Skywatcher the last time my mount had funky guiding, and I've always used PEC with PHD2's PPEC algorithm and have seen better guiding. I also saw better guiding last night, until I was pointing west. I was following this guide:

https://github.com/OpenPHDGuiding/phd2/ ... C-Together

It seemed to help.

if you haven't touched the hd, ie install programs or used it much, it is very possible to get that data back

So, I installed the software that was on the hard drive, which made it work with the windows laptop but reformatted the hard drive. Then I spent the rest of the night taking L and G frames, along with flats and dark flats... Do you think that data is gone now?

[UlteriorModem]

Okay if it works for you more power to ya!

[TheButcher]

Hey James,

Check out my thread I had with the EQ6-R and my issue with backlash. And yobobbo helped out greatly. My EQ6-R is running great. Before it had a lot of backlash. I even showed a video of the Dec backlash and I took a video with the mount open. viewtopic.php?f=48&t=7978

Mainly check out Yobbo advice.

[Baskevo]

Hey James,

Check out my thread I had with the EQ6-R and my issue with backlash. And yobobbo helped out greatly. My EQ6-R is running great. Before it had a lot of backlash. I even showed a video of the Dec backlash and I took a video with the mount open. viewtopic.php?f=48&t=7978

Mainly check out Yobbo advice.

So it seems like from that thread, there wasn't actually a problem with your mount..? Or did you do something to fix the backlash?

[TheButcher]

Hey James,

Check out my thread I had with the EQ6-R and my issue with backlash. And yobobbo helped out greatly. My EQ6-R is running great. Before it had a lot of backlash. I even showed a video of the Dec backlash and I took a video with the mount open. viewtopic.php?f=48&t=7978

Mainly check out Yobbo advice.

So it seems like from that thread, there wasn't actually a problem with your mount..? Or did you do something to fix the backlash?

Initially I was having issues and knew it wasn't from guiding. SO I first tighted up the dec belt. It came from the factory like that. I also adjusted. you can see it in the youtube videos I posted The before video shows the belt play and the other videos show after I tightened it. After that I then referred to these links to adjust the Small grub screws that tighten and losen the worm.


https://stargazerslounge.com/applicatio ... ?id=321017 (for some reason this link is not working since it opens a pdf, but on my original thread it works from there


http://www.astro-baby.com/EQ6%20rebuild ... gnment.htm This one that yobobbo posted shows how the inners work nd you can see the grub screws and what they do

[Baskevo]

Wonderful news (so far)!! I was able to set up the new guide scope, create a new profile with the guide given by [mention]JayTee[/mention] earlier today, get in focus, frame it up with my imaging scope, initiated the PPEC, run a calibration, and run the guide assistant. While the Guide assistant still recommended guiding in only one direction because of heavy backlash, everything else so far is running pretty good. Both my RA and DEC are running between .4 and .7, and even though it's only been about 10 minutes, that is WAY better than what it was (it was usually at about 1.00" RMS by 5 minutes), and I'm pointed toward LA's heavy light pollution!

Furthermore, I was able to figure out why PHD2 would freeze every time I would try to make a dark library (it's been doing that for months, every time I got to 4.5 sec frames, the program would stop responding). I increased the USB limit on the camera, and it worked! Everything is going well and I am very pleased! Even in between the heavy cloud cover

So I think I'm going to keep my ES, only because I've invested SO much time and money into creating as good of a set up as I can get... I really don't want to have to do the same with the new Stellarvue. As good as those scopes may be, I would have to get a new field flattener, new extension tubes, new adapters, mess with the focuser, get a new automatic focuser, etc... I estimate at least another $600 that I do not want to spend, plus the additional time I would have to spend to get it just right and to automate it like I have my ES. I think I'm going to sell it with the old guide scope and my T3 camera + accessories, and try to make a profit on it, and just be happy with the set up I have (maybe spend a little bit of that money on a light pollution filter to replace my luminance for LRGB in heavy light pollution).

[Baskevo]

You all probably saw this coming, but I spoke too soon.........

The same thing that happened to my last mount just happened. I am so frustrated right now. So with my last mount, it would do this thing where the RA axis would not respond. You could hear the motors turning and it was responding to commands, but the RA axis was stopped while the DEC axis would be moving. It just happened again, after I tried to park the mount because it would not recover from a dither (in DEC, though, so I'm not sure if that is related). It is acting as if the clutch is not locked, but it is.

Could my balance be off? I spent so much time on this with the last mount and Skywatcher just ended up taking it back... This has to be a me issue, right?

[UlteriorModem]

Could your balance be off? I suppose so. But to be so far off the clutch slips? You do balance things before locking down the clutches right?

How much weight do you have on the mount? (not including the counterweights).

Oh and might want to set dither to RA only.

[Baskevo]

Could your balance be off? I suppose so. But to be so far off the clutch slips? You do balance things before locking down the clutches right?

How much weight do you have on the mount? (not including the counterweights).

Oh and might want to set dither to RA only.

I would be really surprised if it were my balance... I do balance things before locking down the clutches, and I spend a good half hour before I set up making sure it is perfect

I have less than 15 lbs. on it

I started dithering in RA only last night, but I read somewhere it's better to do both axes because it helps more with noise...

I'm just so over the skywatcher mount

[UlteriorModem]

May sound crazy but maybe your balancing 'too perfectly' some folks balance slightly east heavy and slightly nose heavy. That way the gears are always pushing. With perfect balance the gears can waffle back and forth in the backlash.

[Baskevo]

May sound crazy but maybe your balancing 'too perfectly' some folks balance slightly east heavy and slightly nose heavy. That way the gears are always pushing. With perfect balance the gears can waffle back and forth in the backlash.

Well I just played with the balance, and I am pretty sure that I was off balance, and just didn't notice because the axes are so stiff... But maybe I just needed to break it in, because now I could definitely tell it was off balance. I just spent an hour adjusting everything, trying to get the best balance, and next time the clouds break, I'll try going east heavy.

But could poor balance really cause the RA axis to stop responding?

[UlteriorModem]

Doubtful, still it might just be sending pulses and because its in the backlash 'waffle' zone and it has not pulled out the 'slack'.