EQ6 Tuning-Thanks to Astro-Baby

[Zakalwe]

I've been trying to "tweak" my EQ6 as there seemed to be a bit of slop in it and I was getting some glitches in the guiding.

The first step was to firmly fix the QHY5 guide cam PCB as there was a tiny bit of movement in it.

I then went round the finderguider mount to make sure that everything was nailed down as tightly as possible.

The third step was to tidy up the wiring to ensure that there was no undue dragging on the mount.

I then tackled the counterweight bar. It always annoyed me as there was a fair bit of slop in the mounting. Plus, when using the extension bar I found that it wasn't really true to the mounts axis, so at one point it would "lurch" and ruin a sub. I removed the lower collar and greased the lower bearing with some ordinary moly grease. I then replaced the collar and tightened the collar to the point where the bearing started to bind. I then backed it off a tad and made sure that there was no binding.

Finally I tightened up the worm gear adjustment using Astro Baby's fantastic tutorial. After doing this I could tell that things had improved as there was a lot less clattering as the motors span up and down.

The big test is how it performs. Bear in mind that I am setting up and tearing down after each use. I use EQMOD to polar align. This is the PHD graph that I am now getting (2 second exposures on the QHY5)

I am really pleased with the results. I have never been able to get a PHD graph as flat as that before the tweaking. Thanks to Astro-Baby for producing a great tutorial!

[laser_jock99]

Must have a look at that too.

[Astro_Baby]

Little note here......the collar around the weight bar.....after moving it you need to periodically test the grub screws holding it in place. They are prone to slipping slightly and loosening up. Aftre a rebuild its a good idea to check them prior to each use and tighten them where necessary. You will find after a few goes at this they retain their tension and stay tight so its not an unending chore but its woeth checking periodicailly.

I used a little bit of thread lock on mine just yo be sure.