Skywatcher AZ-EQ6 saddle issue.... warning

[trazor]

No issues with mine.  I have checked the torsion on the allen screws and they are very secure, wouldn't hurt though to check every once in a while.

Great mount, love it to bits.

Yes must agree, lovely mount, hopefully this  problem was a one off.

[mikeoates]

As a follow up, my screws were tight, but I was really after replacing the saddle as I did not like the fit on the Lossmandy plate (ADM side by side bar), you can't beat a machined part when compared to a cast item. The two tightening knobs on the original when tight were actually angled a bit, giving the impression it was not fitting well. I am happy with the upgrade.

Mike

[Dubhar]

Thanks for the replies, Maybe just the weight of a heavier OTA on Alt Az mode over time as mentioned, that seams acceptable at least considering they are adjustable.  Thats good to hear that it isn't to much of an issue other mounts around the same price don't seam to stack up.

[jam1e1]

No prob with screws tightening from me

[Druid]

I checked mine earlier tonight and it's fine. Just under a year old. 

[Sleepy Kiki]

Checked mine and the screws were tight and saddle securely fastened.

[astrodude]

Zakalwe please may I ask about resetting the home position on an as eq6 gt. When you say set the Ora to the home position do you mean by releasing the clutches and moving manually or use the arrow keys on the hanset. Then hit sync encoders.

[astrodude]

Zakalwe please may I ask about resetting the home position on an as eq6 gt. When you say set the Ora to the home position do you mean by releasing the clutches and moving manually or use the arrow keys on the hanset. Then hit sync encoders.

[mikeobrien]

I have been using a sw300pds with ed80 piggy back on my Azeq6gt for a couple of years and not had this prob.

Mike

[mikeobrien]

Maybe a bit of lock tight might help.

[Zakalwe]

Zakalwe please may I ask about resetting the home position on an as eq6 gt. When you say set the Ora to the home position do you mean by releasing the clutches and moving manually or use the arrow keys on the hanset. Then hit sync encoders.

I makes no difference if you move it manually or with the handset...the encoders will track the position.

What I do if the mount looses position is to connect the handset and use the Synscan handset to locate and put the OTA into the Home position. I then switch off, connect up EQMOD, make sure that EQMOD is in the Park position but not parked and hit "Re-Synch Encoders". That resets EQMOD to the encoder position.

[Stu]

If the auxiliary encoders are switched off, then am I right in assuming it won't track position if moved manually?

[mikeobrien]

That's how I understand it,

[jambouk]

Yes that's correct. I have mine turned off all the time; I only use the handset to slew.

James

[mikeobrien]

I am sure I have read that the GOTO is more accurate with the aux encoders turned off!

[jambouk]

That is one of the reasons i have mine off; i think it is written in the instruction manual.

The other reason i have my encoders off is i think they are the cause of the problem highlighted in the S@N review about needing to turn the power off between doing a polar alignment and the star alignment.

The other reason is that i just don't use them

James

[Zakalwe]

I always wonder why this equipment is sold without any form of maintenance schedule. Virtually every other piece of machinery or appliance will come with a maintenance schedule, yet mounts costing £thousands don't. A schedule would cover off which bolts need to be periodically tested or lubed.

It's naive to think that it will work our of the box and continue to do so without any tweaking over time.

[mikeobrien]

I used to turn my mount off between a polar alignment and star alignment. Now I just polar align and plate solve its much easier and I find it quicker then centerings objects manually.

[jambouk]

I still only use the handset to star align; I try to avoid using the laptop for anything as it makes more problems than it solves

[mikeobrien]

Wouldn't want to go back to the handset all that star alignment and manually centering I'd sooner let the scope do all that while I have a coffee!

[astrodude]

I use the ADM puck and saddle, they are an excellent fit. It has always bothered me, £1,000's kit hanging ultimately off 3 tiny grub screws. I use loctite on them. Either 222 or 221 which is removable, but will stop them working loose. I check every few months and to date they have never become loose.

[Proietti]

I always wonder why this equipment is sold without any form of maintenance schedule. Virtually every other piece of machinery or appliance will come with a maintenance schedule, yet mounts costing £thousands don't. A schedule would cover off which bolts need to be periodically tested or lubed.

It's naive to think that it will work our of the box and continue to do so without any tweaking over time.

Me too!!!!

[Jarno_c]

Hello,

Even with ADM saddles there's a risk. The clamping knobs are aluminum which thread onto a steel rod. As I found out this is not a good combination! I was setting up and had just put my TMB92 on the mount. I had turned around to get my camera when there was a loud crash behind me and even without turning back I knew this wasn't going to be pretty. And of course, it wasn't: my TMB with diagonal attached had slid out of the saddle, dropped over a meter and slammed into a concrete floor. There's no way to fully describe how you feel on such a moment: there's horror, disbelief and a small hope that maybe it won't be so bad, all mixed up to form a rather nasty dose of utter shock. At first I couldn't understand how this could have happened because I was certain I had tightened the knob sufficiently. As it turns out the steel rod had been eating away at the aluminum knob and the metal chips had filled the hole. So when I tightened the knob until it went no further, it was because the knob had jammed on the metal chips and not because the clamp was tight! From that point on, gravity did it's thing made me age several years in a fraction of a second.

I ended up removing the threaded rods, replacing them with metric rods, put on steel knobs and put some anti-seizing compound to the threads. I now have full confidence that when the knob is tight, so is the clamp.

Surprisingly the TMB survived the incident without any damage at all. It had landed on the focuser which thankfully was racked fully in, had it been extended the mechanism would undoubtedly have been damaged. After the initial impact the scope fell flat in the ground which decentered the optical elements. I didn't dare to meddle with it myself so I went to Hans Dekker, formerly of Opticon, who managed to get everything back in perfect condition. The diagonal didn't fare so well, the glass didn't shatter but the housing was badly deformed and the optical accuracy was reduced to barely better than a shaving mirror.

So the moral of the story is: beware the aluminum knob, it could give you a very nasty surprise someday.

Jarno

[Zakalwe]

Always, always, always have a screw or clamp on the dovetail. This will prevent the OTA from sliding out of the clamp.

[sloz1664]

Always, always, always have a screw or clamp on the dovetail. This will prevent the OTA from sliding out of the clamp.

Absolutely ++1