Budget Tracking & GoTo Options Including OnStep for Astrophotography

[@Cheapass-tro]

If you make a comment here, I will answer it. If I don't it may be that KZbin has deleted your comment so do come back and check it's still there. KZbin does delete lots of comments despite my "no moderation" settings. Rest assured it's not me doing it.

[@pompeymonkey3271]

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...

[@Cheapass-tro]

Ah, that sounds like just the job for OnStep!

[@ultrametric9317]

As a long time amateur astronomer and lover of techy videos, let me say that this is one of the finest I've ever seen. It was well spoken, well thought out, full of absolutely correct information, and would be incredibly useful to a beginner as a jumping off point. Well done sir!

[@Cheapass-tro]

Thank you very much!

[@shdwdrgn]

clicking around to get the ole juices going for a potential new hobby ... i find one of the key things is to find someone who actually takes the time to really break things down invaluable because it's very VERY rare for someone to concisely do so while also informing the subject with their own personal experience with as little bias as possible. special vid mate, good shit and can feel the joy and passion sincerely.

[@shdwdrgn]

The one thing I would like to point out is that you did say if you were to ever do it again you'd buy a kit off aliexpress and did seem sad about it - which I get. But those are kits that people like myself can buy, George, yourself, and countless others ill never know about are the ones responsible for allowing that to happen. So, all i can say is thanks, and remember you know more about this than someone who didn't take the time and everything is confusing as all fuck when you start.

[@Cheapass-tro]

Thank you very much for your kind words. I wish you all the best if you do plummet down this rabbit hole (there's no dipping your toes in).

[@tellthetruth1068]

I had an old Skywatcher EQ3 Telescope and wanted to bring it back to life, I was looking for OnStep information and this is the only video I have found with so clear and accurate specs on the internet. Perfectly done!. Cheers from South America Mate. Thanks for posting this info for the world to see.... Much Appreciated!.

[@Cheapass-tro]

Thanks buddy. Someone had to do it. OnStep deserves the recognition.

[@springwoodcottage4248]

Such a fabulous summary of what is a complicated, time needing & expensive endeavour that you have given me a huge insight into. Thank you so much for sharing!

[@Cheapass-tro]

It's always nice to hear I've helped. Clear skies!

[@The-KP]

Fantastic video. Direct, useful, informative, inexpensive. After watching countless review vids for very pricey mounts and scopes, I now have a path forward. Thanks

[@Cheapass-tro]

Glad to have helped and good luck on your path forward.

[@wesleydonnelly2141]

Hi there Mr cheapastro! I just found your channel. This video is brilliant, really informative, well edited, well spoken words, all in one of the finest YT vids I've seen to date! Thanks! For context I'm Wes, up in Liverpool, and have been doing amateur visual astro for roughly 8 years and astro-imaging for 2.5 years. Many Thanks for the great video and clear skies!

[@Cheapass-tro]

Kind words indeed. Thank you very much. I'm glad you enjoyed! Stay tuned for more...

[@wesleydonnelly2141]

@@Cheapass-tro 🙂👍

[@alexandrevaliquette3883]

You cover a lot of ground on this topic! I like your philosophy on cheap but efficient design, lot of thinking before making a move... I think you deserve one more subscribers from Montréal!

[@Cheapass-tro]

Glad to have you on board. Thanks!

[@alexandrevaliquette3883]

@@Cheapass-tro It's 2h40 AM: Go to sleep you will be tired tomorrow!

[@rayyanimran1557]

Absolutely brilliant video mate. I've been researching for months on this same topic. I can't afford a 2000 USD mount like you and I own a simple star tracker - the problem I have is that due to insane light pollution it is very very difficult to manually find targets ( very time consuming too). Was considering buying a cheap eq3-2 or an eq5 on which I can mount my DSLR and budget lens. Steered me in the perfect direction - you earned a subscriber

[@Cheapass-tro]

Fantastic! That's what I'm here for... To help that is, not earn subscribers. If I do ever reach the targets and get a few quid out of this YT venture, it would of course go straight into getting more astro stuff, which means more videos... So thanks for your subscription!

[@DrewBlack-z1k]

I wish you had made this video two years ago. You described the rabbit whole I have been going down. I did buy the dual axis motors for my EQ5 because I didn't know about the pro upgrade or onstep. I have had not much success with the dual axis motors over the last two years and have been humming and hawing over Terrans Industry's Onstep pre built. I did buy it recently and have installed it on my EQ5. I found this video (not the first of yours I have watched) trying to make sure I have it all configured correctly. This is a good video for anyone looking to motorize their mount. Thank you for making it. You might save someone the headache I have had.

[@Cheapass-tro]

I get that. I wish someone else had made it before I started! 😆 This is why I made my OnStep videos (not just this one) - It's a confusing minefield to the uninitiated and the OnStep project is well worth sharing. The less frightening it looks the better. I'm one of those people that needs a video tutorial. Would you believe it's taken me a full year to get a working focuser in OnStep? (Literally today). I had to have help from the community!

[@DrewBlack-z1k]

I have already started watching your other onstep videos. Congratulations on getting your focuser working. Once I get the mount going, I’d like to get a focuser going. I hope you have some videos up by the time I’m ready.

[@nickbewin]

Nice video, usefull info added also ! Regards from a happy ONSTEP-NINA user from the Netherlands.

[@Cheapass-tro]

Thanks Nick.👍

[@Zegery]

Thank you for giving OnStep the attention it deserves. I bought a EQ3/CG4 brand new, manual mount, and got it "onstep'd" for cheap, leaving my total to $550. Thats the same price as a SWSA 2i, and it can carry my 130PDS, it has goto, way better mount.

[@Cheapass-tro]

Good job! ...and with goto comes platesolving and you leave star trackers in the dust!

[@KevinRudd-w8s]

Brilliant info. I've been thinking of upgrading my old EQ3-2 mount to use with my samyang 135 f2 set up and this has given me some great pointers.

[@Cheapass-tro]

Sounds like a great set up in the making...

[@the_rat_run]

Fascinating, and providing great ideas! Keep them coming, please.

[@Cheapass-tro]

Of course I will. Thank you!

[@johnmheaton]

That was a very enjoyable video Nugsy, thank you.

[@Cheapass-tro]

...and thank you for saying so, watching and commenting!

[@theace0815]

Brilliant! All necessary information packed in one Video and perfectly explained!

[@Cheapass-tro]

Glad you think so. I always think I could have done better or added something after uploading so this is nice to hear.

[@pauldstarbrook3986]

T hat's a cracking vid and answered my question nicely, thanks for doing and sharing it. I think you hit the nail on the head about 6 1/2 mins in, ie stepped tracking and following the 'shape' are the issues and that's why you need an EQ rather than Alt-Az. I'm going to revisit my options and as I already have a Go2 Tracking Mount, take look at that Wedge idea. That just leaves the 'scope choice to consider; stick with what I have (add a nice camera, etc) or upgrade to a better reflector or go the refractor route... sleepless nights ahead! Cheers.

[@Cheapass-tro]

Thanks for saying that Paul and ha ha, yeah those sleepless nights with 14 browser tabs open!!! Good luck.

[@martinchapman6670]

Nice video, hanks for this, I built my Onstep into a sandwich box, has worked well so far but am soon going to rebuild it into a better case. I have just discovered the joys of using it with N.I.N.A and letting that take care of alignment via plate solving, as soon as I get a few issues sorted I will do away with the phone app altogether. I am using 400 step motors on a Losmandy G11 with a Meade LX90 82 scope.

[@Cheapass-tro]

I couldn't get the wifi working for a while so platesolving for me came before the app worked! Needless to say I don't use it, but yeah platesolving is a gamechanger isn't it?

[@martinchapman6670]

@@Cheapass-tro Yes, quite eye opening. I just need to work on the autofocus routine, that's a bit awkward at the moment. I will also add a real time clock module then I should not need to connect to my phone app at all, at the moment I need to upload time and date on start up. Once I can get remote desktop working too I can add my brick pc to the scope and go fully remote. I ordered the smart hand controller from George Cushing, he sent another Onstep kit by mistake which he let me keep and would not accept a payment for, so I will build another set up for my old Vixen mount and have a portable set up, as I work mostly away from home.

[@Cheapass-tro]

@@martinchapman6670 Autofocus is on my to-do list... Fully remote is something I hope for down the road too. Good luck with your projects.

[@spizzlo]

Amazing video and very informative. I hope to see more content in the future and I wish all possible success for you and the channel.

[@Cheapass-tro]

Thank you very much for all that you said there. More will come...

[@linuxastro]

Great video...and I love the channel name.

[@Cheapass-tro]

Thanks and good luck with your Linux niche.

[@ropotis]

I ve been trying to revamp and motorise my late brother s Skywather 8in dob. It s a project we were planning to do together, but I am sure if he is "up there" he ll be smiling like crazy seeing me completing it. With your video I now know where to start! I ve been fiddling with arduino and recently esp32s so this looks doable! I loved your note that this kind of system has double the accuracy of commercial systems due to the higher steps/rev of the stepper motors. This is the way to go! Thank your for the time it took you to put this together :)

[@Cheapass-tro]

All the best with your conversion! If you've not seen them, I have more in-depth OnStep videos too, though not Dob specific.

[@hotflashfoto]

I have an EQM35, so it's already motorized, but it has gears. I like the idea of a belt, and I just might do that. I saw another YT video from a fella in Denmark (or Finland or Norway, sorry) about a super tune and converting the bushings to bearings, so I ordered all of the bearings and washers that he indicated. This might be a good time to also get the belt-drive kit and do it all at once. But regardless, you make very good sense, and everything you presented is well-thought out. Thank you for taking the time, sir!

[@Cheapass-tro]

... and thank you for taking the time to comment. I'm sure the supertune will help. Do ensure you don't mess up your ratios with the pulleys/belts. OnStep allows us to input the pulley ratios. I believe you'll want to match the ratio of teeth on the gears? Good luck & clear skies.

[@iamjessieray]

I am about to start on my own OnStep journey. Not to add tracking to a non-goto mount but to fix an upgrade my old Celestron CG5 Advanced GT. The electronics in this thing are seriously sub part and have caused me nothing but trouble. Mechanically it is a great mount in my opinion, so I think with modern (and well matched) electronics and a belt driven upgrade it will be a HUGE upgrade. In the meantime I guess I'll have to see if I can carefully run my 130p-ds on my ES iexos 100-2 mount or do some wide field projects on it with my DSLR and lenses. I appreciate your honesty and I didn't even know about the OnStep kits, even the board you can buy from the links on the Wiki which is going to make this a lot easier for me. I don't mind paying a little more and doing some more work as long as I get a good product out of it.

[@Cheapass-tro]

That should work out nicely. This has been done before, so I wish you all the best. Good luck with imaging in the meantime too.

[@Fred_Klingon]

Thanks for sharing all these precious information, I was looking for many answers and found all of them here. Thanks again!

[@Cheapass-tro]

Glad it helped and I hope you've found your way forward!

[@Fred_Klingon]

@@Cheapass-tro you're welcome. I guess it will be a long journey, I bought a Celestron DX130 Az a year ago, my first telescope, but I did exchange the mobile app pointing, with a motorized system, but it's all manual unfortunately. So now I've found a second hand equatorial mount on eBay, which hopefully will replace the current one that is an azimuthal type. Next, I'll need to modify that mount, to add motors....and finally add the onstep interface. As I said before, I think that it will be a very long journey 😄

[@Cheapass-tro]

@@Fred_Klingon Yes but you're on track. I actually got a Starsense to begin with, planning to add tracking motors and have a push-to-go-to but then I discovered OnStep.

[@HyperX07]

Thanks bro for informing about on step goto 😊

[@Cheapass-tro]

My pleasure. Hope it helps.

[@Astronurd]

You can still get backlash with belt driven. It's the actual gearing internal to the mount where this occurs. Fortunately most of it can be adjusted out. The Skywatcher EQ6 R Pro and AZ-EQ6 mounts are in fact both belt driven

[@Cheapass-tro]

Seems so obvious when you point out the backlash thing. I never thought of that.

[@Paulie1978100]

You seem to be living near me in Ireland, that's cool, I'm not long into EAA/Astrophotography. I had a small refractor, got bitten by the astronomy bug, an bought a 8" skywatcher dob. Then traded that for a new Skywatcher Virtuoso 150p GTi , Yes it can't take long exposures but it's pretty amazing for the price man, 549 euros from KTEC in Finglas. I can't see myself wanting another scope for years, but if I do it will be a 12" GoTo Skywatcher Dob, permanently left in a make shift observatory in the garden. New sub here looking forward to watching your Vids, Paul, North Wicklow 👍🏽☘

[@Cheapass-tro]

Hi Paul. Glad to have you along for the ride!. Co. Wexford, not a million miles in it. That Dob will be a visual beast!

[@ManNoName-c9u]

Wow, way to hit what I'm looking for exactly!! Cheers!

[@Cheapass-tro]

Thanks. This is what every content creator wants to hear!

[@Astro.Q]

What a fantastic in-depth video fair play, mate 👏

[@Cheapass-tro]

Hello again and thanks very much!

[@Astro.Q]

@Cheapass-tro your channel is doing fantastic. It's good to see

[@Cheapass-tro]

@@Astro.Q Thanks Ryan. I think the algorithm was kind on my first vid, now I have to maintain the interest...

[@Astro.Q]

@Cheapass-tro to be honest, I'm not really sure what an algorithm is, but it's good to see your videos. I'm looking forward to the assembly video

[@Cheapass-tro]

@@Astro.Q Cool. That's at least two people looking forward to it! It's in the making...

[@avt_astro206]

Nice Channel! I'm a Budget Astrophotographer Myself 😁. I use an Alt-az Setup for Astrophotography, and It works So Great indeed even for DSOs. Nice Channel, Subbed! Clear skies

[@Cheapass-tro]

Thanks Avanteesh (yes I looked you and your channel up- cool, subbed!). I concur you're getting some good results.

[@avt_astro206]

@@Cheapass-tro haha! Thank you so much!!😃. I love my Setup, I think It's More important to enjoy what you love 🤞

[@Tony-Elliott]

Brilliant video Nugsy love on step and that it keeps getting better with updates to both software and hardware is great thanks for sharing your work on this mate

[@Cheapass-tro]

Thanks for your kind comment and my 400th subscriber!

[@Astroarno]

Vielen Dank für dein ausführliches Video, es hat mir sehr geholfen, auch wenn ich nicht gut Englische kann. Ich habe für meine Vixen SP-DX, die ich seit 1991 besitze, das Set aus China bestellt und werde es ausprobieren und verbessern. Viele Grüße aus Deutschland. Thank you for your detailed video, it helped me a lot even though I'm not good at English. I ordered the set from China for my Vixen SP-DX, which I have owned since 1991, and I will try and improve it. Many greetings from Germany.👍

[@Cheapass-tro]

Thank you and good luck with that!

[@Astroarno]

😉@@Cheapass-tro

[@Interstate66]

Wish you had made your video like 2 months ago, where I was at the same page like you. Stuck with an old Mon2(EQ5-like) Mount and a even older Tasco 4.5"/900mm Newt wanting to do photography with not much money in my pocket :/ Some day I humbled across these OnStep China-Kits on eBay and thought maybe I should give it a go for ~170 € ... And oh man! That was absolutely the right decision :D I overhauled my mount with all new grease and stuff... Then assembled the motorkit (its the V4-Pro with 256steps-1.4°/step with option to upgrade focuser and rotator one day) to the steel - and oooh boy! That's great! If I get the polar alignment good it's GoTo is around 30arcmins correct and I can easyly do 30 second exposures with this combo. (Nikon D300 DSLR with shortend 2x Barlow because otherwise no chance for focus; so like around 1600mm focal lenght)... So I now have a nice setup for under 400€ total :) Just need to learn about all this OnStep things because the documentation is very poor and in the beginning had no idea wat I was doing 🤯

[@Cheapass-tro]

Sorry I'm late to your party! Really nice to hear from someone that went with an ebay kit and good to hear positive results! Hopefully the configuration video will help out. I'll not drag my heels too much on that...

[@surg01]

Fantastic video, I'll be looking into this (need a mount first). But this makes me think EQ5 and then doing the goto upgrade myself.

[@Cheapass-tro]

I accidentally chose the EQ-5 and I'm happy. Sounds good. All the best.

[@steveayers6887]

very good info.....something to think about my 250 dob.....

[@Cheapass-tro]

Thanks and nice scope!

[@marcom.88]

Beautiful video, what a big job!

[@Cheapass-tro]

Thankyou very much. It's not that big of a job, it just seems so before you do it.

[@dumpydalekobservatory]

Great video Nugsy I absolutely love ONSTEP, the mount I have in the observatory was totally dead & the previous owner told me to take the thing away. It sat in the living room for about 2 years collecting dust & I very nearly threw it out as it were taking up so much room. I found a guy in the states who builds a kit for my mount a Celestron CGE Pro & I weren't to sure about spending money on a mount that's 14+ years old. I finally decided to buy it & it's the best thing I've done as I've got a mount that almost has the same payload as an EQ8 for peanuts. I love the fact it can work via wifi & bluetooth my only niggle is if you turn off the power you have to put in date & time again which doesn't take long when using the app anyway but just a shame it doesn't save it. As for imaging with an EQ5 & 200P it is possible as I know a few people who have managed it but you do have to work at it to make it work, check out Boodlewoodle's KZbin channel it shows his budget set up he used he even used to guide his set up using a webcam. Clear skies!!

[@Cheapass-tro]

Congrats on your big ol' mount for peanuts. Mine has an RTC (Real Time Clock) unit to keep the date and time, could yours? I will check out Boodlewoodle's channel. Thanks.

[@dumpydalekobservatory]

I've no idea its on its 2 year warranty so I don't want to tinker with it just yet, although I may try & adapt the unit to fit inside the pier part of the mount at a future date when the warranty runs out.

[@JonHeckendorf]

As your mates say over on your side of the pond, BRILLIANT VIDEO. Since I'm way older than you and have been a cheapass longer too, just refer to me as cheapass #1. I subscribed right away and gave you a thumbs up with no other finger used. Just my way of complimenting you on a job well done. I was on the same quest as you've been on with very little success, until now. You saved me hours, days, weeks of research which as an old man I don't have to give. Watch, I'll live to 100 and made to eat my words. I want to introduce my grand kids to astronomy before I'm gone. I have been a DIY and cheapass kind of guy (bloke) my whole life so I'm up to building something for my kids and grand kids which they can use for a long time to come. Thanks again. Please, make more.

[@Cheapass-tro]

Thanks for your support and great comment #1. I wish you all the best with your projects and it's nice to know I've saved you from research. I know it took me a good while to find this info. Welcome to the channel and I will continue...

[@Noob.astronomer]

Been looking to upgrade the eq3 mount that came with celestron 130. Hope to make one soon.

[@Cheapass-tro]

Fantastic! Hit me up with any questions and know that there's great support on wiki too. Good luck with your build.

[@Noob.astronomer]

@@Cheapass-tro since im at the stage of building from scratch. How should i begin the project?

[@Cheapass-tro]

@@Noob.astronomer Ooh. Sorry I missed that a year ago. I don't get notified of replies to replies. I only hope my other OnStep videos made it in time.

[@SaitoGray]

If you have a 3Dprinter, there is an amazing go to mount on the cloudy night forum too. Works with OnStep, and it's about 150€ to build with stepper and electronic. It's pretty great, it's the one I've made this year, and it's pretty good for my camera and my old EQ-2 mount. Setting up OnStep was painful, but once it's working, it really works. I couldn’t find the board for cheap either, so I've built the CNC shield option, cost me 50€ only for the electronic. If you want to go cameras only, you can print the OpenAstroTech mount, a bit more expensive, but really well built and the software is way easier to install.

[@Cheapass-tro]

Great info, thanks! I'll try to find and add some links to these things here...

[@AndrewRankine-z2u]

Thanks for the video - a great effort pitched at the most of us who have to struggle to fund our hobbies. I already own a HEQ5 (which I'm very happy with and get up to 5 minute subs on) but have a CG5 knocking about that I thought I could put to use and subsequently discovered the Chinese onstep gear. Waiting for delivery now. The 200 step limitation bothers me though - now! Will have to wait and see …

[@Cheapass-tro]

It would be great to hear how you get on with that CG5 set up. The 200 step thing is less important at shorter focal lengths.

[@AndrewRankine-z2u]

@@Cheapass-tro will do. Scopes are: ED80 & GSO 150mm 750mm f4 reflector (7kg with camera & guider) so hitting the outer limit for CG5.

[@AndrewRankine-z2u]

Everything bar guide camera second hand …

[@markmckay2582]

Brilliant video mate.

[@Cheapass-tro]

Thank you very much.

[@lavers_1]

That's one hell of an adventure you when through, to upgrade your own mount. Very impressive. Sounds like you have been in electronics for years. ?

[@Cheapass-tro]

Not at all, no. I was never afraid to take apart broken items to attempt a fix, but never really did electronics.

[@lavers_1]

@Cheapass-tro excellent content, very informative and to the point.. keep going!

[@YASAJTV]

I like this work more than high/expensive equipment work. I am on the fence about .63 reducer vs. hyperstar. I got 8SE and planning to get Sky-Watcher HEQ5 along with my decision on Hyperstar or reducer.

[@Cheapass-tro]

Sounds like a decision I can't help with but good luck.

[@aniket789]

Subscribed and impressed thanks

[@Cheapass-tro]

Thanks!

[@mostlymessingabout]

love it ❤😊

[@Cheapass-tro]

Thanks! Love you too.😁

[@jaspercushing3470]

I've got the same setup as you and I was wondering if you have any advice about upgrading to the 0.9 degree motors, what drivers should I get?

[@Cheapass-tro]

I'm using the TMC 2130 stepper drivers from BigTreeTech. They were recommended. I run mine at about 1.7v (circa 70% of the motor's power). You'll want 1.7amp motors with 400 steps/0.9°.

[@aniket789]

If you have extra assembled kit, I would like to buy. I live in Nottingham and have eq3 motorized skywatcher mount

[@Cheapass-tro]

I wish I could help but I only bought the one. George will sell you a pre-assembled board if you ask. You still have to put it in a box and motorise your mount but all soldering's done. His email is linked below this video. He'll work with you to get what you need you just have to wait for international post.

[@aniket789]

@@Cheapass-tro thanks

[@astroinfinland6680]

Don't forget to regrease it! The cheap chinese glunck inside it could be considered glue.

[@Cheapass-tro]

Quite right! I did mention the "supertune", which involves re-greasing. 23:17

[@AmatureAstronomer]

Just subscribed.

[@Cheapass-tro]

Marvellous. Welcome aboard.

[@christm45]

Hello great video. I saw that you utilised my dobson 250p goto vidéo 😊.I didn't post any new vidéos about it. But now I have a smart hand controller à automatique focuser and I create à filed derotator so I can make long exposure photos. Everything is driven by onstep.

[@Cheapass-tro]

I take many liberties with footage and photos, so thank you for your footage! Looks great and your additions sound great too. Clear skies to you.

[@alexandrevaliquette3883]

So... in a nutshell... To avoid paying a 2000$ mount: You build an entire building + basement for your scope and get a motorized wifi mount... sure why not!

[@Cheapass-tro]

Now you make it sound nuts! 😂 Over two years, a little here and there, yes. I have all that for ... Still under £1700.

[@alexandrevaliquette3883]

@@Cheapass-tro But how many hours of happy hoby time, building and thinkering you've got! We are all proud and a bit jealous of your skills and setup! Thank you for taking a lot of your precious spare time to sharing with us this odyssey.

[@Arturo-The-BullFighter]

Brilliant!!!

[@Cheapass-tro]

Thanks!

[@herbertnatanael]

A lot of thanks, I've been planning to assemble my telescope with onstep for months and I've seen several videos but this one is by far the most complete 👍😉🦾

[@Cheapass-tro]

Thanks Herbert. I could have done with a video when I took it on. Not that it's necessary but it takes the sting out of the process a bit.