Applal

This. OMG! Apparently I was overthinking and underthinking at the same time. comments about how to identify high/low/interference spots are all gratefully seen. I will proceed with care, while realizing guiding was not being impacted by the drum/casting interface. Addressing this to make balancing easier is my new goal. Thank you all!

Thank you for your reply, and I understand what you are describing. Perhaps I should have been clearer about the resistance when the the worm gear is meshed normally. Without the worm engaged, the RA axis runs beautifully on the bearings. With the worm properly meshed, AND the clutch disengaged, it should spin just as freely but it doesn’t. There is considerable drag that I feel is happening between the casing and the brass ring gear drum. either the casting is machined too tight or imperfectly, or the ring gear drum is not round/true. I’m going to have it apart again and mic the drum and check it for true. If it’s out of round I will have it turned true. If it is true, then I will have the casing honed. I am certain that the drum to casing clearance should be greater than zero, allowing for only the bearings to support all movement. Outside of this one issue, the mount is a trooper. again, thank you for your time and answer.

I have had my Atlas EQ-G since 2010. It's not a bad mount, and has the basics of good solid build. It was only since becoming involved in astrophotography that I began to really want to improve its tracking characteristics. First time through I did a thorough Hypertune, even bought a DVD on how to do it. It seemed ok and quieter. As my demands for better tracking increased, I felt I needed to go back in, and this time, following Astro-Baby's help, I did it again. Then added a Rowan Belt mod. Ok. Many of you are with me thus far. I've been in and out of my mount enough I don't even need to look at any guidance anymore, and I am still not where I want to be, and here's where I begin to need someone who may have also taken a deep dive into these mounts. My Dec guiding is superb, so no going there. This is all about the RA axis. The rather large, ring gear that is driven by the worm gear, is integrated to be part of a "drum" that the RA clutch engages. This drum seems to be a precision piece that fits with little clearance into the mount casting. And I suspect that this fit is the cause of odd and unpredictable errors in guiding. The observed evidence I have for this is that if I back off my worm gear completely, the RA spins only in the large support bearings beautifully and without any stiction at all. None. However, engage the work gear to normal near zero backlash and now the rotation of the axis is sticky and irregular in how it is sticky. This HAS to be due to the brass drum fit to the casting. So I have disassembled, multiple times, degreasing, using different qualities of grease, from lithium to Superlube, and even some high end fishing reel grease. No significant diminishment in this sluggish movement. Last time through I degreased once again, solvent cleaned the barrel of the mount casting that the brass drum fits into, then wet sanded the entire interior with 600 grit and solvent to (hopefully) remove any high spots. Then, as a final experiment I also wiped the casting interior with graphited lock lube, rubbed it in and wiped it off. The casting seems to be less than perfectly smooth, and I hoped the graphite might lay in the low areas... just guessing. That's the backstory to my question. Which is this. Should I have a machinist measure and perhaps improve/perfect the casting hole that the brass ring drum fits into to allow for enough space for lubrication to bear the drum instead of what seems to be direct contact? Have any of you looked into this, as I interpret it, problem?