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  1. Hello Everyone, I started having problems seeing stars and other objects clearly through my Celestron Astromaster 130EQ telescope after several attempts so I thought I would try to collimate it. I purchased a laser collimator to help with the task. I have been reviewing several posts about this as well as watching videos and there is usually a reference to a center circle on the primary mirror. When I look at mine though the end of the tube, I see a circle but it is a bit off center on the primary mirror. After I insert the laser into the focuser, should I try to focus the laser on that off-center circle? Thanks.
  2. @DaveL59 The RDF on the telescope itself is the old style which has 2 pieces of clear circular plastic (front/back) with concentric circles that have to be aligned along with the faint red dot. It has very limited amount of adjustment that one can do and no real way to shim it without making it to where it no longer attaches to the telescope properly. The RDF is advertised as "permanently mounted".
  3. @DaveL59 I was able to get both parts of the slow motion DEC assembly and install them both on the mount without any difficulty. I know have about 20 degrees DEC movement. Once both spindles were out of the mount I was able to turn the lever smoothly. Thank you for your help in showing how this all works together! I agree in that it appears the telescope mount took a big knock in its previous life. I am looking forward to trying it out soon. I have used it about 6 times now, looking at planets Jupiter, Saturn, Mars. I ordered a 32mm eyepeice and that seemed to help with finding objects in the sky more easily. No matter how well I align it with the stock RDF, it is still off a bit. I know the slow motion DEC assembly will help me fine tune the location. I guess the next step is to upgrade the RDF to a Telrad or other such device, and purchase a sky atlas so I can look for other deep sky objects!
  4. @DaveL59 Thank you for the advice. It makes sense the spring loaded bolt puts pressure from the other side of the lever. I think it is logical this lever should be free to be moved around since the spindle on the other side is now missing but it does not move at all no matter how far I unscrew the other spring loaded spindle. The other spindle I removed is now somehow to long completely screw back into it's original location. I can back try unscrewing the other spring loaded spindle all the way but don't know what that would do the DEC control. This weekend I took the scope outside for viewing and was able to use the RA slow motion control. I can possibly see how the DEC slow motion would come in handy when I am trying to locate a target in the sky. I struggled to locate anything other than the moon and I was using the lowest power eyepiece I have which is 17mm. The red dot finder is aligned correctly but I have read the RDF on these scopes is pretty poor, so I think if I get another RDF or another eyepiece with a wide FOV, I might have better luck.
  5. @DaveL59 I have attached two more pictures. The first one shows the location where I unscrewed it from the mount. The scond one shows the underside of the mount. The upside down T-shaped plastic part that points about 1:30 touched the round end of the piece I removed. On the other side of this T-shaped plastic piece is another silver bolt looking part that has a spring the end that faces outward. This also looks to be bent from the picture.
  6. @RossHicksPhoto Hi Ross, I have the same telescope which I just purchased used this week. Here is a link to a motor which you can attach to help track the stars: https://www.celestron.com/products/astromaster-powerseeker-motor-drive I have a slight problem with my EQ mount in that the slow motion DEC assembly does not not turn properly. Does your work okay?
  7. @DaveL59 Thank you for sharing your picture. My mount is slightly different. In your picture, what is the silver bolt pointed downward called? I have this too, and it is still attached. It doesn't connect to the piece I removed. I am also afraid I may have ruined the mount. Do you know if this is so?
  8. Hello Everyone, I am a beginner, and have been reading a lot of articles and watching a lot of videos about different telescopes, mounts, etc. A used Celestron Astromaster 130EQ telescope became available locally for a really good price, so I bought it. It has a CG-3 equatorial mount. When I brought it home I noticed I could not turn the slow motion declination knob. The DEC clutch knob located on the side of the mount is secure, so the slow motion should move. When I looked at it closer, I think it might be bent somehow, preventing correct turning. For better or worse, I removed the knob connected to the DEC adjustment and unscrewed it from the mount. Attached are pictures. Once I removed it, I could turn DEC spindle but noticed it was warped. If I back it out all the way, I can no longer screw. How much are we supposed to be able to turn the slow adjustment knob? I've looked for articles, but could not really find anything about how exactly the DEC slow motion works. For RA, I can clearly see a gear which turns. I also noticed that the metal pointer is against the DEC clutch knob. Could this also prevent it from turning correctly? Thanks.
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