Craney

@mog3768 How do you Polar align ? I use SharpCap and find it works very well for my HEQ5, but with the bigger mount (NEQ6) I found it a struggle and then discovered the bolt issue. Heavy payloads tend to take things to the extreme and any slight imbalance, loose bolts or wobble is exposed. Hopefully this new design will make it as easy as on my HEQ5. Thanks for the continuing info. I am hovering over the purchase button. Sean.

Overpriced....?? ... good point. Well my mount has some serious polar issues with the original bolts chewing the metal work. Considering the hassle and possile DIY skill needed to correct the problem and enhance the axis movement, the price is possibly justified. It's predessessor was about twice the price, but did look like a piece of well engineered artistry. Will be interested how you get on with it. Cheers, Sean.

Excellent news Bruce. This sounds very promising for EQ-6 users. I suppose the proof of the pudding is when setting the Polar angle and then letting the GOTO system go to work..... I use SharpCap Polar alignment tool which is fantastic. Alas it is my mount is a bit wallowy when it comes to getting it spot-on. Getting an 'Excellent' alignment is trial and error with the mount slightly overshooting the perfect angle by lessening amounts each time. All this takes about 10mins more than it should. Anyway, looking forward to 'first-light' ..... (if that is appropriate for something that is locked away in the bowels of the metal work) Cheers, Sean.

Yes, I agree. The effectiveness of adhesive pads is vulnerable to humidity and condensation. Any lapse of tension in the system will consequently give you movement, a wobble and a rattle which will lead to components not sitting exactly as they were before. We really need a field test. The advert does not state that any light engineering is required, hence fitting or removing must not be harmful to the mount apart from the exterior side plates. It is a lot cheaper than the previous 'fix' .... and the advert says it is more precise... hmmm ?? .... curiouser and curiouser......

I suppose at least two of the pads will be to affix the new engraved caps to the sides of the mount. To fit the older EQ6wedge I think you had to prise the old plastic caps off the mount to access some fixing bolt/screws, which usually ended in some form of damage to them...

There are products out there where the words 'adhesive pads' and 'confidence' go together well........ not too sure about this application.....

Yes, and how it attaches to the mount. There seems to be no locating screw holes. Does it stay put by being 'wedged' in ( no polar axis pun intended !!) and the applied force of the tightening bolt ??

Hello everybody, I recently had an issue with my EQ6 where the latitude bolt had chewed through the block of alloy metal on the polar axis... you know the one that is used for precise polar alignment !! The upshot was that the mount had polar adjustment in one direction in one axis only. I improvised a fix using a nyloc nut on the thread which now hits the block more squarely.... Anyway, my research led to a solution called an EQ6 wedge, which looked a nicely engineered piece of kit, although pricey. UK distributers are few and far between. One of them at the time, (Modern Astronomy) left a tantalising message that a new version was imminent. Well here it is.. https://www.modernastronomy.com/shop/accessories/mount-accessories/eq6rail/ Anybody used it yet ?? Any feedback ?? Cheers, Sean.

My goodness me.... that's like a J.M.W Turner...

... or even 24/7.....