WanderingEye

I did that mod with my old EQ6 Mount... was the best thing I ever did.. 😀 and I could still use the old socket as a 12v output... I can’t remember but I think it was Pin 2 for +, but not 100% sure...

Ah ok, ... 👍

Is that right...? Well I did not know that, I have always made offers via PM, and I have rarely seen offers from anybody in the actual post..!!

Well, it looks like they never received a PM from you... 🤔

Hmmm, not if like me it’s not set up too... 😀

It can also happen if the item is now sold, and the ad not been updated, then the seller may not be checking on here for messages, as if like me they don’t get them coming to email too, so the only way to see them is visiting this forum.. 😀

Yes thanks for that, I guess I was just tying to figure out if what I had (somewhere under 1.2 arc-mins of movement) was already small enough for PHD to sort, or whether it should be smaller... 😀👍

My hole was a similar size 600 x 600 x 700 deep.. I ordered a half bulk bag (800kg) of ballast (£30) but only needed approx half of that which equates to approx 20 x 25kg bags and 4 x 25kg babes of cement, so your calculations are pretty much spot on... The builder merchant said that a Half bulk bag of ballast is approx 40 x 25kg bags (1000kg) ...so A full bulk bag of ballast is approx £2000 kg... which is about right as a cubic meter of concrete is about 2500 Kg, and a bulk bag is a cubic yard, which is a bit smaller..

So would you say less than 1.2 arc-mins of DEC backlash “small”...? I can just feel it at the end of a 500mm dovetail in the saddle..

Well, I am not sure what the scale is on the EQ8 encoder, but what I do know is that the amount of backlash does NOT register on the encoder when I move, so it’s not enough to show there, but not sure how small the increments are in there.... 😀 Edit: just found this, the resolution of the encoder, so does that mean that the backlash is less than 1.2 arc-mins, as it does not register..?? 17624 Counts/Rev., approx. 1.2 arc-minutes

It’s inside a metal tube with rebar, no issues there... 😀👍

wow, I did not realise it was miles out....hmmm, maybe I bought a dud... 🙁 Yes it was down to seconds, and it does not alter when rocking the saddle with the dovetail bar..so there is not enough backlash to move even 1 second...so is that still miles out..??

Hello all. I wanted a bit of advice, I read and posted in the thread below, but it’s an old one, so thought I would start new, I have got a secondhand EQ8, and after reading all the issues with DEC backlash, I thought I would check it out..so I got a 500mm dovetail bar in the saddle, and moved the Mount head with the handset all round at approx 20 degree intervals, I also watched on the handset using the method described by @Zakalwe in the thread below, (this shows the mount position via the encoders) now in the full 360 degrees there was no movement on the scale on handset at all, or at least it did not register, but there was a tiny amount of movement at the end of the 500mm bar, just noticeable by feel...(all the way round) Also I noticed that the tiny amount of backlash there is, was the least, when the clutch lever was opposite to the worm, so 180 degrees round, so I guess the pressure from the clutch on the gear has some effect on this issue, when the clutch lever was on the same side as the worm, the backlash was the most, but still tiny.. So is this something I should try and fix, or should I not worry... Thanks original thread on this subject

Hello all. I realise this is an old thread, and hope there are still people seeing this, but wanted a bit of advice, I have got a secondhand EQ8, and after reading all the issues with DEC backlash, I thought I would check it out..so I got a 500mm dovetail bar in the saddle, and moved the Mount head with the handset all round at approx 20 degree intervals, I also watched on the handset using the method described by @Zakalwe now in the full 360 degrees there was no movement on the scale on handset at all, or at least it did not register, but there was a tiny amount of movement at the end of the 500mm bar, just noticeable by feel... Also I noticed that the tiny amount of backlash there is, was the least, when the clutch lever was opposite to the worm, so 180 degrees round, so I guess the pressure from the clutch on the gear has some effect on this issue, when the clutch lever was on the same side as the worm, the backlash was the most, but still tiny.. So is this something I should try and fix, or should I not worry... Thanks 😀👍

The reason I drilled and set bolts in with a special resin, is that it all came as a kit with my pier, as they are 16mm studs, if I were to set in the concrete, they would need to be bent, to stop them moving or turning in the concrete when bolted too, but if you have some studs long enough that can be bent, then yes, set them in the wet concrete, it would be easier I guess, I also already owned the mixing paddle for mixing the concrete, and a big heavy duty SDS drill for drilling the holes, if you don’t and can’t borrow them, then that would be extra cost hiring them...you won’t drill the concrete with any standard drill, I can assure you.. 😀👍 PS, I never added any fibres or rebar, not needed with a good strong 5-1 mix of ballast and cement...just make sure your block is big enough to have the bolts at least 100mm from the edge if drilling, if setting in, then that does not matter so much...

I would also like to add, that using postcrete is a very very expensive way of doing it too, as one 25kg bag is approx £5, I needed the equivalent of 30 x 25kg bags...which cost me £50, £30 for a half bulk bag of ballast, and £20 for five bags of cement..and I still have a load of ballast left over for another job.. 😀

Hmmm, me thinks not, I would not use it, it tends to crumble, as the water never really penetrates all through the mix because it sets on the outside quicker... I have just done a piers base, and only took 2.5 hours, to mix and pour using a large plastic tub, and a plaster mixing paddle...at 5-1 ratio...my block is 600mm square and 700mm deep...and I had to drill 18mm holes for the pier studs... see here...

Superb.. well done 😀👍

All boards down, and electric sockets done..double weatherproof outdoor socket...on fence post at back.. The deck area is going to continue another 3m across garden, over the crazy paving you can see in picture, so have left the last board off till next lot of framework is down, as it will overlap.. 😀😀

I would have thought this would have been built for the DEC drive, as really on the RA you only need some slight weight bias to eliminate backlash...the Dec would have been more useful I would have thought.... 😀

Ok, so all ready to run the electric cable then put down the deck boards... I decided to fill the 3” trenches under the framework with concrete, to make it even more solid for when I put a ROR obsy on there.. The concrete was drilled today, and resin bolts fitted, went much easier that I thought, with my big SDS drill, started with a 16mm bit and went up to 18mm, which is the recommended size for 16mm studs..took about 5 mins per hole to drill, and then had to make a gadget to fix to hoover to clean out all the debris from the holes.. All the bricks and stones in there, on top of the weed / drainage membrane, were just chucked in to get rid of, as they will be under deck boards.. So will soon be ready to attach the pier, then the fun starts.. 👍😀

Well it works perfectly ... 😀👍

I didn’t even bother making, wasn’t worth it, as you can buy one made up on aliexpress delivered to the U.K. for £7 😀

Yes, but that is a proper EQMOD, cable the difference is you are making yourself.... 😀

In a word...No, that is just a USB to serial converter, you need a proper EQMOD cable to bypass the handset... it has different electronics... 👍