polar alignment/ Eq wedge.

BZFrank

According to the Seestar EQ thread in the Cloudynights form ZWO has already verified that the bearing is mechanically strong enough to handle this operation. People (including me) have operated their Seestar in this way without issues. ZWO just warns against the tripod tipping if not done correctly and this may be their main concern.

So why not put at least these two settings into the app? ZWO does not have to call it EQ mode officially. Except for the horizon issue I can already fake another GPS location in the phone and use the Seestar in EQ mode this way. But giving us these setting would make it easier for those people smart enought to try it. 😉

pupak

The bearing is solid, but the storage in the plastic and the plastic shaft of the Ra axis is not solid. Is it designed for purely axial load and more radial force due to clearance in the bearing of the same, or will it lighten the worm gear, resulting in more clearance, or friction and both are wrong. It will work for a while, but it won't last very long with frequent use in EQ mode. It's up to everyone if they want to risk the wasp leaving after a few months.

Julio939

Oh yes, please. To begin with, it would be enough to allow observation "below the horizon". Thank you so much.

Zandar

EQ shouldn't be too difficult to implement in software; I imagine the holdup is making sure the hardware side is correct.

BZFrank

From my perspective as a software developer I believe you are right, at least the "Don't check for below the horizon"-feature would be trivial to implement. It won't even cause any mechanical issues in AltAz.

starnet

BZFrank The list of features it would be trivial to implement in software but ZWO never does is quite long. Let's see:

Have an option to save all the RAW frames, not just those successfully stacked
Save 10 second RAW frames even when not tracking star movement - just go to RA/Dec position, stop any movement and continuously save 10-second RAW frames, how hard can that be from a software point of view, we are asking ZWO to remove, not add "features" - there are so many interesting things that could be done with this absolutely trivial change, like spectroscopy, wide angle image capture and mosaics, detection of very short period variable stars, etc. Yes, each image will have star trails but they are short and can mostly be removed through de-convolution if the SnR is good enough
Support Equatorial Mode, the subject of this particular post - all you have to do is recognize that in this mode it is OK to track even below horizon
Do not stack frames that contain satellite trails
Provide automation so that the S50 can capture images without a human present
Make the S50 controllable from Stellarium, we already know this is possible, despite ZWO's efforts otherwise
Provide remote control features, so the S50 can be used remotely over the Internet, not just from BlueTooth or WiFi range
Make the SeesStar/S50 API open source - this is such a no brainer move, it costs nothing in terms of software development, has no disadvantages for ZWO (SeeStar app is free anyway) and only benefits the company and the product (create an ecosystem, sell more units, gain market share); by keeping development closed and excruciatingly slow (no real new feature in 6 months), ZWO are literally sabotaging their own product, it is only a matter of time until somebody else comes with a competing telescope in the same price range but with the features we have been asking for all these months.

I could go on and on and on, but even one of these eight points would make my day and I have been waiting for 6 months already and nothing is happening. I like the S50, very much so, but I have to tell you, if ZWO does not add all these features really soon, I do not see myself as a ZWO customer in the immediate future.

BZFrank

I concur. Given there is no response from ZWO here (not even that they are considering it), the answer seems to be a silent but adamant "no". Very disappointing.

unixnut

Having tried EQ mode successfully I find myself reverting to AltAz mode again. The reason is that I find field rotation gives a larger and more rounded final image. What people are trying to avoid (field rotation) I find enhances the image. Example raw of 2 hours on NGC6946 below which in EQ mode would be the usual narrow proportions:

clipper99

unixnut With a butt-load of rational noise very evident in the top left/bottom right, the left and right edges and some less so but still there in the top right/bottom left, which is all normally cropped out. You were able to try to hide a lot of it by crushing the background. Don’t get me wrong, it still looks decent, but I would rather have 2 hours on target with no rotation. If I wanted to emulate the aspect ratio of your photo I could also do a mosaic and in either case, I have a clean image in all my corners.

BZFrank

Still no feedback from ZWO regarding this functionality?

3IvXbGDE

Has anybody tried to put S50 on an actual goto proper mount and basically just use it as a telescope ? Tell the mount to track same target as S50 is tracking. S50 would not have to move any of its gears then - would that work ?

Support@Seestar

3IvXbGDE If you can ensure the GoTo mount is tracking accurately and aligned with the S50, the system should work. The S50 can focus entirely on capturing images while the GoTo mount handles the tracking.

xfirf

They said EQ Mode will be supported officially with the next upcoming update.

greyBeard

Re starnet July 28, 2024 #5 above, The Seestar app now has a "Plan" mode that I have used to take images of multiple objects during a viewing session while I sleep. At the end, the Seestar S50 lowers its arm. I am not sure whether it turns itself off. I do need to connect an auxiliary battery or plug in a phone charger to make sure that the Seestar battery does not out of energy.

curtismacc

greyBeard It does not turn off when it finished the plan even though it does park the arm in the home position, i.e. lowered.

Support@Seestar

greyBeard When the scheduled mode is over, the Seestar arm will return to its position, but will not turn off.
If you need to have Seestar shut down, turn on the last option of the advanced features and it will shut down after 15 minutes of no operation at the end of the scheduled shooting.

starnet59

This long promised EQ mode better be good, because I am sooo ready:

S50 with dew shield, EQ wedge, cable tangling problem solved and secondary tripod for added EQ mode support.

starnet59

Based on the most recent review of the upcoming EQ mode, it looks like the user will have to manually select between Alt/Az mode and EQ mode. I do not understand why this would be required or even desirable. With the exception of virtually non-existent users located 5 degrees around the north and south poles (provide a manual manual setting mode for them just in case), the SeeStar app can tell by using the S50 accelerometer whether the telescope is more or less horizontal, meaning Alt/Az mode, or inclined close to the current latitude, which would mean EQ mode.

This could be part of the existing leveling routine, just extend it to help the user either make the S50 horizontal or inclined corresponding to the latitude. Depending on which way you go, the Alt/Az versus EQ mode selection would be obvious and not require any further user input, the app would make the selection automatically. The YT reviewer even mentioned forgetting the setting in EQ mode while trying to use the S50 in Alt/Az mode and wasting time resolving it. If such an experienced user can make this mistake, imagine how many beginners will get tripped by this problem. With many of them not even understanding the difference between the two modes.

Just make this more user friendly, especially with the intended market of the S30/S50 in mind, do not complicate it unnecessarily.

starnet59

On a related topic, for those planning to use a Sky Watcher equatorial wedge, like this one:

https://vi.aliexpress.com/item/1005007080518330.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.5.68cf1802iP5fqB&gatewayAdapt=glo2vnm

you should be aware that the locking screw button will not work because it will hit the bottom of the S50. The YT EQ mode reviewer also mentioned this issue and even used a long M8 screw - apart from not being a very elegant solution, as you would need a wrench to tighten it, this is problematic because the end of the Sky Watcher locking screw is rounded to ensure a stable locking and avoid damaging the wedge. It is not easy to find a replacement M8 screw with a rounded tip, so instead I used a cheap tripod screw adapter to raise the S50 by a centimeter or so, which makes using the original Sky Watcher screw possible.

An alternative to an adjustable EQ wedge would be a 3D printed fixed wedge. Assuming you have access to a 3D printer this would be a much cheaper option, with the disadvantage that it would only work at a given latitude. So you would need one for your home location and maybe a different one for your travels, depending on the latitude of the place you are going to visit.

Would people be interested in a parameterizable F360 design for a fixed equatorial wedge that they could 3D print themselves? If there is enough demand (no need to reply, I will count the number of likes to this post to determine that) I will consider creating one and sharing it for free.

LA3QMA

starnet59 Maybe print a modified version of this: https://ogstartech.com/ then you can adapt for your position. I don't use F360 anymore but parametric design is fantastic for things like this.

starnet59

starnet59 As promised, here is my attempt at a 3D printed fixed equatorial wedge for the S50:

The total cost, including nut and bolt hardware from Home Depot, is under $3. As mentioned earlier, I am willing to create STL files for every latitude in steps of one degree and share them freely. But before doing that, I am looking for one or two people interested in printing one for themselves and providing feedback. I will send you an STL for your latitude and you will need one 3/8"-16x1" screw and one 3/8"-16 nut. The print takes 4h30m on my BambuLab X1C printer and either PETG or PLA should be fine. The nut is captive, your printer/slicer combination needs to be able to pause the print so you can insert the nut and then continue. Please be aware that for latitudes below 40 degrees the S50 on the ZWO tripod is not stable, even with the legs fully extended, you will need a tripod with much longer legs. This is true for any type of EQ wedge, not just this one.

If you are interested in giving this a try and provide feedback, please contact me at the e-mail address starnet at rogers dot com with your latitude and I will send you an STL and instructions on how to slice and print the thing.

After I receive feedback from a few testers and implement any potential changes, I plan to release the 90 STLs on makerworld.com and printables.com so anybody can access them for free.

jdaley

starnet59 Amazon sells a M8 bolt with a knob for under $10. Various lengths are available. I ordered and received in 2 days the 90mm length. It works. I'm ready too.