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Anyone who has spent time setting up anything more than the most basic imaging setup knows that arranging all of the various components can be a time consuming and laborious task.  All the cables need to be routed to avoid snagging.  Often once this is complete, you will find that the sky conditions have changed and you have to do it all again in reverse!

The Mount Hub Pro includes…

• 8 individually selectable and controllable relay driven outputs to power your equipment. (plus three constant (always on) outlets.)
• A 4 channel dew controller with individually selectable outputs.
• A stepper motor focus controller compatible with many of todays most popular focusers (e.g. Moonlite, Robofocus)
• PC software which allows all of the above to be controlled from the users PC (Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7).
• Manual (Non PC based) control of the Dew Controller
• Optional Manual ‘Hand Controller’ for focus operations
• An ASCOM compliant driver to operate with your favourite third party ASCOM compliant application. (e.g. Maxim DL, CCD Soft etc)
• USB Interface
• An integrated and reliable 3 port USB hub for connecting your favourite devices.
• Can deliver up to 15Amps of power to your equipment (via an appropriate power supply)

One power cable leads from your power supply to the ‘Mount Hub Pro’ and one USB cable runs from the controlling PC to the MHP, so there is less chance of tripping or getting tangled in lots of cables in the dark.  Power outlets and USB ports to your equipment are provided so cables no longer cause problems.

From HitecAstro…

Here are some pictures sent to us by a customer showing how he uses his HitecAstro Mount Hub Pro.

Its sort of funny to see the cigar plug splitter lying discarded on the floor behind.  Poor thing, its never going to be needed again!

In the first picture you can see how only one USB cable and one power cable leaves the mount hub pro.

The second picture shows an overall picture of this set-up.  Note how there are very few dangling cables to snag during  an imaging session.

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Includes UK Delivery

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The adapter is connected in place of the handset and works with the EQMOD driver and planetarium software.
Gives Syntrek mounts full GOTO and adds valuable features and precision to Synscan mounts.

Note: The Orion Atlas EQ-G is the same as the EQ6 Pro, and the Orion Sirius EQ-G is the same as the HEQ5 Pro.

The post EQDir Adapter for SkyWatcher Mounts (FTDI) appeared first on Modern Astronomy.

How many times has it happened to you?

The weather forecast doesn’t look too promising for observing / imaging so rather than waste time cloud watching you settle down to watch the sports or a good movie.

Later on you step outside and viola the sky is beautifully clear and has been while you were inside watching TV.  Sound familiar?

Clearly a cloud sensor would be ideal.

Wouldn’t it be great if you had a permanent eye on the sky to tell you when it’s clear outside.  Well now you can.  Hitecastro are delighted to announce the latest additions to our product line up.

Hitec Weather USB and Hitec Weather Deluxe offer cloud sensing and much, much more at a price which won’t break the bank.

Although they are stablemates and on the face of it seem similar, both products are very different and indeed serve the astronomer with a very different set of functionality and solve two distinct problems.

Hitec Weather Deluxe

Hitec Weather deluxe is a fully featured cloud sensor with integrated ambient and rain sensor.

Utilising an RS232 connection allows a much longer cable run than is possible with USB.

The unit is designed to be located outdoors permanently so you never need to miss a clear sky again.

Hitec Weather Deluxe comes with a comprehensive software suite containing advanced features not found on competing products.

features are listed below;

• Sensor parameters are fully adjustable to suit your location and climate.
• RS232 cable allows unit to be located up to 150ft from the host PC.
• Power and signal are provided through a single cable.
• E‐Mail alerts are fully configurable so you get the information you need when you need it.
• Astronomical calculations are done on the fly to allow factors such as twilight and moonlight to be factored into your observing decisions.  This removes the need for a light sensor.
•  Separate and highly accurate ambient temperature sensor is located outside the box so as not to be affected by electronic heat.
• Rain sensor will alert you at the first drop of rain potentially saving you a lot of money should a sudden rain shower pass over. Rain sensor integrates a controllable inbuilt heater to avoid false alarms caused by dew or frost

Hitec Weather USB

Hitec Weather USB in many ways is the little brother of the two however its function is very different as you will see.

Hitec Weather USB contains a cloud sensor and ambient temperature sensor.

However it is presented in a much smaller package and is designed to be mounted on the end of your OTA.

The field of view of the sensor is restricted to 10degrees and points where your telescope is looking thereby providing accurate sensing of cloud where you are imaging only.

It’s no good if 90% of your sky is clear and a pesky cloud is hanging in front of your target that night.

With HitecWeather USB you get instant updates on your computer screen to tell you what the sky is like where your scope is looking.

Below is a screenshot taken from the software showing a clear sky

Note… Written by Dave Grennan, Product Development Manager – Hitec Astro.

One thing we haven’t discussed yet is just how configurable these units are. At Hitec Astro we have considered long and hard how best to produce a cloud sensor which will work at every location at all times.

Why is this so difficult?  To understand this we need first to look at how our cloud sensors work.

Simply put, the sensor detects infrared radiation coming from the sky. A cloudy sky reflects lots of IR radiation and in theory, a perfectly clear sky reflects little or no IR.  However the ambient temperature has a role to play too and it is the relationship between these two that Hitec Weather utilise to determine the clarity of the sky.  Simply put cloud sensing is easy.  However determining for, example the difference between a clear sky and a slightly hazy sky becomes more difficult.  Now couple that with the vagaries of different climates and rapidly changing airmasses and you can see why the task of a ‘one fits all’ solution would be difficult at best.

Hitec Weather provides a system in which all of the parameters which define the clarity (or otherwise) of the users sky can be determined using a method which we have spent quite a bit of time learning to understand and develop.  These parameters can be simply set in the software provided and thus allow the user to adapt to different prevailing conditions.  By default Hitec Weather is loaded with parameters which we have found to work well from the United Kingdom.  However overseas customers might need to adjust these to suit local climates.  In short wherever you live and whatever your climate Hitec Weather will work for you with minimal effort.  If desired, users can download recommended parameters automatically.

Our software is written by astronomers just like you.  We understand just what our fellow astronomers need.  We spend a lot of time thinking about and using these products ourselves before we even offer them to the most important people of all.  Our customers.

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The Mount Hub Pro has integrated a number of the important accessories commonly used for an astro set-up. This has enabled astronomers to simplify their set-up and reduce the dreaded cable mess which can be so problematic.

By placing the device between the telescope and the mount, the Mount Hub Pro Ultimate provides a solid and convenient location.

Its integrated USB Hub, Stepper Motor focus controller, Power and Dew ports can be reached easily from the telescope meaning that cabling moves as a unit completely eliminating the possibility of trailing cables snagging and cutting your observing or imaging night short.

Additionally the MHP Ultimate provides those with remote observatories a secure and reliable methodology for reducing complexity and thus decreasing the chance of a failure.

The housing of the MHP has been precision CNC machined from a solid block of high grade aluminium and black anodised thus delivering maximum strength to enable it to carry even the
heaviest of loads.

The top of the unit is fitted with a quality ‘Losmandy’ style dovetail to receive your telescope.

A male dovetail is fitted underneath to ensure a secure fitting to the vast majority of mounts. Additionally the male dovetail can be removed revealing a range of hole patterns designed to fit many of the popular mounts enabling a direct connection between the mount hub pro ultimate and mounts such as Astro-Physics, Paramount and many others.

The MHP Ultimate integrates a host of features

• Power in socket ensuring only one power cable needs to run to your setup.
• 4 x Power outlets to power your equipment
• Integrated 3 port powered USB hub.
• 3 x dew ports supporting all the major brands of dew heaters such as ‘Kendrick’ and ‘DewNot’
• High Quality Stepper motor focus controller which supports any uni-polar stepper motor focuser such as ‘Robo-Focus’, ‘Moonlite’, ‘Lakeside’ or our own Motor/Bracket package

The following images show how the Mount Hub Pro Ultimate sites between the telescope and the
mount.

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The unit is fused @ 8 amps with each channel able to control a large dew heater, such as a 14″

Most heater strips from major manufacturers are supported via standard phono sockets.

Please ensure your power supply can deliver enough power for your total requirement.

Two 2.1mm 12 volt regulated outputs suitable for most Celestron/SkyWatcher mounts as well as many Astronomy accessories. Fused @ 8 amps with 2m cable.

A manual is available for this product

The HitecAstro Single Channel Dual Port Dew Controller is also available

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The power output to both ports is set on the front of the device for convenience.

Each controller can power heating tapes up to 3 amps.

Included is a high quality cigar plug adaptor and 2m of cable.

The manual is available here

A four channel version is also available.

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