Unboxing the iOptron SmartEQ Pro GOTO Telescope Mount 

Thanks Eddie! I mainly do imaging, I can't remember the last time I put an eyepiece in the scope. I don't do much solar work with the mount, but I would think that with an abundance of light that really long exposures would be unusual for solar imaging? If you can get a decent polar alignment in daylight (there are some tricks for that) I think the mount would be perfect for a scope like that so long as it's properly balanced. The SmartEQ Pro has a published payload limit of 11 pounds, but I have since gotten an Orion 120mm f/5 refractor for it, and that scope along with the t-ring, DSLR camera body, and guidescope & guide camera setup comes to 13 pounds. That is quite a bit more than the mount is supposed to have on it, and as a result I had to fabricate a counterweight extension bar (from 1/2" straight copper tubing) to allow for balancing. However, even with that much weight on it, the scope tracks very well when autoguiding so long as it's well-balanced. Without guiding, I cannot seem to get better than 30-second exposures at 600mm focal length, even with a really good drift alignment. So, I think the mount would be really good for solar observing, and even for imaging with an 8 pound scope, but once you add camera gear you may be close to the 11 pound limit, beyond that you'll have to do some fabrication to get it to balance. Hope it works for you if you decide to try it! Here is my Astrobin page if you want to see what I've done with the mount so far: www.astrobin.com/users/Swampfoot/

My hole setup wil weight approximately 6 pounds with autoguiding and camera

I think it will work great - I have successfully done autoguided imaging with over 12 pounds on this mount, which is over its rated limit, but it was balanced very carefully.

swampfoot Thanks for fast reply how long can you autoguide ?

The longest I have done is ten minutes, I could have gone longer (no trailing) but then my stars just get really bloated. I'm using a doublet, Orion 120mm f/5 refractor.

swampfoot That good !! gonna buy this !

No, this mount does not have an internal rechargeable battery. The batteries I have used so far are non-rechargeable AA, 1.5v each. I have used the mount via the AC adapter many times while the batteries were still installed, and it did not attempt to charge them (which would be quite dangerous for non-rechargeable batteries).

Thank you. The battery holders look a bit flimsy to me. I intended to install 8 Eneloop batteries into the holders. It would be convenient to charge them via the DC input.

I have two optical tubes - an Orion 120mm f/5 and a Celestron 80mm f/11 tube from the Powerseeker 80EQ. Also mount camera & lens combos with a guidescope using a dovetail turned sideways. i.imgur.com/Hqpwxok.jpg

Yes indeed, it will.