NexGuide Autoguider 20 mins testing result

English:

Waiting for long long time for this testing due to weather issue. Dec.2010 and Jan 2011 2 months almost cloudy,windy and raining days here.

I set NexGuide Autoguider DEC back 0.2 today according to around 1 pixel shift on 20 mins shooting results yesterday. I really satisfy today's result in 20 mins. It is still pinpoint stars. But seems my Skywatcher ED80 need to do a bit adjustment to have
better pinpoint light.

These few days are Chinese Lunar new year holiday here and I set to portrait style and M-RAW mode in lunch and forgot to set back to L-RAW. Hope this results help you to consider whether Nexguide is the one of your selection. For me, it's enough. No more
investment on astro equipment is needed.

Above testing with following equipment..

HEQ5
SkyWatcher ED80 F600mm
Guide Scope A60 F220mm
Canon 7D DSLR
Celestron NexGuide Autoguider

Have clear skies.

Cheers

中文:

這個日子等了非常久了，兩個月來終於等到有個完整的天空可以測試這個20分鐘結果。昨天測試的時候，雲非常多，幾乎有三分之一的時間都會有雲遮住星空，但是因為直接瞄準天狼星，所以知道20分鐘的狀況會有約一、二個畫素的位移，因此今天的設定改變了DEC BACK從0改為0.2。

這個數字應該是根據赤道儀的不同誤差有所變化，最早的測試我就已經測試出我的赤道儀有這個數字的誤差，果然今天改成0.2之後，星點就是圓的。

單張20分鐘有拍了三張，兩張都如附圖一樣圓，第三張應該是受到附近大型沖天炮影響到，震動到了。基本上應該不是導星器的關係，過年那些人不知道錢太多還是有個有錢的老爸，沖天炮好像免費一樣，打整晚...難得有好天氣卻沖天炮到處亂飛..

今天去親戚家吃午飯拍照忘記設定回來，結果拍m42三張後才想到星點怎好像沒有對焦好，一看m-raw沒改回來，焦距也沒有對準，不過應該是值得參考的一張照片，希望對各位好友的抉擇有所幫助。我對這個導星器目前的評價還是很正面的，但是就不知道兄弟牌的SKYWATCHER Synguider是不是一樣穩定囉! 各項規格看起來幾乎相同，希望結果也是一樣的正面。

以上設備用的是

HEQ5
SkyWatcher ED80 F600mm
Guide Scope A60 F220mm
Canon 7D DSLR
Celestron NexGuide Autoguider


祝各位的星空美好，另祝農曆新年快樂囉!

Celestron NexGuide Autoguider testing result

This picture was using Meade DSI Pro II mono, used auto stack, 5.7 seconds each, totally 998 seconds. I did not use ENVISAGE alignment to correct rotation to see what happend on guiding result.

Currently the result is positive when found a brighter star as a guiding star.

When the sky with light pollution and visual magnitude only can see Polaris...then don't switch on, it is nothing to do...guider will not function properly due to light pollution and high noise.

I also set up PEC to HEQ5 but seems HEQ5 only can tracing without problem in 1 mins by itself. Start from 80 sec can see the delay on photos. But find a brighter star and switching on NexGuide Autoguider can have a very accuracy results even 998 seconds is still pinpoint stars.


My testing comments as below:

1. Menu is simple to understand

2. Auto Cal: faster than PHD guding, it takes around 2 to 3 mins. Normally , brighter star may down to 2 mins or less for auto cal.

3. Noise setting: read the handbook very carefully on Noise setting method. You need to reduce Noise lower to prevent guider confuse and miss guding. Adjust exprosure time and Noise to find a low noise then start guiding.

Well, hope you enjoy the accuracy guiding, this is my final testing result.


Above testing equipment:

SkyWatcher ED 80 F600

SkyWatcher A80 F400 guide scope
HEQ5 mount

Meade DSI Pro II mono CCD

NexGuide Autoguider

NexGuide Autoguider testing review

This is English version of testing result to share with my friends.

I was quite happy to have NexGuide autoguider on last Friday but quite disappointed the weather was so bad on Friday night.

Saturday night waiting until mid night around 12 oclock for first time testing it.
Very afraid the weather like yesterday , let me thought someone using Doraemon's tool to made so much cloud in the sky.

Not very accurate to do polarize and used 1 star alignment on HEQ5. Although, I read the manual in advance at least three times but touch the real NexGuide is another story. Got some trouble on the first hour to operating it.

Look at the hand control...it's cute..



You need select and lock star before select guiding. Due to my guidescope is not parallel with main telescope, I spent coule mins to adjust it and finding the
brightness star for auto cal.

I believe my DSI pro II is more sensitive then this one. I spent much time to finding star...May be I need to fine tune some parameter to improve it.


No other experience to compare with other standalone guider, so I can only share with the experience when I using PHD guding. It is more faster then PHD guding. In the period of testing, some of auto cal only spent around 1 mins. I did auto cal many times yesterday. Longest time around 3 mins on auto cal.

The most important point is ...find a brightness star....



When found the guide star, you can move it to center of display or just leave it on
original position. NexGuide can calculating the X and Y Axis and show on display panel text area which is on leftside.

You can also see the delta R, delta D real time.

First couple photos were failed due to my legs touched tripod or touched scope. Only choise these three for your reference.

These three photos were tooking by EOS 350D. 1 and 2 was 300seconds, 3rd was 200 seconds.

I will share more in future for longer exposure time and share it next time.

新導星道具-NexGuide Autoguider開箱

早上UPS早早就來公司，打電話找我送東西來。來了個小箱子，裡面有了兩個小盒子。
這恐怕是個人最有耐性的一次網購，早在七月中就已經訂購的產品，今天才姍姍來遲的從美國寄過來。 為了搶第一開箱，打破個人向來低調不發開箱文的習慣，希望這是台灣地區的首發...我就自己先來當白老鼠吧! 因為沒帶相機出門，所以就用手機拍囉!

先來看看這兩個小盒子內的東西吧!

相信很多老手都知道這道具的用途，除了拍攝星空好用外，行星觀察時候，也很方便。至少不必擔心黑漆嗎烏的星空下，濾鏡不小心掉到地上慘遭踩破的情況...我還沒發生過，但是如果不小心，相信很快會發生。

今天的重點是這個名叫NexGuide autoguider的道具了。

其實說巧不巧，剛好Celestron在官網發表這款的當天，剛好上去看他們的產品，發現這東西的價位真的很平民化，比起SBIG系列的真的天差地別，不過人家的東西有一定的評價，這東西那麼便宜不知道效果如何? 其實也有點冒險啦!

因為大家對濾鏡盤的了解較多，所以就簡單幾張照片帶過囉!

回到導星玩具上面，這是完整的說明書

控制手把與附上的接線，還有RJ45接頭，我猜應該是保護接點用的。算他們貼心!

實體大小比我想像中來的小很多耶! 特別把滑鼠放在旁邊比較...體重也很輕...

不知道效果如何....(小小擔心) 如果日後測試效果不好....我一定要努力的大大的...

用力的...非常用力的批判Celestron一番!

配上這小小的螢幕，好像也是比我預期的還小耶....這部分真的有點詫異!不過LCD應該也不算便宜的吧! 而且還有影像功能....要是效果不好....我....絕對...不....放...過...Celestron的啦.... :-)

不過整體看起來真的比我預期的要美多了....唯一不滿的就是這個醜醜的六伏特電池盒啦!

真的醜爆了~我自己做的都比較好看...改天來發篇電池盒DIY好了!

先說到這邊囉! 等天空狀況好了，一定補發測試結果與各位前輩們分享!

希望大家每天都有美好星空可以看哦!