'Twitchy' EQ6 Pro?

[Whippy]

I've had this intermittent problem with my EQ6 Pro where it appears to 'twitch' making imaging and guiding impossible. What appears to happen is that the mount appears to behave itself for a couple of minutes but then you can see stars leaving small trails across the screen but returns back to normal after 20 seconds or so, this repeats itself over and over again .

I assumed that it was either the battery wasn't quite charged up enough or perhaps the power lead wasn't strong enough so I keep the (23Mah) battery contantly on charge and bought an Astronomiser EQ6 power lead. This appeared to solve the issue for the past couple of sessions until last night when I spent 2 1/2 frustrating hours swearing under my breath because it returned. Grrrr....

Does anyone have any ideas what may be causing this?

Tony..

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

Periodic error? You could try K3CCD tools with a webcam to graph the errors and see what shows up.

Kaptain Klevtsov

[steppenwolf]

Periodic error?

My thought too - does this problem repeat itself every 8 minutes by any chance?

[Whippy]

Periodic error? You could try K3CCD tools with a webcam to graph the errors and see what shows up.

Kaptain Klevtsov

No webcam unfortuantely mate . Might it work with a QHY5?

Periodic error?

My thought too - does this problem repeat itself every 8 minutes by any chance?

It's certainly not a set amount of time Steve. I'd say on average every couple of minutes or so and varies. I remember a session a while back where the mount was behaving itself for a while, then played up for about 30 mins, then went back to normal. Some nights it happens, some not.

Tony..

[rigel1]

Hi Whippy.

Sorry I can't help much but is it still under warranty????????

[FLO]

... is it still under warranty????????

Just found this thread. Yes, its till under warranty so no worries there.

If you suspect a fault Tony say the word and I'll arrange collection :salute:

[rigel1]

Thanks Steve.

It can be worrying when expensive equipment starts to play up, no matter how minor. Remember I called you over a slight knocking noise on my EQ6. :oops:

Maybe just turning the RA and DEC around a couple of times may free any foriegn body thay may have got caught up in the grease could help??

And thanks Steve for my little biys of kit from you.

Keeping an eye on your web site.

Rigel1

[FLO]

Remember I called you over a slight knocking noise on my EQ6. :oops:

I think so, about a year ago wasn't it, I guess everything is ok now

And thanks Steve for my little biys of kit from you.

Keeping an eye on your web site.

You are welcome :salute:

Grant has got the website together and working but I am still entering all the words and pix, hence my still being online at gone midnight! Hope to have it ready in 7-10 days.

I always under anticipate how long it takes

[steppenwolf]

It's certainly not a set amount of time Steve. I'd say on average every couple of minutes or so and varies. I remember a session a while back where the mount was behaving itself for a while, then played up for about 30 mins, then went back to normal. Some nights it happens, some not.

I guess that it could be a small foreign body that gets moved about if it is that random. Another thing to check is that the clutches are really good and tight.

[CELESCOPE]

Its a funny ole game is this , i had the same ,way back ,went just like that , spoke with Bern , he said much the same foriegn body, and sure enough it went ,never to return i hope heheheheheh .

Rog

[Whippy]

It's certainly a possibility especially as it's not a permanent setup, mount gets moved out into the garden, foreign object gets moved onto the mechanics....

Next time I'm out (tonight could be a possibility!), I'll make sure those clutches are tight and we'll see what happens. If I get another dose of it, I think a call could be coming your way Steve .

Tony..

[George]

Could be a burr on the worm or drive gears.

[barkis]

How about balance Tony.? I don't mean to insult your intelligence mate, but it can have a bearing when a slipping drive is a problem.

Ron.

[Whippy]

Could be Ron, could be. When I did that Pacman neb on Tuesday I didn't have any aggro at all from the mount over the 2 hours or so, so I don't have a clue what's going on. I'll see what happens over the next couple of weeks or so..

Tony..