Astrobdlbug Posted April 27, 2021 Share Posted April 27, 2021 I am still flip flopping about pressing the buy button for a CEM26 Can anyone help me answer a few more questions about these mounts I have heard that CEM mounts are extremely sensitive to balance - so if I am planning to use as a travelling / star camp option would it be a mount that requires too much fine tuning to balance and dial it in for a remote site imaging session ? Would it be better to get the GEM28 instead as that would possibly be less sensitive to load balance issues ? Second - I use Raspberry Pi running Astroberry with INDI/EKOS/KSTARS - at the moment I use a FTDI EQDIR USB cable for my Sky-Watcher AZ,-ALT EQ6 GT mount that goes directly into the mount from a Pi USB socket and I do not need to connect via the handset. I am reading that this setup does not work with iOptron mounts and any USB conneection needs to go via the handset controller - I only infer that as I cant find anyone explicitly stating thats the way to connect this mount to a computer. Could anyone who is using this mount with ASIAir or Stellarmate or Pi running Astroberry let me know how they connect the mount to the Pi please ? thanks for anyone help/advice on this , Bryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul Posted April 27, 2021 Share Posted April 27, 2021 (edited) I have a skywatcher HEQ5 and an ioptron mount. I also heard the same concern but what I realised was that the CEM was scarily friction free when the clutch was disengaged - with the heq5 there is so much friction that it never really moves that freely. With low friction even a gram or two makes a well designed system move. With the skywatcher I always had to encourage movement when it was near good balance. (I'm not saying the HEQ5 is poor, the experience is different) My experience (admittedly limited and with a bigger mount) has been the CEM is very forgiving, as long as you are not pushing the capacity. Edited April 27, 2021 by paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astrobdlbug Posted April 27, 2021 Author Share Posted April 27, 2021 23 minutes ago, paul said: My experience (admittedly limited and with a bigger mount) has been the CEM is very forgiving, as long as you are not pushing the capacity. Thanks Paul - you have accurately described my expreince with my Skywatcher mount - balance has to be encouraged - its doesn't move freely - CEM ,ok thats very encouraging for me as I will not be pushing capacity with a Samyang lens and a OSC camera setup - perhaps in future a small <100mm APO Bryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkulin Posted April 28, 2021 Share Posted April 28, 2021 With all my iOptrons I use one these and they work perfectly: - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ioptron-Telescope-Control-Equatorial-Ieq30pro-Length-3-2feet/dp/B07MF9H9KP/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1D6EJ9MRYJ79O&dchild=1&keywords=ioptron&qid=1619568842&rnid=1642204031&s=computers&sprefix=Ioptron%2Caps%2C159&sr=1-3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astrobdlbug Posted April 28, 2021 Author Share Posted April 28, 2021 7 hours ago, Jkulin said: With all my iOptrons I use one these and they work perfectly thank John, yes I’ve seen these cables so can you definitively confirm how it plugs together - do I need to connect into the handset or direct into the mount Is the connection 1 : Laptop or Pi USB - cable - handset - mount 2 : Laptop or Pi USB - cable - mount Bryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jkulin Posted April 28, 2021 Share Posted April 28, 2021 Hi Bryan, I don't know the connections for the CEM26, I can only tell you how it works for me. I don't use the hand controller or a URS232 cable, the new cable plugs into my mount and then into my Pegasus UPB This was the cable that iOptron in the US told me to obtain 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astroarg Posted July 2, 2021 Share Posted July 2, 2021 I just have a cable going into the HC, velcro'ed to the tripod.. I prefer having the HC there in case I need it! Quote Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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