COunterweight or not?

[m37]

My refractor (On AZ GOTO) now has a DSLR and focus motor on the end. Pretty heavy. When I add a nosepiece and Barlow it will get even heavier. I have moved them in as close the the mount as the three notches on the dovetail will allow but it's still heavy that end.

Would it be worth putting a movable weight on the other end? By this I mean would it be better being balanced but heavier overall, than being heaviest towards the back?

Or is it possible to extend the dovetail bar? There is only about 3 inches before hitting the focuser anyway so not much room there...

Or both?

thanks

[great_bear]

No harm in trying, but you've probably hit the limit of AZ GOTO to be honest - it's not intended as a heavy-duty mount. I've noticed they can't handle much more than the weight of (say) a 127 Mak.

[LukeSkywatcher]

As Jeremy says, with all the gear on, you are most likely at the limit. Probably no need to counterwieght it, but no harm in trying.

DSLR's are surprisingly light once you remove the lens and attach them to a scope with a nose piece etc.

I say give it a go without counterweight. Maybe adding counterweight to the front end (as well as what you have on the back end) will be way too much for the motors.

[Bizibilder]

You need to have the whole set-up carefully balanced. This is the state in which the motors do the least work in moving the scope. A slightly overweight set-up that is balanced will work the motors less then a lightweight set-up that is out of balance. In order to keep the total weight to the minimum your counterbalance should be as near the extreme end of the scope as possible, maybe tape something around the end of the dew shield?