thanks for this info! Does Pegasus Astro provide information graphs on the periodic error with each mount (similar like ZWO does for the AM5)? Obviously with the concept of harmonic drives, PPEC is not an option due to the flex spine, so understanding the slope (and harmonies) of the error can help estimate guiding-performance.. and those can (and usually will) vary quite a bit with harmonic drives. I would like to understand how the performance is with this mount, as compared to i.e an AM5 (unrelated to weight capacity. And yes, I know that accuracy of a worm gear drive will almost always be better, but what's great about strain wave mounts is the small size/weight in relation to their carrying capacity and lack of requirement of perfect balancing and not their tracking precision). Also, I guess they do use stepper-motors to drive the harmonic gears? Are those belt-driven?
Pegasus does not provide PE graphs with their mounts, but we do know that PE varies greatly, and the curves can be very busy and lumpy. You're right that PPEC is largely useless with harmonic mounts, but PHD is very useful for guiding out all the chaos to give quite a good guided performance, so I think that PE becomes a non-issue with autoguiding. As I pointed out in the video, getting a harmonic mount to match your scope is a good overall strategy. For this reason the AM5 would be better for a small refractor (or the AM3 if you just have a camera and lens) because that makes a portable rig. The NYX is better suited to heavier scopes, where the AM5 wouldn't guide as well. Of course, for any scope, I think the NYX would provide better performance simply because it is less stressed, but individual mounts will always vary. If you get into seriously large scopes, a harmonic mount doesn't really make sense because you're trying to match a portable mount to a non-portable scope.
@@siderealtrading2415 Thanks for your insight and I also think you're spot on with your general concept of how these types of mounts should be used.. They're portable mounts, don't put a large scope on them. People look at the theoretical payload of those small mounts and the pictures on the homepage and think "I can put a C11 on that AM5 (because ZWO actually shows a picture of this on their AM5 homepage)", and while the mount itself may be able to hold it, accuracy will greatly suffer at such a focal length. It just makes me wonder, why ZWO shows these pictures with the C11 while at the same time saying the AM5 is meant for scopes with focal length up to 900mm? (Yes, i know, the answer is "sales" ;)) Back to the NYX. Are you aware of what Pegasus recommends as longest focal length to be used? In regards to PHD and guiding, harmonic drives highly benefit from very short corrections in guiding. Preferably multiple sub-second corrections, however to my understanding PHD can do only one guiding impulse per image, so it's highly recommended to keep exposure times at 0.5" (if seeing permits of course, but that's where multi-star guiding can help). What really seems to help is also to really reduce the max RA and max DEC pulse durations, however for understanding the best values for each specific mount, it would greatly help to know the steepest slope of the periodic error. That's where such graphs would have come in handy.
@@siderealtrading2415 I haven't seen many reviews of that combination. Even in the forums there is not many people who have tried it successfully. Also, do you think this mount is more precise than the AM5 for long focal lengths?
It's true that you can't disengage the drive, and so you can only roughly balance the RA roughly. However, because the harmonic drives produce so much torque, this is not a problem. So rather than perfectly balancing the RA, the task is more to lessen the out-of-balanceness (if that's a word) of the mount.
Yes, it does both, and you tell the app which mode it is in when you launch. Like I did in the video, I would recommend Sky Safari as a visual rig pointing app, but you can use the Pegasus Unity Mobile app as well.
@@siderealtrading2415 Thanks for the amazingly quick reply. Have gone back and watched many of your earlier videos, and appreciate the content. Cheers!
Really thinking of getting one of these... I like that it takes more of a payload than the red mount... I also like blue over that red stuff...
Looks like a capable piece of kit Bill
The torque it produces is very high - I don't think I'd like to get my hand caught between the scope and a tripod leg.
thanks for this info!
Does Pegasus Astro provide information graphs on the periodic error with each mount (similar like ZWO does for the AM5)?
Obviously with the concept of harmonic drives, PPEC is not an option due to the flex spine, so understanding the slope (and harmonies) of the error can help estimate guiding-performance.. and those can (and usually will) vary quite a bit with harmonic drives.
I would like to understand how the performance is with this mount, as compared to i.e an AM5 (unrelated to weight capacity. And yes, I know that accuracy of a worm gear drive will almost always be better, but what's great about strain wave mounts is the small size/weight in relation to their carrying capacity and lack of requirement of perfect balancing and not their tracking precision).
Also, I guess they do use stepper-motors to drive the harmonic gears? Are those belt-driven?
Pegasus does not provide PE graphs with their mounts, but we do know that PE varies greatly, and the curves can be very busy and lumpy. You're right that PPEC is largely useless with harmonic mounts, but PHD is very useful for guiding out all the chaos to give quite a good guided performance, so I think that PE becomes a non-issue with autoguiding.
As I pointed out in the video, getting a harmonic mount to match your scope is a good overall strategy. For this reason the AM5 would be better for a small refractor (or the AM3 if you just have a camera and lens) because that makes a portable rig. The NYX is better suited to heavier scopes, where the AM5 wouldn't guide as well. Of course, for any scope, I think the NYX would provide better performance simply because it is less stressed, but individual mounts will always vary.
If you get into seriously large scopes, a harmonic mount doesn't really make sense because you're trying to match a portable mount to a non-portable scope.
@@siderealtrading2415 Thanks for your insight and I also think you're spot on with your general concept of how these types of mounts should be used.. They're portable mounts, don't put a large scope on them.
People look at the theoretical payload of those small mounts and the pictures on the homepage and think "I can put a C11 on that AM5 (because ZWO actually shows a picture of this on their AM5 homepage)", and while the mount itself may be able to hold it, accuracy will greatly suffer at such a focal length. It just makes me wonder, why ZWO shows these pictures with the C11 while at the same time saying the AM5 is meant for scopes with focal length up to 900mm? (Yes, i know, the answer is "sales" ;))
Back to the NYX. Are you aware of what Pegasus recommends as longest focal length to be used?
In regards to PHD and guiding, harmonic drives highly benefit from very short corrections in guiding. Preferably multiple sub-second corrections, however to my understanding PHD can do only one guiding impulse per image, so it's highly recommended to keep exposure times at 0.5" (if seeing permits of course, but that's where multi-star guiding can help).
What really seems to help is also to really reduce the max RA and max DEC pulse durations, however for understanding the best values for each specific mount, it would greatly help to know the steepest slope of the periodic error. That's where such graphs would have come in handy.
Thx for your video. Do we need to have Unity software open in parallel with skysafari ?
Is there a way to connect this mount to a Celestron CGX-L tripod?
7:04 is it fully supported in ASIAIR? I mean to automate meridian flip and so?
Yes, the ASIair uses the Unity interface (which is an ASCOM front-end). It's fully functional.
@@siderealtrading2415 I haven't seen many reviews of that combination. Even in the forums there is not many people who have tried it successfully. Also, do you think this mount is more precise than the AM5 for long focal lengths?
How do you balance a harmonic mount with a counterweight, when you can't disengage the drive?
It's true that you can't disengage the drive, and so you can only roughly balance the RA roughly. However, because the harmonic drives produce so much torque, this is not a problem. So rather than perfectly balancing the RA, the task is more to lessen the out-of-balanceness (if that's a word) of the mount.
Can this mount also be run Alt/Az? Want one for visual only.
Yes, it does both, and you tell the app which mode it is in when you launch. Like I did in the video, I would recommend Sky Safari as a visual rig pointing app, but you can use the Pegasus Unity Mobile app as well.
@@siderealtrading2415 Thanks for the amazingly quick reply. Have gone back and watched many of your earlier videos, and appreciate the content. Cheers!
@@stevenv9726 I don't pretend to be a great presenter!
really cool...i have the money too bad Pegasus doesn't have the stock
The one you see in the video is currently for sale and immediate delivery. Where are you located?
@@siderealtrading2415 Dude, i want a new one , not a demo one
Too bad it costs an arm and a leg :(