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Yet another EQ8.

stephen_usher

By stephen_usher
in Discussions - Mounts

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stephen_usher

stephen_usher

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If nothing else the polarscope will help to balance it. I can't get balance in RA with a single OTA as the motors hang off one side. I see some guys on the Yahoo site are having to hang counterweights off to one side to get it to balance.

I've not seen this, then again the mount isn't free enough to tell, or at least mine isn't.

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stephen_usher

stephen_usher

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Hi guys

I`m interested in how accurate you are finding the slewing/goto with the EQ8?. I`m using Eqmod and wanting to hit a 25micron slit each time which with my Atik 314 it would be within 4 or 5 pixels. I`ve not received my new spectroscope yet so not sure if I can achieve that with my NEQ6. The EQ8 caused much interest at Kelling recently and is on my future `want` list!.

Regards

Steve

 I doubt that the mount will be that accurate. You're looking at milli-arc-seconds accuracy there!

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Zakalwe

Zakalwe

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I've not seen this, then again the mount isn't free enough to tell, or at least mine isn't.

What I've noticed is that you cant get a really tight cinch on the clutches without lifting the clutch levers and resetting them (top marks to Skywatcher for changing the clutch levers tough...the first ones fouled the motor casing on the DEC axis). As standard, when you lock the RA axis then the slightest nudge would move it as the clutch slipped. Yours might be a bit tighter. I can get the axis to move easily as long as the clutches are wound out.

I've seen some guys on the Yahoo EQ8 page have taken the levers off altogether and are using a 1/4 ratchet to lock them down:

Dec+clutch+tool+2.jpg

To balance the mount, some are doing this:

EQ8+Counterweight3.jpg

EQ8+Counterweight2.jpg

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stephen_usher

stephen_usher

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I finally got out again with the mount and managed a quick test of the mount unguided and my Canon 60Da camera.

This is the result (cropped) of a single 40 second exposure at ISO800 with the level tweaked to try to remove the Moon glow from the sky with the camera on my Meade 6000 series 80mm APO refractor.

Orion Nebula

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  • 3 weeks later...
stephen_usher

stephen_usher

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Well, I got back from my Christmas holiday in Cornwall this evening and the skies cleared and the wind dropped, so I've postponed unpacking to play with the 'scopes and mount.

I've done some longer tests unguided with the 60Da and it turns out that I've not got the 'scope aligned well enough as after even a couple of minutes unguided you start to see star trails, even on the 80mm. Still, as they're straight lines it shows that the periodic error can't be huge.

I've currently switched over to planetary imaging now, so tracking isn't so important. The sky seems to be getting less wobbly at the moment so maybe I'll get some decent Jovian images tonight.

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stephen_usher

stephen_usher

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Alarmingly, at the end of the session when I parked the scope, just as the Dec axis was getting close to its final position the worm gear started to squeak loudly and rythmically. This suggests that at this position the worm gear is binding on the main gear and is too tight, and the lubrication is also not sufficient. Eek!

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stephen_usher

stephen_usher

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It's *very* slightly "nose heavy" so that when the cameras are put on the rear it comes into balance.

I know about the "ratchet" clutch handles. :-)

I'm thinking  about looking into adjusting the mesh of the worm gear very, very slightly away from the main gear.

I'm wondering though why all the problem is on the Dec axis when it seems that the RA axis gearing looks to be identical, other than the motor isn't directly connected to the worm drive.

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  • 2 months later...
stephen_usher

stephen_usher

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I've just been running my mount tracking Jupiter all afternoon and I've discovered that the mount is running far too slowly in RA. Over 3 hours it lagged behind by about 3 degrees!

I think I may try a complete reset and see what happens.

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stephen_usher

stephen_usher

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I tried imaging Jupiter, but before the 2000 frame of the capture were complete Jupiter had slid right across the field of view of the camera!

After re-syncing on Capella (which it slew to almost directly) I tried going back to Jupiter... The RA was in the right direction but the Dec was about 45 degrees out.

I did a three star align, which told me that I had a bad alignment, about 4 degrees out in alt all of a sudden.

Anyway, I asked the mount to go back to Jupiter, which it almost did but a good couple of degrees out. At least it now seems to be tracking OK.

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tony210

tony210

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Hi - I have had some inconsitsent results with Polar alignment and have updated firmware but when I re park and start again it sorts itself out- much better than the polar scope which is a rough guide I think - Tony

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stephen_usher

stephen_usher

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This is the first chance I've had to get out to the scope for about a week, even though I'm not feeling well, so I did some checking.

I was mistaken, I was running Version 3.33.

So, I upgraded the Synscan firmware and reloaded the Motor Control firmware before doing a full factory reset.

After powering up the mount decided that the home position was 180 degrees (Dec) from where it used to be! :-/

This means that I'm going to have to strip the scopes off the mount and remount them again before I can even test if the problem still exists. What a pain!

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  • 2 months later...
Zakalwe

Zakalwe

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I had the same problem after updating the motor board

A day later the motor board packed up..

A month later I've replaced the part

Now I can't get a decent alignment and can't even guide

What a Rubbish mount

Are you sure that you've connected the wires back up correctly?  You were struggling with this IIRC?

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swag72

swag72

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I had the same problem after updating the motor board

A day later the motor board packed up..

A month later I've replaced the part

Now I can't get a decent alignment and can't even guide

What a Rubbish mount

Yup am sure with the wires I was at the ias show and Ian king was kind enough to open mount so I could take the wire plan I did Check and the wires were perfectly attached

If you're not happy with it, then why don't you ask about a return?

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