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staringintospace

EQ5 Damaged Worm Drive Shaft - Fix

By staringintospace, in Discussions - Mounts

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staringintospace    2

staringintospace
Posted

Hello All,

I found a "fix" for having a damaged worm drive that I thought I would share.

Earlier this year I managed to snag the RA slow motion cable on my jacket and snap the end off the brass worm drive.  After reading some helpful posts on Stargazers Lounge i removed both worm drive assemblies and switched the RA with the DEC as a short term fix.  It is a bit of a pain in practice as its awkward to reach the DEC knob when viewing.

Last week I decided to take the plunge and buy a GOTO kit.  Just before ordering I realised that the side of the worm drive shaft that is needed for the motor gear is the broken side.  After scouring the net, and talking with a few shops, the end result is that it will cost around £30-35 for a new worm drive shaft and approx 4 month wait for it to arrive from China!!

It suddenly struck me yesterday that the worm drive turns the scope in both directions and there was a good chance it must be symmetrical.  Good news, it is!.

It took around 5 minutes to take apart and re-assemble with the worm drive shaft the opposite way around.  Very straight forward.  I now have some brass shaft on the correct side to mount the motor gears.

I hadn't seen this fix suggested anywhere before, it was only after staring at lots of pictures it become an obvious thing to try.  I hope this helps someone else out there.

Callum

 

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