westmarch

I think Peter has summed it up nicely. The platform is for visual not AP so slight drift is not a problem, particularly with wide field EPs. Hopefully the thread title keeps it clear that this is a low tech, inexpensive solution aimed at those with limited DIY skills. Anything more really requires more outlay and/or knowledge and skills. John

well done, you make it all look so easy - unfortunately trig brings on my PTSD. 🤪 Stand by for the requests to compute segments for future builders. 😄 John

Ive always found the, “What to expect” section of @Qualia pinned guide to be one of the best ways to manage observational expectations. John

Excellent build. Love the artwork. 😎 John

I agree that the gap is unlikely to be the problem and battery or motor is worth checking. Another thing to check is that the grub screws on the flexible link collar are tight and not allowing the shaft to slip inside. John

Great piece of work. I agree with you and Peter, the sharp ends are a bit superfluous and a hazard. John

Hopefully shimming the shafts will sort it. The only other thing I can think of is that your design for wider arcs is distributing the weight of the rig more efficiently on the shafts and is leading to some slippage. John

Good Luck and hoping you get some clear skies. 👍

That looks like a fine piece of work! You have the makings of a cottage industry there. Only one question, are those Velcro pads that you are using to hold the Dob in place? John

Very impressive! Love the Southern bearing - ingenious. You do know it’s going to be cloudy now til Easter. John

The pointy end goes South - not North . You should line up the platform so that the point of the A Frame base is pointing directly away from Polaris. As Peter says, near enough is good enough.🙂 John

It’s a mistake we’ve all made. 😁 Good luck with your next outing. John

Lovely piece of craftsmanship. Well done. John

Hi Sid, a lovely piece of craftsmanship and a great web resource. Thanks for sharing. John

It’s really not hard to build an EQ platform for a standard Dob setup. The52° profile will be fine for you. Good luck and let us know how you get on. John

What a loss! Many thanks to Steve for his contribution to observational astronomy over the years. John

Like everyone else, “ticks and hums”. Sounds like you have a dud. John

Blimey! What a job you undertook and hats off for attempting it. John

Thanks for the report. Good Luck with the next test. What sort of damage had you found and how did you try to fix it? John

Great guide, as always. John

Hi @hershey806, There is an article here that explains the difference between the various Eq. platform types. https://britastro.org/section_information_/equipment-and-techniques-section-overview/telescope-making/equatorial-platforms-pt-1 As you can see, the Gee design is probably the most stable for lower latitudes with the northern and southern bearings angled. On the upside, you are dealing with circles rather than complex ellipses for the segments. It does require some more involved woodworking skills to incline the segments at 39 o but nothing that needs more than a protractor. Good Luck John

Really enjoyed your post and can identify with everything you said about the joy of galaxy hunting. There is nothing more satisfying than sitting alone in a dark sky environment while star hopping a truss dob towards an elusive bundle of archaic photons. May you have many more fruitful nights ahead. John

Perhaps the problem is that AP tends to drift off into technical / software discussions that often hijack the thread? John

welcome back to the forum. John

I have always found Steve Tonkin’s Binocular Sky Newsletter useful. https://binocularsky.com/newsletter/BinoSkyNL.pdf John