Rowan AZ100 Mount Owners Thread

[Stu]

Looks fabulous John, I know you will enjoy it!

[Stu]

Just wish I could get some more time with the loan unit I've got currently, constant cloud and rain currently

[johninderby]

Forecast for Sun is maybe and good for Monday. 🙂

Edited December 28, 2019 by johninderby

[John]

12 minutes ago, Stu said:

Just wish I could get some more time with the loan unit I've got currently, constant cloud and rain currently

That was the problem that I had when I had the AZ100. I think I got 3 short sessions of actual use during the time that I had the units that I was sent

 

[Telescope40]

Hello John. 
Mount looks bang on !! 
Hope you can give it a test run ASAP 👍👍

regards.  John 

[Stu]

2 hours ago, John said:

That was the problem that I had when I had the AZ100. I think I got 3 short sessions of actual use during the time that I had the units that I was sent

 

I had about the same John. I managed a few indoor sessions checking out worm gear 'feel' and trying different settings which was still useful. Really want to give the Push-to more of a run out and see how it goes on the Planet.

[johninderby]

A question for John or Stu.

When using two scopes on the mount have you found a way to fine tune alignment of both scopes so they are both pointing exactly the same?

 

Edited December 28, 2019 by johninderby

[John]

I didnt actually get around to using 2 scopes on the AZ 100's that I was sent to try. Its a good point though

 

[johninderby]

Question came up on my CN thread but perhaps Rowan will let us know. 

Perhaps some sort of micro adjuster plate to fit in between the saddle and mount? 🤔

Edited December 28, 2019 by johninderby

[Stu]

1 hour ago, johninderby said:

A question for John or Stu.

When using two scopes on the mount have you found a way to fine tune alignment of both scopes so they are both pointing exactly the same?

 

I did ask the question to Dave a while back, and he replied that there should be enough tolerance in the holes on the saddles to adjust them to be in line.  Dave said that he had been able to achieve this with a test mount he had.

I have not had the chance to test this out so far on my loan mount, but can have a look over the next few days to check it out.

[johninderby]

Have scanned the instructions for the mount. Images are at the bottom.

Rowan AZ100 Alt-Az Mount

Please read all instructions before using your AZ100 mount. The AZ100 is very rugged , however, like any precision instrument it can be damaged by improper handling. Please refer to the diagram below for an illustration of the mount.

Mounting capacity.

The AZ100 has a capacity of 15-20kg per side depending on the lengths of the telescopes in use.Generally it is recommended to mount the heavier of the 2 scopes on the left side of the mount in the saddleshown. And if using one telescope attach this also on the left side of the mount as the left side is designed tohave a slightly higher capacity than the right.If using a counterweight shaft attach this on the right side of the mount in the central M16 hole of the saddle orusing the counterweight mounting flange.

Azimuth and Altitude Clutches.

The clutches are fully adjustable and can be set over a wide range to give the required amount of friction to theaxis.

Altitude Lock

Gently tighten to hold the telescope in position while there is an imbalance whern changing eyepieces.

Azimuth and Altitude Damping Adijusters.

Each axis has a pair of damping adjusters. These allow additional friction to the slow-motion controls only to ailow a smoother movement with large or long telescopes. Set them with approximately the same tension.

Worm Adjustments

Worm mesh adjustment may be necessary from time to time. The adjustment is straightforward and the user should not be hesitant to attempt this and in doing so will achieve thebest performance from the AZ100 mount

Before adjusting the worm mesh check the balance of the telescope is as close to balanced as possible with the eyepiece and finder fitted. The worm mesh can be set by adjusting the worm mesh screws (A) and opposing grub screws (B) at the opposite end of the to the slow-motion control shaft. The worm block screws (C) should remain tightened (Approx. 2Nm torque setting)

Start with the worm mesh screws (A) and opposing grub screws (B) loosened off. The slow motion shaft should turn freely with virtually no resistance. You may also feel a small amount of free backlash in the axis. Make very small inward adjustments to both worm gear mesh screws (A)  and at the same time slowly rotate the slow-motion controls to feel when the resistance changes. 

Once a very small amount of additional resistance can be felt on the slow motion control , this is the point where the worm is just coming into contact with the wheel gear and the mesh is now initially set. Gently tighten the opposing grub screws (B) in to contact to lock the worm block into position. Further small adjustments can be made depending on the user’s preferences and telescope configuration. 

Cleaning

When required wipe over with a clean cloth, preferably microfibre. Don’t use strong chemical cleaning solutions. 

Maintenance

It is advisable to re-grease the worm wheel gearing every 12-24 months depending on use and environmental conditions. We recommend an Areoshel 33 or compatible grease. Remove the telescope from the mounting. Warning - if the worm block is removed whilst a telescope is mounted the axis will be free to turn uncontrollably. Remove the 4 x M4 cap screws from the worm block and lift away from the axis body. Clean the old grease away from both the worm and wheel gear. A tooth brush is ideal for this. Once clean re-grease the wheel with Aeroshel 33 or similar with with sufficient grease to to fill the gap in each of teeth on the wheel gear. Apply a thin coating to the central section of the worm too.

Replace the worm block taking care to engage the worm to the wheel teeth then replace the 4 x 4mm x 12mm cap screws  into the worm block. Do not tighten these until until you are sure the worm is properly meshed into the wheel gear.Re-set the worm mesh as per the procedure above.

 

Edited December 29, 2019 by johninderby

[JeremyS]

1 hour ago, johninderby said:

Have scanned the instructions for the mount.

Nice to see instructions written in clear English for once!

[Solar B]

Great looking Mount there John 👍

and as the saying goes “everything 

comes to he who waits” .... well most

things 😀

Brian 

[johninderby]

Has definately been worth the wait. Hopefully the forecast for Monday is accurate and it will get an outing. 🙂

 

 

Hold on a minute did I just use the word accurate in the same sentence as forecast. What was I thinking. 😁😁😁

 

 

Edited December 29, 2019 by johninderby

[Telescope40]

Hello John. 
Mount looks bang on !! 
Hope you can give it a test run ASAP 

regards.  John 

[Alan White]

On 28/12/2019 at 09:36, johninderby said:

Detail from the instructions.

Disappointed that a certain Knob has the name of Altitude Lock, this rather lacks the twang of Stu’s Knob that I so wished the lads had boldly used 😉

[Stu]

I've had the AZ100 out this afternoon doing a bit of solar, with Tak and PST mod side by side. The short answer is that it is possible to align the scopes vertically by tweaking the position of the saddles. It's a bit fiddly, needing the scope to be removed to adjust the saddle each time. There may be a simpler way of doing it, say by using a set square to get them parallel. Horizontally they were fine, no issues.

I'll check with Rowan as to whether there is anything they could do to make the vertical alignment easier.

[johninderby]

Thanks for checking to see how easy alignment is. 

I think an optional adjuster that could fit inbetween the saddle and mount would be a good solution. Wouldn’t be difficult to come up with a design. Say a centre plate with an outer disk with a retaining flange and a grub screw to move the outer disk in relation to the center and a few  grub screws to lock it into place. Or even simpler just the centre plate with outer disk and three grub screws around the outside to lock it into position.

Edited December 30, 2019 by johninderby

[Stu]

7 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Thanks for checking to see how easy alignment is. 

I think an optional adjuster that could fit inbetween the saddle and mount would be a good solution. Wouldn’t be difficult to come up with a design. Say a centre plate with an outer disk with a retaining flange and a grub screw to move the outer disk in relation to the center and a few  grub screws to lock it into place. Or even simpler just the centre plate with outer disk and three grub screws around the outside to lock it into position.

Yep, I agree. Will see what can be done.

[johninderby]

Decided to try removing the slow-motion cables and fitting the knobs directly onto the mount. Definately more convienient with a short scope. 🙂

[johninderby]

In the it’s pretty hard to improve this mount category corrected one little thing that had bugged me. 🤔

Replaced the mounting bolts on the counterweight mounting flange with low profile headed ones. The words “nit” and “picking” come to mind. 😂

 

Edited January 2, 2020 by johninderby

[Stu]

On 30/12/2019 at 15:15, johninderby said:

Decided to try removing the slow-motion cables and fitting the knobs directly onto the mount. Definately more convienient with a short scope. 🙂

How did you get on with this? I must say I think the slow motion control cables are excellent and very well positioned. I like the fact that the top one is longer so they both end up in about the same place, making them much easier to find in the dark. I can hold both on one hand when focusing then I don't have to look away from the eyepiece to find one or other of them.

[johninderby]

I just wanted to try it more than anything. The slow-motion cables are perfect with a longer scope but with a scope like the cassegrain find it easier to place my hand on the knobs. When I get some proper use of it will see if I prefer it that way.

Edited January 2, 2020 by johninderby

[John]

When I was testing the AZ100 Dave from Rowan suggested that I tried putting the slow motion control knobs directly onto the shafts to produce a more positive feel to the motion. That did work to some extent but as my scope of choice on the mount was my F/9.2 130mm refractor having the cables in place made reaching the slow motion knobs much easier. Its difficult to grow ones arms a few inches at will !

 

 

[Stu]

3 minutes ago, John said:

When I was testing the AZ100 Dave from Rowan suggested that I tried putting the slow motion control knobs directly onto the shafts to produce a more positive feel to the motion. That did work to some extent but as my scope of choice on the mount was my F/9.2 130mm refractor having the cables in place made reaching the slow motion knobs much easier. Its difficult to grow ones arms a few inches at will !

 

 

The feel of the worms has improved alot John so I think the slow motion cables work well now. It was a matter of turning the worm gear adjustment and also the type of grease used in them.