My Telescope lost 5lb's in the run-up to Christmas!

Find out how I reduced the weight of my telescope by 5lb - perhaps you can too?
This is an update of my Telescope set-up following installation of an Off-axis-guider
In this video I'll take you through how and why I reduced the weight of my telescope by 5lb .
3:12 Power Buddy (I'll do a video on this in the new year)
Related videos:
Fitting an Off-Axis-Guider • Using and fitting an O...
EQ6 Cable Management • The Ultimate EQ6 Cable...
Overview of the Crayford Roll-off Roof Observatory • Crayford Type Roll-off...
#SimonTelescopium #Observatory #Astronomy

[@SimonTelescopium]

A Video on the ASCOM Compliant 'PowerBuddy' switch controller will come in the new year. A description of the Crayford Roll-Off roof design kzbin.info/www/bejne/gIm3h62ZnZ2Xj7c Installing an OAG kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZ3Ip6OihKuJn9E Cable management for the EQ6 kzbin.info/www/bejne/onKXgYl5Yqali9E

[@mvargas333]

Simon thank your sharing the power buddy switch controller. I have upload it on arduino and made the wiring. Installed the ASCOM driver and client, but when I open properties in ascom driver and check conection, it delivers COM16:255 power buddy not responding. Any idea?

[@DIYTinkerer]

When you get an issue like this the first step is to pair it right back to the basics. Try the following... 1) Connect the Arduino 2) check the com port the Arduino is connected to using Windows Device Manager 3) Check the COM Port properties, it should be set to 9600 8N1 4) open the Arduino IDE go to serial monitor and connect to powerbuddy 5) go through the commissioning steps (they are listed in the Arduino sketch) and let me know where it fails.

[@mvargas333]

@@DIYTinkerer Thanks for having the time. I had missed to UNCOMMENT the line 'EEPROM.write(0,0)', Now it is working. But I have 3issues now: 1. The powerbuddy client is off but the led in relay is on. If a set on then led is off. 2. After comment the line and upload. Now if I try with NINA, selectting properties it shows a .NET pop up unhandled exception with a continue buttom, and the ASCOM powerbuddy pops up but the "comm port" does not display nothing. This happends with or without powerbuddy usb connected. 3. CIRCUIT SET-UP topic. I am not familiarized with this. Do you have a schematic for this?

[@DIYTinkerer]

@@mvargas333 I busy with family things for the next few days, re NINA, it doesn't play with ASCOM switches in a conventional way, and the switch interface sucks, my original intention was to use NINA but quickly realised it is so chatty on the serial port and so clunky a user interface that I built my own client, and you can script it to work for autonomous working, which is what I do with APT. I'll update the wiki on GitHub with more details, a diagram etc. In a few days

[@mvargas333]

@@DIYTinkerer understood about NINA. Is there a problem if I only wired pins 2 to 9, 5v & GND? Thank you.

[@SimonTelescopium]

that should be fine - here is a wiring diagram github.com/SimonTelescopium/PowerBuddy-Arduino-Sketch/wiki/Arduino-Wiring