Equatorial platform

The MGEN autoguider

The MGEN-2 standalone autoguider package consists of a guide camera and a control box. An ST-4 guiding cable leads from the control box to the ST-4 port of the equatorial platform and an RJ45-RJ45 cable connects the guide camera (autoguider) with the control box. The control box and the platform both are connected to a 12V power supply by additional cables.

Fig. 1 - The MGEN-2 standalone autoguider package consists of an ST-4 cable, an RJ45-RJ45 cable, the DC power cable, the control box and the guide camera (autoguider). The cable for operating a Canon EOS camera and the USB cable for firmware updates are not shown.

Fig. 1 - The MGEN-2 standalone autoguider package consists of an ST-4 cable, an RJ45-RJ45 cable, the DC power cable, the control box and the guide camera (autoguider). The cable for operating a Canon EOS camera and the USB cable for firmware updates are not shown.

Fig. 2 - The equatorial platform control panel with its power switch, the ST-4 port, the 12V DC power socket and the rate adjustments buttons.

Fig. 2 - The equatorial platform control panel with its power switch, the ST-4 port, the 12V DC power socket and the rate adjustments buttons.

The MGEN-2 autoguider is designed to also control Canon EOS cameras (exposure time, wait time, mirror lockup time, shots to do). I was fascinated by that feature but unfortunately, for some reason, the autoguider stopped controlling the camera after a few months of heavy use with two different MGEN-2 autoguiders. I tried to exchange cables and the camera but the feature just wouldn't work anymore. Maybe the power supply is the culprit. I now use Gunther Wegner's LRT Pro Timer to control the camera.

Below, you can find images of the MGEN-2 autoguider and its connections and my settings for the control box. No computer is needed for the autoguiding process - one of the biggest advantages over most other autoguiders.

Fig. 3 - The wiring for the MGEN-2 autoguider. Not shown are the cable for operating the Canon EOS camera and the power supply. I usually attach the control box with its cord loop to the the mirror box of the dobsonian telescope.

Fig. 3 - The wiring for the MGEN-2 autoguider. Not shown are the cable for operating the Canon EOS camera and the power supply. I usually attach the control box with its cord loop to the the mirror box of the dobsonian telescope.

MGEN-2 autoguider settings:

Guider setup:

  • Obj. focus: 2070 mm
  • AG speed RA: 0.30x
  • AG speed DEC: 0.30x
  • CCD binning: 1x1

Guiding:

  • gain: 7
  • exp.: 1000 milliseconds
  • thresh.: 10

Guiding RA:

  • Num: 1
  • tol.: 1.00
  • aggr.: 70%
  • mode: 0

Guiding DEC:

  • Num: 1
  • tol.: 1.00
  • aggr.: 70%
  • mode: 0

AutoExposure (not used anymore, see text above):

  • Shots to do: 23
  • wait time: 5.0 seconds
  • mirror lockup: 5.0 seconds
  • exp time: 3:00.0 minutes (sometimes I use 5 minutes instead)