Lighter counterweight for black HEQ5

[NenoVento]

Hi all,

Currently I am using a borrowed black HEQ5, goto upgraded, with my Skywatcher 72mm ED Evostar. I'm starting to like the mount quite a lot but, with such an small scope, the 5 kg counterweights that came with the mount are way too heavy. Do any of you know if I can use the lighter ones that come with, say, an eq3-2?.

Thanks in avance,

NV

 

[Stub Mandrel]

Yes, I mix and match my HEQ5 and EQ3 counterweights.

[NenoVento]

They took quite a while to arrive but finally the eq3 counterweights are here and, as @Stub Mandrel said, they fit nicely at the heq5, as you can see in the picture.

Thanks a lot 🙂

NV

 

Edited July 10, 2019 by NenoVento

[GazOC]

On 30/05/2019 at 21:04, Stub Mandrel said:

Yes, I mix and match my HEQ5 and EQ3 counterweights.

I have a black HEQ5 and a white EQ3/2, the counterweight bars are different sizes (bizarrely the 3/2 is thicker than the HEQ5) so I can't use the HEQ5 weights on the EQ3/2.

There seems to be plastic washer on the HEQ5 weights to make the hole narrower, wonder if I could hammer that out to use the weight on the EQ3/2?

[NenoVento]

Thats right, I've just check. Both holes have the same diameter (2 cm) but the black HEQ5 ones have an inner plastic that reduces it to 1.8 cm. The down side of hammer the plastic out is that the counterweight will become looser when using it with the HEQ5, I think.

NV