ThadeusB

Simply because the clutch friction is insufficient. Earlier posts have explained it.

Here is what I have done to extend the RA and DEC clutch locking levers. M4 screws will fit into the slot on the back of the DEC lever, so no drilling required; they need to be about 15mm long. The RA lever had to be drilled and tapped to M4; 10mm long screws are sufficient. Clearly, there is a warranty issue with doing this. In my case a took donor levers from my old EQ3-5 mount. However, new replacement levers can be purchased for warranty purposes.

I have attached my draft notes on PPEC training. I'm now waiting for a clear night to run it all through again so I can refine it. I will also include screen shots. So bear with me please. Phil EQMOD_PHD2_EQ6-R setup_v2.doc

Sunday night I spent 3 hours drift aligning with PHD2. Not helped by some wind, however, I got it pretty spot on in the end. Some PHD2 settings need to be tweaked so that guiding is not too aggressive. The next thing will be PPEC training. The EQ6-R will save this to its motherboard. This can be achieved via EQMOD. I can post the required settings and method if anyone would like this. Duncan: I fixed strips of 100mm long, 2mm carbon fibre sheet to the clutch levers. They can now be locked firmly.

Hi Duncan, I take it then that you don't have an observatory. Is it something you could do? It will make a tremendous difference to your enjoyment of an excellent rig. Having to polar align every time you set up is a pain. As a matter of interest do you use the Synscan hand controller or EQASCOM. The latter is the way to go for many reasons. I found one other niggle when I did rough polar alignment; the polar scope reticule isn't orientated correctly, and it's very fiddly to fix that. Skywatcher are a bit lax with some things. But never mind it's all fixable. I'll let you know what I'm doing about the clutches. Phil

Hi Cleetus, The total weight with imaging camera is about 16kg. I know that it looks like there is a lot of counterbalance weight, however, the balance is perfect.

Hi all, Last night was a lovely night. So, I did rough Polar alignment, then started on drift alignment using PHD2. For those who don't know, drift alignment is performed by selecting a star near the Meridian and Celstial equator. Firstly, azimuth is run, followed by Altitude. It's a slow and painful process but does an excellent job. After nearly 3 hours tweaking azimuth I stopped, leaving altitude for another night. Minute changes in the adjustments are required to get it right. First impressions of the mount: rock solid and tracks accurately; very quiet in operation; both axes have a small amount of backlash which may need adjustment; nice big alt/az adjustment bolts - I've read that some people complain about the alt bolt under the polar scope, however, at my altitude of 52 degrees the spring loaded lever is a brilliant solution and very easy to use. My only criticism so far is that in common with many other Skywatcher mounts, the RA and Dec clutches cannot be locked hard enough, unless one has the strength of a Gorilla: it is too easy to accidentally bump the scope out of alignment. I have fixed a lever extension to the Dec clutch lever, this can now be locked solidly. I'm now working on how to do the RA lever extension without making it a mess. I've yet to see how the high BAUD rate impacts tracking accuracy. At the moment I use an EQDIR cable which works fine. I'll try using the mount USB port at some stage, but don't expect this to make any change to functionality. A brief note on polar scope alignment; it is well worth buying a right angle viewing adaptor that has a switch to magnify the view. For me it's a must, it saves me from grovelling around on my arthritic knees and stressing my arthritic neck! https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/astro-essentials-right-angled-eyepiece-for-polar-scopes.html More later guys Phil

Here we are Duncan, some photos taken this afternoon. Mounted on the scope are my dew controller in the white box, ZWO guide scope with ZWO ASI120MM camera, ZWO EAF and Celestron RACI finder scope. I mounted the dew controller on the scope to reduce cabling from pier to scope. The sky is clear right now, so hopefully I can get to work on it tonight. Phil

Hi Duncan, Mine came Tuesday, my what a beauty it is. It makes my HEQ5 Pro look puny! I had to machine my pier mounting plate to take the EQ-6 R. It is now mounted, with scope on. I was able to fit all the weights required on the bar without needing to fit the extension bar. Amazing; it's absolutely rock solid compared to the HEQ5. I use EQMOD with my home made EQDIRECT cable. To connect, the BAUD rate has to be set to 115200 for the Windows port and in EQMOD setup. It works a treat. I also tried the USB port; that too runs at 115200 BAUD, so the Windows port must be set to that rate. I have done basic testing and all appears to be good. If I have time later I'll run the roof off my obs and take some photo's, which I'll post. If we have a clear sky tonight I'll start getting it aligned. Then I can put it through its paces properly after tweaking it with PHD2. One happy bunny so far. Phil

Sorry to hear that Barbulo, very frustrating for you. You'll love it when you get it though.

My EQ-6R is coming tomorrow. Phil

Great news Duncan. I hope it works well for you. As a matter of interest, have you considered buying a better finder scope? I bought a Celestron RACI finder; it is superb and so easy to use, because you can rotate the 90 degree prism and it has illuminated cross hairs - worth evry penny. I'll take some photo's of my current rig, so you can see what I have done. Good viewing Phil

Great news Duncan. I hope it works well for you. As a matter of interest, have you considered buying a better finder scope? I bought a Celestron RACI finder; it is superb and so easy to use, because you can rotate the 90 degree prism and it has illuminated cross hairs - worth evry penny. I'll take some photo's of my current rig, so you can see what I have done. Good viewing Phil

Hi Duncan, Apparently the shipment was held up at the Suez Canal. However, the ship has now docked and OVL the trade suppliers will be urgently getting consignments out to the retailers next week. I have been promised that I will get mine next week. Who are you buying yours from? If you haven't already done so, get on to them to for a delivery date. Good luck Phil

Hi Duncan, The Quattro is an excellent scope. However, colimation is critical as it's an f4. If when crossing the Meridian the mount swings to the other side of the pier, meaning that the scope is now flipped over. This can upset colimation especially if hanging a camera on it too. I'm going to have a look at the Sharpcap colimation tools, which apparently work with a camera attached. I won't be doing this until I get the new mount. I ordered my EQ6-R on 12th March. I must check with The Widescreen Centre to find out when I can expect it. This week I hope! Fingers crossed Duncan. Phil

Hi Duncan, I'm told that the consignment is expected in the next few days. So hopefully I'll get it soon. Yes, I'll post photo's of it when it's on my pier. How do you get on with your Quattro? I find that a colimation check is needed every time I use it. Do you have a steel or carbon fibre tube, mine is steel. Phil

Hi all, I'm Phil. I hope to have mine soon from The Widescreen Centre - really looking foward to getting this beast. I currently have a HEQ5 Pro, which is not man enougn for my Quattro 250 Newt with guide scope, camera etc. It's a heavy setup that the EQ6-R should handle easily. Praying for some clear skies when it arrives. I will need to machine my current mounting plate to take the new mount. Easy job in my lathe. I'll post my findings soon I hope.

Yes, alacant, this is what I found too. Mine is spot on orthogonal.

All appears to be well now that I have found that the secondary offset is built into the mirror itself, thus the spider is set dead centre in the OTA. A full fresh colimation shows that a star de-focussed has a symetrical pattern. So, solved guys.

Yes, that's interesting. It begs a question though. The skywatcher focuser fitted to the Quattro has adjustment screws for setting it orthogonal to the tube axis. Surely they wouldn't do this if they didn't consider it necessary.

Thank you alicant and Craig. I have precisely centred the spider and re-colimated using a colimated laser, colimation cap and a long cheshire. A session last night appears to show that the scope is now properly colimated, although the seeing was not optimal. At least I could see that a de-focussed star was symetrical. You are right Craig, the offset is built into the secondary; it's 5mm +/- a bit of measurement inaccuracy. I also checked that the focuser is orthogonal to the tube axis. So, I think all is good now. If the seeing is good enough tonight I may do some imaging; that should prove the colimation. I'll post again with the results. Cheers Phil

I have a Quattro 250 f4 which is out of colimation. I bought this scope as a used item which I think has been fiddled with. I know that this scope must have secondary mirror offset. However, I am having trouble finding out whether the mirror is mounted offset on the stem, or, whether the offset is set in the spider vanes. If the spider should be offset, does anyone know exactly how much this should be? I have tried contacting OVL but have had no response from them. If you have this scope yourself, could I please ask you if you could measure the spider to see if the secondary carrier is offset away from the focuser, and by how much. I hope someone can help. My thanks in advance.

Hi all. I have now set up EQDIR with a cable and FTDI I had in my goodies box. I have ASCOM, EQMOD and PHD2 installed. I'm very pleased to say that it all works very nicely. I just need some clear nights now for getting everything calibrated. The SYNSCAN hand controller is now back in its box. Thank you for sending in this direction.

Thanks guys, I am now away for two weeks. I think I may have a suitable cable at home. I'll post again when home and able to try things out.

Julian, that can't be done. The hand set connector is RJ12 and the Motor controller box has a RJ45 connector; unless I can get a suitable cable to do this. In any case I still want to be able to keep handset control for normal control functions, such as slew limits, horizon and so on.