The weather was great; the skies were clear. It was a bit windy and since the church is on top of a hill the wind can be rather intense. I set up the GT102 with ASI533mc well before dark. My biggest concern, and the issue that ultimately contributed to the failed attempt at imaging, was the mount.
A couple of weeks ago I accidently plugged in the computer cable to the PORT socket on the iOptron iEQ30 mount while prepping for this outing and not the RS232 port. Smoke ensued and the cable plug melted in place. I had to pull the plug out with needle nose pliers. Before I could do anything else with the mount I needed a new RS232 cable. I ordered a replacement from iOptron which arrived a few days ago.
I reconnected the cable but the mount refused to connect. Checking the USB To RS232 DB9 Serial Adapter Cable, I found out that Windows claimed the USB device to be faulty. My guess is that the circuitry in the adapter fried when I attached the cable to the mount's PORT. I think the iOptron motherboard is OK as I could still use the mount with the handset. So, I'm waiting on the new adapter.
That brings me back to the imaging session last night. Without computer control of the mount to do plate solves I was forced to try old school methods of sighting the comet's location with the guide scope. Although the comet was visible in binoculars, it was not a naked eye object, at least not from my location. I was expecting the comet to be much brighter. Homing in on the comet's location was just a nightmare. I just couldn't get it into the FOV of the camera. I guess in retrospect I should have used a wide field eyepiece, located the comet, and then replaced the camera, but I continued to try hit and miss with the camera. After about 90 minutes I gave up.
I also had my Canon 70D with telephoto lens on a tripod, but the hands-free remote shutter release was also giving me issues. The few photos I got were dim and trailed.
So, I packed up and will try again later in the week when the new adapter arrives.
Oh, and did I mention I also fried my new ZWO Autofocuser? Yep. The new focuser uses a USB-C connector. My MeLE NUC also uses a USB-C connector for the 12v DC power (instead of the normal barrel type connector everything else uses). You can quess where this is going. When setting up the telescope I plugged in the hot power cable to the focuser thinking I had the computer data USB cable. I'm still evaluating the unit but I think I may need to send it to ZWO for repair.
What a couple of weeks!
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