Rowan belt fitting

[Simon Dunsmore]

Hi Folks, 

I'm considering fitting the Rowan Belt kit to my Heq5 pro. The problem is that I own the older model which I believe poses something of a challenge compared to the newer version. Not being overly confident, I was wondering if anyone could suggest a fitting service. I appreciate that this may have to wait until restrictions lift here in the UK. 

On a separate note. How do people rate the upgrade, beyond curing the grinding noise and hopefully reducing backlash? 

Thanks 

Simon 

[JamesF]

Not sure what you mean by "the older model".  Do you know roughly how old it is?

I bought mine in early 2013 and it wasn't a major problem to modify.  Sadly since I did so the weather has been so awful that I've had very little chance to use it.

James

 

[Simon Dunsmore]

Hi James

Thanks for your reply. 

I probably didn't explain very well. Please see the link below for a better explanation of my concerns. 

https://indilib.org/forum/mounts/4295-rowan-astronomy-heq5-pro-belt-kit-review.html

[JamesF]

Ah, right.  I wasn't aware of that problem.  I guess it must affect mounts older than mine then.

FLO have in the past had someone doing belt mods on the HEQ5 "while you wait" (at shows), I believe.  That might well just be on ones they're selling now though.  It could be worth dropping them an email to explain the situation and see if they are able to help in any case.  It may be that they can't, but there's no harm in asking...

James

[Neil H]

Hi my HEQ5 pro is 10 years old and the belt conversion was easy no problems at all

Edited January 21, 2021 by Neil H

[Simon Dunsmore]

Hi Neil, 

Thanks for your reply. Can I ask if your mount workings look like the ones in the link? 

Thanks 

Simon 

[Neil H]

Yes it did but my motors do unplug so i dont know how old old is 

Mine is 10 years old which i thought was old if you remove the covers look at main board if its has plugs then its the same as mine 

[Simon Dunsmore]

OK, thanks, maybe I could take a picture and you could confirm? 

 

[Neil H]

Your know when you remove top cover your see the main board all the plugs are on top

[newbie alert]

Plenty of follow along mods on u tube... sure one of those should be on the older model, and might give you some confidence on tackling the job yourself... as for the crunching sound, it like magic, it just disappears 

[Messy Hair 101]

That does sound like a pain. I bought my HEQ5 about 18 months ago and watched lots of videos and the belt mod was easy. Not that that really helps you...

I can tell you thought that it has made a noticeable improvement to my tracking. I definately feel the benefit. Don't feel like there was a real reduction in noise when slewing though although I never really had an issue with that.

[Mr Thingy]

I keep toying with making this upgrade but can't help but worry about the combination of expensive gear and my technical incompetence.

Like Simon in the original post, I'm interested to know how dramatic this upgrade is. 

[Neil H]

The upgrade is so worth doing it's makes it quiet I think it has zero backlash and it's maintenance free no more grease on gears , you will need to know the size of pulled you need to remove the gear 

 

[JamesF]

22 minutes ago, Neil H said:

The upgrade is so worth doing it's makes it quiet I think it has zero backlash

Not quite zero as there'll still be some between the worm gear and wheel, but it can be significantly reduced.

James

[Mr Thingy]

5 hours ago, Neil H said:

 , you will need to know the size of pulled you need to remove the gear 

 

I've messaged FLO to ask which size extractor I need for the HEQ5. They have a 3mm and a 4mm.... at £10 each, I hope I don't need both 🙄

Edited January 23, 2021 by Mr Thingy

[1parsec]

1 hour ago, Mr Thingy said:

 They have a 3mm and a 4mm....

If you take the cover off the side of the mount you'll be able to to see the motor 9 tooth pinion gear.
The end of the motor shaft can be seen and measured for the extractor size.

[Mr Thingy]

14 minutes ago, 1parsec said:

If you take the cover off the side of the mount you'll be able to to see the motor 9 tooth pinion gear.
The end of the motor shaft can be seen and measured for the extractor size.

Haha. Doesn't bode well for me that I didn't work that out for myself 😂... Maybe I should leave this alone.

I really must buy some vernier calipers though - not sure my kids' school rulers will be accurate enough to discern 3 mm from 4 mm. This task isn't looking like it will go well for me, is it? 😳

Simon, sorry for hijacking your thread, but thanks forthe inspiration (I may not be thanking you in a few days when I break something though 😂). 

[Mr Thingy]

It's definitely 4 mm on my HEQ5 (New):

Incidentally, I had a little wiggle of the gears whilst in there. Despite the mount seeming super stable, there was a lot of play between the gears, so this belt upgrade seems like a good idea.

Edited January 23, 2021 by Mr Thingy

[Simon Dunsmore]

2 hours ago, Mr Thingy said:

Haha. Doesn't bode well for me that I didn't work that out for myself 😂... Maybe I should leave this alone.

I really must buy some vernier calipers though - not sure my kids' school rulers will be accurate enough to discern 3 mm from 4 mm. This task isn't looking like it will go well for me, is it? 😳

Simon, sorry for hijacking your thread, but thanks forthe inspiration (I may not be thanking you in a few days when I break something though 😂). 

Hey Mr Thingy, 

 

Looks like we're in the same boat 😂

[Simon Dunsmore]

Hi Guys, 

So this is what the workings of my Heq5 pro mount looks like. What do we think? 

[Mr Thingy]

1 hour ago, Simon Dunsmore said:

Hey Mr Thingy, 

 

Looks like we're in the same boat 😂

Hopefully we don't turn this into the "How we broke 2 HEQ5's" thread...

Good luck.

I just ordered my kit from FLO.

[Neil H]

Simon looks like yours  is the type in the link were your have to drill out the plate , if you go ahead with the conversation were they say use epoxy I wonder if RED bearing lock tight would be better

[Neil H]

Simon I just double checked my old gears , you middle gear has a hexagon which I think is really old type even mine at 10 years old has a smooth finish like in the photo from Mr thingy

I know it's more work but you can unscrew the motor plate and lift it out and look at were the shaft goes into plate the newer one has 2 grub screws holding the shaft in , download the fitting instructions and look at the motor plate in the photo , if you're is the older one it can still be done but it will be more work

Posted link below

Edited January 23, 2021 by Neil H

[Neil H]

http://www.rowanastronomy.com/pdf/HEQ5-Belt-Kit.pdf

[Simon Dunsmore]

Thanks so much for all your help. I'm going to do some more reading and research. Stay safe 

Simon