EQ5 Goto mount - can you use it manually?

[Notty]

Hi there, I'm new and engaged in full open combat with my new equipment, Evostar 80ED DS pro on an EQ5 pro synscan... I have a couple of questions, pretty basic I'm afraid but the instructions are even more basic and assume more knowledge than I've got

1. Can you use a motorised GOTO mount like this without power as a manual EQ mount?

2. It came with generic instructions for a manual SW mount, and a booklet about synscan which is explained in terns of an HEQ5... There are alignment methods for each, polar alignment and three star alignment respectively. Does this mean when using it as a goto you do not need to use the poar scope for alignment?

3. Can anyone with one of these explain which leads plug in to what for the handset, control box and mount? The instructions only give guidance for the HEQ5. Some are obvious some not!

i would greatly appreciate any help.

regards Andy

[Cornelius Varley]

Hi there, I'm new and engaged in full open combat with my new equipment, Evostar 80ED DS pro on an EQ5 pro synscan... I have a couple of questions, pretty basic I'm afraid but the instructions are even more basic and assume more knowledge than I've got

1. Can you use a motorised GOTO mount like this without power as a manual EQ mount?

2. It came with generic instructions for a manual SW mount, and a booklet about synscan which is explained in terns of an HEQ5... There are alignment methods for each, polar alignment and three star alignment respectively. Does this mean when using it as a goto you do not need to use the poar scope for alignment?

3. Can anyone with one of these explain which leads plug in to what for the handset, control box and mount? The instructions only give guidance for the HEQ5. Some are obvious some not!

i would greatly appreciate any help.

regards Andy

1 Without power you would need to release the clutches and move the mount manually, you cannot attach slo-mo cables if you have a goto mount.

2 You still need to polar align the mount. Without polar alignment the mount will not track accurately

3. There is a photo of the EQ5 Synscan here which shows the cable layout. One cable goes from the control board to the socket on the RA drive housing marked RA IN and the other cable goes from the socket marked DEC OUT to the socket of the DEC drive housing. The curly cable plugs into the handset and the socket on the motor control board as shown in the photo.

[Jiggy 67]

Peter is correct abount point 1, however you can use the mount manualy, using the handset, just by using the arrow keys to slew the mount

[Extreme Fencer]

You can sort of with a rough allignment.

Level the mount using a spirit level first.

Point the north leg north (obviouse really )

I hold a long level against the other 2 legs and hold my magnetic compass set to true north against the level.

You can then use the handset to slew the scope to where you wish it will track well enough for visual use.

I find using this method my polar allignment actually isn't far off !

From there it won't take long to do a 2 / 3 star alignment for more accurate use of the finder functions on the handset

[Jiggy 67]

The supplied instructions are useless, as for any SW product....you will find much better instructions here

[Notty]

Thank you one and all for the answers! Regarding levelling the mount in order to centralise the Polarscope, my mount will not go below about 30degs of Dec! There is a great big plate in front of it where the front alt-adjustment bolt goes, so it looks physically impossible to set this mount to the low latitudes...this can't be right surely?

[Cornelius Varley]

Thank you one and all for the answers! Regarding levelling the mount in order to centralise the Polarscope, my mount will not go below about 30degs of Dec! There is a great big plate in front of it where the front alt-adjustment bolt goes, so it looks physically impossible to set this mount to the low latitudes...this can't be right surely?

The term "levelling the mount" refers to the tripod base only, not the equatorial head.