PrimaLuceLab Sesto Senso 2 motor focus Unbox and Install on Sky-Watcher Esprit 120 apo
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.ย. 2024
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In this video I unbox and install my new auto focuser by Primaluce Lab, the Sesto Senso 2
I just received this unit and thought making a video might help someone thinking of buying one of these!
My thoughts after install are that it's a very easy process and that it feels like a high quality bit of kit - I can't wait to try it out under a clear sky!
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A very helpful video...thank you.
But I found out something that is very important that was not mentioned...
A screw on the telescope focuser nearest the Sesto Senso must be tightened so that the Sesto Senso itself will not rotate.
For this description and accompanying image please see the comment section in the following FB share...
facebook.com/groups/350767592003671/permalink/1164509890629433/
Hey there! :)
After checking out the link, I immediately rushed off to check my scope in the same spot haha!! - it turns out mine was already tight so perhaps this is something people will need to look out for on an individual basis - a huge thank you to you for pointing out this potential source of problems and the fix for people! :)
I'll pin this comment to the top as it's important!
Thanks again mate :)
I have gotten half way through the installation of a Sesto Senso 2 that I bought quite a while ago. My first issue with the auto focuser is... Who powers their auto-focus motor from a cigarette lighter socket? It seems ridiculous to supply such a useless power cord. My second issue is why is the power connector on the other end of the supplied power cord not the same size as every piece of astro-equipment that I own, and I own quite a bit. The Sesto Senso 2 is a failure for me. I'll take it off my new scope and put on a ZWO focus motor in it's place.
Fair points in all honesty mate!
After talking to the guys of Primalucelab they told me you need to align the bushing screws with the focuser screws to prevent the bushing screws from unscrewing
Hey Claudiu! - that's interesting to hear, thank you for sharing! :-)
If primaluce themselves say that's the way then who am I to argue, I must admit concern about marring the focuser screw threads by doing this, but again, if they say it's fine then I'm sure it will be! 🙏
Thanks for watching :-)
@@lukomatico Actually you are right also it damages a little bit the entry point of the little screw on the bush, but I guess they thought of that, also maybe , just guessing here, you are supposed to buy a new bush if the other one gets damaged beyond usability, in the real world I do not know many people mount and demount the focuser on the daily basis, and your method is more suitable for those. Thank you for your quick reply.
Congrats! Time to switch over to NINA and use their autofocus routine in overshoot mode. Cuiv the Lazy Geek has some videos on this. Works awesome! I don't think APT is there yet, close but way behind NINA, IMHO.
Hi Bill, Thank you! I think you are right, it might be time to try switching to N.I.N.A soon! - I'll check out Cuiv's videos on it, I always enjoy his stuff 😊
Why should the telescope slide should be in the focus position before installing the sesto senso 2 ??
Hey there! - just to make it simple to set the movement range in the drivers, you can tell the sesto you are at 45000 steps out of 90,000, putting it right in the middle of its movement range 👍
Not critical, just a time saver for your initial setup.
Clear skies!
Very interesting to watch Luke that's something I do not have yet is an autofocuser so I'll probably get one sometime later on in the future, one thing I did hear in the video was what sounded like snoring in the background, was it one of your dogs?
Hey Tich! :-)
I've loved having autofocus, it's really a nice quality of life boost being able to focus and not be right next to the scope!
Good ear by the way!! It was indeed one of the dogs, it was my pug, Nugget! 😂
That arrived quick.. I saw the FLO tweet saying they had one in and by the time I looked it had gone, I suspected you snagged it
in SGP or Nina I set the auto focus step size between 250 and 450 (massive compared to say the zwo EAF), but this thing has over 100000 steps.
I get a great vcurve every time. but I would measure backlash. Every unit is different. Mine appears to have next to none. So much so I don’t configure SGP or NINA for any backlash comp.
Be good to see what you think when the clouds are gone.
Hi Hogarth, guilty as charged! It was your review that swayed me so thank you, I'm glad I've got it!
@@lukomatico I had some weird issues before the latest firmware and drivers, but flawless since I updated it. It would seem to forget the position between nights. Primaulce couldn’t reproduce it, but it’s fantastic now. One of the best things I’ve bought.
@@lukomatico do you use discord ?
@@HogarthsAstrophotography I do have it but don't frequently use it, I can message it to you if you like :)
@@lukomatico sure I’m hogarth#6881
Very good video. I used it to attach my sesto senso 2 to my Espirit 120mm. It made it go smoothly. I installed the Primaluce software too and it works. Now I need to get it working in SGP for autofocus. I have researched this a lot but am not sure about it. I did watch simplified Astro. Do you have a video on this or instructions on how you were successful with it? Thanks.
Hey there mate! - I'm really glad the video was of help to you, that's perfect :-) Regarding SGP - I'm afraid I do not have that software, but hopefully I can help still somewhat with some parameters which will likely be similar across different software - I use a step size of 150, with 15 total steps and an S rejection method - I do not use backlash compensation at all with this unit, but you could possibly use it, i just never had to!
I hope that helps :-)
Clear skies!
Interesting, was looking for a video like this one on the Esprit 120, thank you for making this.
Is there a reason why you preferred to use the Primalucelab and not the ZWO which has a normal 12V input ?
Hope to see some more video's about the gear you use
Hey Siegfried! - RE: the focus unit choice, it was initially a stock consideration as neither were in stock anywhere here in the UK but then this SestoSenso popped up as a customer return so I decided to give it a chance after hearing good things about it - I'm really glad I did because I have no complaints at all! in use I find there's no need for backlash compensation either which is great and testament to the unit's quality :) Highly recommend it!
I hope to make many more videos so thank you for the support!
Luke
Really useful video thanks. I have the problem that if I take the sixth sense box between my fingers it rotates on the axis, do you have the same problem?
Hi Giuseppe, I don't have that problem I'm afraid - is the clamping collar of the sesto senso fixed to your scopes focuser fully? That should be the part that stops the body moving at all - if it's the wrong size then different clamps are available 👍👍
I hope that helps and that you get the problem fixed :)
Thank you for watching!
Hey Luke
I’ve been considering one of these for my C9.25 EdgeHD which I use mainly white hyperstar. Since I bought it I replaced the stock focuser with a feather touch, so the Sesto senso 2 would eventually replace the stepper motor and the control box.
Nevertheless, what makes me doubt about it is the reviews I’ve seen on forums (cloudy nights maninly) reporting issues related to creep. In 9 years I’ve never had an issue, so I want to make sure it’s the right choice. How has it performed with your set up? Have you had any issues?
Hey Alfredo!
Thanks for getting in touch my friend, I hope you are well :-)
That's an interesting question! - regarding creep, I had the focuser a good few months and can report it was never an issue with my R&P focuser on the Esprit which it was installed, - in the end, I sold the focuser to buy the ZWO EAF alternative simply because I wanted to use it with an ASIAIR :-)
In summary, I liked the sesto senso 2 and never had any issues that I can think of, but if people online are reporting problems then it definitely would warrant the extra investigation/caution you are showing :-)
Good luck and clear skies!
Thanks Luke.
For me, reliability is the main requirement. I’m from Bogotá, Colombia, and here there are no vendors of Primaluce Lab who could eventually offer service if required. Should I require it, it would take a while to be serviced in the US or Europe.
So, I think I’ll keep the feather touch, micro touch focusing system which has worked with zero issues (literally) for many years.
Your video was very instructive with the installation process, by the way.
Hello to you in Colombia my friend!! :-)
I totally understand where you're coming from, when service centers are not readily available then as you say, reliability is paramount!
I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the video all the same though, that's great! :-)
Good luck and clear skies my friend
It is indeed. And one of the key aspects to choose my Astro gear
Interesting video Luke I'm probably gonna have to just use my mask for a while but these do look quite handy. I've heard you say before what a great upgrade it was. By the way when this unit is turned on do you still need to lock the tube down once you have focus or is this not necessary? Cheers mate.
Hey Ollie! There's nothing wrong with a mask mate so no worries there, it's just so nice to no longer use one though!
Regarding locking the focuser, there's no need to do so anymore, it's held rock solid 👍
Thanks for checking it out mate!
Funny, I watched your last video and thought to myself, man... he needs an autofocuser! Now you can go to bed and image!
Hi Andy! thanks for watching and commenting! :) - I'm hoping it smooths out image capture nicely now I shouldn't have to break off all the time to check focus, my next problem is it seems I may have to look at switching capture software at some point as I don't think APT does true automated focusing!
Cheers,
Luke
@@lukomatico Yeah, that is a shame. I know some folks who use NINA for focusing and jump back to APT.
@@andyweeks2216 That's a pretty good solution! Looking at N.I.N.A though I think I might just try and make the switch for a while and see how it goes, it seems very full - fledged software! 😊
@@lukomatico If I were a newbie, I'd start with NINA but I've got Sequence generator Pro working very well... if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Hi Luke. Can you help? I fitted to my Skywatcher esprit 120mm fine focus knob correctly.
I installed the sesto software 1.3 and upgraded the firm ware which was 1.2 to 1.3.
Using the sesto controls on the laptop it moved the focuser in and out, I calibrated it.
On further testing at different scope angles I cannot achieve any consistency in step number vs draw tube position.
The fine focus knob was slipping.
In the sesto manual it says alter the Speed setting-Run from 2 to 1, I also tightened a little more the fine focus tension screw on the scope but it was not slack. This eliminated the slipping and no movement BUT
Pretty much at any usable scope angle I rack the focusser out say to 80000 steps and back to say 90000 steps and note the draw tube reading in mm but there is no consistency ie it stops some mm away from where it should despite repeated calibrations. My normal focus position is around 8,2cm so it is well racked out.
I have not set it up to autofocus with Sequence generator pro yet but feel this will not work because of this inconsistency.
I have not altered any further advanced settings as there is no guidance.
I know you did not have any problems but can you advise me on how to rectify this?
Will this behavior affect an autofocus routine? I have not tried it yet.
It is only moving a starlight express FW/trius camera/SW field flattner.
Thanks.
Hey there mate! - Wow that seems like an odd one! - I just refitted my sesto senso last night after remounting my Esprit actually! :)
I'd say make sure that the focus lock is not accidentally knocked on first (doubtful, but worth a double check)
Next, make sure the red coupling to the fine focus shaft is fully tight.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, make sure the self centering clamp is not too tight, it only needs to be nipped really, then you can lock it in place with the small grub screws - you can check this is properly tensioned by manually racking the focuser in and out with the sesto loose first, to get a feel for the normal focuser movement, then very lightly & incrementally tighten the sesto clamp while continually manually feeling out the focus movement, if it begins to drag or feel notchy, you've gone too tight 👍
Let me know if any of that helps mate!
All the best,
Luke
@@lukomatico Hi Luke. Thanks for the advice. I think the self centering clamp was too tight. I did as you advised and the coarse focus knob was smoother. Manual focus with Bahtinov mask worked well, much better than standing at scope. Still not sure about in/out repeatability yet. Did not get enough clear sky to try auto focus. Thanks.
Heya mate :-) I'm really glad you've got it feeling smoother, as long as the sesto is not shifting when under power then the gentler the clamping pressure the better really, mine was making slight creaks and groans as I moved the focuser until the clamping pressure was dropped significantly.
regarding in-out repeatability, when doing a normal auto focus operation your focuser will only travel a few mm at most, in truth I never even bothered testing my backlash because I just gave the autofocus routine a go and it worked anyway :-)
I use a step size of 150, and a default exposure of 5-10 seconds each (so seeing doesn't fool the autofocus), it moves the focuser enough to accurately predict the point of finest focus once a V-curve has been established.
It sounds like it's worth giving it a go under the stars before further tinkering in my opinion, I hope you get a night long enough to try it soon mate! :-)
All the best, and good luck!
Luke
p.s, if you can- I'd like to hear how it goes!
Just installed the same AF unit (new!) on my Esprit 120 (new!). Thanks for the video.
Can I ask if the manual focus tension is any "stiffer" once the focuser is on? Is that normal?
Hey mate! Congratulations on the focuser, it's a real good unit :-) and HUGE congratulations on the scope!! A real fine bit of kit!
Regarding extra tension after installation, I'd double check your clamping collar bolt isn't too tight as that can make it bind a bit, it doesn't really need to be very tight at all I've found, you should feel the manual focus tension become lighter when it's set right :-)
Clear skies mate!
@@lukomatico thanks Luke! Yes they are lovely bits of kit. I'm so excited, keen to get out and use them.
I tightened the clamping collar bolt and that didn't do much. Then I read the manual (ha, should have done that first), and noticed this:
"installing SESTO SENSO 2 on your focuser, check the smoothness of the movement keeping SESTO SENSO 2 powered off and then manually moving the focus knob of your focuser. The presence of SESTO
SENSO 2 will make the movement harder (since the motor is connected) but the motion must still be uniform. If
you notice an uneven movement, repeat the installation procedure"
So yes I'm seeing extra tension which is fine, but I'm getting slightly rough handling (it's smooth, then rough, then smooth). I will reinstall to try again.
Hey again mate! - you've to loosen the collar bolt off, not tighten it 👍 I had the exact problem you described and sorted it by loosening the clamp, it needs to be just nipped - no further :-) I suspect you've already got it done by now but just incase!
Clear skies mate!
Great video and really helpful! Btw once the focuser is conected and on should I use the locking handle once it reached focuser as I would before when i used to focus manually? Or should i forget about this locking handle?
Hey there :) I'm super pleased it helped!
Thank you for the really great question,
Regarding the locking handle, when powered on and in use the sesto would never slip basically, it holds really strong! you need to leave the focuser in the unlocked position at all times after installation, if ever you were to forget (I know I would!!) and try moving the focuser with the sesto while locked it could easily damage something by straining, - if you're using an esprit you could even unscrew the little lever from its block to prevent it ever accidentally happening I guess!
Thank you for watching! :)
Luke
@@lukomatico Hi I just installed it but not sure if it is correctly set as is harder to move the focuser and in some spots is smother. I do not know if i did something wrong...
@@blueastrophotography6131 Hey mate, I assume you mean it feels that way when moving the focuser manually with the sesto turned off? I've just been and checked how my focuser feels in that situation and it's about the same stiffness at all points of the focuser travel, easier moving outwards of course due to the weight of the camera etc pulling down too.
assuming your installation went smoothly then I'd be tempted to trust that it will be fine in normal use because once you've found the focus point the focuser won't need to move more than a few millimetres in total anymore :)
also double check that your focus lock isn't slightly dragging if it may have accidentally gotten knocked etc
I hope that helps
Cheers,
Luke
@@lukomatico Hey I finally got it working properly. Everything works nice. The only problem I have is that when i calibrate it and set the zero position as well as the max limit if i go to other position and back to zero it does not go exactly to the same spot i stated as zero. According to primalucelab that could be slippage in my focuser. It says you can minimize it by lowring the speed. I tried but it still does the same. Maybe i should adjust my focuser manually or so. Not sure...
@@blueastrophotography6131 Heya, - that sounds odd! - if you are using the same scope as me then you'll have a rack and pinion focuser which should not be able to slip - I'd expect that the only part that could slip would be the shaft coupling bush if not fully tight or in the case that while setting the zero and max limits it reached the actual end of the focuser travel and then slipped a bit on the shaft - ideally when setting those limits I'd leave a small bit of travel either end of the focuser :)
Maybe some of that will be helpful to you mate,
Cheers!