Various tools for more fun and joy in astrophotography and less struggle and fight with problems
(entries are sorted by the date last changed or published)
This page goes through the assembly steps for this mounting kit. You will need the telescope itself, EAF with its mounting screws, ASIAIR and the parts of the kit. All versions of ASIAIR starting with Pro can be used with the kit. This page uses the Pro version as an...
Some time ago I started to consider to get a new telescope to cover the focal lengths of around 420mm which would be basically in the middle of 550mm and 350mm of the Sky Watcher Esprit 100ED without and with the Starizona APEX-ED L reducer. While looking around, I...
This page goes through the assembly steps for this mounting kit . We want to get compact and tidy gear setup. You will need three hex allein keys, ZWO ASIAIR (Mini is used here), a EAF with its mounting screws. On the first step we shift the handle bar on the top on...
This the the fist OTA with which I designed the series of the mounting kits placed on the focuser body and sitting in the holes of the guide scope clamps. Mounting of this kit takes 15-20 minutes in the first time. You will need 2.5mm and 3mm hex screw drivers. The...
I once got the Askar FMA180 Pro to cover the 180mm focal length. I was very impressed by its quality and decided to keep it and to create an mounting kit for ZWO ASIAIR and an adaptation for ZWO EAF. This kit is available in the shop. This page describes how to...
This page goes through the assembly steps for this mounting kit. We want to get compact and tidy gear setup. You will need three hex allein keys, ZWO ASIAIR (Mini is used here), a EAF with its mounting screws. As first, we remove the clamp and the extra screws from...
It is not always possible to find a belt on the market in the exact length as needed. Some of Photastro products are supplied with open belts. For these cases I designed special locks. (the above picture shows five locks in one blister) The locks are designed to fit...
The kit allows flexible mounting of the ZWO ASIAIR (Pro / Plus / Mini), a belt drive with ZWO EAF and a raster plate for mounting of a guide scope or other accesories. The assembly of the kit takes around 15-20 min. The picture below shows the final state. This page...
When I started with the idea to combine the battery with the counterweight, I thought, it will be a one-shot project. Well, it gradually became more a learning and a research project. Now, there are four different models made, whereas I do not count the first one...
Testing Routers as WiFi Extenders with ZWO AISAIR Pro Some while ago there were a few cloudy nights in my place again, and I took some time to tinker again. Like some other users, I also suffered from a weak WiFi performance of ASIAIR Pro and over time collected a few...
The kits are shipped disassembled: Assembling of the kit is simple and can be done in 15-20 minutes. The assembling of the version for the saddle handle bar for the RedCat 71 has an addtional step where the main frame hast to be pushed under the bar, around the focing...
ZWO ASIAIR Mounting Kit and Belt Drive for EAF on William Optics RedCat 51 and Red Cat 71 When I started to design an adaptation from my “On-OTA” mounting kit for William Optics RedCat 51 and RedCat 71, I observed that a much simpler mounting would be possible if it...
This page provides instructions on how to assemble the kit. It also provides various hints for its use. Overview of the Parts Most parts of the kit are shipped being not assembled. Only the EAF block is pre-assembled. The outstanding point of the kit is that it can...
More information about the kit is available here. The kit is available in the Photastro shop.
Some while ago I designed a mounting kit supporting various lenses. It is available in my shop and I kept using it on my portable setup. While using it, I came up with an idea of how to make it more compact, avoid using 3rd party mounting elements but still keep it...
Using equatorial mounts requires using counterweights to achieve a balanced distribution the weight regardless of the rotation of the mount and the sizes of the payload. Counterweights are usually cylindrical and are placed on a bar along the RA axis. Their weight...
How comes? This is a set of mounting components for astrophotography rigs using lenses and telescopes with a focus ring. It provides a compact and flexible mounting of most important elements of the rig and allows using a range of lenses and telescopes in the same...