Balancing issues

[drumsolo]

I am having problems balancing my telescope in RA. Even with the weights as low down the shaft as possible the scope still rises in RA. The only way I could balance was by adding some additional dumbbell weights. Is this normal and am I putting undue stress on the mount with the extra weight?

Thanks

Stuart

[Bizibilder]

A SW200 should balance with the two weights provided with the HEQ5 - Do you have anything adding weight to the set-up eg camera/large eyepieces/guide scope etc?

Second thought - Do you have the weight bar fully extended? Undo the lever and pull it - it may come out a bit further.

[drumsolo]

Yes I have my Sony dslr piggybacked. I guess the extra weight is causing the imbalance, how can I get around this?

[Stephen]

Extended CW bar from SnS - I have one and can balance, well a lot more than you're putting on it

[drumsolo]

Where do I get one of these from?

Thanks

[Stephen]

Astro Engineering AC686 replacement extra-long counter-balance shaft for HEQ5 & 6 Sky Watcher Mount

To be honest though, if you only have the scope and camera on it I'm very surprised it won't balance. What's the weight of the SLR?

I bought this as I have as much as I dare put on the mount and I didn't want to put another weight on (200p, st80, rings (x2,) SLR, guidecam, telrad)

[rfdesigner]

One other thing to do is rotate the tube assembly so that the camera is on the mount side of the tube. This can make a substantial difference to the counter-weight required

take a look at Peter Shah's setup Equipment

Derek

[Bizibilder]

If you decide that you do need extra weight then pop down to Tesco and buy a couple of small weights from the "keep-fit" department. If you put a bit of hosepipe or similar in the hole they will go on the weight bar without rattling about! I have a couple of 2Kg weights that get used from time to time, either as extra's or just to allow lightweight kit to balance at all!

[Digz]

I must admit, as soon as I added my DSLR to my set up I could not get my kit balanced. I ended up using an extension bar for a while, then decided the extra length was going to get in the way so got another counterweight.

I would definitely second what Bizibilder says about the weights at Tesco's. Will be a lot cheaper than buying a dedicated counterweight!!