Thanks!

FYI - I recently upgraded my 3700X system as seen in this video with an extra 16GB of RAM, taking it from 16GB to 32GB. I did a before and after stack of the same data in SIRIL. With 16GB on board it did the stack in about 6m 30s. With 32GB on board it took it down to just 2m 20s. The amount of RAM does make a big difference here.

Can Onstep be used fot Alt-az mounts? No source seems to suggest much information about alt-az onstep. Please help me

do you reckon it would be possible to do this to an eq2 mount?

Really well detailed and clearly explained video. I learned a lot! 👍

Well, I searched for "cheap ass" looking to move to Thailand.... Now it looks like I've got a different hobby.

Tidy

Good job Mate, thanks👍

i love you, you are helping my broke ass so much out with these videos

Just found your channel... And I have to say, what a breath of fresh air . Really love it when people like yourself don't adhere to the YT crowd who get new scopes etc thrown at them from the suppliers . To me , you are "real world" and it's people like you who help others who haven't got a lot of money get into both astronomy and astrophotography . Count me in as a new subscriber.

A data point for your consideration - astro control PCs can be a lot less powerful than astro image processing PCs! The high core Ryzen models give the best throughput in demanding software like PixInsight, but at a third the cost a dual Xeon workstation like a HP Z640 still makes a brilliant platform - especially if you run Linux. I recently bought a 38 physical core machine with 256 GB of ECC RAM, added a RTX 4070 and a 4 x 2TB NVME RAID 0 PCIE drive - and it costs less than half a top end Ryzen system. So depending on how much workload - and if it can take advantage of CUDA - you can still find some incredible bargins if you look into old dual Xeon workstations!

Thank you this is execllent stuff.

Very nice video. I had thought about it before, but for some reason I just never realized exactly how simple these things are. I plan to build myself a 12 power source so I can just run one extension cable from my house and plug it in to my scope (which stays set up under a cover) so that I don't have to keep fighting with all of the stupid AC adapters and trying to find ways to plug them into a power strip. Once I do that I will get on making some dew heaters and will probably make a buttload of them since I have several telescopes and even end up with dew issues on my binoculars. Maybe I could make some dew heaters for those that I could run from a USB power bank in my pocket... You're going to get me in trouble with my wife for having parts and projects everywhere!

Thanks for this video, a very nice and thorough explanation. I started with an EQ5 brand new, but without drives (back then, I thought I only wanted to do visual, and tried to stay in the economical side). Then I got a used synscan for it (late 2020, covid days); the owner was honest enough to try to talk me out of it ("ïf you want to do imaging, you'd better save up a bit and wait for a used eq6", he said). I didn't want to wait, so I bought the synscan kit. It got me started with my ST80 achromatic, then I got a ED80 ad a Canon 1100D, but guiding was not good with the EQ5, long excursions to one side then the other, no matter how I tweaked PHP2. So I ended up getting an EQ6rpro, not cheap, my wallet still hurts haha. I still have the EQ5, I use it for solar and planets, maybe one of this new onstep kits will make it track more accurately? Btw, I also did the supertuning as per Martyn's video (legend!). But I couldn't see too much of an improvement (maybe I got a bad sample). Clear skies, and keep up the good work!

I use an eq5 for astrophotography, I use a 130 and 150 PDS and the mount is perfectly capable of 2 minute exposures without guiding. I never guide, you can get some excellent shots without the whistles and Bell's 😊

Hey Nugsy, can you do live stacking with APT?

The 3D printer will be your tool that just keeps giving and saving you money and headaches! When I bought mine the first time, i was printing all sorts of toys and useless gadgets, but later on, it became indispensable to print parts and pieces that is not available to buy or they at a total ripoff price. I have parts parts bins, telescope risers, Bathinov masks of all sizes, dew shield for my 50 and 30mm guide scopes and so on. Plus it's a lot of fun and I use the same free online 3D designer (Tinkercard) which is good enough for basic shapes and easy to use. Good luck with the camera, I have modified 3 of them in the past, I managed to break one. Here is an important lesson. Take pictures of everything, where the cables go and screws, don't trust your memory! I broke mine because I broke off one of the flat ribbon cable snap on thingy, be extra careful with those!

Congrats on picking up some really nice gear for some amazing prices. Looks like you are set! Can't wait to see the results.

Actually I am in awe of your 114 mm scope. I’d like to get one to replace my slow 80 mm refractor which also comes to the 500 mm focal length. Unfortunately I don’t get such good deals.

Hey Nugsy, im looking into 3D printers but unsure what to pick, which one do you use?

I tried my 200p dob on my eq5 but too big.got a 150p £200 new.much better for the mount

Nugsy, I can get my Canon DSLR to focus on the 114mm using the adapter and screwing the lens from a 2x barlow lens onto the bottom. Hope this helps?

Global warming? Nope…Nugsy has been on a spending spree. Well done mate, bagged yourself some super bargains. I love the 130PDS. I bought mine new when they were £175, also have the Baader MPCC MkIII. Fantastic scope and puts a lot of expensive APO’s to shame. I love Newtonians and they cannot be beaten for their bang to buck value. Looking forward to your videos mate, clear skies

Top vid mate and looking forward to all the new content to come looking forward to getting back to the horsehedge too 😅 oops mean horsehead (from now on it will be forever known an horsehedge)

Happy tinkering Nugsy I bought one of those CYK spider kits for my other halfs 150PDS & its a good bit of kit but I thought the mirror mask was a bit crap as it never covered the clips, I did read somewhere that you can trim the clips down but I really didn't like the idea of that so maybe a 3D printed version would be better. Also that Omegon focuser was a bargain looks better than the crap astro essentials version I bought especially as its a rack & pinion, I just had to use some foam on each end of the bracket to block any light leakage. Clear skies

Great video, new subscriber here…👍🏻

3rd year of astrophotography journey as well. I find it's the journey as well, not only the final images, all the tinkering, problems, fixes and getting used bargains. Good luck 👍

Hi pal, great to see another video and im glad your well. You will be busy over the next few months, looking forward to see your progression :)

Great video Nugsy, watched from end to end😀 some fantastic bargains mate, you’ve done well! I Like the 3d printer! May have to put one on my Christmas list🤣 I’ve currently got Glenn’s 130pds on loan! Nice scope! Looking forward to your up and coming videos, you’ve got a lot of good content there mate! Congrats on your 2k subs, you got there really quick👍 Clear skies!

The 130pds is a very nice imaging scope for what I have heard. Looking forward to your captures with it! For the 114mm reflector, I saw one video where someone moved an 8" primary mirror up the tube with longer screws. That way one can avoid butchering the poor tube.

I printed an adapter for an EOS to use at prime focus on my refractor.

Hi Nugsy, I’ve recently upgraded my eq5 to its big brother the Heq5 I recon you will probably be able to find a nice cheap one. I’ve only been out with it once with very bad conditions and a half a job with the tracking and the results were really nice. The only problem was the coma with the stars. Nice to see you with all that new kit !

Neat.

Good to see you are still at it mate! Great scores you found there!👍🏻

great tutorial, really appreciated! Do you think it is possible to do it with 1/4 watt resistors, for occasional use?

Thanks for staying up to make the video. I found it very useful. I have a Losmandy G11, and I'm fed up with all the motor/gearbox issues that I keep encountering...

I've had good luck with nichrome wire from amazon