HEQ5 - Altitude adjustment screws

[Guest]

The altitude adjustment screws on my HEQ5 can best be described as squidgy which makes it a pain when setting up the polar alignment. I assume this is a characteristic of the mount but I wondered if anyone had found a way of improving it.

Cheers

Steve

 

[Jamgood]

Squidgy?

[Guest]

Yes, squidgy. The azimuth adjustment is quite positive. You can adjust the screws and tighten up and it feels like the screws come to a hard stop. But the altitude adjustment feels like there's a piece of rubber at the adjustment point. I don't know what the mechanics are like. The screws don't come to a hard stop and I'm afraid to overtighten and possibly break something. You know the routine where you have to slacken one side off before tightening the other, back and fore until you get it right and then nip up both sides to hold it. At that point it feels like you are tightening up against something slightly soft rather than metal on metal and then it goes out of adjustment again. The altitude screws are awkward to use anyway and I'm just waiting for one of those swivel levers to bend or break.

 

[SmokeyJoe]

The screws on the EQ5 are famously bad, I managed to completely mangle my mount by adjusting with a 8 inch newt on it.  Don't know if it is the same for the HEQ5.  Bob's knobs  do replacements made out of decent quality steel. http://www.bobsknobs.com/

Edited October 23, 2020 by SmokeyJoe

[carastro]

The altitude bolts on both the HEQ5 and NEQ6 are famous for being too soft and bendable to be up to much pressure and the advice in the past was always to replace them with stronger bolts.  Some of the firms that used to produce them no longer do so.  I replaced all of mine.  

Over the years I have read of a number of people getting stuck with bent altitude bolts inside the Mount and having to take it apart to get them out.  

These look like what you need, but I have not used this company personally. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Skywatcher-EQ6-HEQ5-NEQ6-mount-Upgraded-Latitude-Altitude-Adjustment-Bolts/333168013760?hash=item4d925c71c0:g:BK8AAOxyD9JSBCGu

 

Carole 

Edited October 23, 2020 by carastro

[Len1257]

There are a number of industrial suppliers out there but need some research to find an appropriate item:

https://www.boneham.co.uk/knobs-and-handles/

https://www.cotel.co.uk/p/118/indexed-clamping-lever-with-push-button-male

Not got around to replacing mine yet but if suitable these are significantly cheaper than the Ebay item.

Len

[carastro]

But it is not just the levers that need replacing, it is the actual bolt itself needs to be stronger than the original.

Carole 

[Neil H]

Hi i upgraded my bolts for my HEQ5 i did try the bolts with the ratchet like the one linked in this thread but they are to bulky and hit the polar scope 

So i got the upgrade bolt from 365astro they are made like the original but much higher grade metal so wont bend your need to ring Zoltan at 365astro he will get them in for you they are about £5 each 

[carastro]

Yes my red handle hits the polarscope, so I just turn it in increments.

Carole  

[Neil H]

Hi Carole you did a photo shop over lay of the handle off ebay i have and yours and it twice as fat i would have to remove polarscope to get it to fit  the guy even made me shorter bolt but that would not adjust the mount 

The ones from 365astro are made like the standard ones but much better metal so wont bend and fit with out hitting polarscope 

[Peter Drew]

The bolts are not the origin of the problem, they are a consequence of the problem.  The actual problem is a combination of factory overtightening of the DEC pivot and the unsuitability of the mount design profile where the adjusters operate in respect of the UK latitude.  At our latitude and higher, the bolts operate a face that is ever increasing in slope rather than a tangential one. This causes the bolt to ride downwards on the slope thereby bending it if too much pressure is applied.  Replacement with heavier duty bolts eliminates the bending but doesn't address the basic problem, they are no longer the weak link in the chain, this becomes the casting thread which can strip or possible damage to the adjustment face.    🙂

 

[nfotis]

It's my understanding that the Az-Eq6 mount has a better design?

N.F.

 

[Peter Drew]

6 minutes ago, nfotis said:

It's my understanding that the Az-Eq6 mount has a better design?

N.F.

 

Hopefully!     🙂

[Padraic M]

11 minutes ago, Peter Drew said:

The bolts are not the origin of the problem

Agreed Peter. I always have to remove the polar scope cap to align, and increasing altitude requires a significant amount of torque on the lower bolt. I'm at 53N. Is there any suggested way to loosen/lubricate the pivot so that less force is required? Possibly it's also affected by the weight of the mount head. I assume that if both altitude adjustment bolts are tightened, there should be no movement in the pivot.

On a related but separate point, I don't like that I have to loosen the spreader bolt slightly to adjust the azimuth bolts. There is always a slight movement when it's re-tightened. My solution here is to tighten the spreader and adjust azimuth in increasingly smaller increments until everything is both tight and in alignment.

[Seelive]

As @Peter Drew says, changing to a higher tensile strength screw just risks stripping the thread on the mount rather than the screw itself - I know which is cheaper to replace. And, as he also says, it's down to the mount design and geometry. At UK latitudes, I find the north adjuster 'easier' to operate (which decreases the altitude), but I find the south adjuster much stiffer (giving that impression that I don't really want to turn it). So if the altitude needs increasing, I will loosen the north screw slightly, move the mount altitude by hand and then readjust using the north screw.

[Peter Drew]

The only way to reduce the friction to be overcome whilst adjusting is to prise off the side plates and back off tension on the grub screws and/or the tightness of the main pivot bolt itself.  You should be able to rock the ALT portion of the mount by applying firm manual pressure. I  have repaired/modified these mounts in the past by making and fitting a wedge shaped plate to the casting such that is presents a tangential face to the adjustment screw.     🙂    

[TerryMcK]

I replaced mine with 2 fully threaded M10 x 75 long stainless steel hex bolts as I found that my cable harness would catch on the rear Skywatcher adjuster. I adjust the bolts with a 17mm combination spanner which is kept on the mount legs with a rare earth magnet. I ground the ends of each bolt to a dome as per the originals

At my latitude of 53 degrees north the length of bolt is ideal and doesn't protrude too far. No more fouling of cables. Not at all difficult to adjust either.

Edited October 23, 2020 by TerryMcK

[Guest]

8 hours ago, Peter Drew said:

he bolts are not the origin of the problem, they are a consequence of the problem.  The actual problem is a combination of factory overtightening of the DEC pivot and the unsuitability of the mount design profile where the adjusters operate in respect of the UK latitude.  At our latitude and higher, the bolts operate a face that is ever increasing in slope rather than a tangential one. This causes the bolt to ride downwards on the slope thereby bending it if too much pressure is applied.  Replacement with heavier duty bolts eliminates the bending but doesn't address the basic problem, they are no longer the weak link in the chain, this becomes the casting thread which can strip or possible damage to the adjustment face.    🙂

Yes, also the bolt on the south side is extended a long way through the threaded hole making it easier to bend and that's why I get the squidgy feel to the adjustment.

 

[Len1257]

On 23/10/2020 at 14:15, Peter Drew said:

 I  have repaired/modified these mounts in the past by making and fitting a wedge shaped plate to the casting such that is presents a tangential face to the adjustment screw.     🙂    

Peter, any pictures of this modification?

[DaveSw]

Peter, I too would love to see a picture of the wedge plate  repair you mention.  I recall in the past seeing something on a German site, but now that I'm serious about dealing with my adjustment difficulties I cannot find it again. (and I thought I'd saved it...)

[Woodpeckercz]

These is a rail kit I've been looking for, for a while now. So I just wanted to share it.

https://www.darkframeoptics.com/product/heq5-rail-kit

[michaelmorris]

On 23/10/2020 at 10:52, Neil H said:

Hi i upgraded my bolts for my HEQ5 i did try the bolts with the ratchet like the one linked in this thread but they are to bulky and hit the polar scope 

So i got the upgrade bolt from 365astro they are made like the original but much higher grade metal so wont bend your need to ring Zoltan at 365astro he will get them in for you they are about £5 each 

Unfortunately 365Astro can no longer supply these 😞