TS-Optics Universal Guiding Set TSL80-AG for Astrophotography
Teleskop-Service offers a complete set, consisting of a high-resolution guide scope with large (80 mm) aperture and a powerful autoguiding camera, for long exposures with your telescope. This complete solution is easily to install and allows automatic active guiding, also called autoguiding. We recommend the set for guiding big camera lenses and telescopes up to 16" aperture.
The adaptation to your telescope is very simple. The guiding set fits directly into a dual mount or parallel mount. Here, the main instrument is mounted parallel to the guide scope. With medium-sized and larger telescopes, parallel mounting via a dual mount is more stable than attaching to the telescope.
The tube rings can be connected to the currently supplied dovetail bar PPSFotodel without connection bar and finder shoe, that saves weight:
Remove the rings from the connection bar and keep the two screws. From the hollow side, push one of the two screws through the long bore of the dovetail bar, hold one ring with a hole close to the tip of the screw, and screw the screw a bit into the hole. Now push the ring onto the long hole - the edge of the ring has to be approx. 5 mm away from the outer edge of the hole. Tighten the screw. Of course, the ring has to be correctly orientated, as on the connection bar. Do the same thing with the second screw and the second ring. The screws protrude a bit into the rings, but that doesn´t matter. If it should, put fitting washers between screw head and dovetail bar. In the long hole, there is a photoscrew made of brass. This can be unscrewed at one side of the long bore (threaded). Now you have a low-profile and lightweight connection to Vixen style dovetail clamps.Reads difficult, due to the detailed description, but is very easy.
Connection of the autoguider to the guidescope The focus of the guider is between 9mm and 19mm behind the 1.25" port. So the sensor would be too far inside. We simply recommend a good 1.25" adapter that screws onto the T2 thread. Suitable adapters are linked. Then the camera can be mounted easily, without focus problems.
The ASI120MINI which is included, comes with a 1.25" extension. With this you can also focus well. The extension should be turned out completely. However, you must not insert the camera completely.
Before the first use for guiding, please install camera drivers and any autoguiding software on your Windows computer or notebook. The autoguider software is not included in the scope of delivery. The camera is, among others, suitable for PHD Guiding, Guidedog, Metaguide, Guidemaster (freeware) or AstroArt, MaxIm DL (with costs).
Link to more information and Download to Open PHD GuidingLink to more information and download for GuideDog GuidingA suggestion: with the ASIAIR, the ASI120Mini and your smartphone turn into a fine autoguider which also works without computer, with higher sensitivity and resolution than the previous "stand-alone" autoguiders ... for really little money - simply calculate and compare.Step by step to perfect autoguiding:
Attach the guiding set to the main tube via a dovetail clamp or use a dual mount (see accessory recommendations). Connect the guiding camera to the mount. Use the ST-4 autoguider port of your mount. Connect the guiding cam to your Windows computer. Focus the camera by using the focuser of the guide scope - and you are ready to begin with astrophotography.The astro camera ZWO ASI120MM mini is more than just an autoguider.
The camera can also be used well for imaging moon and planets and even brighter deep-sky objects. You can attach the camera to your telescope simply like a 1.25" eyepiece, focus and start right away. Comprehensive image processing software is included in the scope of delivery.
... here, you can learn more about the ZWO ASI120MM mini astro camera and autoguiderDownloads, drivers:
ZW Optical provides both software and driver online as a free download.
Software and drivers for all ZWO cameras