Upgraded eq5

[Anthony1979]

Probably a stupid question but ill ask anyway... Ive just upgraded my eq5 and fitted it with the synscan goto upgrade kit... Now it doesnt look like i will be getting out any time soon so is there any things i can do or need to do to prepare it for when its ready to go out

[Marvin Jenkins]

You maybe using it for visual Astro only, but if you are planning to do some photography which is possible with this mount, then calibrate the polar scope if you have not already.

There are plenty of videos on YouTube on how to do this via the three grub screws. Most people say AP starts with the HEQ5, but I have managed usable subs up to 60 seconds unguided.

Good luck with the upgrade, it was a game changer for me. Just to be able to track an object was a luxury.

Marv

[Seelive]

Play with it indoors if you can so that the handset and mount operation becomes second nature hence avoiding the need to search through the instruction manual to find out how to do something rather than actually using the kit first time out.

[Anthony1979]

Hi thanks i am using it for imaging with the 130pds and a d5600 hopefully guiding with the sw evoguide 50 and asi 120 mm-s.... Ive got the polar scope all aligned because i was imaging before the upgrade

Edited November 11, 2020 by Anthony1979

[Anthony1979]

This is it all set up

[Anthony1979]

How do i connect to eqmod im using the lynx astro ftdi eqdir usb cable but doent seem to be able to find a port/com number

[Marvin Jenkins]

Ahh, the eqmod question! I too have the five meter Lynx Astro cable and After weeks of trying I gave up. I used the same computer and cable combo on an NEQ6 and I had it working In twenty minutes.

I looked all through this site and was offered a lot of suggestions all of which did not work. I 100 x checked the com port but the mount never connected. I suspect that the NEQ5 is not compatible with Eqmod. I found lots of info about the HEQ5 but nothing from anyone using our mount.

Frankly it drove me so mad I didn’t touch a computer for a month. If there is anyone out there has got the NEQ5 Eqmod connected please speak up, both of us would be most appreciative.

Marv

[Anthony1979]

3 hours ago, Marvin Jenkins said:

Ahh, the eqmod question! I too have the five meter Lynx Astro cable and After weeks of trying I gave up. I used the same computer and cable combo on an NEQ6 and I had it working In twenty minutes.

I looked all through this site and was offered a lot of suggestions all of which did not work. I 100 x checked the com port but the mount never connected. I suspect that the NEQ5 is not compatible with Eqmod. I found lots of info about the HEQ5 but nothing from anyone using our mount.

Frankly it drove me so mad I didn’t touch a computer for a month. If there is anyone out there has got the NEQ5 Eqmod connected please speak up, both of us would be most appreciative.

Marv

Im using the eq5..... I managed to get it connected... I downloaded some ftdi driver and went back to device manager and my com number was there... Havent got a clue how i did it..... 

[Marvin Jenkins]

Well done, must be something missing at my end then as it gave me the com port but just would not connect. At least I know it is possible with this mount.

Let us know how you get on with guiding. That is my next step for sure.

Marv

[Anthony1979]

2 hours ago, Marvin Jenkins said:

Well done, must be something missing at my end then as it gave me the com port but just would not connect. At least I know it is possible with this mount.

Let us know how you get on with guiding. That is my next step for sure.

Marv

Ive just got to figure out how to use it all together.. I want to use cam through apt,  guide through phd...  I followed some instructions from light vortex astronomy.... It all looks very complicated

Edited November 12, 2020 by Anthony1979

[Budgie1]

I've been through this with the EQ5 over the last few months after a 5 year break.

I didn't have any issues getting the EQDIR working in Windows 10.

I'm also using APT & PHD2 and my advise would be to add one part at a time to get used to it, saves overload. Read up on the software and in APT I use the plate solving, which does mean you have to download extra files for the star catalogues but saves having to star align and you get your target in the centre of the image + you have the ability to aim where you want the centre of the image to be. 

At the first opportunity, do a calibration run in PHD2 and also use the guiding assistant to find out if & how much backlash you have in the mount. Then you can try to correct this for better guiding. There are YouTube videos which will assist if you haven't done it before.

One other thing you may want to look into is getting the Pro version of Sharp Cap, so you can use the Polar Alignment tool. It's easy to use when you get the hang of it, saves wet knees and only takes a few minutes to get alignment.

The EQ5 is a good starting mount for astrophotography and can do a good job when setup correctly. The best I've managed is a 10 minute exposure, which I did as a test just to see if it would cope, although I'm using a Skywatcher Evostar 100ED refractor. Below is my latest image with my setup of the Eastern Vail which is 20 x 5 minute exposures using my new astro modded Canon EOS 1300D.

[Anthony1979]

54 minutes ago, Budgie1 said:

I've been through this with the EQ5 over the last few months after a 5 year break.

I didn't have any issues getting the EQDIR working in Windows 10.

I'm also using APT & PHD2 and my advise would be to add one part at a time to get used to it, saves overload. Read up on the software and in APT I use the plate solving, which does mean you have to download extra files for the star catalogues but saves having to star align and you get your target in the centre of the image + you have the ability to aim where you want the centre of the image to be. 

At the first opportunity, do a calibration run in PHD2 and also use the guiding assistant to find out if & how much backlash you have in the mount. Then you can try to correct this for better guiding. There are YouTube videos which will assist if you haven't done it before.

One other thing you may want to look into is getting the Pro version of Sharp Cap, so you can use the Polar Alignment tool. It's easy to use when you get the hang of it, saves wet knees and only takes a few minutes to get alignment.

The EQ5 is a good starting mount for astrophotography and can do a good job when setup correctly. The best I've managed is a 10 minute exposure, which I did as a test just to see if it would cope, although I'm using a Skywatcher Evostar 100ED refractor. Below is my latest image with my setup of the Eastern Vail which is 20 x 5 minute exposures using my new astro modded Canon EOS 1300D.

Wow thanks.... I have sharpcap pro and using windows 10....... How do you correct backlash if i have it

[Budgie1]

Take the motors off and there are two bolts and a grub screw to adjust the worm gear. There are also a two other bolts which hold the plate with the worm gear shaft, loose off these for the adjustment. 

Here's one of the videos I found - Go to 22 minutes on the video:

 

Edited November 12, 2020 by Budgie1

[Anthony1979]

8 minutes ago, Budgie1 said:

Take the motors off and there are two bolts and a grub screw to adjust the worm gear. There are also a two other bolts which hold the plate with the worm gear shaft, loose off these for the adjustment. 

Here's one of the videos I found - Go to 22 minutes on the video:

 

Thanks.... Can i check if i have backlash indoors or do i need to be setup outside

[Budgie1]

2 hours ago, Anthony1979 said:

Thanks.... Can i check if i have backlash indoors or do i need to be setup outside

You can check it indoors by removing the motor, say on the RA as it's easiest, and rock the brass gear back & forth with the clutch engaged to feel for any freeplay. If there is any then it'll be loose as you rock the gear and will tighten as the freeplay is taken up. Be sure to rotate the axis using the gear to check at various points on the gear wheel as it can be tighter/looser in some parts more than others.

If you use the tightening process in the video to eliminate as much freeplay (backlash) as you can indoors and then do a check with PHD2 on your first clear night to see if it brings up any other warnings.

Most of the backlash on my EQ5 was in the Dec axis, which PHD2 warned me about during a calibration run.

Don't over-tighten the adjustment as this puts strain on the motors and can ware the gears out faster. Adjust until all the play has gone, then slacken off until you feel it again, then tighten until it's gone to find that sweet spot.

Lastly, when you put the motor back on, check there's no play between the small gear on the motor spindle, the double gear and the gear on the worm-drive. You can adjust the worm-drive gear to double gear by moving the motor assembly. The motor gear to double gear freeplay can be adjusted by loosening the three allen screws on the face of the motor and push the double gear towards the small motor gear, then tighten the three screws. 

This is my RA axis with a little play in the motor gears, which I've now taken out.

[Anthony1979]

25 minutes ago, Budgie1 said:

You can check it indoors by removing the motor, say on the RA as it's easiest, and rock the brass gear back & forth with the clutch engaged to feel for any freeplay. If there is any then it'll be loose as you rock the gear and will tighten as the freeplay is taken up. Be sure to rotate the axis using the gear to check at various points on the gear wheel as it can be tighter/looser in some parts more than others.

If you use the tightening process in the video to eliminate as much freeplay (backlash) as you can indoors and then do a check with PHD2 on your first clear night to see if it brings up any other warnings.

Most of the backlash on my EQ5 was in the Dec axis, which PHD2 warned me about during a calibration run.

Don't over-tighten the adjustment as this puts strain on the motors and can ware the gears out faster. Adjust until all the play has gone, then slacken off until you feel it again, then tighten until it's gone to find that sweet spot.

Lastly, when you put the motor back on, check there's no play between the small gear on the motor spindle, the double gear and the gear on the worm-drive. You can adjust the worm-drive gear to double gear by moving the motor assembly. The motor gear to double gear freeplay can be adjusted by loosening the three allen screws on the face of the motor and push the double gear towards the small motor gear, then tighten the three screws. 

This is my RA axis with a little play in the motor gears, which I've now taken out.

 

Alot to take in.... 

[Anthony1979]

Just now, Anthony1979 said:

Alot to take in.... 

Ok so this is the first thing to check then and does everything need to be off the mount..... Sorry for all the silly questions but this is my first real setup ive built up and i want thing to be right

[wuthton]

28 minutes ago, Anthony1979 said:

Ok so this is the first thing to check then and does everything need to be off the mount..... Sorry for all the silly questions but this is my first real setup ive built up and i want thing to be right

Throw out the anchor!!!

Forget tuning your mount for now (unless PHD will not calibrate), the best way to bypass a bit of backlash is to have each axis slightly out of balance thereby the weight is always bearing in one direction. You take some pain after a meridian flip but it sounds like you're a little way off that.

But as above, while it's cloudy get everything mocked up indoors. Check that the mount is slewing in approximately the right direction, sort your home/parked position, mark your balance points and sort out your cable management and snag points. Niggling little problems are so much easier to sort out in daylight.

[Anthony1979]

7 minutes ago, wuthton said:

Throw out the anchor!!!

Forget tuning your mount for now (unless PHD will not calibrate), the best way to bypass a bit of backlash is to have each axis slightly out of balance thereby the weight is always bearing in one direction. You take some pain after a meridian flip but it sounds like you're a little way off that.

But as above, while it's cloudy get everything mocked up indoors. Check that the mount is slewing in approximately the right direction, sort your home/parked position, mark your balance points and sort out your cable management and snag points. Niggling little problems are so much easier to sort out in daylight.

This is what im doing while the weathers bad thats why so many quetions

[Anthony1979]

Ive just took the casing off to have a look and the very small cog turns a bit.. Does this need sorting out

[Budgie1]

2 hours ago, Anthony1979 said:

Ok so this is the first thing to check then and does everything need to be off the mount..... Sorry for all the silly questions but this is my first real setup ive built up and i want thing to be right

You're best to remove the scope from the mount.

I did mine one axis at a time. I started with the RA because it's easy to get too and to see what you're doing. All you need to remove for this axis is the two screw which hold the cover on the motor so you can see the gears. Then the one allen bolt which holds the motor in place. That will reveal the adjusting bolts & grub screw and allow you to check for slack in the worm screw. 

If there isn't any slack, you can put it back together again.

With the Dec axis, you need to remove both cables, undo the three screws which hold the black cover together (one at the thin end and two at the thicker end). The cover without the wire connections will come away on its own, the other side is connected to the mount by two wire connectors. To avoid damaging the wires I disconnected these connectors, ease them out with a thin screwdriver, and remove the cover.

You will now be able to see the motor and the gears. To remove the motor on this axis you will need to unscrew the altitude bolt under the polar scope so you can tilt the mount head up to reveal the hole for the motor mounting screw. It's the same size allen key as the RA motor. Hold the motor as you unscrew the bolt to avoid dropping it and with the motor removed you can see the adjustment bolts & grub screw.

The process is in the following video starting at 7 minutes.

Note: He removes the polar scope, which I didn't do and if you only remove the altitude bolt under the polar scope and leave the other one in place it make it easier to get it back in the right location when you put it back together.

 

9 minutes ago, Anthony1979 said:

Ive just took the casing off to have a look and the very small cog turns a bit.. Does this need sorting out

As yours is a new conversion then it should be set right, so I would leave it, unless PHD2 is complaining too much.

[Anthony1979]

19 minutes ago, Budgie1 said:

You're best to remove the scope from the mount.

I did mine one axis at a time. I started with the RA because it's easy to get too and to see what you're doing. All you need to remove for this axis is the two screw which hold the cover on the motor so you can see the gears. Then the one allen bolt which holds the motor in place. That will reveal the adjusting bolts & grub screw and allow you to check for slack in the worm screw. 

If there isn't any slack, you can put it back together again.

With the Dec axis, you need to remove both cables, undo the three screws which hold the black cover together (one at the thin end and two at the thicker end). The cover without the wire connections will come away on its own, the other side is connected to the mount by two wire connectors. To avoid damaging the wires I disconnected these connectors, ease them out with a thin screwdriver, and remove the cover.

You will now be able to see the motor and the gears. To remove the motor on this axis you will need to unscrew the altitude bolt under the polar scope so you can tilt the mount head up to reveal the hole for the motor mounting screw. It's the same size allen key as the RA motor. Hold the motor as you unscrew the bolt to avoid dropping it and with the motor removed you can see the adjustment bolts & grub screw.

The process is in the following video starting at 7 minutes.

Note: He removes the polar scope, which I didn't do and if you only remove the altitude bolt under the polar scope and leave the other one in place it make it easier to get it back in the right location when you put it back together.

 

As yours is a new conversion then it should be set right, so I would leave it, unless PHD2 is complaining too much.

So really i need to just check the worm cog on the mount its self and leave the motors alone

[Budgie1]

3 minutes ago, Anthony1979 said:

So really i need to just check the worm cog on the mount its self and leave the motors alone

As the motors are new they should be setup from the factory. So, yep, just the worm gear is all that needs checking.

It's a bit daunting to start with, but once you've done it on the EQ5 it's not a big job and when I checked and adjusted mine a couple of weeks ago it was my second time and took less than an hour.

The first time I altered the backlash I watched the videos a couple of times and had them on standby for reference.

[Anthony1979]

I will have a look tomorrow... Then i need to figure out where all the cables go.... Thanks for the help on this