Nexstar 4SE mount 'play'

[mikehab]

Hi - Just looking for some guidance on how much "play" there should be in a Celestron Nexstar 4SE mount.

I'm the proud owner of a new Nexstar4SE - had it for about a month and am very impressed with it - however I've noticed that there's a certain amount of "play" in the gears/motor such that if the scope is positioned horizontally (with the alignment arrows pointing at each other) then you can wiggle the scope on the mount up and down by a couple of millimeters. Is this normal

I'm just wondering whether the weight of the scope is pulling the gearing mechanism resulting in 'play' in the gearing mechanism?

There's nothing in the manual relating to the best position to 'park' your scope when not in use. Should you leave the scope attached to the mount (in which case the weight is pulling down on the gears) or remove the scope completely (which then means you have to do a full setup/allignment/re-callibration of the finderscope every time you want to use it)? If you should leave the scope attached to the mount then what is the best orientation to leave it in to minimise the risks associated with the weight of the scope pulling down on the gears ... horizontal or vertical (I'm guessing vertical)?

Many thanks,

Mike

[steve_bham]

I used to have the Nexstar 6SE and its totally normal for a bit of play. As the scope will be front end heavy it wont jiggle about when moving.

I used to park the scope with the lens cap facing the base of the scope, as that is how it fitted in the carry case.

[Teslar]

You can adjust the backlash compensation that may help your problem

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[jonathan]

Once you've used an NEQ6 you may never want to go back to the Celestron mount! It runs like silk by comparison.

[Teslar]

Once you've used an NEQ6 you may never want to go back to the Celestron mount! It runs like silk by comparison.

Agreed but the SE is a great little goto and a lot less hassle for a quick break in the cloud cover

I love my SE and my NEQ6

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