AZ-EQ6-GT Strip down - committed now !!

[Skipper Billy]

Taken it to bits to replace the dodgy grease and replace the bearings for SKF/FAG bearings and high quality grease.

Lots of lovely black stuff full of swarf to get rid of !!!

I am committed now !!

[Marky1973]

Don't.Lose.Anything!

[Starflyer]

I'll be watching your progress, lots of pics please. I plan to do mine in the summer 

[RayD]

Holy cow that's a lot of bits.  Good luck!

[dobbie]

I've got a headache just looking at those pictures.. good luck. 

[Star101]

Now where did I put that collar with the bearings that fits over that shaft? 

 

Good luck. Maybe one day I will be as daring as you. Even though I have a new mount now. My old NEQ6 Pro needs servicing for when I take it camping trips to dark sites later in the year. However, I need to work up some courage to strip it down as you have.

I look forward to seeing your hard earned results.

[MattJenko]

This is great and good on you for doing it. Following closely to see how much of a difference this will make, even if it is just a better understanding of your mount.

[TareqPhoto]

I will never do that to my mount until i feel i am so experienced, maybe after years, i just got the mount and didn't use it yet, thanks for this thread, for future reference.

[Ouroboros]

On 24 May 2017 at 21:45, Skipper Billy said:

Taken it to bits to replace the dodgy grease and replace the bearings for SKF/FAG bearings and high quality grease.

Lots of lovely black stuff full of swarf to get rid of !!!

I am committed now !!

Is there a guide for doing this, Skippr Billy, you're following to do this? 

[jabeoo1]

Good stuff, fortune favours the brave. 

We should have a section here on SGL within the DIY pages that resemble the pages of iFixit.  Its a great site, and I have used it to sort out my macbook repair.  Its basically a step by step pictured guide of the processes.  It saved me a few hundred quid for the sake of 45 mins and a very deep breath.  

[Skipper Billy]

I couldn't find much info on  the  web - the  best I found is on my website here - https://sites.google.com/view/astro-imaging/how-to at the very bottom of the page.

The only tricky bit was locating the three grub sccrews that secure the RA sshaft  nut - they are accessed through the holes  in the clutch collar.

In fairness to SW the bearings were pretty good but the grease was awful and the amount of swarf was shocking.

Its going back together nicely now all clean and lubed with 'Superlube' PTFE grease.

Will keep you posted!

 

 

[Ouroboros]

On 27 May 2017 at 20:55, Skipper Billy said:

I couldn't find much info on  the  web - the  best I found is on my website here - https://sites.google.com/view/astro-imaging/how-to at the very bottom of the page.

The only tricky bit was locating the three grub sccrews that secure the RA sshaft  nut - they are accessed through the holes  in the clutch collar.

In fairness to SW the bearings were pretty good but the grease was awful and the amount of swarf was shocking.

Its going back together nicely now all clean and lubed with 'Superlube' PTFE grease.

Will keep you posted!

Thanks. It will be very interesting to see if you notice a considerable improvement in performance once it's reassembled and working again. 

What made you think it was necessary?  

[Skipper Billy]

U

18 hours ago, Ouroboros said:

What made you think it was necessary?  

I did the same to my HEQ5 and the standard of 'grease' and amount of swarf and sand in the castings was horrible - cleaning it and re greasing it and very carefully adjusting the end floats and preloads and the worm to crown clearance made a dramatic difference and I decided that if ever I bought another SW mount then I would do the same.

So I did !

In fairness the bearings in the AZ EQ6 GT were far superior to those in the HEQ5 and I haven't changed any of them - just degreased, thorough clean and careful reassembly using 'Superlube' (fully synthetic grease with added PTFE) and the result is much quieter and smoother slewing. I have managed to adjust out any backlash in both RA and DEC without any binding and its ready to go to work once the dark nights return in August.

I am expecting the guiding system will have much less work to do !

 

[Horwig]

On 2017-5-24 at 21:45, Skipper Billy said:

Taken it to bits to replace the dodgy grease and replace the bearings for SKF/FAG bearings and high quality grease.

Lots of lovely black stuff full of swarf to get rid of !!!

I am committed now !!

I've got an AZ-EQ6 as well, my RA is very stiff compared to the DEC, what was your mount like?

I've adjusted the worm mesh on both axes as there was significant play, that was easy, but should I now strip and clean everything?

Huw

[iapa]

worm mesh, floats, preloads, crown clearance?

What's all the about?.

I keep seeing threads and articles that talk about correcting such things - but not found any that explain what each is and where the adjustments are made and what to expect when right or wrong.

Just makes me scared to the point of sending my mount away for a £500+ tune up. Or live with the noises and binding - I know what that one means

[iapa]

On 27/05/2017 at 08:44, jabeoo1 said:

We should have a section here on SGL within the DIY pages that resemble the pages of iFixit.  Its a great site, and I have used it to sort out my macbook repair.  Its basically a step by step pictured guide of the processes.  It saved me a few hundred quid for the sake of 45 mins and a very deep breath.  

That's a great idea.

Who's first?

 

[Skipper Billy]

On 2017-6-4 at 23:30, Horwig said:

I've got an AZ-EQ6 as well, my RA is very stiff compared to the DEC, what was your mount like?

I've adjusted the worm mesh on both axes as there was significant play, that was easy, but should I now strip and clean everything?

Huw

It's up to you - if you are reasonably competent to take simple mechanical things apart and put them back together its not a difficult task - just follow the guide on my website and take plenty of pictures as you go as a reminder and shout if you get stuck!

When you say your mount is now stiff in RA - followed by 'I've adjusted the worm mesh on both axes as there was significant play, that was easy,' makes me wonder if you have overcooked the adjustment - the adjustment between having backlash and being pinched is really tiny and if you have adjusted it at a point where the backlash is worst then it might be binding at points where the backlash was least.

[Skipper Billy]

On 2017-6-5 at 07:59, iapa said:

worm mesh, floats, preloads, crown clearance?

What's all the about?.

I keep seeing threads and articles that talk about correcting such things - but not found any that explain what each is and where the adjustments are made and what to expect when right or wrong.

Just makes me scared to the point of sending my mount away for a £500+ tune up. Or live with the noises and binding - I know what that one means

The mount is essentially a very simple gearbox made to a price rather than to a standard. Out of the box it will work but with some cleaning, better grease and really small adjustments it can work a LOT better and much quieter and give your guiding system a lot less work to do.

Have a read through the guide on my website and see if it makes sense!

Its at the very bottom of this page - https://sites.google.com/view/astro-imaging/how-to

Its not rocket science - the only hard part is getting the RA shaft nut off.

 

 

[Horwig]

52 minutes ago, Skipper Billy said:

When you say your mount is now stiff in RA - followed by 'I've adjusted the worm mesh on both axes as there was significant play, that was easy,' makes me wonder if you have overcooked the adjustment - the adjustment between having backlash and being pinched is really tiny and if you have adjusted it at a point where the backlash is worst then it might be binding at points where the backlash was least.

Maybe 'stiff' is the wrong description. The mount has always been easy to balance in DEC, slacken off the clutch, and the scope rotates easily in DEC. In RA, with the clutch released, I can move the counterweights a considerable distance on the shaft before it unbalances the scope. With the clutches tightened, there was considerable backlash to be felt by hand, which went away with cautious adjustment of the worm meshing, this had no effect on the difference in 'stiffness' between the two axes, so I assume that the RA axis bearings are either over tightened, or otherwise the grease is so thick it impedes movement, or something else is not right.

Wonder how other people's mounts comare

Huw

[Skipper Billy]

Mine was stiffer in RA than DEC before and after the clean up - there is a large felt washer in the RA shaft assembly that does give significant drag.

As long as its not binding I wouldn't worry about it too much.

[Horwig]

34 minutes ago, Skipper Billy said:

Mthere is a large felt washer in the RA shaft assembly that does give significant drag.

Thankyou, that would explain it then, after tightening up the worms it feels a lot better, guiding is giving me sub arc second according to phd2, so I reckon that's as good as I'l get, so if it aint broke...

[iapa]

3 hours ago, Skipper Billy said:

Its at the very bottom of this page - https://sites.google.com/view/astro-imaging/how-to

Thanks - got an error on the URL https://play.google.com/books/reader?printsec=frontcover&output=reader&id=IhIqDAAAAEAJ&pg=GBS.PA0

 

[Ouroboros]

2 hours ago, Skipper Billy said:

Mine was stiffer in RA than DEC before and after the clean up - there is a large felt washer in the RA shaft assembly that does give significant drag.

As long as its not binding I wouldn't worry about it too much.

That's interesting. My mount is also stiffer in RA than Dec, to the point that balancing in RA is always something of an approximation. I was wondering whether the sort of clean up you've done might help. Apparently not then.

What I have found is that by adjusting the latitude bolt down to around or below 10°, so the weight bar points straight down, that the mount swings freely in RA making the balance point much easier to find. 

I don't understand why this should be except the weight shift must help in some way. 

[Skipper Billy]

30 minutes ago, iapa said:

Thanks - got an error on the URL

Try it now - I think I have fixed it??

[iapa]

9 minutes ago, Skipper Billy said:

Try it now - I think I have fixed it??

Indeed

thanks

now, read digest, replace underwear, to try to understand - and transfer to the CGEM-DX