EQ6 Goto problems

[Sfarndell]

Hi All

I've searched a lot, but not found a specific solution to my problem.

I recently 'upgraded' to an NEQ6 pro mount and am having a tough time with the goto. After a 3-star alignment, I've experienced a number of problems on the goto where the pointing accuracy is WAY off (4-10 degrees +) - all in the RA. My alignment also often shows up as 'possibly poor'.

My current remedial actions have been:

1. ensure that the mount is properly balanced

2. Reduce cone error to an acceptable level (inside FOV on a 14mm eyepiece), but a 3-star alignment is supposed to adjust for this anyway

3. Polar align scope - drift alignment

4. set backlash correction

5. I have also tried doing 2 or 3 - back to back 3-star alignments using the same alignment stars and a reticle eyepiece and each time I get a significantly different result for polar alignment accuracy

6. The date, time and GPS co-ordinates are accurate (I've tested this issue for a total of about 7 hours over 3 nights starting from scratch on each night)

When the mount speeds up to full slew, there is a grinding noise (coffee grinder) for <1/2 second then the mount settles into a quiet slew. When I don't hear the noise, pointing is ok so it seems to be a gear/clutch problem (clutch lever is tight). Has anyone experienced similar issues?

Any help or suggestions appreciated

Scott

[Velvet]

The 1/2 second grinding noise I have always had with my NEQ6 then it goes quieter. Also others in our group who have the NEQ6 have the same initial noise. So I dont think that is the problem here.

You seem to have tried most of the things i would have suggested. Perhaps someone else will have other ideas.

Regards

Velvet

[Spikey]

That noise is usual, they all do it

Try this...... send your alignment routine off to the first star and wait for it to stop....it's going to be quite a way off. But then don't use the handset to move the star into the centre of the FOV - instead undo the clutches and manually move the mount until the star is centred (this is where an accurate finder alignment is useful). When you have it centred well, accept this as your alignment point on the keypad. You'll now find that your 2nd and 3rd points are fairly accurate and hence the GOTO starts performoing for you rather than being an additional difficulty.

[Tinker1947]

As Spikey typed, let it slew to the first star then release the clutches and manually move it to the first star, centre it using a low power EP then increase to high power EP, then carry on with the other 2 slews using the Keypad use a low power EP then increase to high power on each slew.

[Sfarndell]

Thanks everyone for your inputs.

Tinker/Simon, I tried the manual alignment on the 1st star which helped a lot and used a 9mm reticle eyepiece for alignment, but the goto issue seems erratic: Sometimes it's fine during and just after alignment, then goes off wildly mid-session (fortunately just visual sessions for now) and other times during the alignment process.

My 1st thought if it's not a gear problem, is that my clutch is slipping despite a tight clutch lever. I've got a 10" SCT + 90mm refractor + diagonals and 2" eyepieces hanging off it so it's a heavy setup, but supposedly well within the mounts capacity.

[Spikey]

Doesn't sound like clutch slippage - I think that would be apparent pretty quickly. You could try just mounting the lighter refractor on its own to test that theory out.

I have had a similar experience with alignment and it turned out that I had forgotten to tighten the tripod spreader up properly so the mount head was wobbling on the tripod.

[Sfarndell]

LOL. I'll didn't think to check that! I'm pier-mounted, but it could be that all the moving/polar aligning has loosened the mounting bolt! Hopefully it's that simple!

Thanks

Scott

[Imd]

Scott,

If after you make your alignments and then discover the inaccuracies I wonder what would happen if you park the scope. I expect that if there has been slippage the home position would have changed since before the alignments.

Ian

[ncjunk]

Check the mounting bolt on the pier and also the puc//losmandy/vixen adaptor. I had an eq6 with a loose one and it took a while to realise.

Wiggle everything you can think of

Sent from my GT-I9003 using Tapatalk 2

[Freddie]

Being pier mounted you probably have a good supply but a poor power supply can cause the problems you describe.

[laser_jock99]

Being pier mounted you probably have a good supply but a poor power supply can cause the problems you describe.

I can vouch for that. Had all sorts of random errors on a new EQ6. Mostly cured by upgrading from a suspect 3A supply to a true 5A supply. Under load with a heavy scope made the errors worse.

[Scott]

could it be cone error?....just athought as I was having a similar problem when I first got mine

[Astro_Baby]

Try using a two star alignmnet and see if that improves things. The three star is to correct for cone error and can be a bit picky aboit which stars are selected.

I often found three star alignment a pain, switching to two star the mount never fails to get an excellent GoTo accuracy assuming the alignmnetstars are well centred and a goodolar alignment. Tip here is make sure your dinderscope and main tube are well aligned and then use the finderscopes cross hairs dor the star alignment. That will guarantee the aligbnment star is centred and reduce the number of bright stars in the field of view.

[astrosathya]

Have you tried contacting the dealer you bought it from or tried OVL directly? Robert at OVL does help. If its within warranty they also pick it up from your home and drop it off

[Sfarndell]

Thanks everyone for the help.

I wiggled and jiggled and tightened everything up, but it was overcast so couldn't test the results. It's definitely not cone error as I spent a lot of time eliminating that. I'll check the power supply too!

Astro-baby - I did find that the 2-star alignment to provided better gotos on both sides of the meridian (used this routine in eliminiating cone error as I can't see polaris from my location) which is surprising as the 3-star alignment only allows certain stars to be used. One would assume that this would make them the most appropriate to get the best alignment.

Hopefully tonight will be clearer and I can test all the suggestions and provide feedback.

[Astro_Baby]

Synscan uses the third star in the alignment to calculate cone error. If there is no appreciable cone arror present the three star alignment can mess things up. It seems like the software cant cope with the lack of cone error and throws a hissy fit.

Synscan is different in this respect to Celestrons software which uses the third star to refine the accuracy of the GoTo. i have used all sorts of scopes on my HEQ5 and whether three star works or not seems very hit and miss. These days I mostly just use two star and let the mount select its alignment stars. It very seldom misses its targets and certainly not by more than within the field of view of a 30mm eyepiece and usually its close to centred as well.

I find the mount performs best with four things in place during alignment....

1 the mountis roughly levelled

2 polar alignment as good as possible

3 mount set to its home position accurately ( mine has small white index marks applied so I know when its perfectly at home )

4 alignment stars are well centred using either a reticule eyepiece OR doing alignmentbusing the finderscopes cross hairs ( assuming finderscope and main scope are aligned). Generally I do the whole alignment using the finderscope which cuts down setup time and provides very accurate GoTo.

I have used the HEQ5 for about five years and am pretty used to doing all this in a field each time I set up. The first few times i got lousy GoTos but after time, learning to do these steps fast and accurately I dind the mount hits the targets square on every time.

Hope tats of some help....

Mel

[Sfarndell]

Finally had clear skies and my problems seem solved!

After all the adjustments (changed power pack delivering 12V, tightening dec axis grub screws and mounting bolt), I had some minor polar alignment error. Once that had been sorted using the PA routine, the goto was pretty much bang-on in a 30mm eyepiece using 2-star alignment. Hoo-rah!

After testing Mel's advice on my mount, I stopped Using 3-star alignment as it really was useless - poor alignment every time. A 2-star alignment is the way forward. A drift align will likely remove most of the small remaining difference.

Thanks everyone for the help.

[ncjunk]

Fantastic news, glad you got it sorted.

Sent from my GT-I9003 using Tapatalk 2

[Astro_Baby]

I always find it amazing that based on a home position and two stars the mount can find stuff at all It does though.

Glad its all cooking for you now