Thinking of making a move from a 10 Micron mount to an ASA mount. Please give me your feedback! Thanks!

[SimonWalsh]

Hello All,

I have just signed up to the forum because I am researching the possibility of purchasing an ASA mount and I am keen to get some feedback. 

I currently own a 10 Micron 2000 in a permanent set up which carries a dual scope system (FSQ106 and 152mm LZOS). I am looking to purchase a 100kg capacity mount to carry a 17 CDK and probably the 152 refractor together. I may also mount a small solar scope. At first, I automatically looked to the 10 Micron 3000 but more recently have become intrigued by the DDM100 which I believe may be available later this year. For software, I use Voyager (which is really good).

The ASA software suite looks really good. I note that years ago there may have been difficulties with documentation and customer support, but it appears from my research at least, that things have markedly improved. My primary motivation for using the 10 Micron was to get rid of the need to guide and "just make things work". The 10 Micron does this well, although I must admit, I haven't been able to replicate some of the claims made in the forums - I can do 20 minutes unguided at 1200mm just about, but this is the limit and if I am honest, I think 10 minutes is more realistic. Some have suggested that the ASAs perform even better. My 10 Micron has never given me any trouble of any kind and I think it's really easy to use. I get the impression that the learning curve is steeper with ASA mounts but I am a Computer Scientist by trade and work in AI; I say this simply to stress that working with complex software (that works) is never a problem. 

ANY information you can provide that may help me in making my decision would be gratefully received - good or bad!

Thanks for reading!

Simon

 

 

 

[MarkS]

I can't answer your question directly because I have no experience with 10 Micron mounts. However, I offer the following comments:

1. The ASA learning curve is perhaps steep, as the direct drive system is very different from others. I just threw away the old rulebook and started again! Balance and motor tuning are super-critical.

2. Some users seem to find the software difficult to deal with, particularly when trying to use it in conjunction with other observatory management software. Again I have no personal experience here.

3. There have been many software updates over the 7 years I have been using the ASA gear, but this has slowed recently.

4. A look through this forum will reveal quite a bit of frustration with Sequence, and there is rumoured to be a major update some time in the future. However, Sequence has some overwhelmingly valuable features. For me, the most critical of them is MLPT. This sets ASA apart from the rest, and is one of the keys to accurate tracking of the DDM mounts. I believe it to be vital. I currently have a 2400mm f.l. system which has no difficulty at all with 20min subs. (DDM85A) My 'standard' subframe exposures are 5min or less for LRGB, and 10 - 15min for NB. (The optical/CCD train is fairly fast - f/8 and 12micron pixels.)

5. The only DDM system failures I know of have been due to attempts to push beyond their weight carrying capacity. I did have bearing problems with one of my DDM mounts - a DDM60 - but this was corrected very promptly.

6. I have always had valuable assistance from ASA Support when needed - often via Teamviewer hook-up.

Hope this helps.

Mark

[SimonWalsh]

Many thanks Mark! Very helpful.