new front alt adjuster bolt sticks out too far...

[DannyHarvey]

After bending one of my altitude adjuster bolts and replacing with:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EQ5-CG5-Replacement-upgrade-Altitude-Adjustment-Bolts-/280618415279?pt=UK_Photography_Telescopes&hash=item41562934af

I find that the front one is too long and has the possibility of colliding with the weights on my CG5 (specifically the tightening screw on the nearest weight)

So I have had to drop the old one back in (it was the front on that was bent)!

Dan

[Tinker1947]

Cut the new one to a better length then file the end smooth.......my NEQ6 has been alter this way..

[Steve Ward]

Are you sure you've got them the right way round ... ? 

The front bolt is the shorter of the two ... 

[Tiny Small]

£28?! Please tell me you didn't pay that? I replaced both of mine using M8 bolts with a wing nut and locking nut on the end. Cost about 3 from toolstation and I have enough to make a load more.

[Tiny Small]

Cost about 3 from toolstation and I have enough to make a load more.

£3.

[Dave_D]

£28?! Please tell me you didn't pay that? I replaced both of mine using M8 bolts with a wing nut and locking nut on the end. Cost about 3 from toolstation and I have enough to make a load more.

the markup on anything 'astro' related is disgraceful IMO

[Tiny Small]

I was pretty gobsmacked when I read that. You're right, it is disgraceful.

[cantab]

Eh. I wouldn't say it's necessarily astro-related. More that you're paying to not have to find out what size bolt it needs yourself.

[DannyHarvey]

Both bolts are same length.

[ChrisLX200]

Well too long is better than too short   Just cut off the excess and grind to a nice dome-shape on the end.

ChrisH

[DannyHarvey]

I wanted the bolts quick and with the least hastle for myself. So I bit the bullet.

[DannyHarvey]

I have put the old short one back in as it wasnt bent.

[kirkster501]

I find that the torsion needed to turn the ALT bolt and move the whole mount head and scope is such that you need a good length "ratchet" on the end like the expensive bolts provide that gives you sufficient purchase on the bolt to turn it against the weight.  How do you do this with just a wing nut?

[DannyHarvey]

Also I'm thinking of selling my mount at some point to upgrade. Home made wing not bolts might not make a great selling point. You are correct though the £28 was way to expensive - but it was the only source I could find...

[Tinker1947]

A piece of studding, a nut and a wing nut, the nut and wing nut are tightened together so they become one its cheap and easy......

[Steve Ward]

And before adding any weight at all to the mount , and with the bolts out ,  get the mount moving freely in altitude by hand.

If the head is so tightly clamped that it won't move freely you need to ease it or you will end up with bent bolts and heartache.

I adjust my HEQ5Pro when Drift-aligning ,  without problem , using the original bolts , even with the 200PDS or Mak180Pro mounted .

[66mikeg]

I think that a lot of these bent bolts are caused by using them to "jack" the head around, I use them as stops and move the head by hand. It did puzzle me how you could bend bolts doing this without a Jeremy Clarkson sympathy with things mechanical

[knobby]

I too move mine by hand, probably due to what I've read on here... I'll loosen the opposite bolt, move the head to it then tighten up the other bolt

[66mikeg]

I too move mine by hand, probably due to what I've read on here... I'll loosen the opposite bolt, move the head to it then tighten up the other bolt 

• Like This
  

Skyliner 250px Dob with modded mount ( http://stargazerslou...e/#entry1531393 )

 

And just pinch them up enough to prevent movement without another half turn for luck

[Tinker1947]

There are i believe 3 screws under each of the plastic covers that cause the tightness, getting the plastic covers off may require a hairdryer to melt the glue.....other than that remove the scope undo both the bolt and move the head back and fore by hand to free it up a bit....

[Steve Ward]

But when D.A.R.V.  drift-aligning you need to adjust the mount when laden with scope and camera etc , so it's essential that the head moves freely and that minute adjustments can be easily made with the bolts.

When fine tuning for 5 minute unguided subs the final tweaks are very small indeed.

[Thalestris24]

I think that a lot of these bent bolts are caused by using them to "jack" the head around, I use them as stops and move the head by hand. It did puzzle me how you could bend bolts doing this without a Jeremy Clarkson sympathy with things mechanical

Hi

I'm a newbie. I received my heq5 just over a week before Christmas. As delivered I couldn't budge it to adjust the latitude (almost 56 deg north here) with no bolts in place. I contacted FLO who suggested brute force. I had to put my whole weight behind it! And that's how it still is. I've always assumed this is normal or, at least, not unusual?

Anyway, because I use my scope purely for AP, I do precise polar alignment. There is no way to precisely adjust the latitude/altitude without using the bolts. I (eventually) get my alignment done to within 1 minute of arc. Not sure if that level of precision is required especially now that I've started using a guide scope. I did find my north bolt was tending to bend so I upgraded them pronto! I think the altitude adjustment system could have been designed much better than it is but I suppose it has to be easy and cheap to produce. I still have the original azimuth bolts. They don't seem to be under the same stresses that the altitude bolts are. However, an upgrade azimuth bolt set might be much easier to adjust, as the altitude upgrade ones are.

Louise

[DannyHarvey]

Hi I'm pretty new to Astro too and I think that's how I ended up bending the bolts. After setting altitude I would pinch them up, but I think I did it a little bit too far. Thalestris24, As regards the pivot on which the altitude adjusts, it shouldn't be brute force tight I don't think.  After taking the pivot bolt out to remove the bent alt screw I tightened mine so that it would move by hand but not be sloppy or loose in any way. That was my intuitive guess as to how it should be.Maybe you should take yours apart and re-set it?

r.

Danny

[Thalestris24]

Hi I'm pretty new to Astro too and I think that's how I ended up bending the bolts. After setting altitude I would pinch them up, but I think I did it a little bit too far. Thalestris24, As regards the pivot on which the altitude adjusts, it shouldn't be brute force tight I don't think.  After taking the pivot bolt out to remove the bent alt screw I tightened mine so that it would move by hand but not be sloppy or loose in any way. That was my intuitive guess as to how it should be.Maybe you should take yours apart and re-set it?

r.

Danny

Hi Danny

I seem to recall that FLO advised that the heads can be stiff ex-factory. I'm only little - maybe a bigger, stronger person wouldn't find it so stiff! I believe it's possible to slacken the internal adjustment bolts but that requires removing the scale which tends to break, and would invalidate the warranty. As my setup doesn't move around then I only need to check the PA and make any fine adjustments. I don't seem to have any problems doing that so I'll leave well alone!

Louise

[DannyHarvey]

Fair enough! My scales are now permanently removed (but intact) - I decided that it was hard to read and thus accuracy was rather poor anyway. To find the angle I just sit my mobile on the dovetail mount and use this:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.plaincode.clinometer&hl=en_GB

 If I sell the mount I will glue it back on.

r.

Danny