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Vixen GP upgrade to dual axis drive and ST4 port (no goto)

michael.h.f.wilkinson

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michael.h.f.wilkinson

michael.h.f.wilkinson

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Just upgraded my Vixen Great Polaris mount with the new Skywatcher dual motor set for the EQ5. Unlike the old set, this new set does offer an ST4 guiding port. The set comes complete with new clutches.

Removing the old SD-1 motor was easy, and fitting the new one was fairly straightforward. Removing the old gear and clutch from the worm gear and attaching the new was the hardest, and required a tap of a light hammer to get the new clutch on far enough to mesh with the gear on the RA motor. The old motor housing slid over the new RA motor with no other issue than that the hole for the plug needed to be widened a bit.

The Dec motor assembly was easy.

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The motor set

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Mounted

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The widened hole.

Generally pleased with the quality and fit, except that the Dec motor plug seems rather exposed. Might want to fabricate something to protect that.

Looking forward to using it for real.

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mikeDnight

mikeDnight

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Hi Michael,

You've likely saved a small fortune using the skywatcher drives. I also like the black GP. Its a shame Vixen have stopped making that superb mount. I suspect the Vixen motors will soon be hard to come by, as well as being very costly. Thank goodness for Skywatcher!

Mike :-)

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michael.h.f.wilkinson

michael.h.f.wilkinson

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Hi Michael,

You've likely saved a small fortune using the skywatcher drives. I also like the black GP. Its a shame Vixen have stopped making that superb mount. I suspect the Vixen motors will soon be hard to come by, as well as being very costly. Thank goodness for Skywatcher!

Mike :-)

Vixen still make the GP2, which is very nice by all accounts. I also gather GP2 motors fit the old GP. I must say I love the wooden tripod the old GPs (like mine) sported. Much nicer than the later aluminium ones. The Skysensor 2000 with motors can be had secondhand, but the prices are WAY higher than the 149 euro this little set costs. I bet it fits the GP2 as well. Long live Skywatcher indeed

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pete_gamby

pete_gamby

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Just FYI, the GP2 and now the GPD2 have been discontinued - the molds for both finally began to fail and Vixen decided not to remake them with the imminent arrival of the Advanced Polaris (AP) mount.

However, the motor sets and controllers (and a whole range of accessories) continue to be available for both mounts.

HTH

Cheers, Pete

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  • 3 years later...
John

John

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I've just found this older thread.

Having just purchased a Vixen GP DX mount, without drives, I'm interested in fitting at least an RA drive and possibly a DEC one too. Not interested in GOTO.

The Vixen kits are very expensive (£400 for the dual drive set) wheras the Skywatcher set that Michael installed on his Vixen GP are around £120 I think.

How well did the Skywatcher dual drive set work with your Vixen GP Michael ?

 

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pete_gamby

pete_gamby

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A timely revival of this thread - the Vixen MT-1 motors have just been discontinued so anyone wanting replacements or a spare one in case of failure might want to consider purchasing soon as there is only limited stock left.

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RobertI

RobertI

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Very worthwhile upgrade to a lovely mount. I have a non-goto CG5 which I upgraded with a GP-USB port on the handset and managed some very nice guided shots. I think that the mount is actually better for guided imaging than my goto mount, because you can accurately minimise the backlash by 'feel' using the RA/Dec knobs (ie: twiddling the knobs to see how much play there is whilst adjusting the worm). 

Oh - just seen the original post is 3 years ago. :undecided: Never mind!

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John

John

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Don't worry Rob - my fault for reviving it :smiley:

I'm interested in adding drives to a Vixen GP DX but I'm just sounding out whether the Skywatcher EQ5 ones will do the job.

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John

John

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Thanks Alan - I'm seriously thinking of ordering one of the SW dual axis kits for my incoming Vixen GP DX. I only really need a driven RA axis but I'm wondering about getting the dual kit so that I've got the DEC option too.

It's reassuring to know that it will fit the mount :smiley:

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Stu

Stu

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8 minutes ago, John said:

Thanks Alan - I'm seriously thinking of ordering one of the SW dual axis kits for my incoming Vixen GP DX. I only really need a driven RA axis but I'm wondering about getting the dual kit so that I've got the DEC option too.

It's reassuring to know that it will fit the mount :smiley:

I find having both axes driven is quite useful John. You can then pan around just using the handset, rather than using the handset for RA and a slo mo control for DEC. This is very handy for solar or lunar observing to move around the surface in a very relaxed way. 

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John

John

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8 minutes ago, Stu said:

I find having both axes driven is quite useful John. You can then pan around just using the handset, rather than using the handset for RA and a slo mo control for DEC. This is very handy for solar or lunar observing to move around the surface in a very relaxed way. 

Also handy if the scope is getting towards the top end of the mounts capacity - the less you have to touch the scope or the mount, the less the chance of vibrations !

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Stu

Stu

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Just now, John said:

Also handy if the scope is getting towards the top end of the mounts capacity - the less you have to touch the scope or the mount, the less the chance of vibrations !

Yes indeed. The GP-DX should cope with your APM ok though I would think? What is the weight?

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John

John

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35 minutes ago, Stu said:

Yes indeed. The GP-DX should cope with your APM ok though I would think? What is the weight?

The 130 F/9 weighs around 9.5 kg fully loaded. The same weight as the Tak FS128 that David / Dweller25 used on the GP DX and a very similar tube length.

 

 

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F15Rules

F15Rules

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52 minutes ago, John said:

Thanks Alan - I'm seriously thinking of ordering one of the SW dual axis kits for my incoming Vixen GP DX. I only really need a driven RA axis but I'm wondering about getting the dual kit so that I've got the DEC option too.

It's reassuring to know that it will fit the mount :smiley:

Hi John,,

Congratulations on getting the GPDX mount, I'm sure it will be superb for you.

I had the MT1 dual motors on my GP and they worked beautifully. Having said that, when I bought the FS128 it came with a Tak mount which only came with an RA drive, and manual DEC control..I have to say I really haven't missed the DEC drive since..I get a visual alignment with Polaris through the polar scope, and I can then hold the object in view for 30 minutes upwards quite easily.. any small adjustments can be made with the DEC hand control.

So either way, one motor or two, you can't go wrong..

HTH ☺.

Dave

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