SCA 260 - Fast Focal Length in Time for Galaxy Season!

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[@darkrangersinc]

To the folks commenting on the counterweight. Unfortunately that’s not how counterweights work with harmonic drive. Their sole purpose is to prevent the mount from tipping backwards, not “balance” the RA axis because the motors lockout force in the reverse direction. Hence why it doesn’t have locks. It wouldn’t benefit from having more counterweights. I have tried just for fun and it didn’t make a difference. If you try to put force in the opposite direction of the motor motor, you’re just working against the motor you’re not helping it to counteract the weight I know traditional wisdom would tell you that adding more weight would help to balance out the load like it does with German equatorial mounts but these do not work the same. There’s no amount of weight that would allow this mount to work properly and lift the scope during the slew it’s simply beyond its capacity. Perhaps if it wasn’t so tall and the center of gravity was lower it could but this diameter scope at this weight is too much for a full speed slew For additonal help and support including 1 on 1 time. www.patreon.com/DarkRangersInc? Agena Astro: Support the Channel while using the fastest shipping company in the US (use within 5 days) agenaastro.com/?rfsn=7545037.59bc8b

[@gregm.fergusonchfccfp3677]

Ryan, thanks for busting your butt to do these reviews, I always learn something!

[@anthonygraham6449]

Yea I had to lower the slew and use the 25cm am5 bar with 5 kg. I’ve been using the AM5 with the Sca with 12kg and having no issues but I knew long term that not a good solution so I got the nyx. Pegasus wouldn’t tell me the center mass arm they used for the 20kg no counterweight. Even after begging. So I looked at the AM5 and other mounts and figured the standard was 20cm. So 20*20 is 400. 20*30 600. Max with counterweight. So the sca with stuff is about 18kg at 30cm. Puts us at 540. That why at high speed meridian to home is iffy. But at least I know I can lower the speed and also as you know the beta in Asiair is addressing this some. I believe the firmware update is my mesh network. Going to try my Starlink and my phone when I get home in a few days. Thanks again for answering.subtracting the 150 from the counterweight puts us at 390 again

[@lukomatico]

What a review mate, well done!! 👍👍

[@darkrangersinc]

Thank you! Just put out another scope for review today, coincidentally… it’s nice that we have different taste in scope to review so between the two of us, you can get a sample of many options. I’ve never done an RC or RASA!

[@dandanspaceman]

Great review. Looks awesome!!!

[@matadorbeagles1120]

Great review. Extremely informative.

[@l.m2517]

Thank you for the great job you are doing on this channel !

[@MrChausner]

First time on channel. Excellent 👍

[@curronhill2744]

Very informative, thanks!

[@darkrangersinc]

Glad it helped thank you for the comment!

[@user-nd3sj1rr4l]

Fantastic video - man, that thing is huge! not for me but for the right person it could work. Thanks for putting so much research and effort into all your reviews.

[@lastnovicewins]

thank you. I was looking for reviews on this scope.

[@darkrangersinc]

That’s why I decided to go with this one and not one of the PHQ scopes when they reached out. Wanted to pick something I haven’t seen much of.

[@Grabacr]

Thank you for doing this review and honest feedback. Definitely what we need. I just learned about your channel thanks to this video. Subbed! I'm highly considering this scope so looking forward for future updates.

[@darkrangersinc]

Thank you for joining the channel! The one brand I do recommend, hands-down, as I do think they are very well-made here in the US and I speak to the owner on a regular basis is Stellarvue. If you’re in the market, they only make refractors but they do make some over 1000 mm. I would check them out and let them know I sent you they will take really good care of you.

[@larrychristianson2244]

New subscriber, content looks promising

[@flyingdockp]

You have a very good review of this scope! I have the V1. I love it. You’ve given a good description of the ease of use😜 it has a learning curve… I also use a few heater on the secondary mirror, and indeed, I also use the dew strap at the base of the scope… yes, I really love this scope!

[@altrsky]

Love the video!! I have this scope as well purchased it a few months ago and love it. One thing I'd mention is that big bright stars will cause ripple like artifacts my buddy who has this scope as well experiences the same. Just the nature of the beast and does not deture my overall experience of the scope. Anyway thank you for your through content

[@gregerianne3880]

Nice review, Ryan! Seems great. I'm very curious to see your images after putting on a suitable mount. Should work out nicely! Thanks again for all the effort you put into this.

[@darkrangersinc]

Thanks me too! I wish I had more images to show believe me, but I felt like I had enough other information to cover and I’ve seen a couple hundred subframes and know what I can get with the right guiding. Once I get a mount with more capacity it should be a great scope now that it’s all dialed in and set up 💪🏼

[@jaaphalfweeg2297]

Great video. A friend of mine has this scope on a CEM120. It works great. But the only thing what is keeping me from buying is that fact he has spend now over a year learning how to collimate this beast. Has had lots of discussions with the Sharpstar folks. He seems to get the hang of it now, but be aware: collimating this scope is a challenge. You might be able to do a separate video on that.

[@darkrangersinc]

Yeah, luckily it didn’t take me that long, but it was not super easy that’s for sure and took me more than one night to figure it out. Especially because they’re just isn’t much out there. Glad he got it fine-tuned though!

[@clintlemasters6648]

Thanks for the great review. I appreciate the transparency of the cons. All scopes have them and I feel better purchasing scopes when I know the cons -even if they're more general in nature.

[@darkrangersinc]

Absolutely and I’m glad you now have a ton of focal length and don’t have to worry about any of these issues with your latest new toy ;)

[@Chris-sz9vr]

I subbed because of the cigar. Picking up an SCT 8" with an AVX mount for my Son today...also getting a My Father The Judge to pair with the purchase.

[@darkrangersinc]

My fathers is the best bang for your buck right now with cigars enjoy! The Edge 8” is a lot of focal length for that mount I would also look into a .63 reducer to make it a little faster and easier to guide. But overall a nice little package that will lead to some very nice images. The Celestron mirrors are well made

[@anthonygraham6449]

For some reason I can edit my comment. Want to say I have had the scope for a while. And I was pretty impressed. You were right on! I find I get good collimating with the cats eye also. I love this scope.

[@darkrangersinc]

That’s good to hear! Everyone I talk to seems to like it I’ve just had one person who actually is a good astrophotographer not like it but you make 7/8 now that like it. I’ll look into the Cats eye as another option! Thanks for recommending 👍🏼 In all fairness, I’m not a reflector expert so like I said collimation was harder for me because I’ve only owned a Newtonian in the past but once you understand it, it’s not bad. It does seem to hold it pretty well. I’ve taken it on and off a couple times and once I got it dialed in I haven’t had to touch it.

[@anthonygraham6449]

@@darkrangersinc the cats eye is what you used came with the scope. The way I do my scopes I have the 15028HNT also is wise the eye piece cats eye for the primary. And a laser for the secondary. Gets you close enough because we are using just the small center of the image circle. I image if you were using a full frame or bigger you would need to be more accurate.

[@darkrangersinc]

@@anthonygraham6449 oh, I googled it real quick and there’s actually a cat eye laser collimation system that’s what I saw before I responded I assumed that’s what you meant. I always call the eye peace a Cheshire. Yeah later on in the video I mention that got pretty close with just the eye piece, and like you said probably close enough. But I had a friend with the Howie Laser set up so I figured I would try and it got me a bit closer. Of the four different answers I got one was to just use the eye piece, one was out of focus star, then a couple different laser set ups and few for the Ocal V3

[@shaunozs1ra92]

Thanks for the review. My experience with my 8” EdgeHD with Moonlight focuser, a guide scope and a few other essentials atop my AM5 cannot slew when the scope is down low as you demonstrated. I have a WD-20 on order which can handle the 8” EdgeHD.

[@christophmatenaer2842]

Just subscribed, nice way of presenting a new Teleskope! One question tough, why would you use a Quadband filter on a Galaxy?

[@darkrangersinc]

That’s pretty much exactly the type of target that filter is made for. It does a great job

[@DavidShaneTrueCosmology]

I’ve been drooling over one of these scopes for several months now! Can’t decide between this or the 11” Edge HD.

[@darkrangersinc]

If your #1 priority is focal length then the Celestron will obviously beat it but if you want a faster option I believe the fastest reducer you can use with a larger sensor is F6.3. I don’t think you can really go wrong. I like this focal length a little bit better it’s long but but not too long you can still go after plenty of nebula targets. I’ll always be a bigger fan of nebula, then galaxies for imaging and the more focal length the harsher it is on seeing conditions so that’s just my personal preference.

[@DBFIU]

Love your videos bro! Can you do a review on the stellarmate pro?

[@ekalbkr]

Very good video! Your honest reflection of plus and minus items is much appreciated - though, being honest, it is well beyond my budget. But I can still dream, right?

[@darkrangersinc]

Appreciate the kind words. In general a 10” Newtonian can run you much less and is about the same speed so you have options!

[@KaidenBainAstro]

Wow, that AM5 sounds crunchy! Hoping I never deal with anything like that with my UMi. Then again, the SVX102T is nowhere near that heavy. Great Video! I’d love to see a bit of data analysis from this scope, similar to what Nico Carver does in his scope reviews.

[@darkrangersinc]

No it’ll be half the weight so no worries. My 90mm is 17.5lbs total so maybe another few pounds for the 102 👌🏼

[@astrocatinfo]

Very interesting review. It jumps to my thoughts how interesting would be an automatic collimating system. Kind of the active optics that we find in large telescopes such as the GTC we have in Spain. Will this come to amateurs soon?

[@darkrangersinc]

If you can make an automatic collimation device I’ll be the first to buy it!

[@cbynum526]

I think harmonic mount makers should give the load capacity in a chart that takes in consideration with how far the CG is from the RA axis. In other words 40lbs at 6" from the RA axis is a lot less of a moment arm than say 40lbs at 12". Doesn't matter so much on worm gear mounts because they are properly balanced. Never thought much about it until Cuiv did a review of a WarpAstron mount and this is how they show their mount's capacity.

[@darkrangersinc]

Yeah, that’s why I mentioned not only the weight but the height of it. I think reflectors that maybe don’t add to the length of the fulcrum might do a bit better. But they don’t clarify they just say 44 pounds 🤷🏻‍♂️. I honestly didn’t think this would probably do well because of my past experience with ZWO. And made sure to start setting up an alternative mount a while ago. It just hasn’t arrived yet, so I wanted to just show people because I see so many folks trying to put big scopes on the AM5 and I don’t think this one would be a smart, long-term choice.

[@anthonygraham6449]

lol and that’s just them. Insane hobby. Travel trailer lol.

[@anthonygraham6449]

Just ordered a 220mini with your link. Hope it worked. Running the nyx tonight seeing isn’t good and using a 240 guide scope with a 120 mini getting .4-.6 rms. Asiair sending mount home fails sometimes.

[@darkrangersinc]

Keep me up-to-date on the NYX. I was supposed to have mine by now, but they just followed up with me. It’s going out here soon!

[@jamesmorse7867]

I think you need more weight on the counterweight and/or a longer post (available with an extension rod). That will help your balance.

[@darkrangersinc]

Unfortunately the counterweights for these mounts is primarily to help with balance in that it helps the entire mount not to tip. These Mounts don’t use counterweights the same way a GEM does because you don’t balance the amount on the RA axis. If the mount was almost tipping over it would help with that balance but the motors restrict movement in the opposite direction so adding weight on the other side won’t work in the way you’re thinking.

[@ehotham]

Did Sharpstar offer to let you try out the Mark 3 mount? Somebody needs to review it along with the SCA 260.

[@darkrangersinc]

I didn’t ask I have an NYX-101 on the way but this is a good idea honestly. I’ll reach out and see what they say thanks!

[@thedonahoes]

Great video! I have the scope on a CEM70G and it holds it really well. I've loved mine. One question. How did you get the handle of the mirror cell? I'm trying to but can't figure it out. Thanks!

[@darkrangersinc]

What do you mean by “get the handle of the mirror cell”

[@thedonahoes]

@@darkrangersinc The handles on the back of the telescope. Did you remove one to attach the EAF? How did you do that? TY

[@chrischarlesjax]

Great video. Come to the Winter Star Party next year and shoot Eta Carina.

[@darkrangersinc]

Where at??

[@stevenv9726]

@@darkrangersinc Florida Keys.

[@stevenv9726]

How did you fit the provided Chesire 1.25" eyepiece to the back of the focuser?

[@TheTabugman]

Cool scope and exactly the speed and focal length I'd like to have. But the price and weight makes it out of reach unfortunately. BTW, heavier counterweights would probably help your AM5 slew fast in RA at least...?

[@darkrangersinc]

Unfortunately that’s not how counterweights work with harmonic drive. Their sole purpose is to prevent the amount from tipping over because the motors lockout force in the reverse direction. Hence why it doesn’t have locks. It wouldn’t benefit from having more counterweights. I have tried just for fun and it didn’t make a difference. If you try to put force in the opposite direction of the motor motor, you’re just working against the motor you’re not helping it to counteract the weight

[@matthewbrown8679]

Thanks for the review. Once it's collimated, how well does it hold the collination?

[@darkrangersinc]

I took it off, put it in the garage and put it back on, and it held fine. When the new amount comes this week I’ll see if it’s still on point.

[@DSOImager]

Cool scope. How well do you think this will hold the collimation, after repeated trips in and out of the house?

[@darkrangersinc]

It’s actually holding well I’ve taken it on and off 2x since dialing it in and checked it and still good! I mostly did the adjustments by tightening instead of loosening once I figured out how to move the mirror the way I wanted it. I should clarify that once you know how to move the mirrors it’s not too bad. The fine tuning can be done with just the eyepiece to make sure the black dot is in the center of the donut. The tough part came from not knowing how turning the Allen keys would move the mirrors and in the back there are two bolts right next to each other at each of the three locations so it was a little confusing. Once you get the primary, though the secondary is actually just like a Newtonian or SET for the most part.

[@DSOImager]

@@darkrangersinc Good to hear.

[@physmc1]

I confirm it holds collimation very well

[@BrandonJEvansPhotography]

Anyone else mistakenly think Trevor Jones was in the thumbnail pic? 😂 Oops

[@darkrangersinc]

Oh cmon I’ve been in the gym a little longer than that 😂

[@anthonygraham6449]

I hope you are getting the Pegasus nyx to try. I can get the firmware to update. I need someone like you to help us out. Still struggling with the sca a little had to use the counterweight and reduce the slew speed. Just got it that how far I got. Got sit at the firmware

[@darkrangersinc]

Maaaaaaaybe getting an NYX 😉. The problem is, I don’t think counterweights are going to help you because they’re essentially just designed to help with the mount tipping… The motor prevents it from really balancing on the RA Axis. I tried adding more and it didn’t help. Dropping the slew speed did though but it’s painfully slow lol.

[@anthonygraham6449]

Yep ask 10 get 7 answers. I’m glad I found you channel. I have filters to get so get you that small commission. And a second 150. Doing a side by side set up. In the future 😊

[@darkrangersinc]

Appreciate you, sir! The nice thing about working with Agena is I know everybody will get parts fast and well taken care of. So it’s a win win 👌🏼

[@anthonygraham6449]

Yea they have gotten over 12,000 of my money

[@darkrangersinc]

@@anthonygraham6449 yeah I’m in the same ballpark my 90 mm rig was almost exactly that a year and a couple months ago because I had to get the 2600 color and mono. Then you have your computer, then a second rig starts feeling necessary lol it’s a black hole!

[@cemoguz2786]

I was actually interesting about this scope but could not find any information about this and also I felt that that mount was too hyped and people just getting real fast on hype train. I really like my eq6r mount and probably if I upgrade I would go with eq 8 rh. What I understand on this hoby there are always comprimize on this hoby and I am gonna pick high weight slugish equpment over protablty. However I think what I want with a scope is not dew and waiting for it to be disipate if I ever get an observatory that would be ideal and should be ready as soon as I am ready imaging. I also would like to see big newtonian experiance with your perspective.

[@darkrangersinc]

Honestly, since I have a Wi-Fi plug that I have everything go into and I can turn it on with my phone and I have the fans always in the on position so as soon as it powers up, they start going and as long as I do that a little bit before I go to take the cap off by the time I’m ready to go. It’s usually good. I added that big dew strap around the bottom. I would imagine a Newtonian would have the same issue since they do have fan systems in the nicer ones as well. And essentially it’s just a big mirror at the end of a tube, although the tube is longer which may have an effect on dew

[@davidemancini7853]

Nice! Any news of the SCA310?

[@darkrangersinc]

Oh cmon I just release the video finally and you guys want another one right away 😂. I can ask if they are in development of a bigger one. They just kind of reached out to me out of the blue. I don’t talk to them regularly like I do some of my other partners. But I do have the contact of the person who reached out for this review I’ll ask

[@davidemancini7853]

@@darkrangersinc ahahah yes do ask, i am waiting for it for the last 2 years, it’s kind of vanish from the radar….

[@darkrangersinc]

@@davidemancini7853 well, maybe if this video gets more more sales of the 260 it will put it back on the radar. There’s not much out about these until this video but judging by how many views it already has clearly there’s an interest!

[@physmc1]

Excellent review! I can sympathize with the weather; I've got the scope in October and got since EXACTLY 4 hours of clear sky to try it ... (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻ . Mine seems to be a good performer (based on 4 hour of data that is ...) for the money. It is about at the limit of portability, as I need to carry the thing to my rooftop every night. Leaving the fan running overnight is actually pretty good at keeping the dew away. What I do is that I connect the fan to one of the AsiAir DC output and leave the telescope switch always on (this way I can remotely control the fan). I can recommend the HAE69 for that scope. It works without counterweight which is both awesome and frightening. It does need a sturdy tripod as well (aka tri-pier). I've been following the same guideline as an RC for collimation using the Howie-Glatter laser. You need the tublug to adjust the secondary then I use the holographic circle attachment to collimated the primary. Seems close enough that it didn't need further adjustment from the star data (to my taste).

[@darkrangersinc]

Yeah, I have the same thing set up with my ASIAIR and the fan set up, connected to a Wi-Fi outlet. I can turn it on from my phone app and that way the fans can run for about 45 minutes along with the dew strap so by the time I go out there it’s ready to go! I don’t even have to log into the AA+ software, as soon as it powers on the dew strap, and fans get going! The HG laser system worked really good for me. I just connected it at the end and then centered the donut around the black spot in the middle and tried to get the target to fill up the White and My are pretty dialed in at this point. I just hadn’t used anything like that with something other than a Newtonian

[@darkrangersinc]

The mount I have coming will add over 50% capacity!

[@Rob_1472]

Great review Ryan. I love mine though it’s taken me a while to dial in. I’ve pimped mine out with silicone dew pads on the inside of the back plate (not directly on the primary mirror) and a Kendrick dew strap on the front. My light polluted skies and poor seeing are an issue but posted M81/82 on AB a few weeks ago. Clear skies

[@darkrangersinc]

Can you send me the silicone pads via IG (same name as channel)? I’d like to see what you mean and maybe try it! Once I figured out, you just have to get it going about an hour ahead of time I’ve been good it’s just if you try to pop it open and get going right away that I run into problems but anything that can help is always welcome!

[@MazzifLOL]

Whats the advantage of the SCA 260 over say a 254/1270 Newtonian?

[@darkrangersinc]

You’re the Newtonian guy you tell me ;). I don’t know it’s probably quite a bit shorter, if you already have the stuff for collimation, you really don’t need to upgrade anything or buy a flattenor which is nice, but it’s probably more expensive than a lot of Newtonian. The size of the imaging circle is massive I don’t know if most newts have 80mm to work with. I’ve seen some from OOUK that go for the same price as this thing with the carbon fiber body and a really nice focuser. I think it would be a little bit more portable overall as it’s shorter than a newt. Someone below said they do take this portable with them, which seems like a lot to me, but could make a difference in that scenario 🤷🏻‍♂️. I kind of like that. It’s a unique design although that makes it more difficult at first but now that I’ve got it dialed in it’s just cool to have something a little different. I don’t know that I would say it’s better or worse just different.

[@RexDoodis]

How much counterweight? It looks light for a 40lb OTA. I use 20lbs with my Edge HD 11 on the AM5 and it's only about 30lbs. The AM5 works better when it isn't so overbalanced.

[@darkrangersinc]

Counterweights don’t work the same on this mount as they do with a GEM. They are simply designed to prevent the amount from tipping backwards. I understand why you think this because it’s the traditional logic, but these mounts work, in a completely different manner The counterweights you are using are not helping to balance the scope on the RA Axis. You can’t balance the scope on that axis weights on this type of mount. The way motors prevent the scope from rotating in the opposite direction also prevents weights in the opposite and from helping to counterbalance the weight on the saddle. Adding more counterweights would not help in the same way it does on a typical Equitorial mount, and just to be sure, I added another counterweight before sending this for fun and predictably it made no change. I have the amount recommended to do the intended effect of preventing the scope from tipping, but with the 35 pound kettle bell I have in the tripod pouch it’s not really needed.

[@sochin33]

Nice Ryan! Have you considered SkyWave (Innovations Foresight), an AI based wavefront collimation tool? Many with RCs use this exclusively to collimate. I use it on my 12.5" CDK (f/5.3 with reducer). AFAIK , this AI based approach is more accurate (and less expensive) than the hardware collimators.

[@darkrangersinc]

I have not but open to suggestions! I actually have it dialed in now, and it wasn’t that bad once I figured out how to move things around in different directions based on the bolt pattern. but any information you have I’m interested!

[@Rob_1472]

I was unable to get that final adjustment I wanted to make with skywave and it turns out my secondary wasn’t centred. Only way I confirmed for sure was with the Howie Glatter and square grid projection. As Ryan has the HG I think he’s covered

[@darkrangersinc]

@@Rob_1472 yeah I didn’t show it in the video but I was able to get the doughnut perfectly around the center hall using the HG laser. The only issue with it is the diameter is a little bit too big for the eye piece holder I had so I got another one.

[@sochin33]

I tried to post a link to some SkyWave info, but my comment disappears

[@darkrangersinc]

@@sochin33 really? I promise it’s not me! [e-mail] if you can email

[@_ethereal_astro]

Was your reasoning for getting this was the speed? With most other scopes natively at f/10?

[@darkrangersinc]

I was approached by Askar/sharpstar to do a review. My reason for choosing this was I just haven’t seen much out there and the specs were very interesting to me. I love the idea of high-speed and Long focal length.

[@_ethereal_astro]

@@darkrangersinc I’ll cross over to that realm someday. Fast refractors are for me.

[@abhijitjuvekar]

How is GSO RC 10 inch compared to this scope?

[@darkrangersinc]

No experience with an RC unfortunately. I’ve used Newts, SCT, Refractors, and this. I’m assuming this will be faster and a little more compact potentially.

[@michaelbibby8636]

What possible reason would you choose this scope over a 10" F5, 1250mm Newtonian? The Newtonian is cheaper and lighter.

[@darkrangersinc]

Actually not a big fan of Newts they always need a focuser upgrade, and a corrector or corrector reducer unless you get a more premium newt like an OOUK or something and their 10” Astrograph Newtonians are about the same price for a carbon tube and the same size 3.5 focuser and larger imaging circle. Even if a scope has the same stats in terms of focal length and speed doesn’t necessarily mean they’re equal there’s different quality mirrors, focuser, tube, hardware, etc. made to different tolerances and what not. Just like you can get a PHQ 107 or a FSQ 106 refractor similar stats but totally different build quality. Also wouldn’t be much of a reason to do a review on a 10” newt as it’s a very common scope this is a more unique design. So from a channel standpoint when Askar Reached out and asked me what I wanted to do a review on this one was the most interesting.

[@sodakastronut]

@@darkrangersincI would gladly compare the results of my Askar 130PHQ/1000mm/f7.7 to this beast. Obviously faster is better generally speaking but trying to move that much weight on that mount is asking for trouble. I had to upgrade from an EQ-6R Pro to a CEM-70, guiding improved from 0.8-1.2 TRMS (EQ-6R & tripod) to 0.2 arcsec 😊TRMS average (CEM70 & permanent pier) with the 130PHQ, QHY268M, QHYCFWx7x2", OAG & Falcon Rotater. The mount is Critical - can track ~0.6 arcsec easily without guiding - I know you know that more than I. Way to be transparent on your channel's relationship with your vendors/suppliers. Keep up the good work. CS & GB!

[@nikaxstrophotography]

Awesome review, The only reason I would not buy this is my wallet. With the mount issue have you tightened the belts?

[@darkrangersinc]

Well this is the second, brand new mound head didn’t think I would need to fix anything on it since it just got it 🤷🏻‍♂️. If it just happened on one that was a little bit older and fairly well used but now that it’s happened on two mounts, I think we have to just accept the fact that it’s not the right mount for this scope.

[@nikaxstrophotography]

@@darkrangersinc I'd still try the belt adjustment just to see. It is a known issue and what you have demonstrated is identical. Cloudy nights is all over it. I think ZWO quality control needs a good kick up the arse.

[@darkrangersinc]

@@nikaxstrophotography I could see the belt not being tight enough, causing the guiding spikes because any slack could create a buildup of force when it catches up and caused a spike, but do you really think that’s the reason it can’t lift the scope? The reason I won’t open up any of their devices is because I’ve been told by them as well as the distributor I use it will void the warranty. Not that it really means with them but then I have absolutely no chance. The answer for this particular scope is to get a stronger amount. I don’t think that having a tighter belt will affect its ability to lift the weight. It might affect its accuracy I agree there. But the combination of the diameter of the scope, as well as is clearly just too much for this mount. I’m sure the new one with a lighter load would perform just fine and I will test that here soon as I’m going to switch back to my refractor and when the new mount comes put the big scope on that. If I can’t get the guiding accuracy that I’m looking for with a lighter scope, then at that point, I probably will just have to open it up but I’m trying to avoid that so if this one inevitably fails again, they can’t try to use that as a scapegoat that I messed with their Equipment.

[@desbarry8414]

I went for a C925 Edge and Hyperstar V4 much better and faster/lighter

[@bartholomule]

Nice review. I think you need more counterweight for your AM5. Looks like you may only have 11 or so pounds on there. But yes, it sounds really bad.

[@darkrangersinc]

Unfortunately that’s not how counterweights work with harmonic drive. Their sole purpose is to prevent the mount from tipping backwards because the motors lockout force in the reverse direction. Hence why it doesn’t have locks. It wouldn’t benefit from having more counterweights. I have tried just for fun and it didn’t make a difference. If you try to put force in the opposite direction of the motor motor, you’re just working against the motor you’re not helping it to counteract the weight. I could put 5x the weight on the other side and it wouldn’t help it lift it. With how tall the scope is in the center of gravity plus its overall weight it’s just too much for the AM5. I’m sure a scope that’s much shorter maybe a heavy apo that weighs 41 pounds would be ok but I can’t say that for sure

[@bartholomule]

The weights are not just keeping it from tipping. Harmonic drives force a flexible spline into a non-flexible spline. A mismatch in tooth count causes the position to shift (rotation), and prevents it from rotating by itself (in both directions, not just reverse) as long as there is pressure at the points of contact. Because they are rotating around the same axis on the RA drive, they do (somewhat, but precise balance isn't required) balance out the weight of the scope. More weight on the counterweight side cannot work against the motor. Also, the weight there doesn't balance out the scope across the saddle, so the DEC motor could be the one struggling, requiring a longer dovetail for balance in that axis. Additional weight does mean more inertia (as does moving the mass farther from the axis of rotation), so trying to accelerate too fast will mean that it could slip as the rotating motor can't physically force the flexible spline (which could stretch or deform under the pressure, or the motor could skip). If accurately balanced with a counterweight, the weight isn't the issue -- it is inertia and the friction in the splines. The mount would have to use different acceleration curves to overcome the inertia of heavy masses vs light ones while using the same splines. That's why ZWO specifies 3 things -- weight limit (about 14kg difference between counterweight and telescope, although this isn't perfectly accurate), counterweight limit (5kg specified), and counterweight bar length limit (20cm specified). Software could do things differently and a really heavy (balanced) weight would work perfectly with the counterweight bar longer and/or counterweight heavier, at least until the strength of the spline teeth is compromised or the friction on the teeth themselves is too high.

[@bartholomule]

I'm glad you tested it. Keep up the good work.

[@WilliamBlakers]

Has the main mirror got an overcoat ?

[@darkrangersinc]

What do you mean by that like some kind of coating on it?

[@WilliamBlakers]

An overcoat on the reflective coating​@@darkrangersinc

[@WilliamBlakers]

​@@darkrangersinclike a quartz coating on top of the aluminium

[@darkrangersinc]

@@WilliamBlakers "enhanced aluminum coatings to transmit 95% of light". The primary is PZ33 (same as pyrex glass)... all their words from the website. I think this is where it being a sharpstar and not a more premium reflector shows up. It has good specs but not the best materials you can use. Certainly good materials though!

[@rang4592]

I have it either but the Sca260 was really the worst choice. It's terrible!

[@darkrangersinc]

Are you Ricardo on IG? If so you’d be the one I was mentioning that didn’t like it

[@rang4592]

@@darkrangersinc What I have is that even if the focerser comes out more than 2cm, it's unstable and wobbly, so the optical axis is twisted, the main mirror is shaking and the spider adjustment is difficult... They sold these products. It's a first-generation product, but it doesn't even recall the product.

[@darkrangersinc]

@@rang4592 ahhh yeah the first gen had several problems that fortunately got fixed

[@AmatureAstronomer]

Interesting. Too heavy and too expensive, but nice.

[@darkrangersinc]

Haha fair enough

[@TheMastersHarvest]

Stars cannot be light-years away from us. Start with the alleged radius of any given star. As you move away from the star, every time you double that distance, the light intensity measurement decreases by a factor of four. Here is the sequence of doubling (r is the initial radius): r, 2r, 4r, 8r, 16r, etc. Here are the corresponding light intensities (L is the initial light intensity): L, L÷4, L÷16, L÷64, L÷256, etc. When you get to about the 15th step in the sequence, the light intensity will have diminished by more than a billion to one. The light will be so diminished that it will be indistinguishable from background radiation. In other words, it will be invisible to the observer. The reason that we can see stars is that they are much closer to us than we have been led to believe.

[@darkrangersinc]

This is true, the earth is also flat, and Bigfoot keeps showing up every night, and stealing my scope out of the backyard 😲

[@hael8680]

So I need a KZbin channel to get ZWO's attention?

[@darkrangersinc]

Well, if you watch my video, emailing them for months didn’t work 😕

[@hael8680]

@@darkrangersinc I did watch😉 I am glad you finally got something out of them. Those spikes were ridiculous.

[@darkrangersinc]

New one is ok for now but the old one was fine for months too. And yeah I remember now ;) Also, kind of proves it wasn’t me or the way I was using the amount because everybody at first was trying to blame me and I’m literally running the second one exactly the same way and magically the spikes are gone 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@DSOm42]

Is why I went with iOptron and Player One. ZWO is done.

[@Everything_I_Like.]

bro casually spending my life savings on a fancy piece of glass in a tube💀💀💀💀 bros living my dream💀😭😭😭