Here’s a good discussion on weapons:
https://www.reddit.com/r/EliteDangerous/comments/3k9clo/indepth_weapons_guide/
It looks like weapons are conditional (some better against large ships, some better against small ships) but beam lasers are not good in general because despite a high DPS they drain capacitors too quickly. Look over that list to see the merits of each type.
I run one beam, two pulse, and two cannons. Three beams created too much heat.
Try turning off those lesser stars. In the Galactic Map, go over to Filters (they’re between Bookmarks and Options), change Allegiance to Star Class, uncheck L-type, T-type, Y-type, and Proto, then apply filter to route.
Thanks for this. It increases my remaining jumps from 770 to 785, but I’ll probably save time overall.
Is there a limit to how much exploration data I can gather at once before selling it? I expect that I’ll have a lot of it if and when I finish this expedition.
Oof. I just passed the halfway point of the first leg of this journey. 450 jumps to go, and my resolve is weakening.
So far as I can tell, no. But you sell it a page at a time, so it can take a while when you get back. It’ll make you REALLY good friends with whoever you sell it to, so you might not want to do that blindly.
AIUI, there is a limit to the amount sold in one day. I think it’s 10 million per 24 hours.
Nothing says it all has to be sold in one place. 
Might be 100 million per 24 hours, don’t remember. 
I know I’m at least going to sell to the two engineers I have unlocked. Maybe I’ll see about unlocking some others before I sell all of my data.
Bear in mind that engineer approval doesn’t change right away. Need to back up to the main menu then reenter for increased access.
Now to find some Datamined Wake Exceptions for Level 5 FSD range…
I’m definitely not going on any long trips before getting a level 5 FSD range upgrade. I’ve got a level 2 upgrade on it now, and this trip is brutal. I have a range of about 18 LY, but most jumps are about 11-15 LY. 224 more jumps until I reach my destination.
I’ve been getting ~33.5 with a Level 4 in my Asp Explorer. Jet-cone boosts really help once you get the hang of 'em. Gotta watch out for the exclusion zone; if you hit it while in the cone, you’ll never get back out. Jet-cones also are detrimental to your FSD’s integrity so you’ll want to either install a maintenance limpet system or check for any Asteroid Bases along your route.
Got two DWEs from scanning wakes out of a Distribution Center in a famished system. One will be put to use in my Corvette.
Whoah! Inventory shows I have much more than I thought! Might be able to go Level 5 on all my ships.
RNG was kind to my Type-10. Increased range by 50%!
It’s 75% off at HumbleBundle right now.
Hey, thanks!
Okay, I’ve made it all the way out to Skaude AA-A H294. Now for the long trek back home.
I hope I don’t have to worry about my ship falling apart before I get home. What’s that ship integrity thing that shows up in advanced maintenance?
If I crash before I get home, I’ll lose all of my scan data, right?
Yes, you’ll lose all your data if your ship is destroyed before you sell it.
Your ship integrity drops while you’re in supercruise. As far as I can tell, it can get down to 0% without disastrous consequences. I think low ship integrity makes module failures more likely if you get attacked, but don’t quote me on that.
Basically, low ship integrity makes the hull more vulnerable to damage.