Cool video. Here’s a friendly tip: always put your counterweights on first and take them off last. If your clutches fail and the counterweights aren’t on your ra axis can quickly rotate and your telescope will slam into your tripod legs. It’s happened to me and it’s not pretty.
Hi Ben, great video, thank you for sharing! Just a quick question: is the RS232 to RJ9 cable provided with the mount or is it an optional accessory? Thank you!
Hi Fabio, Thanks for the comment. I'm happy to report CEM40 has none of those 18th century connections. It has a USB printer socket and the USB cable to connect to your computer is included in the box!
Great video Ben, Is that the 1.5 inch tripod or the 2 inch tripod? I am just wondering with my 130mm f5 reflector if I need the added cost and weight of a 2 inch tripod? Thanks Mike
Hi Mike, thanks for the comment! My tripod is 1.5 inch, I would say it’s stable enough. Especially if you can monitor Polar Alignment with iPolar during your session (check my other video on PA monitoring), some minor movement on you tripod can be easily corrected on the go.
Thanks for the quick video, looks like a great replacement for one of my mounts. I do have one question, not related to the scope but the case / power supply you have off to the side, you can see it @ 4:23. Also is that a wireless adapter too? Thanks again.
Hi Dewclaws, thanks for the comment! Yes, that's exactly a lithium battery and a wifi adapter on the floor. The battery I got it from Amazon for around 200$, good to power the whole thing for 4hr+ without dew heater. And you can find more about the wireless router on this video: ua-cam.com/video/3Rs3scy3fyQ/v-deo.html
Hi Ben, I have looked thru several of your videos, great job! I wonder if you could help me with my CEM40EC. I can’t find hardly any videos or help online for it, guess because it’s fairly new? Anyway I am brand new to the hobby and I have gotten the firmware upgraded to the mount, the software loaded to my laptop and then the handset connected. However when I try to do the initial Polar align, the Ioptron software gives me an error message box stating the camera isn’t connected, meaning Ipolar internal camera in the mount I assume. Anyway so without the internal camera working I can’t align the mount. However I can slew the mount back and forth, park, etc. but I just can’t get the Ipolar camera to work. Would you have any suggestions? Man I would so appreciate any help whatsoever you could lend me as this newbie doesn’t have a clue about a lot of the terminology used with this equipment. I also wonder if perhaps I am missing a cable adapter as there is a cable that came with the mount that appears to look like an old serial port but my laptop is fairly new and will not connect to that. Is this perhaps my problem? Dumb question I am going to guess, but it confounds me that I can operate the mount and the handset works just fine. My gut told me that if I was missing a connection the mount wouldn’t work at all? Anyway, if you have any suggestions, that would be super! Thanks so much. Chad
Hi, first, welcome to the hobby! Have you connected iPolar to your computer? It’s a separate USB connection, located at the back of iPolar, and marked iPolar. Coz iPolar is a separate product, you can take it off and use on any other mount, so the connection is not same as the mount. Otherwise, please check the iPolar software, and maybe switch a USB socket, or use a USB hub. If nothing works, I guess you’ll have to talk to iOptron’s customer support. Hope this will help!
Hi! I'm not using any rules for the payload, I'm taking its face value, 40lb as 40lb. So my gears add up to 32lb, and it works pretty well till now. Last night the RMS in PHD2 was ~0.8 arcsec (I was taking 5min subs, very stable). In July, I even added a 5D MarkII with EF100mm F2.8 on top of all the gears to shoot NEOWISE, total should be ~35lb, didn't hear any complaints. I found it a bit sensitive to wind, however. 7-10mph is about the limit.
Hey Ben, I just received my cem40 and am noticing the tracking noise a little noisy. When I GoTo a target and it starts tracking I get a humming/gear noise. Can you tell me if your cem40 also has this noise?
Hi Jim, I would say every mount has some tracking humming noise more or less. If it's continuous and stable in volumn, I would say that's normal. And yes, my CEM40ec has some humming noise too, but compared with my previous mount, AVX, it's much lower in volume, I have to listen carefully to notice it.
Yeah my mount makes a steady sound but is pretty apparent. Here is a link if don’t mind, can you take a listen and see if it sounds similar to your mount? photos.app.goo.gl/BZzZ4pWEKQncridw9
Just listened to your video, I would say it sounds very similar to my mount. I noticed you're testing it at home, it won't be so apparent outside. I believe its totally normal.
Hi, I think the short answer is probably not. Adding a guidescope/camera or OAG doesn't bring too much complexity to the system, unless you don't want to use computer for your imaging. Guided accuracy on a non-EC CEM40 looks good too.
Hi Ben, do you connect computer directly to mount for guiding and plate solve/sync mount, or do you connect the ST4 cable from the guide camera to the mount ST4 port. On my older mount I had an ioptron USB-RJ9 serial cable which used to go to the hand controller for guiding. Is it the same with this?
Hi, good question. CEM40 has a USB Type1 socket on the mount, so I connect it through that with my computer, for both GOTO/platesolve and guiding. As for in your case, I think it's probably the serial port on your hand controller. You'll probably need a serial to USB adapter with some software to make it with a computer.
Well, I can only tell you CEM40 is less than half the weight of EQ6-R, and it does a quite decent job in driving my 32lb gears so far (guiding RMS is lower than 0.8 arcsec most of the time)
Cool video. Here’s a friendly tip: always put your counterweights on first and take them off last. If your clutches fail and the counterweights aren’t on your ra axis can quickly rotate and your telescope will slam into your tripod legs. It’s happened to me and it’s not pretty.
Thanks Brian! I'll take care next time:)
Hi Ben ! Always put the counterweight first before installing the scope.
Thanks Yves! Yes, I should definitely do that.
Great video and awesome mount. But, $3,000?!?! I dont know about that.
This telescope is so nice that I would keep inside all the time and listen to its sound every morning and evening.
Ha!! "...its cloudy outside..." The story of everyone of us when we get new gear!
Hi Ben,
great video, thank you for sharing!
Just a quick question: is the RS232 to RJ9 cable provided with the mount or is it an optional accessory?
Thank you!
Hi Fabio, Thanks for the comment. I'm happy to report CEM40 has none of those 18th century connections. It has a USB printer socket and the USB cable to connect to your computer is included in the box!
Great video Ben,
Is that the 1.5 inch tripod or the 2 inch tripod? I am just wondering with my 130mm f5 reflector if I need the added cost and weight of a 2 inch tripod?
Thanks
Mike
Hi Mike, thanks for the comment! My tripod is 1.5 inch, I would say it’s stable enough. Especially if you can monitor Polar Alignment with iPolar during your session (check my other video on PA monitoring), some minor movement on you tripod can be easily corrected on the go.
nice review counterweight then the scope
Thanks for the quick video, looks like a great replacement for one of my mounts. I do have one question, not related to the scope but the case / power supply you have off to the side, you can see it @ 4:23. Also is that a wireless adapter too?
Thanks again.
Hi Dewclaws, thanks for the comment! Yes, that's exactly a lithium battery and a wifi adapter on the floor. The battery I got it from Amazon for around 200$, good to power the whole thing for 4hr+ without dew heater. And you can find more about the wireless router on this video: ua-cam.com/video/3Rs3scy3fyQ/v-deo.html
Hi Ben, I have looked thru several of your videos, great job! I wonder if you could help me with my CEM40EC. I can’t find hardly any videos or help online for it, guess because it’s fairly new? Anyway I am brand new to the hobby and I have gotten the firmware upgraded to the mount, the software loaded to my laptop and then the handset connected. However when I try to do the initial Polar align, the Ioptron software gives me an error message box stating the camera isn’t connected, meaning Ipolar internal camera in the mount I assume. Anyway so without the internal camera working I can’t align the mount. However I can slew the mount back and forth, park, etc. but I just can’t get the Ipolar camera to work. Would you have any suggestions? Man I would so appreciate any help whatsoever you could lend me as this newbie doesn’t have a clue about a lot of the terminology used with this equipment. I also wonder if perhaps I am missing a cable adapter as there is a cable that came with the mount that appears to look like an old serial port but my laptop is fairly new and will not connect to that. Is this perhaps my problem? Dumb question I am going to guess, but it confounds me that I can operate the mount and the handset works just fine. My gut told me that if I was missing a connection the mount wouldn’t work at all? Anyway, if you have any suggestions, that would be super! Thanks so much. Chad
Hi, first, welcome to the hobby! Have you connected iPolar to your computer? It’s a separate USB connection, located at the back of iPolar, and marked iPolar. Coz iPolar is a separate product, you can take it off and use on any other mount, so the connection is not same as the mount. Otherwise, please check the iPolar software, and maybe switch a USB socket, or use a USB hub. If nothing works, I guess you’ll have to talk to iOptron’s customer support. Hope this will help!
The old fashioned serial cable is for firmware upgrade for the hand controller, don’t worry about that now, but don’t lose it!
Hi Ben!
Were you using the 2/3 rule or the 1/2 rule for payload capacity? Does the mount track well under the load?
Hi! I'm not using any rules for the payload, I'm taking its face value, 40lb as 40lb. So my gears add up to 32lb, and it works pretty well till now. Last night the RMS in PHD2 was ~0.8 arcsec (I was taking 5min subs, very stable). In July, I even added a 5D MarkII with EF100mm F2.8 on top of all the gears to shoot NEOWISE, total should be ~35lb, didn't hear any complaints. I found it a bit sensitive to wind, however. 7-10mph is about the limit.
Hey Ben, I just received my cem40 and am noticing the tracking noise a little noisy. When I GoTo a target and it starts tracking I get a humming/gear noise. Can you tell me if your cem40 also has this noise?
Hi Jim, I would say every mount has some tracking humming noise more or less. If it's continuous and stable in volumn, I would say that's normal. And yes, my CEM40ec has some humming noise too, but compared with my previous mount, AVX, it's much lower in volume, I have to listen carefully to notice it.
Yeah my mount makes a steady sound but is pretty apparent. Here is a link if don’t mind, can you take a listen and see if it sounds similar to your mount?
photos.app.goo.gl/BZzZ4pWEKQncridw9
Just listened to your video, I would say it sounds very similar to my mount. I noticed you're testing it at home, it won't be so apparent outside. I believe its totally normal.
Do you think the EC is worth it if we're tracking with less than 1000mm focal length?
EC version costs almost double...
Hi, I think the short answer is probably not. Adding a guidescope/camera or OAG doesn't bring too much complexity to the system, unless you don't want to use computer for your imaging. Guided accuracy on a non-EC CEM40 looks good too.
Nice upload 👍:)
Hi Ben, do you connect computer directly to mount for guiding and plate solve/sync mount, or do you connect the ST4 cable from the guide camera to the mount ST4 port. On my older mount I had an ioptron USB-RJ9 serial cable which used to go to the hand controller for guiding. Is it the same with this?
Hi, good question. CEM40 has a USB Type1 socket on the mount, so I connect it through that with my computer, for both GOTO/platesolve and guiding. As for in your case, I think it's probably the serial port on your hand controller. You'll probably need a serial to USB adapter with some software to make it with a computer.
Ben's Astrophotography thanks. My gem45 also has USB port on mount and I was able to use that
How do you make sure of home position in dec and altz
Good question! I just manually do an approximate zero/home position. Any discrepancy (usually 1-2 degrees) will be figured out by plate solve later.
@@bensastrophotography5915 hope you make a avideo about it. Thx for reply.
Hi ! What is the meaning of EC ? thanks
Hi there, EC means encoder, the mount “knows” which position it is in real time.
@@bensastrophotography5915 thanks for the information glad to know it now I'm new to this so there is so many need to learn :)
@@jimngugk4741 My pleasure! and welcome to the hobby. You'll definitely have fun here:)
I am confused between this mount and the Skywatcher EQ6-R. Which one is best?
Well, I can only tell you CEM40 is less than half the weight of EQ6-R, and it does a quite decent job in driving my 32lb gears so far (guiding RMS is lower than 0.8 arcsec most of the time)