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Extending a counterweight bar at almost no cost...


StuartJPP

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I was struggling to achieve balance with a particular set-up on my AstroTrac head. It was just a little bit out, not by much but enough to be a problem. I needed just a little bit more weight but didn't want to spend too much so I extended the counterweight bar with a stainless steel M10 x 100mm bolt. This allowed me to achieve balance, it isn't a permanent set-up but if I am dual imaging then it comes in handy having this little bolt in my box of bits. I know that it is preferable to add more weight closer to the fulcrum but that isn't always possible and the AstroTrac weights need to be quite small otherwise they will foul with the AstroTrac itself...

An additional complication is that the original counterweights are matched to the counterweight bars...a bit silly in my opinion. I got one once but it didn't fit my counterweight bar...needless to say it went back.

This is also a decent solution for air travel...the weight of a bolt is negligible compared to another weight.

So here you have a cheap option (cost was about £1.50)...may come in handy for other people. It adds about 8cm to the length of the bar which is more than enough for my set-up.

Original AstroTrac Bar Length

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Original counterweight retaining bolt and washer.

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Replacement Bolt = M10 x 100mm (Original bolt shown for size)

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Replacement bolt fastened in place. The large counterweight needs to be positioned in this orientation so that it can be fastened to the counterweight shaft and not the threads.

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Locked down. This adds about 8cm to the total length of the bar, enough for my needs.

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