backlash

[paler31]

Hi i am just trying to get my head around what backlash really is an was wondering if you guys can shed some light on it. I have read that backlash is basically caused by the gears of a mount taking up the strain before actually moving the mount. I have a CG5 mount and when setting up i notice that when i am centering stars sometimes i have to press the movement buttons a couple of times before the scope actually responds. My question is, is this backlash and is there anything that can be done to reduce it?

John

[umadog]

Hi i am just trying to get my head around what backlash really is an was wondering if you guys can shed some light on it. I have read that backlash is basically caused by the gears of a mount taking up the strain before actually moving the mount.

That's right. All geared systems have it to some degree. The more you pay the less backlash you get.

I have a CG5 mount and when setting up i notice that when i am centering stars sometimes i have to press the movement buttons a couple of times before the scope actually responds. My question is, is this backlash and is there anything that can be done to reduce it?

Sounds like backlash to me. Does it happen equally in both azimuth and elevation? For elevation backlash is important to make sure the scope is balanced to reduce backlash. The mount may have backlash compensation. It may be possible to put better gears into the mount.

[rowan46]

you can reduce backlash by altering the settings in the handset

[paler31]

Hi thanks for the feedback, I beleive the backlash is present in both azimuth and elevation. I will look into the handset to see if i can adjust it a bit from there. I am however thinking about upgrading my mount to a CGEM. It looks to be much better quality than the CG and hopefully less backlash.

John