TS AZ5 (SkyTee 2) - if you can’t beat them...

[Stu]

Just now, jock1958 said:

Also if the previous owner hasn’t done so already replace that horrible glue grease and you will be one happy ST 2 owner 😀

Thanks Jock. What is the best grease to be using as a replacement?

[johninderby]

Best grease is AeroShell 33. Expensive but works well at low temps as well as high temps. It’s what Rowan recommends.

[jock1958]

54 minutes ago, Stu said:

Thanks Jock. What is the best grease to be using as a replacement?

I’m using this multi purpose grease for use on wheel bearings and universal joints just now. Think I bought it in Halfords or local motor factors. Next time I might try Aeroshell grease 33. Anything’s better than that Synta glue. 

Edited April 30, 2021 by jock1958

[Dave Cherrett]

Be brave, Stu, go for it!

The other cause of backlash is end float in the worm shaft - easily adjusted.  Also, I had a bent worm shaft, which I've nearly straightened, but OVL are supplying another - promised for May sometime.

Aeroshell 33 is the grease of choice - ask me nicely, and a dollop is yours!  

Adjustment is mostly trial and error... both axes on mine are slightly stiff at some point (due, I guess, to machining inaccuracy), so you have to tweak the assembly to achieve the best result. 

[Dave Cherrett]

According to Shell website, of 359 grease points on a Boeing 737 Aeroshell 33 grease is OK for all but 9 of them. No mention of a Skytee, (or Boeing 737 Max, for that matter).  Perhaps we need the grease that does the other 9?

[Highburymark]

4 hours ago, Stu said:

Thanks Mark, I didn’t realise you used one, looks great. 

Does yours have a clamp at both ends, or just one end and the top? The main reason I went for this one is that it has clamps at both ends, plus the top which I would likely use for a finder or Telrad. All the clamps are uprated so nothing to worry about there. Just the backlash to tweak and all will be ideal.

Just one on the end and one on top Stu. I have a counterweight bar on the other side, but don’t think I’ve ever put a weight on it as the mount is so robust. But yours sounds ideal.
I bought mine about a year ago, and it came with much better clamps than I was expecting. Still replaced the end one with an ADM clamp though. 

[jock1958]

3 hours ago, Dave Cherrett said:

Be brave, Stu, go for it!

The other cause of backlash is end float in the worm shaft - easily adjusted.  Also, I had a bent worm shaft, which I've nearly straightened, but OVL are supplying another - promised for May sometime.

Aeroshell 33 is the grease of choice - ask me nicely, and a dollop is yours!  

Adjustment is mostly trial and error... both axes on mine are slightly stiff at some point (due, I guess, to machining inaccuracy), so you have to tweak the assembly to achieve the best result. 

Excellent clean up job on your components, did you soak them in a trich bath or use a degreaser spray? 
Gives you a chance to have a good look at all the bits and bobs and like you said spot the “machining inaccuracies” 

[johninderby]

I remember reading that the main reason the Chinese mounts use thick sticky grease is it compensates for poor tolerances or adjustment and when using a thinner grease you have adjust things properly. 

[jock1958]

3 minutes ago, johninderby said:

I remember reading that the main reason the Chinese mounts use thick sticky grease is it compensates for poor tolerances or adjustment and when using a thinner grease you have adjust things properly. 

They are probably working to tight schedules and budgets and quality wasn’t much of a consideration. Just imagine what Rowan could do if they could produce something similar and call it say an AZ50!  
 

[johninderby]

Rowan did say they would like to bring out a lighter mount but with them being so busy it will have to wait for a while. 

[jjohnson3803]

On 28/04/2021 at 02:01, jock1958 said:

I’ve owned both @Stu but still got the venerable and extremely flexible Skytee 2.

May I ask how you made your az pointer?  Looks like it's held on magnetically with a steel plate on the crossbar?  I've been using hour hands from clock kits, but they're thin and bend easily.

Same question about the az circle.  I buy vinyl 360-degree "gauges" and glue them to thin wood discs which fit over the columns.  Wondering if there's a better option.

Thanks!

 

Edited April 30, 2021 by jjohnson3803

[Louis D]

2 hours ago, johninderby said:

Rowan did say they would like to bring out a lighter mount but with them being so busy it will have to wait for a while. 

I've noticed most custom astro shops always trend toward the high-end over the long run because it has the highest margins for the amount of work put in.

Similarly, just about the only passenger vehicles made in the Detroit area nowadays with full union labor are high end pickup trucks and large SUVs that start in the $70,000 range and go up from there.

[jock1958]

1 hour ago, jjohnson3803 said:

May I ask how you made your az pointer?  Looks like it's held on magnetically with a steel plate on the crossbar?  I've been using hour hands from clock kits, but they're thin and bend easily.

Same question about the az circle.  I buy vinyl 360-degree "gauges" and glue them to thin wood discs which fit over the columns.  Wondering if there's a better option.

Thanks!

 

It was a bit of a DIY experiment (lash up) when I was having trouble locating Neptune.

The setting circle base was made from a 12mm thick sheet of Ethafoam which if cut slightly tight gives you a nice bit of grip without being too loose, I downloaded the setting circle from the web and sandwiched it between some fairly thick fablon before gluing to the Ethafoam base.

The pointer is nothing fancy, its made from a 6mm diameter aluminium bar which I cut a thread before carefully bending in a vice, the base plate is cut from a 6mm aluminium rectangular bar then drilled and tapped for the pointer to screw into, its then attached with velcro to the Skytee, however I have considered a magnetic plate.

For the Alt Axis readings I use a ujk technology level box which attaches magnetically to a steel plate which I also use to attach my Telrad to. 

Hope that helps a little.

Edited April 30, 2021 by jock1958

[Louis D]

On 27/04/2021 at 14:47, Stu said:

I’ve been an Ercole ‘snob’ 🤪🤪 for a long time, seemingly immune to the lure of the SkyTee 2 with its rugged (agricultural?) manufacture but strong reputation for capacity and stability.

Now that I've seen how poorly they're made (zinc(?) castings that break under normal loads?), it's almost an insult to equate them to agricultural equipment.  I grew up around farms in Iowa and all the farm equipment there was very robustly made from steel.  Any castings were also very durable.  That's not to say things didn't break, but it was generally due to getting a large rock or similar in the workings.

[johninderby]

Important to note that my Skytee is the only one that broke out of the thousands out there as far as I know so they are pretty durable actually. Also mine had been overloaded before it broke.

Edited April 30, 2021 by johninderby

[Stu]

1 hour ago, johninderby said:

Important to note that my Skytee is the only one that broke out of the thousands out there as far as I know so they are pretty durable actually. Also mine had been overloaded before it broke.

The quoted load is 13kg each end, is that correct?

[johninderby]

FLO is recommending 10kg each end to be on the safe side. Official rating is higher but mount seems “happier” at max 10kg.

[Stu]

6 minutes ago, johninderby said:

FLO is recommending 10kg each end to be on the safe side. Official rating is higher but mount seems “happier” at max 10kg.

That should be plenty.

[Dave Cherrett]

3 hours ago, jock1958 said:

Excellent clean up job on your components, did you soak them in a trich bath or use a degreaser spray? 
Gives you a chance to have a good look at all the bits and bobs and like you said spot the “machining inaccuracies” 

This was degreaser spray, and quite a lot of effort!  My big problem was the the thread in the worm shaft carriers, which were all worn or stripped.  I re-threaded these to M5, and they hold securely.  Problem 2 was the lack of a suitable tripod!  I have an iOptron AZpro with 2" leg tripod, so I made an adapter to accept the 60mm dia. register on the ST2, and subsequently I've modified this to create a 'minipier' that accepts both the AZpro and the ST2.  This is really sturdy, and easy to use for both mounts

When I say "I made an adapter...."  I really mean I drew a picture of it, and a friendly machinist made it for me.... 

[johninderby]

The earlier Skytees only had mounting holes for a saddle at one end but the TS-AZ5 and later Skytees I believe have mounting holes for saddles at both ends. The upper mounting point is really only good for a few kg.

Edited April 30, 2021 by johninderby

[Stu]

@Dave Cherrett where did you get those lovely long slow motion controls? Have been after a pair like that for a long time.

[Dave Cherrett]

4 minutes ago, Stu said:

@Dave Cherrett where did you get those lovely long slow motion controls? Have been after a pair like that for a long time.

@StuThey came with a Vixen 80m, which probably dates from 1990.  They are better than the OVL ones - torsionally stiffer and a larger knob 

[johninderby]

Wonder if the AZ100 cables would fit?

[Stu]

13 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Wonder if the AZ100 cables would fit?

I would think they would. They are nice ones too.

[jock1958]

16 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Wonder if the AZ100 cables would fit?

I believe the internal diameter of the AZ 100 cables end fittings is 8mm and Skytee Slo Mo drives is 6mm so you will need an adapter or make your own like I did

Edited April 30, 2021 by jock1958