Im a newbie - please help

[Richieb]

Hi,

Im new to the whole hobby and have just invested in an equatorial mount and ZWO ASI224MC for my Nexstar 8se along with a motorised focuser. I seem to have got the hang of things where polar alignment is concerned but realise I can use Sharpcap for more accuracy and to focus better.

My question is; do I need a lead from my laptop to the AVX mount to run the polar alignment and focuser or is it all run via my ZWO camera which is already connected to my laptol? I wont be using a guide camera or OAG at the moment as the budget wont stretch but I would like to be more accurate with polar alignment and focusing. Ive tried YouTube but cant find anything that is this specific.

Any help would be greatly appreciated and simple language for a simple bloke as well! Cheers all.

[admin]

Hi,

You can do the polar alignment with just the camera connected to the laptop – if you do it that way then you can move them out by hand when prompted to in the polar alignment procedure by unlocking the RA clutch and rotating amount through about 90° around the RA axis. It's also possible to use the go to handset or computer control to make that movement if you want.

If you are planning to use a computer controlled motorised focuser then you will need a second USB cable from the computer to the focuser. Some of the larger ZWO cameras have built-in USB hubs that let you avoid the second cable, but I don't think the 224 model has that feature. You will also need to install the software that came with your focuser and most likely the Ascom platform as well if you haven't already installed that.

Hope this helps, Robin

[Richieb]

Hi Robin,

Thats fantastic. Thanks for your help. I have the Ascom drivers installed already. Thanks again mate.

Clear skies!

Regards

Rich