How to use the iOptron's iPolar software for super accurate polar alignment
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ก.พ. 2020
- In this video we go through the simple steps involved in setting up and using iOptron's iPolar digital polar scope. The iPolar I'm demonstrating is pre installed into a Skyguider Pro, therefore this tutorial does not include instructions on how to install an iPolar camera into the polar axis of mounts.
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**The software for the iPolar can be found here (bottom left link) **www.ioptron.com/category-s/133.htm** **
Hi, I enjoyed your video thanks. I have an iPolar align on my CEM40 mount and I really like it. It only takes minutes to polar align now (in the southern hemisphere). But you stopped short of the very final outcome from the your polar align. When you have it really spot on, the cross and the target disk turn green. This tells you that you are really accurately aligned. Cheers Paul M
Thanks Paul, ah that was silly of me. It's an old video so hopefully my more recent videos are more complete. Thanks for watching!
Thank you so much for this video! The information that came with my Sky Guider Pro is practically useless. This helped a lot.
Very welcome!
Hahahhaha the amount of times i leave the lens cap on my starsense or skyprodigy is unreal glad its not jus me :)
No you're definitely not alone :D I once left the focus mask on the front of my scope for an entire imaging run!
Great video.. looks like a nice tool to have!
Thank you! Having used optical polar scopes for years and becoming completely comfortable with them, I was a bit sceptical about the benefits of digital polar scopes, but having now used the iPolar a few times I would almost say it's a must if you're using a laptop to image anyway. I remember feeling the same way when we first got a dish washer :D
@@AstroLaVista lol :D
Hi man. I have a question about polar alignment accuracy made with the ipolar. I want to ask you, if i shot with a 400 lens on a apsc, which is in your opinion the maximum exposure time i can get, assuming a precalibration with ipolar?
Can you use this for alignment during the day? For a solar eclipse shots for example.
Hi, thanks for this very usefull video. One question, before you start with Ipolar, you set you mount to point to the north and setup the correct degrees for your location?
Yes :)
Is the entire iPolar process done with the iOptron mount in the Zero position or do you need to move to another (second) position to align?
Awesome video thanks. I'm thinking about getting this. How wide is the initial field of view and what happens if your initial alignment is so far off that the pole is outside of the screens field of view? Im in the southern hemisphere it makes it more difficult but from what I've seen of the ipolar so far this should make it much easier.
Thanks! I only had the iPolar on loan for a few weeks but I remember it made life easier when it comes to accurate polar aligning. The AFOV is massive at 13 degrees so plenty of stars for plate solving. It's a shame in hindsight, but I never thought to test it with Polaris outside the field of view, I dropped the ball there! I know you don't need to be able see the celestial pole to accurately polar align with the iPolar, but I don't know how far off you can be and still get away with it? If I ever get another I'll be sure to test this.
If the virtual pole is off-screen, iPolar shows an arrow telling you which way to turn your mount.
Also, the version of iPolar I have turns the red dot green when you polar align.
I live in a Florida city with a Bortle 8 and my view of Polaris blocked by a tree, so I purchased the iPolar. Polar alignment is now a breeze.
How does purchasing iPolar help with the tree blocking Polaris? So confused....
Because it cas still plate solve, I guess
Hi Thank you for your video, I cant get the position 1,2 calibration on my sky guide pro activated on the app! is this normal? should I input the centre of camera values manually? Thanks!
Thanks, I must admit this review model went back to the supplier at the end of February so I'm a little rusty. Looking at the Calibration section of the iPolar manual it does mention at the bottom of page 6 that that you can enter the values manually. Maybe also double check your steps using that section of the manual, I'll link it below: Apologies if you've already double checked the steps in the manual www.ioptron.com/v/manuals/3339_iPolarOperationManual.pdf
Thank you for the great video but Where do you find the app or software for this ? What do I look up?? Sorry if I missed it in the video.
It's been a while since I reviewed this product so it's not fresh in my memory, but I checked the iOptron site and it looks like the iPolar sofware is downloadable from the bottom left link from the following page: www.ioptron.com/category-s/133.htm
@@AstroLaVista you’re the man
Hi,
thanks for a good video.
I am living in Southern Hemisphere where the polar align is very difficult.
Does The iPolar software can do polar align precisely even if we can not see any star for manual polar alignment?
Cheers
It's been a while since I reviewed the iPolar but I do remember one of the benefits was easy polar alignment in the southern hemisphere. You can boost the exposure for the iPolar camera, but it does need to detect a certain number of stars to be able to plate solve the exact position of the pole. I remember struggling to get enough stars detected during a full Moon, but you probably don't want to be imaging during a full Moon anyway unless your using narrow band.
Hi Great video, when i press read longitude and latitude from the mount it says the driver is not installed and i have looked everywhere to install them but i cant find them, would appreciate any help.
Hi George, Obviously when I was using this loaned sky tracker I entered the co ordinates manually, but I take it you're using the iPolar with a proper goto gps mount? In which case have you tried updating your ASCOM drivers? You can find these here for your particular mount (sorry if you've tried this already): www.ioptron.com/category-s/138.htm
I don't think I can carry Windows 10 laptop for connecting this device while hiking for astrophotography. Don't they have a smartphone app to connect to check the red dot thing?
Hello, I have a question. To use the iPolar, will I need an internet connection? I am thinking not...just havent seen anything that says you do or don't. Thank you in advance.
HI Sarboza, it's a good question and my immediate thought was no but I double checked with the online instructions to be sure. You don't need the internet to use iPolar, just obviously initially to down load the software and find your latitude longitude co-ordinates. The software you install plate solves the image from the iPolar camera based on the lat/long coordinates you enter manually, so everything is taken care of on your PC with no internet :)
Hi. I was wondering, once the mount is polar aligned, do you need to keep the laptop connection?
Hi Ivan, no you can remove the laptop after you've aligned if you wish.
Hi. Any options for southern hemisphere? Thanks.
It works by plate solving so I suspected it would be fine for the southern hemisphere, so I checked the iOptron site which suggests it can be used for the southern hemisphere. Hope that helps.
Hi, subscribed ,but i have a question , are there compatibility issues with ipolar and windows that you know of ? i got it to detect my mini computer just fine ,but my laptop does not detect the camera ,it keeps giving me an error when i try to connect ,any advise? thank you great video by the way
Hi Nelson, Thanks appreciate it! This iPolar was on a short term loan from First Light Optics so it's been a while since I've played with one, although I plan on buying the GEM28 with iPolar soon. 4 times out of 5 when my PC doesn't recognise something It's a driver issue. Have you installed the latest drivers?
@@AstroLaVista thanks for the answer , but so far i have found nothing , ill keep looki tho
Thank you for this video. It is very helpful. I bought the IPolar system and used the software to avoid using a polarscope for setup. I HATE the software. It sucks. When I start up after setting up my camera system on the Ioptron Skytracker pro, I often get the red dot and the cross is nowhere on the screen and not one indication of the direction the target arrow lies. This is COMPLETELY ridiculous for a system that costs this much.
HI Science Bob, I wonder if you need to calibrate your ipolar? Page 7 of the manual: nimax-img.de/Produktdownloads/62319_1_Anleitung-EN.pdf I had a similar issue with my GEM45 until I calibrated it and now it works like a charm.
@@AstroLaVista Thank you for answering. The manual doesn't say how to initiate calibration. I figured it out when I cleared X, Y. It automatically went to calibration and the crosshair appeared. Thank you!
Hi, what tripod are you using for the ioptron SGP?
It's the one iOptron recommend for the SkyGuider, here it is: www.firstlightoptics.com/ioptron-mount-accessories/ioptron-tripod-for-skyguider-pro-cube.html
Do you have to keep plugged into the laptop once Polar aligned or can you disconnect at this point?
Once polar aligned a laptop is no longer essential unless you're using a dedicated astronomy camera in which case obviously one is needed for capture.
Hi,
Last night I did try to use ipolar for the first time.
I can see from your video that the “red cross” appears right after you connect the software. However, I did not see mine at all.
Any advice?
Thanks
Hi, sometimes if you're using it for the first time it needs telling where it is (it needs calibrating). From memory go to camera setting, clear camera centre, then slowly rotate that RA axis to confirm position 1, 2 and 3. If that doesn't work make sure you're within the 6 degree field of view given by the iPolar camera.
Nice video👍👍
this seems much easier to calibrate than the pole master. I have one but it takes like 10 seconds to plate solve on my tablet.
lol this highlights that I really need to start plate solving! :D
The iOptron says that this is compatible with other trackers if a proper adapter is used. Are you aware of any specific adapters that can be used by it? It seems like it is really a standalone tool that just needs a laptop with the software. Can you also please tell us where the software can be found. - Thanks
Hi Jim, It's been a while since I reviewed this product so it's not fresh in my memory, but I checked the iOptron site and it looks like the iPolar sofware is downloadable from the bottom left link from the following page (super quick to download I notice) www.ioptron.com/category-s/133.htm
I'll also Pin the software in the comments just in case others want to take a look :)
The iPolar really is adaptable to many mounts. Check this out, there's loads of adaptors for it :)
www.firstlightoptics.com/search/for/iPolar/
the red dot is always ticking for me cant adjust it to fixed point like yours any ideas?
fixed it, need to adjust to the north.
Hi, I wonder if you can help. I bought one of these months ago and can not get the iPolar to work. As you have done in the video I have downloaded software, connected the camera, set the Longitude and Latitude, taken a dark frame and then removed the cap. It keeps tellig me it is plate solving and often says it has failed. Occasionally it tells me it is solved but the fails again and I don't see the cross and dot on the screen. Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated.
Hi, it helps if you can be pointed roughly north to begin with then turn the exposure up so you can see plenty of stars for plate solving, and you may need to calibrate the iPolar also. There are some fault finding tips in the manual if you've covered all the above: www.ioptron.com/v/manuals/3339_iPolarOperationManual.pdf
Hi,
I have another question.
For the first time we use iPolar, Do we need to do camera calibration?
I heard this in some forums we need to do that or else we are not going to see the red dot.
If we need to do, how we do the calibration.
Thanks
Yes, if you don't see the red dot it often means you need to calibrate. This wasn't the case in this video, but I had to do this with the iPolar on my GEM45 when I received it. I can't remember the exact steps as it was a while ago, but I basically had to rotate the RA axis until it flashed up confirm position 1, then clicked to confirm before repeating these steps for position 2 and 3. I just can't remember which button you press to initiate it but it was on the main screen.
@@AstroLaVista there will be instruction how to calibrate on the screen, right?
Thanks
This is an important point and I do not think the user manual clarifies sufficiently. It would seem logical to recalibrate if the mount was moved. The video does not show the overlapping cross and maroon circle turning green (maybe I missed it), which is the indicator for satisfactory alignment. It is said the ipolar gets within 30 arc-secs of true north. I am still struggling to go under 1 arc-min, maybe because of suboptimal seeing in my location.
from my backyard not only Polaris but also most of the northern sky is blocked by buildings and trees. Can I use it yet?
Hi, In theory you should be able to as it uses plate solving to find the pole star position, therefore it should recognise the pattern of starts where you point it then direct you where to go from there. I'm sorry to say I didn't test this out whilst I had the iPolar to review so I don't want to say 100%. Your retailer should know for sure, but my gut feeling is yes.
Hi,
Do we need to levelling the wedge base? or it does not matter.
Cheers
Personally I only roughly level if it's a basic tracking mount. The main thing is to get the polar axis perfectly aligned for it to track accurately. I think some AZ goto mounts need levelling to improve goto accurately but I'm not 100% on that.
@@AstroLaVista Thanks
Does exist an app (Android) you can set polar alignment with the phone or a tablet? Does it need to be a laptop with windows installed on it?
nope, need a windows laptop
Thank you@@paulcollier7138 I don't think would be hard for someone to write a software as is not very demanding on processing power.
Can a polar alignment be done through a mobile phone or just via a laptop?
Just the laptop wih the iPolar. You can use an ASI Air plus to polar align via a mobile though :)
@@AstroLaVista I just received an email from iOptron saying they will be releasing a wifi add-on for the iPolar soon. They didn't say how soon, but l have asked.
Should turn green when your spot on
Also takes barometric pressure and temps into the software, so should also be input
Is the polar scope cap translucent or completely black? Mine seems to come with a translucent cap, that still can let light in.
Sorry, it's been a couple of years since I borrowed the Skyguider Pro to test out so I can't quite remember. You would think a black cap would be the better choice considering you need to take dark frames, so I'm sorry to hear that your cap is translucent! Definitely seems like an oversight :(
@@AstroLaVista Thank you for your reply! No worries; I can just cover it with a towel. :)
How do you do this without a PC, such as via ipad only?
You can't. Check out the ZWO ASI Air Plus instead. That does everything including plate solving to polar align and find objects via a tablet or phone: www.firstlightoptics.com/zwo-accessories/zwo-asiair-plus-256g-wireless-astrophotography-controller/ref/astrolavista/
Hi,
What is the size of USB ?
Thanks
Mini USB to USB3 if memory serves, but it comes with the cable :)
What is the software called that you used??
It's been a while since I reviewed this product from FLO, but there is a link to it on a Cloudy Nights thread here: www.cloudynights.com/topic/746869-ioptron-ipolar-software-version-221-again-available-for-download/
Dumb question... the other night when polar aligned I was missing the Red Cross hairs to align. Any ideas?
Could it be that the iPolar needs calibrating? (step 5 of the user manual) www.ioptron.com/v/manuals/3339_iPolarOperationManual.pdf
Yeah I think it's got to be calibration! This is from page 7 of the user manual "If the iPolar has been calibrated, there will be a bright red cross on the screen"
So the calibration procedure seems a little confusing, do I need ioptron commander or ASCOM driver? I just have the SkyGuider pro ipolar. Should I just make up “center of camera” coordinates? And then polar align on that? Or do I calibrate at night before using it
@@ChrisJacksonComputer I think you only need ASCOM if you have multiple astro applications running at once which need to communicate with each other e.g. if you're using a camera, filter wheel, and mount all running from a laptop. I don't think I had ASCOM installed when I borrowed the iPolar to play with for a couple of weeks back in February, so I don't think you need them if only using the Skyguider Pro alone from a PC.
It doesn't say in the instructions but I would assume you need to calibrate at night under the stars, so when the camera is turned at least 45 degrees from postion 1 to position 2 it can examine the stars and calculate where it needs to be to be calibrated. Remember to hit the clear centre of camera button if the position 1 and 2 are not highlighted. The instructions should perhaps make it clear about needing to calibrate under the stars. It does also say you can manually enter X=480, Y=640 for a rough alignment in which case you can do this anytime and see how you get on with it before trying to do an accurate calibration.
@@AstroLaVista I will try the recommendations, thanks for the help!
What if your North is totally covered by buildings/mountains/something else?
Then I don't think it would work. The camera can plate solve over a 13 degree field of view, but if that 13 degrees or more is obscured then I can't think of a way around that using this system. Maybe look into Celestrons ASPA all sky polar alignment hardware and software.
what if i cant see Polaris, will this ipolar work?
Yes, it uses something called plate solving which analysis the star pattern where you point it, before directing you towards the pole star.
@@AstroLaVista my place near horizone in 1~3degree… very hard to get Polaris
@@AstroLaVista I do hope it use plate solve use other star to do polar alignment :(
@@alexchong1979 It does I'm sure, but you can always double check with your retailor :)
Hi. Great tutorial. I have tried this recently, but have found that sometimes after getting the crosshairs to fall within the red dot, it then “jumps” out. I’m assuming this is due to the set up moving slightly after polar aligning?
Hi Anthony, thank you. Yes, that would definitely explain it! You're pretty 'zoomed in' by that point so any slight movement of the setup would make it go back a step. Make sure all locking nuts are hand tight and keep your tripod low to reduce vibrations to see if that helps. You can also place a weight on your tripod spreader tray to reduce vibration and movement, and try and shield the setup from gusts of wind etc.
@@AstroLaVista thanks. It’s happened a couple of times now so will take the precautions you suggest. Thanks again.
I stumbled upon this video and I'm curious if you've noticed Polaris gradually moving away from the crosshairs as the night progresses?
I've had my SG Pro for a bit over a year and found the whole set up to be finicky and the whole mount basically unstable. Never have I been able to achieve subs greater than say 90 seconds even with a spot on alignment and a well balanced rig well within it's weight limitation. Polaris after about an hour won't even be in the field of view through the Ipolar. Now being that I moved on quickly to the EQ6R Pro and rarely use the SGP any longer I would like to get back into DSLR imaging and the use of the SGP but don't want the frustration of iffy tracking. I do watch many of your videos so I'm happy I located this and not sure how I've missed it for this period of time. Thanks. Anyone else watching this have experiences similar to mine with their tracking and has this ever been an issue with their GEM or CEM's?
Hi James, I'm trying to get my head around why the PA would move once set if both the mounts and the Earth's axis are aligned with each other? Is there any play in the equatorial wedge or the tripod? Even if this is the case it would only move if knocked so I'm not sure what's going on? 90 sec subs isn't bad unguided, just depends on what focal length you're imaging at.
@@AstroLaVista
At the time that I was using the SG Pro it was my only mount/Tracker. I did use my RC51 at 250mm and a dslr and other than that it was the dslr on a ballhead and max f/l 300 mm down to 35mm. I had on several occasions achieved a perfect alignment where the reticle lights up green, gently snugged down the tracker so its secure but even then after an hour Polaris wouldn't be on my screen. Given that Ioptron is well known for their precision I'm surprised at the SG Pro's lack there of.
i get this is it was cheaper, but now the qhy polemaster is at the same price essentially. oh well
This video is useless without showing how to calibrate it. You missed out the most important part.
Hi, if you read the description you'll see that the iPolar for the Starguider pro is pre installed and calibrated so this is more of a software demo to show how easy it is to use. I'm guessing there might be other videos on YT for installing and calibrating the iPolar if you're buying one to replace an optical polar scope. I will tweak the title to make it clear this isn't an installation and calibrating a polar scope video so people don't need to read the description.
you start almost aligned already. That does not help.
will this software work with the ZWO ASI120mini scope
Not that I'm aware of