20 October 2023 | Charles
Not used if fully yet, just playing with the setup and features, but it is a superb bit of kit to automate my astro imaging sessions from my tablet on the warm. Love it.
Also, as always great service from First Light Optics.
This computer is everything that I wanted for an astrophotography rig. 15 October 2023 | Colin
Just upgraded to this from the first generation AsiAir (will use that for something else later) Here's my thoughts on it, firstly it's worth you knowing the rest of my setup. Mount: EQM35-PRO, Scope: WO SpaceCat 51, Camera: ZWO ASI533MC-Pro, Mini guide scope, ASI290MM guide camera and EAF with temp sensor. We just had two clear nights, so I got to use this setup properly for a couple of long nights. The combination of kits as a whole worked extremely well, and the AsiAir Plus is the brains of the operation. I've added a micro SD card, to store images, so that I don't use the emmc - but there's plenty of room to store lots of sessions worth of data.
The Polar alignment is super easy to use, with a full goto mount, it works much better, and can result in very fast accurate polar alignment.
Selecting the target couldn't be easier, there's star charting software, which allows you to select the target and command the mount to slew to the location.
Platesolving is quick (provided that the camera is in focus, more on that later) and allows the scope to be pointed at the desired tartget extremely accurately.
The auto focus routine takes a little while to run, you get to see a nice chart as it's focusing, no need to attach focusing masks. It takes care of it for you, just make sure that the mount does not have lots of backlash in the focusing mechanism.
Was running my whole setup, including dew heaters for about 6 hours at a time, and on my 500Wh battery, it looks like I'll be able to get about 3 complete nights of use from a single charge. So it's extremely power efficient.
Finally to add to the fun, there's a setting that allows the AsiAir to connect to my home network, so once, the polar alignment is completed, I can go inside where it's warm, and control everything in confort, With the temperature sensor, the AsiAir, will refocus the scope when it needs to as the temperature drops, and as the night progresses. And of course, I can connect to the AsiAir from my PC, to download the subframes over the wifi.
This is as close to a dream setup as I think you'll get for a long time to come.
28 May 2023 | Simon
FLO have done it again. Super fast in answering questions and super fast with delivery. Astrophotography is such a complex subject with all the new terminology, software and hardware, why when i have a reasonable grasp of NINA to i invest in something new. Answer...because the ASI Air plus is an amazing piece of kit. Like most GUI it takes time to figure what does what but with some perseverance its well worth the change. The biggest advantage of moving to this compact device is that i can control my rig via wifi in the warm. If you are wondering to invest in a brilliant piece of kit i would say, go for it