Question regarding motor for Skywatcher Explorer 150 PL

[dm3lions]

Hi all,

I have a question about the motor for my explorer 150 PL, apologies in advance if it is a stupid question. I have set it up recently and the ra drive moves across the sky at a decent rate but when i use the dec motor it takes much longer for the scope to move. I have noticed that the dec motor isn't completely snug with the axle it attaches to however. Is the speed variation normal or is it due to my imcompetence when putting the scope together? Thanks for any responses.

Thanks,

Dan

[dm3lions]

Hi all,

Sorry to bump this post but is there anyone who can help me please I am desperate? I have pushed the motor snug to the end of the axle but this has made it even less useable!

Cheers,

Dan

[John]

Glen,

Perhaps if you could post a photo of your dec motor and how it is fitted it would be easier to comment on ?. There are quite a lot of mount / motor combinations and it is difficult to picture from words alone !.

As a generalism, if there is a clutch mechanism involved it's worth checking that the grub screws are properly tightened on the dec shaft and that the clutch engages properly. It's important to disengage the clutch before moving the scope manually of course.

John

[timetraveller]

Hello dm3lions

This may seem like a silly question but have you made sure your scope is correctly balanced in both the R/A axis and the Dec axis its very important that you do this as an unbalanced scope can put a huge strain on the gear trains and motors make sure that when you do balance it you have all the equipment you are going to use already on the scope prior to this or it will unbalance it again when you attach.

Also when you mesh the drive gears make sure there is a little play, if the gears are too snug it will add a huge resistance to the drive motor. I have the big brother of yours the P200 and both my drives move at roughly the same speed but having said that there are certain positions were there is a delayed movement in the DEC axis.

Lastly be careful about the length of travel on the DEC and R/A axis there comes a point when the motor housing comes perilously close to the manual knobs and the mount itself and if it makes contact you run the risk of damage both the gear train and motor. noticeable by an unpleasant clunking noise

hope this is of help

Pete

[dm3lions]

Hi Pete & John,

Many Thanks for getting back to me. I will check the things you have mentioned and failing that I will post a couple of pics. Thanks again.

Dan