New equipment has arrived. These are not sponsored purchases and will be tested and commented on as such.
Cameras
A new guide camera from Touptek arrived this is the G3M662C. Unfortunately this camera did not play well with my original setup. INDI drivers were not working correctly for this camera, leading to a frustrating PHD2 experience. The drivers would not detect the camera at first so I decided to compile my own in Stellarmate. This got the camera to work, but only in streaming mode and I gave up. Luckily this was right as weather was changing and there were no clear skies anyways
A main imaging camera, also from Touptek arrived, the ATR2600C. This camera worked in Stellarmate right away without any changes. I tested it and the first images were amazing. There was no plan for shooting, only testing how it worked and it’s performance in Texas heat. This camera was definitely working much better than the 662.
Off-Axis Guider (OAG)
For this piece I decided to use Touptek again, even though cheap used OAGs could be found online. I didn’t want more compatibility issues from using non-consistent equipment brands. I chose the Large Off-Axis Guider. This was tricky to setup because I also have a ZWO 5-filter wheel (EFW). The first attempt positioned the OAG and the EFW bolted together. This lead to improper backfocus on the guide camera when the main camera was in focus. I had to space out the the OAG from the EFW and I was able to achieve focus without a problem.
Brand
Why Touptek? It’s a cheaper alternative to more expensive brands, and it also seems like an upgrade from my previous cameras from SVBony. The SVBony cameras worked but the SV605C always had issues, even after being sent back to SVBony for repairs. It came back with amp glow and they wouldn’t fix my camera again.
What now?
After holding off from using NINA for a year, it appears that I will be switching to windows because the 662 camera seems to work as expected under windows. So, the minipc will be reformatted with windows and NINA will be installed.