Explore Scientific EXOS 2 PCM8

[signal smelt]

Looking at upgrading from a star stacker to my first proper mount. Deep space astrophotography is the goal, initially widefield but inevitably I'm sure I'll want a longer focal length. I've seen this mount for sale and it looks to be a bargain. Apparently the motors aren't great but there are cheap replacements available on eBay for £20 ish. I'm a competent DIYer so don't mind some fettling but might need some guidance. Any advice would be welcome

[fiery cove]

literally one of the worst mounts for astrophotography. Sorry for the late response.

[inland bane]

I have one and I find it to be acceptable scope for the price I couldn't afford anything more than that I use it with a 80 mm or wide field telescope which gives me excellent pictures. I will say The guiding has always been an issue it's hard to keep it down below two or one arc second. Tech support is great and I think it's really a great outreach manufacturer.

[late breach]

acceptable if you onstep it, but ive yet to hear of anyone be happy with it and have no issues(the exos 2 with the pmc 8 goto system)

[fiery cove]

no reasonable person new to the hobby buys a mount with the intentions of rebuilding it though. I haven't dug into your favorite onstep system, but from what I know of the EXOS 2, it's backlash and slop that is the issue. If you replace the gears with onstep, then maybe it will work, but if its just the motors, that's a nogo in my book

[late breach]

I've heard more about the goto system than the mechanical side with ES, thought it was a synta no? (Also I wasn't talking about a rebuild with "onstep gears" whatever that'd even entail")

[fiery cove]

I know I tried to help someone with one once, and it just wasn't worth it. Their dec axis was so wonked, and the RA would just walk away 5-10 arc seconds, took 25 minutes to come back lol. Also, in-laws picked up a EXOS2 for visual, I've felt t he gears, they're so sloppy its amazing it even turns.

[late breach]

Jesus Christ, that's fvcking grim

[real crown]

I got that mount. It is acceptable. It even is more acceptable for the price. If you were about to buy it new - I would say rather go for a EQM35 - if you were to find an EQM35 around that price or even a tad higher - go for the EQM35.
The mount itself is mechanically decent till good. Imho it's a bit the software which is quirky.

[livid aspen]

FWIW that mount is long gone, I was looking at that exact Facebook advert myself 😛

[fiery cove]

I pity anyone who buys that thing.

[arctic goblet]

Are you sure you're talking about the Exos-2 GT? I know it's not necessarily the best mount but I thought it was really well built

bearings everywhere plus belt drives

The Exos 2 and exos 2 gt are derived from the meade LXD75 I believe and the regular exos 2 is closer to the meade than the GT

like @real crown said software sucks and that's the same with any of the goto mounts ES or bresser has pretty sure

[fiery cove]

When you grab the head and rock it, and you hear 'clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk'.... I'd never consider even once doing AP on that thing. Y'all are crazy lol.

I saw that personally in one the in-laws bought for visual, and I worked with someone on here who had it, trying to do AP with it. It was a grim situation.

[arctic goblet]

sounds like the worm isn't even close to the ring gear idk I think that mount is mechanically better than a lot of what's out there.

The Exos 2-GT

[fiery cove]

https://tenor.com/view/shrug-gif-25269231

[arctic goblet]

idk i don't own one

[livid aspen]

This guy likes his, apart from the software. https://youtube.com/watch?v=JOaNLQr-x0Q

[arctic goblet]

those serial cables are lame though

[real crown]

if you visit their forum - guys get it tuned sub arcsec if they got some skill

And one of my last times - I had also party sub arcsec

but it needs tuning for more consistency - and still the software is quirky

I synced coords from NINA to mount (ASCOM) - worked. Later I tried Sharpcap to connect it with the mount. Does not work. Why not? because values in there are kinda broken in such a way that ASCOM got trouble now.

Kinda the decimal , . thing

I feel like I should try to contact ES about that

[arctic goblet]

So the way the exos mounts handle ascom connections is not the same as SW, are you using ascom hub or whatever it is?

[real crown]

Nop - I used the straight ES ASCOM driver

[arctic goblet]

for example, I couldn't connect my mount to NINA then PHD2, I had to connect through ascom device hub then connect that to all the apps

iexos-100 but should be the saame bc pmc8

[real crown]

But I also tried hub. And When you try hub and want to go into properties it would go brrr to 😄

[real crown]

yip that's the way I handled it too - but as of the latest firmware and software it works well with NINA out of the box. Also: asiair. Not a problem there. Had partly 0.7ish guiding. Although RA effed it up a bit...